Chapter 2

***SUMMER'S POV***

The Sorvino Mansion

It's a rainy night. The lights in the mansion are dimmed out and the last light went out at 11:21 p.m.

It is 1:39 a.m. And time to move forward. The guards on duty are away from the Mansion and it is time to move forward with our plan.

Smokey and Gunner are in front and I am walking behind him.

We stand behind the mansion, the window of one of the higher walls is locked, but that is where I have to get in. My breathing is ragged from fear.

"Hush, Summer. You are going to get us caught," Gunner says, and I nod at him.

"I'm ready," I say.

Smokey and Gunner form a ladder with their hands and I climb up. Reaching the wall, I stand and force the window open.

Smokey says I have thirty seconds to deactivate the alarm once I get inside, if not, it will go off and we will be in trouble.

Noted. You can do this, Summer. You need to pay for the place you live in and let Smokey know you are not a waste of space in his group.

With those words, I slide into the small window that fits only me, the reason why I was a good pick for the role.

The room is dark, I can't see where I am going but the moment my leg touches the ground, my right leg slips into a sharp object.

"Ow! Ow! Owie!" I mutter repeatedly as I reach down to grab at the object.

A knife. My eyes widen as fear grips at my heart.

I barely have twenty seconds before the alarms go off.

First, I remove the blade from my leg, cursing at whoever left the knife there. Counting five steps to my right, I flip the alarms off and it goes from red to green.

I move forward and my right leg hurts. "Ouch!" I murmur my hand pressing into the wall.

It grips a switch and the room lights up.

A beautiful white kitchen displays before me and fear catches my throat. I just stepped into a kitchen, no wonder there was a knife on the floor.

"Wooff! Wooff! Grrrrr!"

I hear the sound before I spot the head of a big golden retriever.

"Shit! Fuck! No, not a dog," I mouth as instant panic attacks me.

"Wooff! Gggrrr! Wooff! Woofff!" the dog barks and starts coming at me.

Adrenaline forces my limbs to move and as I reach for the kitchen door, it snaps open and I am pulled out the door shutting behind me.

"Summer, what the fuck took you so long?" Smokey's voice resonates in my ears and I look at him, fear evident on my face.

"I stepped on a knife and there was a dog in there... It chased me. It was going to bite me," I cry out softly into his chest.

Everywhere goes calm and I just stand there with Smokey, his hands coming up to brush my hair gently as he shushes me to calm down.

"Can you walk?" he asks his voice filled with concern.

"I can walk, but it hurts so badly," I reply.

Nodding, he hooks his hand around my waist and leads me forward.

"This way," he instructed.

The sound of the dog barking is in the closed room.

"Is the dog going to be a problem? Should I take it out?" Gunner asks, the cap of a steel gun showing.

"That's not loaded right?" I ask laughing gently.

His face is a mask of pain as he shakes his head.

Before I can speak, Smokey cuts me off.

"Leave the dog alone. Let's get the cash and leave," he states walking towards a corner and then the stairs that lead to a room.

"How did you know it will be here?" I ask softly, sweat creasing my forehead.

"A thief's secret, Summer," he says helping me to lean on the wall as he picks the lock of the door.

A minute later, the lock snaps and he guides us in.

We enter and Gunner closes the door and uses a torch light.

"You brought a loaded gun to a robbery, Gunner? That makes us armed robbers and not thieves anymore," I say my leg hurting so bad as I move.

"We need to be protected in case one of those men out there gets to us," he says.

"That is no excuse," I yell.

Smokey steals our argument when he whimpers, a low guttural sound that snaps our heads to his side.

He is kneeling in front of a bag and inside, is money.

"Five million, Dollars," he says his eyes softening with real emotions.

I smile, my first real smile since this stupid Sorvino mission started and then, I rush towards the bag touching the bank notes.

Money. This is enough to change our lives forever.

"Let's get out of here," Smokey says zipping up the bag and throwing it over his back.

We leave and start making it downstairs.

We were close to the door when we spotted the two men sharing a beer in the corridor. Smokey shakes his head and we start turning back when the dog pops out through a dog hole.

This one is a Labrador Retriever.

I have a huge fear of dogs and my brain can't function when I am scared.

"Dddd... Dog," I cry out as Smokey looks at the fierce dog, saliva dropping from his mouth.

"We are going to die," I murmur.

"This way. Don't be scared or you will get us all killed," Smokey mouths as I hear a gun corks and someone fires.

"Busted. Let's go. The closet has a back exit we could break and run. The men will alert the others and a rain of bullets will tear us in less than no time," Gunner says pushing a table over the door and slamming the hallway, blocking the Labrador from us.

Smokey has the bag of money and his hand is on my waist helping me walk. He is half carrying me and half dragging me across the room.

Inside the closet room, Gunner spies outside and dugs his head back.

"The men from the upper station are looking out for us. We need to take the woods and reach the tunnel before the police intervenes. Can you make it out there, Summer?" he asks tearing a piece of his shirt and wrapping my leg with it.

"I can," I say.

"Let's do this," Smokey mouths helping me up.

Smokey goes through first and the place is clear.

"You go first," I tell Gunner.

"You are not playing the heroine, little girl, get your butt out there," he states pushing me over.

He follows and we leave.

Light floods everywhere and then, lights point at us. Rounds of gunshots start firing.

"Run. Run. Run." Smokey shouts running across the wood to where our car is packed.

My shoe hangs on a twig of root and I go crashing with my face.

"Ouch!" I cry out in pain.

"Not now, Summer. Get up and run," Gunner says coming back.

The men have a trail now and they are on us.

"Leave me, Gunner, follow Smokey," I mouth out.

His eyes widen as he shakes his head.

"Never. Get on here," he says.

"It's too late, I wouldn't make it with a bad leg," I cry out.

The men are close now and the guns are firing loud.

"Go!" I cry.

One last look and I watch my two best friends escape without me.

I crawl to a tree and hide, hoping they won't find me.

Blinding lights flash over my face before men pounce on me, dragging me away.

Fucked up. I am so fucked up.