Page 21 of The Thief
I swallowed through the lump in my throat as Ava told him how old we both were. Then, when he told her he was twenty-eight, and she called him old, we both laughed, and the lump disappeared, replaced by flutters in my stomach.
But then, it all changed.
There was an almighty bang behind us, a crash that made us jump and had all of our heads whipping around to face the door. And then, a rush of adrenaline and fear made me feel instantly sick to my stomach. My mind spiralled as my body started to shake uncontrollably, going into freefall at the sight of the men in front of us. All of them were dressed in blue boiler suits, balaclavas over their heads, and guns in their hands as they stormed into the bank. My ears rang as my head struggled to make sense of what was happening right before our eyes.
Oh, Jesus, no.
Not this.
Please, God. No.
Two of the men started to spray black paint over the CCTV cameras set up in the corner of the bank. Another held his gun at the workers behind the desk and told them to get their hands up, warning them if they hit the panic button, he’d put a bullet in their heads. Instinctively, I reached for Ava, picking her up and holding her close. My first... no, my only priority was her safety, so I clung to the back of her head, pushing her face into my neck so she couldn’t see them. Ava clung to me, her little body shivering as she whispered, “Mummy, what’s going on?”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” I soothed her, brushing my fingers through her hair. “The men are just playing a game. That’s all. Don’t be scared. It’s gonna be all right.”
“But Iamscared.” She sniffed as she clung to me, burrowing her face down further. Her soft, warm breaths came faster against my skin. A pant that made the protective mama bear inside me roar. I had to keep her safe. I would keep her safe.
“I know,” I said, trying to calm her, my clammy handsrubbing her back in an effort to make her focus on anything other than what was happening in this room. “Nothing bad is gonna happen to you, okay. You’re with me. You’re safe. You’re always safe with me. You know that. I’m here, baby. I’m always here.”
She nodded weakly as I held her, but as I felt her little tears trickling down my skin, tears I would give my life for her not to shed, determination to get her away from here burned a blaze of fire in my soul.
I sensed Tyler beside me, reaching into his pocket, probably to get to his phone, as the men bolted the doors shut. But then one shouted, “Hands up, all of you. Keep your hands where we can see them, or we’ll shoot every motherfucking one of you.” And Tyler’s body went rigid as the gunman turned the gun on him, waiting for him to do what he said. Slowly, Tyler slid his hand out of his pocket and lifted his arm.
“It’s all good, man,” Tyler said in a low, hoarse voice. “We’re good.”
The gunman ignored him, turning to face the other people here, making their pitiful gasps and cries grow louder as he pointed his gun at them too.
Ava whimpered as I held her, but I hushed her, telling her to be brave. It’d all be over soon. I don’t know if she believed me, I doubt she did, but I had to say it. I had to do whatever I could to ease her fear. She didn’t like shouting, not even from the other kids at nursery, so this was sending her into a blind panic. To try and soothe her, I nuzzled into her, giving her gentle kisses as I continued to rub her back in slow, gentle circles.
The men started yanking the shutters down, stalking around as they secured the area, and the same guy who told us to putour hands up bellowed, “All of you, get on the fucking ground. Now!” And everyone dropped to the floor.
Everyone except Tyler.
Fuck.
I knew he wanted to fight back, and I really didn’t want him to. I didn’t want anything to draw their attention in our direction.
I cradled Ava in my lap as she kept her face hidden, but I peered up at Tyler, my teeth gritted as I willed him to do what they said. This wasn’t the time for him to play the hero. But from the way his jaw ticked as he stared straight ahead, I knew he wouldn’t go down without a fight. That boy who’d fought in the alleyway fourteen years ago was still standing up to bullies. Doing what he thought was right, despite the consequences it could have for him and his own survival.
Ava’s cries made my already fractured heart shatter even more, and I whispered, “It’s going to be all right. Remember what I said. It’s just a game.”
But she whispered back to me, “Tyler isn’t playing, Mummy.” And in that moment, I needed him to do the right thing, not just for himself, but for us, all of us.
I knew the kind of man Tyler was, even though I hadn’t seen him for years. I understood his morals, his sense of right and wrong. I also knew that taking orders was the last thing he’d want to do right now. It went against every instinct he had. But I was so frightened. Frightened for my little girl, for me, for all the people in here, but also for him. He was on his own here. If he thought he could fight these men, who were charging around, waving their guns and threatening us, he wouldn’t have anyone else to back him up. There were five of them and one of him.
The young guy in front of us in the queue was currentlycowering on the floor. The older man and woman were doing the same, doing whatever they could to be invisible. To survive. The bank workers behind the desks were petrified, trying to make themselves as small as possible as they whimpered on the ground. If Tyler intended to take these men on, he was on his own, because I couldn’t do anything. None of us could.
I went to whisper to him to get down, do what they said, but the guy who’d been giving all the orders took one look at Tyler, lifted his gun in the air, and bellowed, “I said get on the fucking ground or I’ll blow your motherfucking head off. Do you hear me?” Then he shot a bullet into the ceiling, making us all jump out of our skins, some of us screaming, others clamouring against the walls in an effort to protect themselves and hide as he showed Tyler that he meant what he said. He wasn’t afraid to use his gun.
Unbridled terror was already clawing its way through my body, shredding me into a million pieces as I tried to stay calm for my little girl, despite the beast of fear that was eating me alive. But hearing the gun go off sent me to a level of horror I’d never experienced before. A level I didn’t even know my body was capable of as the scene played out like it wasn’t really happening.
It couldn’t be happening.
It was all so surreal, and yet... heart shatteringly real.
My pulse hammered in my ears, my chest, through my whole body. I was struggling to see straight as the people around us sobbed and prayed. Ava pushed her face into my chest, her hands clamped over her ears to drown out the noise. It was like a cloud or a mist of hell so beyond frightening had settled over us, pinning us in place, making it impossible to move, to watch,but we couldn’t look away. We couldn’t move. Our reality was survival now. It was all we had. And yet, Tyler still didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch when that gun went off. He stayed exactly where he was, standing, staring at them. Goading them.
I had to do something.
