“Follow us out?” It was a question, but we both knew he didn’t have a choice.
“Of course.” I picked up my bag and strode back out to the lobby, with Miller and Kellan following behind, the latter still with his gun trained on the bank manager.
The employees were still clustered in the lobby, but there were duffel bags filled to bursting placed by the locked door.
“The town is congregating with Francine at the helm in front of her shop.” Nicholas’ voice echoed through our earpieces, coaxing my lips into a grin.
“Perfect timing,” I said, placing a finger to my ear. “We’re coming out.”
Our guys each grabbed a bag as we readied to unlock the door.
“I suggest you all leave too.” I threw over my shoulder. “And if you tell the Barones, they’re only going to come for you that much sooner.”
“I know.” Miller nodded brusquely. “No one is calling them. We’ll all be leaving town until this is all over.”
I turned, leveling him with the full intensity of my glare. “I suggest you transfer permanently, Miller. I don’t want to see you again. If I do, I might be feeling a bit stabby.”
He gulped and gave a sharp nod. “Understood.”
Spade unlocked the door, and the guys strode out with the bags of cash in hand. The rest of the Demons were already out there keeping watch as our guys loaded the duffels into the back of the van.
I paused at the top of the stairs, with Kellan and Spade by my side. Francine was at the front of the crowd and beckoned them forward the moment she spotted us.
“Ready?” I grinned and slipped on my sunglasses.
“Always.” Spade returned my smile.
“What he said.” Kellan chuckled and grasped my hand, bringing it to his lips before he led me down the stairs.
Another one of our vans pulled up, and the guys loaded up the back of that one too, the duffel bags stuffed as high as the seats. Before I could say anything, another van pulled up, and they started loading that one too.
Francine hadn’t gotten the whole town out, but pretty close. We could only hope that those who didn’t need financial help would already be packed up and on the road by tonight.
We met at the back of the van, and I pried open the zipper of one of the bags while the others closed up and locked the other two vans. There were at least a hundred people congregating in the streets, murmurs of both excitement and fear filling the air. We’d probably go through most of the cash in this van, but I doubted we’d get through it all. Damn, maybe the entire vault was overkill, but oh well. It was entertaining at least.
There were bands around the stacks of bills indicating the amounts. “I’d say we were lucky they had this much cash on hand, but it was most likely because of the Barones, so lucky might not be the right word.”
“Probably.” Kellan frowned, looking out at the group that had gathered before addressing the Demons. “Let’s get a line going; there’s no way I want this many people rushing Giana at once.”
I grinned up at him and gave him a kiss on his cheek, leaving a red lip print there. Good, let everyone know he’s all mine. “You always take care of me.”
“And I’ll never stop.” He beamed back at me, placing a tender kiss on my cheek before turning to stand guard. We knew most of these people, but money sometimes made people do crazy things.
“I already warned them not to get out of hand,” Francine huffed, coming to stand at my side. Spade frowned, but he didn’t argue. Apparently, even he was afraid of getting a dressing-down from the older woman.
He stood by her side, his gaze flicking between the crowd and me. With these men by my side, I knew nothing would happen to me. The rest of the Demons spread out, organizing the waiting crowd and spreading out to watch out for any uninvited guests.
The stacks of cash were organized in bands of two thousand dollars, and as the first people approached, I started handing them out. Everyone recognized us. There were people I knewgrowing up and even some I went to school with, and while all of them were grateful, there were some who were apprehensive.
My name was synonymous with the Barones for years, so it was understandable some might think it was a trap. But they were still here, which was what mattered. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt in the crossfire. I couldn’t say the same about Angelo. He’d made it clear that he was willing to burn the town down just to eradicate us.
“Thank you.” One elderly woman clasped my hands as she took the money, her bony fingers trembling around mine.
“You’re very welcome.” I gave her hands a light squeeze. “Please get out safely.”
“We will, thanks to you.” Tears lined her eyes as they met mine, and I was grateful for the sunglasses hiding the moisture that pooled in my own.
Some of the bank employees even lined up, including Glenn. His eyes barely met mine as he took the cash, but I said nothing. They needed the help getting out more than anyone, after all. If Miller tried to get anything, the nick on his neck would be nothing compared to what I’d do to him.
