Page 77 of Tito

Tito

Wednesdays had always been the one day of the week that I looked forward to. Now, I saw hump day as nothing more than a hassle. The mid-week meeting with the MC was once an opportunity to rub elbows with people I liked to call my friends. Now, the get togethers were more of an evil necessity.

“The system is archaic,” I explained. “The cameras lack any pan or zoom features, and there are no motion detectors. The entire thing can be disabled by snipping one wire. We’ll have as long as we need to rid the shop of the coin collection.”

Baker looked at me like I had developed a sure-fire cure for male-pattern baldness. He sprung from his seat. “No shit?”

I closed my notebook. “No shit.”

His look went serious. “Nearly a month of research, and it’s that easy?”

My priorities hadn’t been the club, or the club’s need for my services. My focus had been Reggie, and I didn’t see that changing anytime in the future. Nevertheless, I wasn’t about to make excuses for what I had done, or what I planned to do in the future.

“It was an evening of research that took a month to implement,” I replied. “I’ve been busy.”

“All that matters is that we can pull this thing off without a hitch.”

“Looks simple to me.” I shifted my gaze from him to Cash. “As long as Cash doesn’t fuck something up.”

“Fuck you, midget,” Cash spouted.

“Every close call we’ve had can be traced back to something you’ve done,” I said through my teeth. “You fuck everything up.”

“Fucking this up will be impossible,” Cash argued. “In and out in minutes. Stupid little town with a stupid little two-man police force, and some stupid coin shop guy with a stupid fucking alarm.”

Goading Cash into an argument wasn’t a difficult thing to do. I gave him a side-eyed look of disgust. “Sounds like a great place for some stupid fucker to do something stupid.”

“E-fucking-nough,” Baker growled. “Jesus with you two.”

I stood and addressed the group with my eyes. The shared mood amongst the MCs members was soft, almost subdued. The emotional fire we shared while planning a job was absent. I wondered how many of the others shared my thoughts and feelings, especially after my tirade with Cash a few weeks prior.

“I’ve got something else I need to say,” I said. “An idea to present to the club. A proposition, of sorts.”

Baker scratched his beard with the tips of his fingers. He did it when he was uncertain. “Let’s hear it.”

“I think it’s time we make some changes.”

“Like what?” Baker asked.

It was a simple thing to think of but difficult to address, especially when everyone’s mood was somber.

I exhaled a long breath. “After this job, I say we do things on the up and up. No more crimes.”

Cash leaped up from his seat. The veins on his muscular neck bulged. “What the fuck?” he bellowed. He glanced at Goose, Reno, and then Ally. “Somebody get this guy a fucking replacement hat. He’s going nuts without it.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with the hat,” I said, trying to remain calm. “It’s got to do with statistics.”

“You and your fucking statistics,” he seethed. “What bullshit are you going to tell us now?”

“We’ve been doing this for more than fifteen years. We’ve never been caught. The odds of—”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ve never been caught because we’re better than everyone else.”

“Sooner or later, we will be caught,” I argued. “It’s only a matter of time.” I looked at Baker. “I don’t think I want to continue to take the risk.” I glanced at everyone except for Cash, who was now pacing the floor. “We’re getting older. Everyone’s in a relationship. We’ve got a lot at risk. And, if one of us does something, we’re all going to be punished for it. Under the RICO act, if I kill someone, everyone here goes down for murder. I’ve never done this for money. Completing a job gave me a sense of self-worth. It provided affirmation that I was on top of my game. Now? Now I don’t need that. I know my abilities. Most of all, I don’t want to spend the second half of my life behind bars.”

Cash faced me and began to clap softly. “I don’t know whether to shed a tear or call bullshit on your little speech. What do you need? Some attention?” He spread his arms wide. “A hug?”

I gave him a shitty look. “I’m serious.”