The Back-Door Bandits
“Is that the place?”
Grabbing the brown paper bag concealing a can of cheap beer, Damien took another swig before pulling his Dodge Challenger up to the stop sign. It was one o’clock in the morning and they were the only ones out at night. Jackie slowly turned to her boyfriend and waited for an answer as Damien stared mindlessly at the two-story home. His bloodshot eyes eventually shifted back to her before he nodded.
“Yeah…that’s the one,” he whispered.
Glaring back at him with her deep-set smokey eyes, Jackie pursed her lips and grabbed the concealed beer can from his hands.
“How much?” she asked, holding the can to her soft lips.
“How much what?” Damien mumbled. “The beer?”
“Don’t act fucking stupid with me,” she rebutted. “How much did you snort?”
“Baby, I only had a small hit. Why are you-.”
“Let me see,” Jackie demanded, showing him the palm of her hand. “I want to see the bag.”
Closing his eyes, Damien groaned before reaching into his pants pocket. Grabbing the tiny plastic bag, he pulled out what was left of his stash and placed it in Jackie’s hand.
“Damien! Seriously!?”
“What? It’s some good shit…” he shrugged. “I don’t know why you are bitching about it. Once this is all over, you and I are going to have so much money. We would be set for life, baby.”
Rolling her eyes, Jackie stuffed the bag of coke into her purse. As Damien turned onto an adjacent road, he slowly pulled up next to an abandoned building just one block away from the two-story house. Jackie then pulled down the sun visor and adjusted her hair while looking into the small mirror. Admiring her looks, Jackie turned to her boyfriend and handed back his beer.
“So what’s your plan this time?” she softly asked.
“You know Tim Atkinson…that big-time lawyer who made millions in the real estate business last year?” Damien smiled.
“Yeah?”
“Well, apparently his wife Vivian is currently having a little girls’ night out on the town,” he said.
“Okay…and your point is?” Jackie said in confusion.
“I know this guy who deals downtown and he just so happened to see the lawyer’s wife with her friends at a local bar. He overheard her talking about money and something about an expensive piece of jewelry that she kept inside her home.”
“Wait. Are you seriously thinking about breaking into a lawyer’s million-dollar home?” Jackie said nervously. “You really need to ease up on that nose candy,” she chuckled.
“I know it’s crazy but listen, babe. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.” he defended. “Their place has got to be loaded.”
“So…what? Are we stealing this woman’s necklace or something?” Jackie cautiously asked.
“Better,” Damien grinned. “Apparently she has this special ruby that is worth a ton.”
“How much?”
“Not sure. Apparently, the wife said that it was worth much more than the house itself,” Damien said before taking another sip of beer.
Raising both eyebrows, Jackie was beginning to show a little more interest in his crazy little scheme. Envisioning how much their life could change for the better, Jackie’s mood started to improve.
“So we break in, grab the ruby and then bail?” Jackie asked. “That’s it?”
“For the most part,” Damien muttered. “The lawyer apparently leaves for work at 5 in the morning. Meaning…”
“Meaning that more than likely he’s already asleep,” Jackie added. “He’s probably dead to the world right now.”
“Exactly.”
“Any kids?” she asked.
“None. Probably explains why they are loaded,” joked Damien.
Playfully glaring at her boyfriend, Jackie grabbed the beer from Damien’s hands and took another swig. While feeling nervous from thinking about all of the risks, she then reached into her purse and pulled out a bottle of pills. Twisting off the cap, Jackie popped a few capsules into her mouth to help ease the stress before turning back to Damien.
“So how do you want to go about doing this? You cover the front and I sneak around back?” She asked.
“Actually…since the guy is more than likely asleep, I was thinking maybe you could sneak in and I can stay here to keep a lookout. That way he wouldn’t suspect a thing.”
“Really Damien? Like, what in the actual fuck?” she hissed.
“Baby, come on. We both know that you are better at this than I am.” Damien pouted.
“Damn-it…” Jackie huffed. “You know, you can be a useless piece of shit sometimes.”
“Well fuck you too!” Damien instinctively reacted. “Damn, you sound just like my ex.”
Feeling the cold stare from her smokey eyes, Damien eventually slumped his shoulders and pressed his fingers against his forehead. Knowing that he pissed her off, he took a deep breath and apologized.
“Look Jackie, I’m sorr-.”
Raising her index finger, Jackie commanded Damien not to say another word. Opening up the passenger side door, she stepped out and continued to glare at him. Angrily pointing in his direction, Jackie pursed her lips once more.
“This better be fucking worth it.” she threatened.
Closing the door behind her, Jackie adjusted her leather jacket and mini skirt before walking toward the two-story house.
