“I thought it came from up there,” Charlie whispers anxiously as he points toward the shadows of the arched ceiling. Between the lack of lighting and the stains from the soot, every arch is a dark floating cave.
“Were you followed?” Shep mouths.
I stop for a second. “No… I don’t think so. Unless-”
Shep covers his lips in a Shhhh motion. Rotating his neck side to side, side to side, side to side, he scans the rest of the room with military precision. But it doesn’t take years of Secret Service training to tell me what my gut already knows. We all get the same out-of-body feeling when we’re being watched. And as Charlie nervously glances around, a pregnant silence settles on the room, and we can’t help but feel like we no longer have this place to ourselves.
“Let’s get out of here,” Charlie says.
But just as he turns to the door, there’s another noise. Not a thud. More like a creak. I instinctively look up, but it’s not coming from the ceiling. Or the walls. It’s lower.
There’s another quiet creak and we all look down. “Behind you,” Charlie motions to Shep. He spins around and checks out a section of flat wood planks that’re built into the ground like a mini-liferaft.
“What’re those?” I ask quietly.
“Vertical passageways. Underneath the planks, they lead down to the tracks below,” Charlie explains. “That’s how they move the big equipment and generators – they just take out the wood and lower them through the holes.” He’s trying to sound relaxed, but from the crinkle in his forehead – and the way he backs away from the planks – I can tell he’s creeped out. He’s not the only one.
“Can we please get out of here?” I ask.
Bending down toward the floor, Shep angles his head, trying to peer between the planks of wood. It’s like staring into an underground air-conditioning vent. “You sure it’s from here?” he asks. “Or is it echoing from somewhere else?” Changing course, Charlie moves in for a closer look.
“Charlie, get away from there,” I plead.
There’s another creak. Then another. Slow at first, but getting faster.
Shep looks up and re-scouts the entire tunnel. If it is an echo, it has to start somewhere.
I rush in and grab Charlie by the shoulder. “Let’s go!” I say as I head for the door.
Stumbling to his feet, Charlie follows me, but keeps his eyes on Shep.
Through the planks, the pace of the noise gets even quicker. Like a soft scraping…
“C’mon!” I insist.
… or someone walking… no, more like running. The sound’s not coming from in here. It’s outside. I stop and slide to a halt along the dusty floor. “Charlie, wait!”
Passing me by, he turns around like I’m insane. “What’re you t-”
There’s a sharp crash in the corner, and the door we’re headed for bursts open. “Secret Service – nobody move!” a beefy man shouts, rushing into the room with his gun pointed straight at my face.
Instinctively, I back up. He slows down, and I spot his limp. Mr. Squat. The lead investigator.
“He said don’t move!” a blond-haired agent yells, racing in right behind him. Like his partner, he aims his gun straight at us – first at me, then at Charlie, then back to me. All I see is the black hole of the barrel.
12
“W-We didn’t…” Charlie tries to say something, but nothing comes out. My throat locks up and I feel like I swallowed my tongue.
“Back up!” the bull-necked agent shouts, moving deeper into the cavern.
My legs are jelly as we step back. I look to Charlie, but it only gets worse. His whole face is white… his mouth gapes open. Like me, all he can do is stare at the gun.
“Officer…” I stutter.
“Agent!” the man with the bull neck corrects me.
“I-I’m sorry… I just…”
“You must be Oliver.”
“How’d you…”
“You really thought you could leave the bank twice without being followed?”
“What the hell’re you doing, Gallo?” Shep calls out. “I was just about to bring them in. All I needed was-”
“Don’t bullshit me!” Gallo barks as Shep falls silent. Before we can react, Gallo pushes between me and Charlie, shoving us back with his shoulders. Not too far. Just enough to aim his gun at Shep. “I’m not a moron,” Gallo says. “I know what you’re up to!”
Oh, God – he thinks we – “I-It’s not how it looks,” I blurt as Gallo turns back to me. “We were about to come in! I swear, that’s where-”
“Enough,” Gallo interrupts. He’s got a heavy Boston accent that doesn’t apologize for a single syllable. “It’s over, Oliver. Y’understand?” He doesn’t even wait for an answer. “The only thing that’s gonna make your day better is if you spare us some headache and tell us where you hid the money.”
It’s a simple question. Spill the beans, hand over the money, and take the first step to getting our lives back. But the way Gallo asks it… the anger in his voice… the way he grits his teeth… you’d think he had a personal interest. I’ve seen enough divorce settlements to know something’s up.
I look to Charlie, who slowly shakes his head. He sees it too.
“Oliver, this isn’t the time to play hero,” Gallo warns. “Now I’m gonna ask you again: Where’d you put the money?”
“Don’t tell him!” Shep shouts.
“Shut up!” Gallo snaps.
“Once you give it up, we’ve got nothing left!” Shep continues. “It’s our only bargaining chip!”
“You want to see a bargaining chip!?” Gallo explodes, his face a deep red rage. Standing between me and Charlie, he lifts his gun and points it directly at Shep.
“Oh, you gotta be kidding,” Shep blurts.
“What’re you doing?” Charlie asks, stepping forward.
“Plant your feet!” Gallo shouts, turning his gun to Charlie’s face. My brother backs up, hands in the air. “DeSanctis…” Gallo shouts to the lanky blond agent by the door.
“I got him,” DeSanctis says, aiming his gun straight at Charlie’s back.
Unable to turn around, Charlie looks my way to get the overview.
Don’t move, I say with a glance.
Don’t tell them, Charlie shoots back. He’s trying to play strong, but I see the way he’s breathing. Already short of breath.
“Last chance, Oliver,” Gallo warns. “Tell me where the money is, or we start with Shep and work our way to your brother.”
Charlie and I lock eyes. Neither of us says a word.
“He’s bluffing,” Shep says. “He’d never do it.”
Gallo keeps his gun on Shep, but he’s watching me. “You sure you’re willing to take that chance, Oliver?”
“Please just put the gun down…” I plead.
“Don’t fall for it,” Shep says. “They’re Secret Service, not hitmen. They’re not gonna kill anyone.” Turning to the blond agent by the door, he adds, “Isn’t that right, DeSanctis? We all know the protocol.”
Gallo looks back at DeSanctis, who gives him one of those imperceptible nods I usually save only for my brother. I know the look of that one. Storm clouds brewing. There’s more riding on this than just some lost cash.
Without a word, Gallo pulls back the hammer of his gun.
“C’mon, Jim,” Shep laughs. “The joke’s over…”
But as we all quickly realize, Gallo isn’t laughing. He tightens his grip, and his finger slithers across the trigger. “I’m waiting, Oliver.”
Frozen in place, I feel like someone’s standing on my chest. I can barely breathe. If I stay quiet, he pulls the trigger. But like Shep said… if I give up the cash, we lose our only chit. Big deal – it’s better than gambling with our lives.