Page 93 of Goose

Goose

We were passed by one CHP officer on the freeway. He didn’t so much as give us a second look. Immediately after we took the exit to go to the clubhouse, a San Diego police officer pulled alongside us at a traffic light. Upon seeing him, my butthole cinched tight.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Ally rolled down the window and flashed him a smile. When the light turned green, he waved playfully before speeding away.

If the tension between Cash and Ally could be eliminated, I’d label the job—and our new group— a one hundred percent success.

In the planning meeting, Ally’s ideas—and her ability to express them—made me proud. Her later recommendation to hit a bank in a wealthy suburb was obviously spot-on. When she opened the bank’s vault, the pride I felt for her grew.

I realized from years of experience that performing a simple task under duress wasn’t an easy thing to do. Manipulating the lock of a bank’s vault while working against the clock—and in the dark—was impressive.

Nothing, however, would ever make me prouder than seeing her stand up for herself against Cash.

We made it to the shop without incident. After dumping our bags onto the dining room table, we separated the money into stacks based on the demonization of the bills.

As we worked in awkward silence, Baker walked into the room and paused. With his hands on his hips, he looked at each of us. I made the mistake of locking eyes with him.

“Want to tell me what the fuck’s going on?” he asked.

I broke his gaze and looked away. “Job went slick, Boss.”

He shifted his eyes to Ally. “Any particular reason the getaway vehicle didn’t get away? You sat in the fucking parking lot for five goddamned minutes before you left. Longest five fucking minutes of my entire life, I might add. I wasn’t sure what the fuck to do. We didn’t discuss stall tactics. I didn’t know if I was supposed to lead, follow, or sit there with my thumb in my ass.”

Everyone except for Ally looked at Cash.

“The ECM had to update,” she said. “It’s unfortunate, but it happens.”

I had no fucking idea what she just said, but I knew what she was doing. She was keeping Cash out of trouble. I tried to remain straight-faced, not wanting to give Baker the hint that she was lying through her teeth.

“What?” Baker snapped. “Update?”

“ECM,” she said matter-of-factly. “The Engine Control Module. BMW issues updates once a year or so for the air-fuel and smog control management systems. They typically self-load at night. They just happened to be loading when we were trying to go.”

“Sounds like we need a new getaway car,” Baker said. “We sure as fuck can’t have that kind of shit happening in the middle of the job.”

Tito cleared his throat. “I’ll disable the automatic updates on it. I should have done it a long time ago, but I hadn’t really thought about it until we were sitting there. I felt like a fool. I’ll do it in the morning.”

“You’ll do it before you go home,” Baker insisted.

Tito gave a nod. “Will do, Boss.”

Reno glared at Cash.

Cash glared back for a moment, and then glanced at Ally. While she sorted money, he gave her a quick once-over.

Baker sauntered in our direction. “Other than the automatic fucking update, I’m guessing it went well?”

“Really well.” I gestured to the piles of bills. “Look at this shit.”

Baker picked up a stack of hundreds, smelled them, and then tossed them onto the table. “Love the smell of success. You all did a good job.”

“Damned good idea to hit a bank in the ‘burbs,” Reno said. “She knows her shit, Boss.”

“Agreed.” Baker patted Ally on the shoulder. “No problems with the vault?”

She shook her head. “No, Sir.”

I admired Ally’s decision not to throw Cash under the bus. I expected everyone—short of Cash—agreed. It validated her willingness to work with others, ability to be supportive of the entire team, and her respect for authority.