Storming out of the school and straight to my car I envisioned all the places I wanted go, anywhere other than here, but as I sat down and turned the ignition, I didn't go anywhere. Chastising myself for such a rookie mistake as forgetting about cameras and punching the dashboard, wishing it was Kevin.

  "Where we going?" Trent was sitting beside me now. "Also, I feel like shots like those might hurt the resale on this thing."

  "How long have you been here?"

  "Couple minutes, so long enough."

  "I fucked up, bad."

  "I was there." His nonchalance was somehow calming. "But you've got to get this into perspective. A fuck up with you in charge is millions of times better off than anything the rest of us could put together on our own, or even as a team without you." I shrugged my shoulders. "So stop beating yourself and your car up, and figure out what we're going to do next. We may not like it, but we trust you Mitch."

  "You hungry?"

  "Almost always, what's on the menu?"

  "Something cheap and close." We wound up going through a drive through and getting a round of meals for the whole group. Trent had apparently told everyone we'd be meeting them at a local park.

  "What if I wasn't throwing a fit in the lot? What if I had just bailed?"

  "I would have called you and had, probably the same conversation."

  Riley, Nate and Jess were all sitting at a park bench waiting as Trent and I arrived. Everyone ate in silence for a few minutes before Jessica finally spoke up.

  "Any bets on what we're gonna have to do on Thursday?" No one said anything at first so I took the opportunity.

  "Something he thinks will be outside of our, well my comfort zone. Thing is, he already hit the nail on the head with that high profile mugging, add on the fact that it's only been a couple weeks and I have no frame of reference for what his goals could be." All eyes were on me and at first it made me nervous, but I saw what Trent was talking about, there was almost reverence in their eyes. "We can assume it will be something high risk again. Knowing I was taught initially as a pickpocket, Kevin can pretty safely assume I'll want to stay away from creating any kind of spectacle, as well as anything that can't be moved easily..." trailing off, I immediately remembered the red Sunbird. "Oh fuck.."

  "What? What's wrong?"

  "I think he's gonna have us steal a car." It took everyone aback but there weren't any direct objections.

  "You sure?" It was Trent.

  "Strong chance, like I said it's the opposite of my style and it's easy money if he's got the contacts at a chop shop, which, let's face it he probably does if he can just make security footage disappear like that."

  "Maybe that was a bluff?"

  "I like the way you think Nate, but all things considered..." I held up my left hand and everyone else took a tentative look at their own. "I don't think Kevin needs to bluff about anything. Like I said though, I'm guessing. All I can do is reference what I know from Ray and my old man, and the last time they wanted to challenge me, it was to steal a car."

  "Did you get it?" Oddly it was Nate who asked.

  "Nah, I ripped the whole interior apart, column included, and then the keys just fell out from the sunshade, Ray was pissing himself laughing as I took them as some kind of pathetic souvenir of my failure." As I got a round of chuckles, I tossed my now empty cup into a nearby garbage bin. "Still have that key, along with a bunch of other stuff from back in the day. It helped to keep track of certain successes and failures."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "Well we've got a weekend to kill and then most of a week after that to get our shit sorted so why don't we have some fun along the way, anyone got any ideas?" Trent had managed to completely redirect the focus of the meeting, something I was grateful for. Everyone tossed their own ideas out, things like bowling and checking out a new video game themed bar in town before Nate's phone started ringing.

  "Guys...it says it's Kevin..." the air had immediately turned and we all stared at the phone in shock.

  "Put it on speaker, " I instructed.

  "Hello?"

  "Nate, hi, first off, I'm sure you're shitting yourself regarding how I have your number." He didn't give a chance for Nate to reply. "If you'll remember the first day of classes, I demonstrated an ability to entrance people, you are not immune to that ability, I took a minute a week or so ago and quickly took down all of your numbers, hello to the rest of you by the way."

  "How'd you know?"

  "Oh come on Riley, it's obvious that by now you'd all be huddled together for safety like the hopeless little creatures you are, undoubtedly revering Mitch as some kind of saviour."

  "What do you want Kevin?" I was agitated by this point.

  "I want you all to shut up so I can have a conversation with Nate here." He waited for a minute, satisfied with our silence, he continued. "Now Nate, I have alluded to some co-conspirators of mine and in preparation for this weeks assignment, you're going to meet one of them, alone." Another minute of silence. "Good, you're listening. Now I'm sure you'll all come up with some kind of scheme like having him wear a camera or keep his phone recording during the meet. Feel free to record the audio, it might help you all down the line, but cameras will be confiscated. Am I understood?" We all stated yes and the line clicked off. Immediately after, Nate received a text.

  "It's an address."

  "Alright, we'll drop you off nearby, when you're walking, call me and we'll listen in." He knodded agreement but had suddenly gone pale.

  "Why me?"

  "He thinks you're the weak link." I expected resistance when I said it but Nate just got up and started walking to the car.

  "Then lets go prove him wrong."

  The address was far into the east end of the city, unfortunately an area I wasn't familiar with. There were a couple attempts to start conversations along the way but fear and paranoia were quickly setting in. We got lost a couple times in the identical streets and finally used GPS to get to the house. As I pulled over a part of me couldn't help but see dozens of prime targets, thousands of dollars in things that easily be relocated. Shaking the casing part of my brain of out focus, I looked down the street.

  "Eight fifty four, one block straight down here."

  "Ok," Nate took a deep breath and called my phone, after I answered he took his own and slid it carefully back into his pocket. "Here fucking goes."

  As Nate walked, everyone was dead silent, it was made worse by the slight ruffling of Nate's jeans we could hear over the phone. He walked slowly, I worried he would bail, but he never did. Eventually we lost sight of him as he rounded a fence and headed up to a door. A deep male voice greeted him and ushered him inside. There was a simple command to follow, which Nate clearly obeyed. The two desceded a flight of stairs and there was another short, sharp command, now to wait. From the sound, Nate shuffled a little, obviously nervous. As footsteps were heard coming back we finally heard Nate's voice again.

  'WHAT THE HELL?!" Something sounded like an explosion and then Nate screaming. Over it all, the faint sounds of the phone being picked up could be made out.

  "He'll be in the backyard. Wait two minutes, no sooner, then bring your car aound and get this mess out of here." The line went dead and I was terrified. I didn't wait, turning into an alley and counting the houses until I knew I was behind the right one. There was a gate in the way and it seemed to be locked tight. "I said to fucking wait!" The voice called from the other side. Then I heard something fall and hit the ground. "Go let yourself out, and don't fucking bleed on my fence!"

  No matter what I did to the gate it didn't move, eventually I heard some clasps slide and Nate fell through the gate, groaning through a rag stuffed into his mouth and blood covering his body. Trent helped me get him into the backseat and the girls screamed.

  "What happened in there?" I tried to hide my panic as Nate removed the gag but I know I didn't do well.

  "He fucking shot me!" None of us believed him, but through the blood I managed to see a hole in his shirt that must have been the bullet wound.

  "MITCH! Fucking get him to a hospital!" Riley screaming managed to shake me loose and I started driving as fast as I could. The sounds of Nate groaning in pain, accompanied by the rest of the car doing what they could to try and help him was a whole new kind of terror I never knew I could experience, until I heard him start roaring again. As I pulled over I caught a wild look from Trent.

  "WHAT. THE. FUCK?!"

  "Trent I can't drive like this! I'm freaking the fuck out!"

  "What about Nate dude?! How do you think he's doing?"

  "I know...I just.."

  "FUUUUCK!!" Nate went quiet after one last yell. His breathing was deep and ragged now. "Guys..." Trent and I turned to look and saw that he was holding the bullet. "It..it doesn't hurt anymore."