Children of Ambition (Children of Vice 2)

“I’ll pass. Wait, here?” I looked in front of me, and sure enough across the street was Wilson Bank.

He’s seriously robbing a bank? I thought as we walked inside, however that question left my mind as I saw him reach for a deposit slip and actually begin to fill it out.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced up and scanned the room before looking back at me. “Banking.”

Urgh! This man! I’d actually never felt the need to face-palm, but he made no sense to me. He didn’t act normally, nor did he seem to have a care in the world. Finishing up, he walked to one of the lines for the teller, checking his watch as he went.

“Love,” he said, pulling me to him and wrapping his arms around my body, his lips at my ears, “my life is about to be in your hands. I just need you to intercede on my behalf. But don’t fight them…”

“What? Let me go and who—”

Before I could question further, he pushed me down to the ground as two men came into building, firing bullets into the celling.

“EVERYONE DOWN NOW!” The first man in all black with a monkey mask on his face yelled.

“MOVE IT!” I heard to the right where the second and third gunmen was already behind the teller glass. With a semi-automatic pointed in their direction, he slowly kicked the tellers out until they were in the main lobby with us.

I glanced over to Gabriel, who quickly rolled something in the gap between the base of the door to the teller both. However, whatever it was beeped as soon as it entered the booth and grabbed their attention. All three of the monkey heads, still pointing their guns, turned towards him. Gabriel stared at them wide-eyed.

“What did you just do?” the first monkey asked, walking out of the booth towards us…him.

“I…I…noth…nothing,” Gabriel stuttered…and I didn’t know him well, I didn’t know him at all really, but I knew he wasn’t the type of man who stuttered. He was acting. All of this was an act.

BANG!

I was shocked when the robber fired, but the bullet didn’t hit Gabriel, instead hitting the ground beside him.

“Lie to me again and the next one is going through you!” The monkey yelled, grabbing his shirt.

This is some acting…kinda wish he’d told me to bring a snack.

Gabriel grabbed on to his wrist and said, “It’s an alarm. You can kill me, or you can take what you want before the police get here, and they’ll be here much quicker than you think.”

“FUCK! You little shit!” The man yelled, taking the end of his gun and hitting it into Gabriel’s face. You’d think once was enough for the cameras but he kept going. Gabriel blocked it with his arm and glanced at me wide-eyed, as if he was telling me to do something. I’d seen him fight. He could easily take the idiot on his own.

“Intercede,” He mouthed to me.

I shook my head and mouthed back. “Not my fight.”

And I wasn’t going to get involved. It was only when I saw blood from his arm—the arm Ethan had shot—that I moved. I wasn’t sure why, but I did.

“Stop!” I sat up, pushing the gunman away. “He’s bleeding, you fucking dumbass!”

“Who the fuck are you talking to?” He turned to me.

Rising to my feet, I dusted off my shoulders. “I’m talking to you, Curious George! How many other people in here have monkey heads on?”

“You must be stupid, bitch—”

“I’m stupid?” I laughed. “You come in to rob a bank, you don’t take anyone’s cellphones or tie anyone up? And you lose your cool over a freaking alarm? What is this, amateur hour? Someone oughta smack the ape out of you all—”

“SHUT UP OR YOU CAN TASTE A BULLET!” he hollered, pointing a barrel at my face.

In a flash, Gabriel was on his feet and in front of me, standing between myself and the barrel of the gun. “Best be pointing that thing at me, mon ami. Your odds of living are higher that way.”

“Let’s try it—”