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“Don’t give me your excuses. It’s plenty light enough. When we’re in that bank you’re not going to be able to control how well lit the room is.” Joel gave Dan a hard look, his eyes dulling. He nodded to himself as if he understood he was dealing with damaged goods. “Just hand me that gun. I’ve let you waste enough shells. If we’re in that bank and you need to shoot, make sure you’re close enough to your target so you don’t blow my head off by mistake. Okay?”

The five of them went back upstairs. They finalized their plans and agreed on a time and location for them to meet before the robbery. As they were leaving, Gordon asked for the ski masks, suggesting that he could do something with them to help with their disguises.

Walking back to the car, Dan couldn’t shake a sense of uneasiness. It was almost as if when he breathed he could feel the uneasiness deep in his lungs. Kind of like a tingling sensation. Over the years he had gotten together many times with these people in different combinations for beers and to shoot the breeze. While this meeting had the same juvenile feel, they weren’t just bitching about pointy-haired managers and screwed-up projects. This was something that was going to change their lives. Something that once done, they wouldn’t be able to turn back from. He just prayed that it would work as planned and that there would be enough money to justify him losing a bit of his soul.

None of them seemed to feel like talking. Even Gordon sat quietly in the backseat, a somber expression darkening his face. When Dan let him out at his condo, Gordon told him he was going to spend a few days at the Jersey shore but he would be back by Tuesday night. After they pulled away, Dan asked Shrini what he thought.

“Your friend Joel is very excitable,” Shrini said.

“That’s one way of putting it. We could be kind and call him passionate. He’s not what worries me, though. What did you think of his buddy, Eric?”

“He looked like a small hog walking on two legs. Dude, something’s not quite right about him.”

Dan nodded, feeling his uneasiness now every time he exhaled. “So what do we do, call this off?”

“I still want to do this,” Shrini said. “Our plan makes too much sense not to go through with it. How about you?”

“I don’t know, man. I’ll have to think about it.”

“Just a case of nerves, dude. Don’t think too much.”

“I’ll try not to.” Dan laughed. “Damn, I had been feeling pretty good about this. I don’t know, something about Joel and his buddy put me off.”

“Just nerves, dude. You’ll be fine.”

When they arrived at Shrini’s apartment, Dan joined him inside for a few shots of tequila. After his third shot, his uneasiness faded somewhat.

Dan pulled into his driveway a little before five and was surprised to see Carol’s car there. Usually she didn’t leave work until five. He found her sitting alone in the kitchen, an open bottle of wine on the table in front of her. Carol was not a big drinker, but it looked like several glasses had already been poured. She looked up at him, her eyes watery, her face pale and drawn. She told him she had been fired.

“They waited until four o’clock to tell me,” she said, almost as if in a daze. “They claim I’m being fired for cause. Because I was late for a meeting. All of three minutes late.”

“They’re firing you for that?”

“That’s what they’re claiming. The real reason’s because I happened to be standing nearby when Nancy told the senior partner to go screw himself. That little egotistical prick probably couldn’t stand the idea of having me around after that.”

Dan rubbed a hand across his jaw considering what Carol told him. “So fuck them,” he said. “You didn’t like it there anyway. You’ll look for another job, collect unemployment—”

“You don’t understand. I was fired, not laid off. They’re going to fight any unemployment claim I make.”

“Can they do that?”

“That’s what they’re doing. How can I fight an office full of lawyers?” As she looked at Dan, her blank expression gave way to hopelessness. She appeared utterly, completely lost. “Please tell me again that your interview went well.”

He stared at her for a moment before he remembered what she was referring to. “Yeah,” he said. ‘It seemed to go well. We’ll see next week. The follow-up is scheduled for next Thursday.”

“I don’t want to put pressure on you, but if you don’t get that job I don’t know what we’re going to do. We have no money coming in now and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to find another job. Other firms are going to know I’ve been fired.”

He struggled trying to think of something to say.

“Please,” she pleaded. “Whatever you do, don’t say everything’s going to be okay. Whatever you do, don’t say that. I’ll go insane if you do. I swear to God I will.”

Dan nodded. He fully accepted now that he was going to go through with the bank robbery. He couldn’t help feeling somewhat dead inside. “Where are the kids?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Brandon’s dad is taking Gary to a baseball game. Susie left a note that she’s with Julie and will be home by seven.” Carol showed a sad smile. “I need you to join me upstairs in the bedroom. Please, for the next hour try to be with me.”

He followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. When they got to the bedroom, they both took their clothes off, neither of them saying a word. For that one hour he lost himself.

12

Gordon set his alarm for six and was on the road by a quarter past. By eleven-thirty he was pulling into the Asbury Park Beach. A couple of teenagers leaning against a Mustang convertible and playing gangsta rap on a boom box smirked at him as he made his way by. Gordon ignored them, ambled along to an empty spot on the beach, and plopped himself down on the sand. He started to take his shirt off, noticed how white and flabby his stomach looked and slipped his shirt back on.

After feeling the sun on his face for a few minutes, he pushed himself into a sitting position as two girls walked by. Both were around eighteen, thin, long-legged and darkly tanned. Both were wearing string bikinis. One had long black hair that fell past her shoulders, the other had bleached her hair blond.

Gordon called out to them, asking if they were Brazilian. They stopped, their mouths falling open as they stared at him. “What you saying to us?” the bleached-blond demanded. “What you mean by that?”

“Nothing at all.” Gordon could feel himself start to sweat. “I’m about to date a girl from São Paulo and I just wanted to ask if you were from Brazil.”

“We look like we’re from Brazil?” the dark-haired girl asked angrily.

“I don’t know. You’re both thin and tall and beautiful. I thought maybe you were.”

“We were born here in New Jersey, asshole!”

“I wasn’t trying to insult you.”

The dark-haired girl turned to her friend. “I think this old fat
pendejo
is trying to pick us up.” The bleached-blond snickered and slowly licked her lips as she stared at Gordon. “Is that true?” she asked. “You think we would want anything to do with a
pajero
like you?”

“First of all,” Gordon said, jutting out his chin. “I resent being called old. I don’t have a single gray hair or wrinkle. For all you know, I could be in my thirties.”

The dark-haired girl shook her head. “Can you believe this guy?” she asked. The bleached-blond just kept staring at Gordon, licking her lips in an exaggerated motion. “You didn’t answer my question, stud,” she said. “You think you have a chance with either of us?”

“Well, I don’t know. What if I were rich?”

“He thinks we’re whores,” the bleached-blond said to her friend. Then to Gordon, “Who you try to fool? You don’t have no money, but even if you did I would never let you touch these.” She cupped her breasts, staring defiantly at him.

“I could have a lot of money,” Gordon said. “More than you could imagine.”

“Look,” the dark-haired girl said as she pointed at Gordon’s crotch. “This old
pajero
has a stiffy. I think he’s going to start fingering himself.”

“I don’t have an erection,” Gordon insisted.

“
Creep! Pendejo!
” the bleached-blond yelled as she grabbed her friend and pulled her away. The dark-haired girl spat in the sand. As they walked away, Gordon made a gun with his thumb and forefinger and shot imaginary bullets through their thin beautiful torsos. He was still doing it when they stopped to talk to two muscle-bound guys in their twenties. The guys stared in Gordon’s direction and then started moving fast towards him.

“Oh, jeez,” Gordon murmured to himself, then got the hell out of there.

13

Petrenko looked dully at his Arab hosts while his jeweler sat at a table in the corner and examined the diamonds. Abbas stared intently back. There was a fourth Arab this time. Three of them made a show of the Glocks they were carrying. The one with the scowl had his right hand bandaged and was holding a gun with his left. The only noise came from the old jeweler grunting occasionally as he shifted positions.

Petrenko had brought both Yuri and Sergei with him. He also had four other men sitting in a car outside. They were listening in on an open line from a cell phone that Petrenko had slipped into his shirt pocket. If they heard a commotion, they’d be in the house in seconds. Petrenko didn’t expect any trouble. His gaze shifted to his two men. Both of them were standing like marble statues.

Petrenko, bored, winked at Abbas. “They could stand like that for hours and not move a muscle. Maybe I should make a little extra money and rent them out to guard that palace in England. What do you think?”

Abbas ignored him. Petrenko fell back into his dull stare. It was hot and stuffy in that house and these Arab bastards couldn’t even offer him a drink. No business sense whatsoever.

There were a few more grunts from the old jeweler before he pushed himself out of his chair, approached Petrenko and nodded, indicating that the diamonds were of the same quality as the others.

Petrenko considered briefly trying to squeeze a few more dollars from the price, but decided he had pushed these Arabs as far as he could. He handed Abbas the attaché case he had brought with him. Abbas opened the case and counted through the stacks of hundred-dollar bills inside. When he was done counting, he closed the case and indicated to the other Arabs that the money was all there. While they all acknowledged him, none of them bothered to put their Glocks away. Or loosen their grips.

Petrenko stood up and collected the diamonds. Walking back to Abbas, he extended a hand. The Arab looked sourly down at it before reluctantly offering a weak grip in return.

“If you need to sell more diamonds you know how to reach me,” Petrenko offered.

Abbas nodded sharply and somewhat angrily.

When they were alone in their Mercedes, Yuri mentioned to Petrenko that he didn’t believe the Arabs were happy with their price.

“No, I don’t believe so either,” Petrenko agreed. “We have had a very good day. First, let us store these stones in a safe place, then we will have a small celebration.”

Yuri pulled away from the curb and drove towards the Lynn Capital Bank.

14

Dan spent the four days leading up to the robbery taking his family on day trips. Nothing that cost more than a few bucks; a couple of trips to the beach and once to an amusement park, but everyone seemed to have fun. One night he splurged and took Carol and the kids to a minor league ball game. He was amazed at how fast the time flew by. The past year he had felt a growing estrangement from his wife and daughter, but during those four days it was as if they were a family again. As if all past sins had been forgotten. Susie most of the time seemed happy, letting her guard down and laughing the way she used to. She even sat on Dan’s lap a few times with her arms wrapped around his neck – something she hadn’t done in ages. Carol surprised Dan even more. He didn’t know how she would be after losing her job, but she acted the way she used to – relaxed, affectionate with the kids and playful with him. Gary was Gary. He was always a good-natured kid, and had seemed oblivious to the tension and financial strain that had been pulling the family apart. Now, though, he had picked up on the general good mood of the rest of them and acted more rambunctious and good-natured than ever.

At first Dan was confused about Carol’s behavior. He thought maybe she was putting on an act, trying to be positive for the kids, but eventually he realized that she was in denial. Maybe she had convinced herself that he was going to be offered the position that she thought he was interviewing for, or maybe she simply couldn’t deal with worrying any more. Whatever the reason for her change, he was grateful for it. A few times he caught her staring off into the distance while a brittle look formed on her face, but she seemed to snap out of it quickly.

When Wednesday morning came he felt the way he always felt whenever he had an unpleasant task to do, like a trip to the dentist or filling out tax forms. Something you just had to suck up and get over with. Mostly, though, he felt okay. Maybe some nervous energy and a little tightness in the stomach, but not too bad. Probably more anxious than anything else.

He squinted at the clock radio and saw it was eight minutes to eleven. At first he refused to believe it was that late, and then with kind of a knee-jerk reaction he reached for Carol and realized that he was alone in bed. He had set the alarm for seven thirty. Somehow he must’ve slept through it. There was no way he would be able to meet Gordon at eleven as planned. Everything had been timed out to the minute and he couldn’t afford to be late, not even ten minutes.

Stumbling out of bed, he dressed quickly. As he headed down the stairs Carol yelled to him from the kitchen.

“You’re up finally,” she said. “You looked so dead to the world that I thought I’d let you sleep. Why don’t you join me in the kitchen. I’ll make you a late breakfast.”

So she had turned the alarm off. Great. He checked his watch and felt the tightness in his stomach intensify as he saw it was three minutes to eleven. He went into the kitchen and told Carol he was supposed to meet Shrini in a few minutes. Shrini was a safer choice. He knew he wouldn’t be able to explain needing to meet Gordon.

“I was hoping we could spend the day together,” she said. “After all, if things go well we might not have another chance to spend time like this during a weekday.”

He looked at her dumbly before realizing she was referring to the interview she thought he was going to be having the next day. He told her that he’d like to spend the day with her, but he had promised Shrini that he would meet him. Carol had brewed a fresh pot of coffee and he poured a cup into a travel mug. “We want to talk over some possible business ideas,” he continued. “I should keep my options open in case things don’t work out tomorrow.”

“I thought you said the first interview went well?”

“It did, but you never know with these things.”

“Do you think there’s a chance you won’t get an offer?” The same brittle look that he had caught glimpses of over the last few days had resurfaced. He felt a pull on his heart as he forced a reassuring smile. “I know you hate it when I say this, but I’m sure everything’s going to work out fine. I really have to get going. I’ll try to be home by five.”

He gave her a quick kiss. On his way out the door, she told him that she was going to miss him. “Be careful, please, darling.” There was a heartfelt concern in her voice that almost stopped him and made him turn back to her. Instead, he took a deep breath and kept walking.

While he drove to meet Gordon, he couldn’t help feeling bad about leading Carol on. He didn’t have any choice, though. She’d be freaking out otherwise. Also, while his plan was to use Shrini’s future company in India as a way to funnel his cut of the robbery back to him, that could take six months or longer. He was going to need access to some of the money before then and he was playing around with the idea of using a bogus software contract as a way to explain the money he would be bringing into the house.

He thought about her plea for him to be careful. She had always been very intuitive and must have sensed that something was up. What exactly she thought he should be careful about he had no idea. She probably didn’t either.

When Dan arrived at Gordon’s complex, he found Gordon waiting for him in the parking lot, pacing furiously. He pulled the car up to him.

“Jeez, Dan,” Gordon said, worry lines creasing his forehead. “You’re late.”

Dan glanced at the cell phone Gordon had in his hand. “You didn’t try calling me, did you?” he asked. “We agreed no phone calls.”

“No, but I almost did. You’re twenty minutes late. I told you I need a full hour.”

“I know you did. I’m sorry. Let’s go upstairs and get started, okay?”

While they walked to Gordon’s apartment, Gordon complained how he needed at least an hour to do the makeup. Dan just murmured along agreeably. He had heard this same type of complaining countless times from Gordon over the years. Gordon was okay with deadlines as long as he could set them and make sure there was enough fat in his schedule to provide a comfort zone, but if you tried pushing him he would go to pieces.

When they got to his apartment, Gordon had Dan sit next to the computer while a set of photos of Raymond Lombardo were displayed on the monitor. His hands shook as he started to apply a compound to Dan’s jaw.

“Relax,” Dan told him. “Take a deep breath, okay? You have the full hour. I’m not going to rush you.”

“What about your schedule?”

“I padded it,” Dan lied. “We’re fine. Don’t worry about the schedule.”

Gordon slowly relaxed into his old goofy self. His hands moved faster and steadier as he made a thicker jaw and nose for Dan. As he worked, he talked incessantly about the twenty-eight-year-old dental hygienist from São Paulo that he was thinking about contacting. After finishing the jaw and nose, he attached a wig to Dan’s hair using pins and then glued on sideburns and a mustache. He finished the job by adding acne scarring along Dan’s cheeks. When he was done, Dan popped in his cosmetic lenses and studied himself with a hand mirror. The resemblance was good. If he looked hard enough he could tell the nose and jaw were fake, but when videotaped from a distance the disguise would work fine.

Gordon handed him a ski mask. “Try taking this off a few times. I want to see if the compound holds.”

Dan did as he was asked. The compound held. “Let’s get the overalls on,” he said.

Gordon helped him into them. With the extra padding, the overalls were somewhat clunky, but he was able to move around in them okay. “What do you think?” Dan asked.

Gordon appraised Dan slowly, nodding. “You look enough like him to fool a security video.”

Dan checked his watch. Gordon had finished fourteen minutes early. They were almost back on schedule. “You’re straight on where you’re meeting us?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there.” Gordon exhaled, made a face as if he had bitten into a lemon. “By the way, I went to the Jersey Shore for the last time this weekend. I don’t know, that place has lost its appeal for me.”

“Why don’t we talk about this later.”

“Sure, I know, I better let you get going.” Gordon handed Dan a rolled-up paper bag. “The ski masks and everything you need to remove the makeup are in the bag.” He hesitated, rubbing a hand across his jaw. “I need a favor, Dan. This weekend I’m going to fly down to São Paulo. I’m not planning on coming back. I have over four thousand dollars left. That should leave me enough for six months if I’m careful. When the bank money is safe, I’m going to need you to wire me my cut.”

Dan nodded. The request didn’t surprise him. “I’ll take care of it, buddy. You’re meeting us at one-thirty sharp, right?”

“Righto.”

They shook hands. As Dan left he couldn’t help feeling a bit nostalgic. Gordon, Shrini, Joel; he had known them for years and they were all going to be out of his life soon enough. When the robbery was finished, that was it. But there was more to it than that. There were so many more aspects of his life that were going to be shut off forever. He felt a panic start in his chest. He took several deep breaths and tried to block out his thoughts and simply concentrate on the road. He opened both front windows, afraid that he might pass out if he didn’t have fresh air blowing hard on his face.

When he arrived at Shrini’s, Shrini was wearing his overalls and gloves and waiting where he was supposed to. Dan pulled up alongside him. From the driver’s seat of his Honda Civic, Shrini gave a big shit-eating grin as he looked at Dan. “Hey, Raymond Lombardo, how’s it going, dude?”

Dan got out and took the passenger seat in the Civic. He was still shaken from his near panic attack and waited until Shrini pulled out on to the street before answering him. “Great day for a bank robbery,” he said, trying to force a bravado but his voice sounded flat and lifeless to him. “You have everything in the trunk?”

“Everything’s there, dude.” Shrini took a quick sideways glance at Dan. “Believe me,” he said. “Gordon is truly an artist. He should be working on Broadway, or better yet, Hollywood.”

Shrini handed Dan a piece of paper. Written on it were addresses of cars they had scoped out. All the addresses were in Revere. If none of the cars were available, that was it, the robbery was over. The deal they had was if anything went wrong they would walk away from the robbery if they could.

Dan directed Shrini to the first three addresses on the list before they found what they were looking for. He got out of the car, took a slim jim and a screwdriver from the Civic’s trunk, and walked over to a rusted-out older model Chevy Camaro that was parked on the street. Sliding the slim jim between the window and door panel, he had the car unlocked in seconds. He pressed the trunk release. While he pulled out the ignition wires with the screwdriver, Shrini transferred the contents of his trunk to the Chevy’s.

A minute later he had the ignition wires clamped together and the car engine running. By using a clamp, he could easily turn on and off the ignition. He put the car in drive and pulled into the street. Shrini trailed behind in his Civic. All the practicing paid off. While he had been unable to figure out the newer cars, older cars like this Camaro he could unlock and start in less than two minutes.

Dan checked his watch as he entered the Revere Mall parking lot. Shrini was still behind him, but he tailed off as they had agreed. He kept driving until he spotted Joel and Hoffer sitting in Joel’s car. He pulled up next to them and they quickly left their car and got into the backseat of the Chevy. Both of them were carrying what looked like large gym bags. Joel was wearing his overalls, Hoffer had on an old running suit.

Dan next drove to the area of the mall parking lot where Gordon was supposed to be and spotted him pulling up as they got there. He checked his watch again. They were only a couple of minutes off schedule. Gordon took the front passenger seat and made eye contact with Joel and Hoffer before facing front.

Dan drove to where Shrini was waiting and stopped so that Shrini could squeeze into the backseat next to Hoffer.

“Okay, dudes, let’s rock and roll,” Shrini said. No one bothered to answer him. Gordon and Joel both seemed deep in thought. Hoffer still had his stupid grin plastered across his face. As they headed towards Lynn, Joel remarked to Gordon how he’d done a fucking fantastic job making up Dan. “Our son of a bitch friend up there actually looks like that Mafioso,” Joel said. “I also have to tell you, you impressed the hell out of me the other day with your shooting.”

Gordon looked back, nodded soberly. “Thanks, Joel. Believe it or not, that means a lot to me coming from you.”

“All right,” Dan interrupted, trying to sound both confident and in charge. “Before we all start crying and joining in a group hug, we’re five minutes from the bank. As of right now, thanks to some crappy work by an Indian contract house and a little help from yours truly, their alarm system will be disabled for the next twenty-eight minutes. That should give us enough time. We’ll go in there and get this over with fast.” Pausing, he added, “No shooting, understood?”

“Unless we need to,” Joel snapped.

“Unless one of our lives is at stake,” Dan corrected him. “But if something goes wrong and we’re in a position to surrender peacefully, that’s what we do. Agreed?”

Joel sat glaring, his lips pressed into tight lines.

“Joel, you already agreed to this last week. Agree again or I turn around.”

“All right, all right. I don’t like it but I agree.”

Dan drove past the side street that the Lynn Capital Bank was on and instead took the next right. Next he swung into a parking lot for a vacant storefront. Directly behind the parking lot was the bank’s lot. Cut through shrubs separating the two lots and you had a ten-second run to the bank lobby. Thanks to its location, the bank had little foot traffic. While they were taking a small chance someone would see them during those ten seconds, Dan thought it unlikely.