hostages lined up along the counter next to him. The tellers
climbed over the counter and joined them. Tom forcibly threw one of
them to the floor. Dennis was crying and screaming, with Grandma
trying to soothe him.
Nikki and Jasmine were
still on either side of him. He supposed it could have been a worse
morning. Nikki had a perfume that was very nice.
He studied the three men.
All of them were in their mid-twenties. Tom was obviously the
leader of their little gang. He was very comfortable with his gun.
Jack had no doubt he’d used it before. Scar, on the other hand,
didn't look comfortable at all. He’d been the one gathering the
money. His hands shook the entire time. The third man—Jack had
nicknamed him Doofus—was so animated he seemed like he’d pass out
any moment. He pulled a knife from under his coat and ran a finger
along the blade nervously.
"We can't do this," Scar said. "We
can't keep these people hostage."
"Maybe you want to go to jail. I
don't. I'll kill everyone here if I have to," Tom said.
"Have you ever done that?"
Jack said. "Have you ever killed a room full of people?"
Tom ran forward and shoved
his gun his Jack's face. Everyone whimpered and held their breath
at the thought of seeing someone murdered. Nikki and Jasmine leaned
away from him.
"If you don't shut your mouth, you'll
be the first to go."
Jack laughed. He couldn't remember the
last time he'd been entertained so much.
"Oh God, if only that were
true."
Scar put his hands over his ears as he
looked at Dennis.
"Will someone shut that
kid up?"
Doofus looked at his friends. "What
are we gonna do?"
"Look," Jack said. "The first thing
you idiots need to do is get everyone's phones. Someone's probably
posting a Facebook update as we speak."
Nikki gripped his arm
tightly.
"What are you doing?" she
hissed.
"Just having some fun."
Doofus gathered all the phones. Jack
pulled him in a few inches when he grabbed his two-month-old
iPhone.
"If you break this
phone, I will break you ."
Doofus flinched just for a
moment before resuming his tough-guy look. He piled all the phones
on a chair and stood next to Tom. The two men whispered to each
other, not aware that Jack could read lips. Another hobby he
learned to keep his mind occupied.
"That guy in the suit is freakin' me
out."
"Just shut up, and do what
I say. We'll get out of this."
Jack nudged Nikki's
shoulder.
"I'll bet you'll be finding a new job
soon."
"I...I'm going to school to be a
massage therapist."
"No shit. Is there a lot
of money in that? I'll bet there are definitely not as many
assholes running around with guns."
Tom lunged forward again and pressed
the barrel of his gun against Jack's forehead. Jack tried not to
laugh. Tom's finger was nowhere near the trigger.
"If you don't shut it,
I'll kill you. I swear to God. I will blow your brains all over
these nice women here."
Jack said nothing, but his smile
faded. Tom was invading his personal space, and that threatened to
send him over the edge.
He was close to killing Tom when the
gunman pulled away.
"Finally, some quiet," he
said.
One hour passed. Then
another. They finally made contact with the police outside. Jack
enjoyed watching them make mistake after mistake. They even went so
far as to request a helicopter. The hostages continued to whimper
and cry, so desperate not to lose their precious lives.
Jack continued to make small talk with
Nikki. When everything was over they could talk about their
life-changing experience, reaffirm how wonderful life was, go on a
date, and maybe climb into bed.
It was nearly noon when
Jack’s patience disappeared. He wanted to see if he had a chance
with Nikki, but he didn't plan on spending three hours at the bank.
He had a business meeting he had to get to, and Judge Judy came on
later in the afternoon.
Tom was talking with the
police on a hostage's cell phone when Jack stood up behind him and
stretched his arms. Nikki and Jasmine gasped. Before Doofus and
Scar noticed
climbed over the counter and joined them. Tom forcibly threw one of
them to the floor. Dennis was crying and screaming, with Grandma
trying to soothe him.
Nikki and Jasmine were
still on either side of him. He supposed it could have been a worse
morning. Nikki had a perfume that was very nice.
He studied the three men.
All of them were in their mid-twenties. Tom was obviously the
leader of their little gang. He was very comfortable with his gun.
Jack had no doubt he’d used it before. Scar, on the other hand,
didn't look comfortable at all. He’d been the one gathering the
money. His hands shook the entire time. The third man—Jack had
nicknamed him Doofus—was so animated he seemed like he’d pass out
any moment. He pulled a knife from under his coat and ran a finger
along the blade nervously.
"We can't do this," Scar said. "We
can't keep these people hostage."
"Maybe you want to go to jail. I
don't. I'll kill everyone here if I have to," Tom said.
"Have you ever done that?"
Jack said. "Have you ever killed a room full of people?"
Tom ran forward and shoved
his gun his Jack's face. Everyone whimpered and held their breath
at the thought of seeing someone murdered. Nikki and Jasmine leaned
away from him.
"If you don't shut your mouth, you'll
be the first to go."
Jack laughed. He couldn't remember the
last time he'd been entertained so much.
"Oh God, if only that were
true."
Scar put his hands over his ears as he
looked at Dennis.
"Will someone shut that
kid up?"
Doofus looked at his friends. "What
are we gonna do?"
"Look," Jack said. "The first thing
you idiots need to do is get everyone's phones. Someone's probably
posting a Facebook update as we speak."
Nikki gripped his arm
tightly.
"What are you doing?" she
hissed.
"Just having some fun."
Doofus gathered all the phones. Jack
pulled him in a few inches when he grabbed his two-month-old
iPhone.
"If you break this
phone, I will break you ."
Doofus flinched just for a
moment before resuming his tough-guy look. He piled all the phones
on a chair and stood next to Tom. The two men whispered to each
other, not aware that Jack could read lips. Another hobby he
learned to keep his mind occupied.
"That guy in the suit is freakin' me
out."
"Just shut up, and do what
I say. We'll get out of this."
Jack nudged Nikki's
shoulder.
"I'll bet you'll be finding a new job
soon."
"I...I'm going to school to be a
massage therapist."
"No shit. Is there a lot
of money in that? I'll bet there are definitely not as many
assholes running around with guns."
Tom lunged forward again and pressed
the barrel of his gun against Jack's forehead. Jack tried not to
laugh. Tom's finger was nowhere near the trigger.
"If you don't shut it,
I'll kill you. I swear to God. I will blow your brains all over
these nice women here."
Jack said nothing, but his smile
faded. Tom was invading his personal space, and that threatened to
send him over the edge.
He was close to killing Tom when the
gunman pulled away.
"Finally, some quiet," he
said.
One hour passed. Then
another. They finally made contact with the police outside. Jack
enjoyed watching them make mistake after mistake. They even went so
far as to request a helicopter. The hostages continued to whimper
and cry, so desperate not to lose their precious lives.
Jack continued to make small talk with
Nikki. When everything was over they could talk about their
life-changing experience, reaffirm how wonderful life was, go on a
date, and maybe climb into bed.
It was nearly noon when
Jack’s patience disappeared. He wanted to see if he had a chance
with Nikki, but he didn't plan on spending three hours at the bank.
He had a business meeting he had to get to, and Judge Judy came on
later in the afternoon.
Tom was talking with the
police on a hostage's cell phone when Jack stood up behind him and
stretched his arms. Nikki and Jasmine gasped. Before Doofus and
Scar noticed
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