Bank Job by James Heneghan Read Free Book Online Page A

opening the thick book and patting a spot on the bed next to me.
    Lisa cuddled close to me as I started reading.
    â€œI don’t ever want any of us to move from here,” she whispered to me after I finished the story. She tucked the sleeping kitten into his bed, and then she tunneled under her quilt.
    â€œDon’t worry, Sweetie,” I told her as I went to turn off the lights. “None of us will ever have to move. Not if I can help it.”

EIGHT
    APRIL 5
    The next day, we were still riding high on the roller coaster of success after our first robbery. We were ready for our next triumph. But first we had a meeting in the boys’ room.
    â€œEverything worked perfectly,” said Billy. “And we took almost fifteen hundred big ones.”
    He was on his bed, leaning against the headboard, hands behind his head.
    Tom was sitting on the floor near the window working on a Sudoku puzzle. “Hey!” he said. “Fifteen hundred bucks means we’ll need to do seven robberies to meet our goal.”
    â€œNo problem,” said Billy, with a shrug.
    I stared at him. “It’s an awful lot of robberies, Billy. I don’t know if I can keep it up. I thought my heart… Weren’t you scared?”
    He laughed. “Not a bit. I knew I had you two backing me up. What could go wrong? There was no danger to me. No security guard, nothing. It was a piece of cake. A yummy slice of mocha chocolate layer. I enjoyed it.”
    â€œEnjoyed it? You’re crazy!” I didn’t believe him.
    Billy laughed again.
    I couldn’t decide how much of his enjoyment was real and how much was put on for our benefit.
    â€œWhat about you, Tom?” I asked. “Weren’t you scared?”
    Tom’s initial delight had disappeared. “Not really. By the time I got the bag the thing was just about over and done. But I still don’t like the idea of going to jail.”
    Billy looked at him. “Look, the banks we pick are going to be small ones, right? No big banks with crowds of people. And it’s not like we’re breaking into the vault to steal a million bucks. We take small bites only. We’re minnows, not sharks. They don’t know there’s been a robbery until it’s over. You won’t be seeing the inside of a jail, trust me. It’s perfectly safe. Two handoffs. Two different bags. Everyone on the move. Foolproof. Look, you did a great job, Tom. Be proud of yourself.”
    Billy turned to me, sprawled on an orange beanbag near the door. “You too, Nails. You did a fantastic job.”
    I blushed with pleasure.
    I fought that night with Tom—tangled with Tom.
    He’d said he didn’t want to tangle with me ever, but it seemed to me he needed a reminder.
    It wasn’t the boys’ turn to use the bathroom first; it was mine and Lisa’s. But Tom pretended to forget. He did that sometimes. Once he was in there with the door locked, there was nothing Lisa and I could do but wait. And wait.
    His excuse was that he didn’t like going in after me because I left a mess, hairs and toothpaste and a wet floor. So he said. But he exaggerated. I wasn’t any worse than anyone else.
    The house’s one-and-a-half bathrooms for six people often led to temper tantrums—shouting and yelling, thumping, door-slamming.
    Joseph and Janice had rules. Rule number one: maximum time in bathroom at bedtime—ten minutes. There was a digital clock beside the mirror. Rule number two: everyone left the room tidy for the next person. Rule number three: we took turns for who went in first. Girls’ night, boys’ night.
    But tell Mr. Tom Okada that.
    When Tom came out and saw me glaring at him, he went all innocent. “Wasn’t it our turn? I could’ve sworn you guys were first last night.”
    We yelled at each other for a while. We tangled.
    I was the first to quit.
    What was the use? Tom would never change.
    He