31
(Season
3, Episode 9)
The
Back Stab
The doctor read from his clipboard
with clinical precision, telling Tobias everything that had happened to him in
the last forty-eight hours. Tobias
should have been listening but he wasn’t. He was staring at the side of his wife’s head
while she listened and held his hand.
He had been in and out of
consciousness since he had first come out of the coma and his thoughts had been
more than a little scrambled but one remained constant.
Why was she still here?
This was the third time he had
broken his promise to her; his promise to stop helping Sidney with the crimes
she couldn’t seem to stop committing. She should have walked away, she should have
left Tobias to die, but instead she was sitting here holding his hand,
listening to every word the doctor said about her useless husband who had
gotten himself shot nearly to death on their wedding night.
Linda realized suddenly that
Tobias was staring at her and she turned.
“You need to listen to this. It’s important.”
Tobias nodded and turned back to
the doctor. “I’m sorry, doc. I’m just a little scrambled.”
The doctor nodded. “Of course, Mr. Snyder. It’s understandable. You are lucky to be alive.”
Tobias couldn’t help but gaze back
to Linda, then back at the doctor. “Yeah,
I think I am.”
“As I was saying, you will be
staying here for a little while. The
bullets hit your spine and there has been some nerve damage.” The doctor continued. “As it stands, you will probably never gain
full use of your right leg, but we will get you moving again. I know this isn’t the kind of news most want
to hear but-”
“Thank God.” Tobias’ comment of
relief interrupted and confused the doctor. Both Linda and the doctor stared at him and he
regretted saying that out loud.
It didn’t change the fact that he
was relieved. There was a dark part of
Tobias that could never quite walk away from the crime. He could blame it on Sidney all he wanted but
at the end of the day, he knew he had choose to do these things. Some part that kept him coming back.
Now it was out of his hands.
Without full mobility of the legs,
there was no possible way that he could be a thief. It was finally over. It was as if the dark
part of his soul had taken the bullets in order to let the good half live. The part that wanted him to be a family man
and a chef, got to live.
“I’ll give you guys some time.” The doctor said and walked out.
Linda thanked him then turned back
to Tobias. They both sat in silence and
Tobias could feel the weight of his sin now. He never wanted to say something so cliché but
he felt himself about to begin apologizing and swearing, again, to never again
be a thief.
Linda stopped him before he got started. “Don’t.”
Tobias stopped talking and stared,
waiting for her to finally give up on him and walk away. It was what he deserved.
She didn’t. Instead she spoke. “You have made that promise to many times,
don’t make it again. I’m sick of hearing
the words. Instead of telling me, show
me.”
Tobias couldn’t help his actions
and he began to cry. “I’m so sorry, you
deserve better.”
“I know.” She said and lightly touched his cheek. “It’s up to you to give me better.”
He held her hand so tight, he
planned to never let go.
****
Regardless of Sidney’s second
sleepless night, she felt good. She had
spent the night working, putting one of the most complicated cons together and
she was happy with it. Since Tobias had
been shot she felt lost and alone but for the first time she began to feel like
she was just fine without Tobias. Her brain even began to take it one step
higher. With Tobias’ negative attitude,
and his constant insufferable reluctance, he had possibly held her back. Maybe, just maybe, she was capable of so much
more.
“This is a good spot.” Lana said,
pulling the car into a Wal-Mart parking lot.
It was a little under a mile to
the bank but Wal-Marts made the best places to park for a robbery. They were open twenty four hours and were huge
inside so it was hard for a patrolling police officer to be concerned about a
car in the lot.
Too many good heists had been
spoiled because of a simple thing like parking. There was nothing that would set a policeman’s
radar off faster than a lone car in a parking lot of a closed building. In any
kind of heist, the escape was the most important part.
Sidney had no intention of
escaping, however.
They parked and hoofed it to the bank,
staying away from the road and sidewalks which made the trip twice as long. They reached the bank which sat eerily in the
absolute darkness. Lana stopped and they
watched the building for a good couple of minutes, making sure there were no
surprises.
“Okay,” Lana began. “I use the key on the front door and open it, and
you go in after me and get the security code on the inside. Then we have all night.”
Sidney nodded. “That is the plan.”
“Okay, let’s do this.” Lana said and they went to work.
Sidney had to calm her nerves she
had never been on this side of the job.
It had always been Tobias. She
couldn’t help her excitement. They moved
quickly across the parking lot, hitting the first door in less than three
seconds. Lana flawlessly slid the key
into the door unlocking the deadbolt and swinging the door open. Sidney passed through the door.
She moved to the alarm panel and
punched in the code. That was that.
They were in. Lana strolled in with a smile on her face. “And just like that, we’re going to rob a
bank.”
Sidney gave her a hard look. “Let’s just get this done.”
“Awe, we should savor this.” Lana purred, leaning on the main counter. “Want to pop your lesbian cherry on a bank
counter?”
Sidney frowned at her. “The vault.
Let’s go.”
Lana frowned. “Fine, you are such a party pooper.”
Lana strolled over and they keyed
the bank Vault before spinning the giant locking mechanism and pulled the big
metal door open.
“Huh, this door is a lot lighter
than I thought it would be.” Lana said as it opened.
“Its box thirteen.” Sidney said walking in ignoring her.
She found the box and opened it, a
smile creasing her face as she pulled the necklace out.
Then she heard the click of the
hammer. “You should have taken the
fuck. You could have at least had a
little fun before prison.”
Sidney stared down the barrel of
Lana’s .45. “Wow, a gun to the head? That’s so uncreative.”
“I prefer to think of it as simple
and elegant.” Lana said, her smile unwavering. “Fenton made a better offer.”
“Spare me.” Sidney scoffed and tossed the necklace to
Lana. “This is why you will never get
the good jobs.”
Lana laughed. “That’s funny, I’m going to make a load on
this thing and then I’m going to set up shop in a new town and you are going to
be doing 25 years.”
She stepped back and put her hand
on the door and pushed it closed. “Adios
Sidney.”
The bank door locked as it shut
with Sidney inside.
****
Fenton stared out over the night
sky from his top floor room, sipping scotch. The cliché did not escape Fenton but it didn’t
bother him either. His phone rang and he
eyed the number and smiled.
“Do you have it?” He asked.
“Easy peesy,” Lana replied,
happily.
“And Sidney?” He asked.
“I left her locked in the vault
waiting for the police in the morning.”
She said. He could hear her
smiling.
“Wonderful, come straight to my
hotel. I’ll text you the address.” He hung up without giving her a chance to
reply.
He quickly thumbed another number.
Two rings and a deep voice with a
Russian accent answered. “Hello.”
“I have it. The deal is back on. Do you still have the money?” Fenton asked.
“Of course.” The voice said. “Where are you?”
Fenton gave him the hotel’s
address and the man spoke one final time.
“We will have someone there in six hours.”
The man hung up. Fenton finished his scotch and smiled.
It was going to be a good day.
End Episode 31
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