The Ghostbird Job

24 - The Bank Shot Job Part 1

"How are we coming on the breakdown?" Hardison asked.

"Fake addresses are shut down. Post office boxes are closed. The phones are cleared. Five more minutes and we never existed," Elliot informed them. He was across town loading the truck. Sang was pretty sure he volunteered for that job so that he wouldn't be stuck in the hot van with Hardison or Parker.

"Wand me to call the Delgado family and tell them the news?" Hardison asked. Sang felt so much pride in her family. They were going to get some much needed money to this mourning family. It could never replace what they lost, but it was the only justice they could get.

"Nah, soon as I clear county line I want to do it. I just wish we could do more than bankrupt that corrupt son of a bitch." Sang felt the same. Judge Roy deserved so much more than to just lose all of his money. Sang collected the files Sophie had just finished putting together and headed across the bank to file them in the back office. On her way, she noticed Nate pausing by the door. The look in his eye was critical.

"What's the matter?" Judge Roy asked him.

"We gotta get out of here," Nate stated looking towards the counter.

"I thought that's what we were doing." Sang wasn't so sure he was talking to the Judge though. She hurried to the office to set the files down before walking back out into the lobby. Sophie was also collecting herself and getting up.

"What's he waiting for?" Hardison asked over the comms. Sang wasn't too sure either, but she trusted Nate in situations like this.

"Sir, I'm gonna need you to backup from the counter," the lone security guard of the bank said. Sang heard it and noticed a man crowding the counter. He looked over to the guard.

"What for?" the man asked. Sang tried to pick up her pace. The pieces were clicking together in her head just like they had for Nate.

"Just step back sir," the guard demanded before pulling his gun. "Put your hands up!"

"Easy, easy," the man said with his hands up in the air. Sang had just barely crossed the middle of the lobby when she saw the second, younger man behind the guard.

"Drop the gun! Drop it!" he shouted pushing a gun of his own against the guard's neck. The older man pulled another gun from the bag on the counter and waved it around.

"This is a robbery," he shouted gaining the entire bank's attention. "I don't want to hurt anybody, but we will if you don't do exactly what we say. Everyone away from the door, now!" Sang froze even though she had guessed what was happening. Quickly she made her way over to Sophie further into the bank. Nate and Judge Roy stood frozen just steps away from the front doors of the bank.

"You've got to be kidding me," Parker's voice came through the comms.

"Oh, hell no," Hardison remarked.

"I knew this went too smooth!" Elliot stated angrily. Sang felt his anger. Nothing ever seemed to go smoothly for the team nowadays. There was always some sort of complication. The team had always pulled through in the end, though so Sang wasn't worried. Well, not too worried. She knew they could work anything out together.

"Lock the door!" the younger man shouted at the guard. Following him with gun raised, he walked the guard to the front doors so he could do just that.

"You two," the older man pointed at Nate and Judge Roy. "Out on the floor where we can see you. Come on! Everyone on the floor!" He turned to the clerk and handed her the bag that was on the counter commanding her to empty all the tills and put everything in there.

"Get out now," Nate mumbled through the comms. Sang was confused as to who he was talking to and she wasn't the only one. Thankfully the other's understood.

"Is he talking to us?" Hardison asked.

"An unmarked van parked across the street from a bank that's being robbed? Yeah, I think he's talking to us," Parker quipped back.

"Yeah, well, five more feet and he would have been in the clear. What the hell was he thinking?" Hardison griped through the comms.

"Don't be an idiot, Hardison."

"What?" His voice sounded taken aback by Parker's blunt remark.

"Sophie and Sang were still in there." Sang felt guilty that she had been part of the reason he had stayed. It put the job at risk. A part of her appreciated it though. He cared enough about her that she was worth risking the job for. It felt nice to know that, even as she crouched on the hard stone floor with the others.

"It's not enough, not even close," the older robber mumbled going through the bag of money.

"We're running out of time. What are we going to do?" the younger robber asked. The older man huffed and grabbed the clerk who had been behind the counter. He dragged her over to the safe and demanded she open it.

"I-I can't. It's on a timer," she stammered trying to explain. "It can only be opened certain time of the day."

"There's no one here who can open it?"

"No, I don't think so. The manager, they have the codes," she told him. Sang could tell she was terrified. She felt for the girl. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She managed to look just in time to see Judge Roy sliding the briefcase under a nearby desk.

"Damn it," the older man cursed pushing the clerk back out onto the lobby floor with everyone else. "Everyone empty your pockets. Wallets, purses, watches, everything you've got throw it over here." Everyone followed his directions throwing their various personal belongings onto the center of the floor.

"Not a bad response time. Somebody must have tripped the silent alarm," Parker remarked. Sang heard a faint siren through the comms. They must have passed a police car.

"This is so not good," Hardison remarked. Sang couldn't help but agree.

"These guys don't know what they're doing," Nate stated drawing Sang's attention back to the bank. Sophie squeezed her hand once and it helped settle her. They could handle this.

"Maybe I should talk to them," Judge Roy proposed. "Get them to listen to reason."

"Well, that's a good idea to get us both shot, huh?" Sang wouldn't have minded if the Judge got shot, but not Nate. She needed to help protect him and Sophie. It had taken hours of talking for Nate to agree to her getting a job at the bank with Sophie. She wouldn't be just a burden now. She was determined to help her team.

"I've got killers standing in front of me every day in court. These guys ain't them."

"Yeah, you may be right," Nate agreed. Sang did as well. The younger man looked like he could be the son of the older man. They didn't look like criminal masterminds. They seemed scared almost and definitely desperate.

"Tell me what's going on in there," Elliot's voice came through the comms. It was like a security blanket falling on Sang's shoulders.

"Yeah you're right. Clearly amateurs, these two," Nate remarked staying in character. "Yeah, the younger one looks like he's never handled a gun before."

"Is judge blow-hard next to you?" Elliot asked.

"Yeah, uh-huh. Yeah, definitely amateurs. That's what makes them so dangerous." Sang felt bad that Nate had to stay in character during all of this. It couldn't be making the situation any easier for him.

"Alright, two guys, both armed, neither one a criminal mastermind. You want me in there?" Sang wanted to exclaim yes, but in reality they needed a plan which meant Nate leading the group. It would make Sang more comfortable with Elliot, but that wasn't a high priority right now.

"Probably, uh, a good idea just to sit tight, don't you think? You know, and see where these guys' head are at, you know?"

"Alright, your call boss," Elliot said. "You okay, kid?" Sang turned her head toward the floor before answering.

"I'm okay," she whispered.

"You tell me if that changes, alright? You hear me?"

"I hear you."