I swore when I saw two of them were carrying Kalashnikovs, the others with weapons more discreetly hidden. They were also lugging a number of black gym bags. Tony was already on his radio, reporting what we were seeing. The men looked in our direction, the sirens drawing their attentions, then ran straight for the transit van, pulled open the back doors, and hopped inside.
Within seconds they were speeding away from the scene. Clearly, there’d been a driver waiting. Not even bothering to stop, I gave chase, calling out the van’s licence plate number as the dispatch operator did a search.
“It was reported stolen two days ago,” he told me, but I wasn’t surprised. Stolen vehicles were business as usual for a bank job.
We were halfway to Canning Town when three other patrol cars joined in the chase behind us. They were unarmed units, just like us, which wasn’t going to do much good once the thieves began to panic. The sentencing for armed robbery was seven years, more if they’d used their guns to harm anyone. If push came to shove, I had no doubt they’d open fire on us to get away. Suddenly, my palms felt clammy on the steering wheel, my adrenaline kicking in.
“Where’s my ARV?” I asked dispatch.
“On its way. Just keep your distance and follow the van until they get there.”
We were entering a rundown residential district, a jungle of tower blocks with half the windows boarded up. They weren’t going to be able to lose us here, not in the van, anyway. The buildings were too close together, no space for them to speed up and make a break for it.
Almost as though confirming my thoughts, the van screeched to a halt about two hundred yards ahead of us and the men emerged. I had to stomp hard on the brakes to stop the patrol car before it collided with the van, and by the time we’d ground to a halt, the men were climbing the metal ladder that ran up the side of the nearest building.
With barely a second to think about it, both Tony and I got out of the car and ran after them. I was first to get on the ladder, and as I looked into the distance, I saw the ARV approaching. If we could just keep track of the thieves until the armed unit caught up with us, then maybe we had a chance of catching them.
I was probably six or seven rungs ahead of Tony, and the final thief had already disappeared over the roof of the building. By the time I reached the top, all four of them were on the other side. I got there just in time to see the first man jump and breach the gap between one building and the next, and all at once a niggling sense of dread fell over me.
I ran across the roof, my legs pumping on the flat concrete. I was too slow, though, and all of them bar one had already made the jump, headed for the next building. There was anywhere between fifteen and twenty towers all in the same vicinity, and with them able to jump from one to the other so easily, who knew where they’d end up.
For some reason, the final thief turned back just before making the jump, and I came face to face with a pair of blue eyes impossible not to recognise. Barely a second passed, but time stood still, the moment dragging out as my heart beat wildly in my chest.
No.
Memories flooded my vision. Trevor jumping a ten-foot wall the first time I’d caught him trying to steal a car. Lee telling me he’d made a deal with McGregor to get out of their arrangement. And later, betting me he could make it to the ground from the top of a fifteen-storey building with nothing but his own two feet.
I blinked back to the present just in time to see him land on the roof of the next building before disappearing out of sight. Trying to gather some composure, I lifted my radio, spouting off details of what had happened, completely on autopilot. A minute later, Tony and several armed officers arrived. I told them how the men had escaped, and immediately a plan was put in place to search every building in the area. I kept busy, helping with the search and trying not to let my mind wander to the reality of what I’d seen.
Several hours later, after my shift had finished, I found myself sitting on a closed toilet seat in the ladies’ bathroom back at the station, my face in my hands as I experienced a minor anxiety attack.
Thankfully, no employees or civilians at the bank had been harmed. The sight of the guns was enough to keep everyone from trying to be a hero. The search had been unsuccessful, though a forensics team was currently checking out the abandoned transit van. I didn’t expect them to find anything. Lee was too clever for that.
He’d just robbed a bank. It wasn’t so shocking when you considered the fact that he’d spent his entire life stealing cars, but then I thought of the amount he’d gotten away with.
Three million pounds in cash and bearer bonds.
It suddenly made sense that McGregor was willing to let Lee out of their arrangement. He was going to pay his way out, and good old-fashioned cash was the currency of choice. My entire body grew cold and clammy, and I felt sick to my stomach with the decision that was now weighing heavily on my shoulders.
Should I give an eyewitness account, saying I’d recognised Lee as one of the robbers? Or should I keep my mouth shut, let him pay his way out of a life of crime, and finally have some semblance of freedom?
I knew which option my heart desired, but could I live with myself if I allowed Lee away scot-free?
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when I finally left the cubicle. Staring at my face in the mirror, it was the first time in my life that I looked at my own reflection and barely recognised the woman who stood before me. In that moment, I knew I was never going to hand Lee in. Was it because I loved him? Was it because I knew deep down he was a good person and deserved a better life? Or was it because I was selfish and didn’t want him to be taken away from me?
Right then it felt like a mixture of all three.
When I arrived home that night, it was late and Alexis was fast asleep, light snoring coming from her room. The flat was dark, and when I switched the lamp on, I got a fright to see Lee sitting on the couch.
Even though I knew it was him, I grew anxious. There was something about the tension in his shoulders that put me on edge. He wasn’t here to whisper sweet nothings in my ear, that was for sure.
“How did you get in?” I asked into the dimly lit room.
“Alexis,” he answered simply.
The last I’d spoken of Lee to my best friend, I’d been wondering if I was in love with him. She didn’t know about Tony discovering our relationship, or about the bank job. As far as she was concerned, she was doing me a favour by letting Lee into our home.
Passing by the living area, I went and dropped my keys down on the kitchen counter, bracing my hands on the cold Formica and letting out an exhausted sigh. “Why did it have to be me? If I could rewind the clock and go back to this morning, I never would have gotten out of bed. I would’ve called in sick. Then I’d never have to know.”
“You can’t unsee what you saw,” said Lee. “So, what are you gonna do about it?”
Turning abruptly, I scowled at him. “Is that the only reason you’re here? You want to know if I’m going to turn you in?”
Lee’s expression was sober. “I’m a survivor, Karla, first and foremost. If someone’s fixing to feed me to the lions, I want to be prepared.”
My hands clenched into fists, my mouth a firm line as I levelled him with all the animosity I had inside me. “And what if I say I’m going to do it? Will you hurt me? Will you threaten me to keep quiet?” I was glad I’d managed to withhold my tears and keep my voice steady, when all I wanted to do was cry.
Lee stood from the couch, his posture tense. “You think I have that in me?”