“I knew that the minute I saw you.” She picked up the phone and called for the car. “Go home and get some rest.”

“Don’t tell anybody,” he said.

Chapter 51

Ryan and Vinny were picked up by Charlie at noon and driven to a disused garage west of Lauderdale. Charlie had a stolen van fixed up with a legend on each side that said QUIK PEST CONTROL, and he outfitted them with gray jumpsuits with a logo on the breast, military surplus gas masks, and baseball caps, again with logos. Then some guy Charlie had hired to drive came in.

“I parked the car where you told me,” he told Charlie. “We’re all set.” He was carrying some light canvas duffels, and he dumped them, along with three riot guns, on a table, along with a box of shells.

“Let’s load up,” Charlie said.

Everybody put four shells in a shotgun, racked the slide, and put one more round in, then set the safety. They followed Charlie into the van, their masks around their necks. “Okay,” he said, “when we get there, we stop out front, put our masks on, and walk into the bank, like we’re providing a service. As we walk in, you, Gene, and you, Vinny, take a guard each. Disarm them, and don’t forget to look for a backup piece, then make them lie on the floor. Then give me your duffels. I’ll deal with the manager and take him to the vault, which will be open, and we’ll start stuffing cash into the bags while you two keep an eye on the folks in the bank. Don’t shoot anybody—that’s important. We’ll leave by the back door, where Ricky, here, will be waiting with the van. We drive to where the getaway car is, torch the van with the clothes and masks inside, and drive to the Sea Castle Motel, where we divvy up. Any questions?”

Ryan and Vinny both shook their heads.

“Let’s go, then,” Charlie said, checking his watch. “We’re right on schedule.”

They piled into the van. Half a block from the bank, Charlie donned his mask, and the others followed suit. The van stopped; Charlie slid the door open, hopped out, and walked into the bank, followed by Ryan and Vinny.

“All right, everybody,” Charlie hollered, “just stay where you are and don’t move and you won’t get hurt.”

Ryan and Vinny were already dealing with the guards. There were only two customers in the bank, men standing at a table, filling out deposit slips. Ryan liked the Glock he took from his guard’s holster, and he dropped it into the pocket of his jumpsuit for a keepsake. Neither guard was carrying a backup piece.