Chapter 1 Chased

I anxiously waited in the getaway vehicle as my crew disappeared from sight. We were hired to steal from the most well-known jewellery company in South Africa. I quickly looked back at the elegant sign that stood boldly above the entrance. Van Kline Jewellers. The target was an 18 karat white diamond necklace. Anything else that we took was ours for the keeping.

I gripped the steering wheel firmly, which made my knuckles turn white. A thin layer of sweat had already collected on my forehead. I could hear my own heartbeat as the seconds ticked by. It was as if each second spent was a second closer to being caught. The engine of the vehicle softly purred, ready to speed off at any given moment. The night was quiet besides the distant traffic, and the street appeared to be deserted.

"That's a good sign," I mumbled and checked the time. 2 minutes had already passed, which meant the crew had 3 minutes left to get out and jump into the vehicle.

I often thought about how my life would have turned out if I had been born into a wealthy family. Perhaps I would have been a famous race car driver like I always dreamed of. Maybe every Sunday, my family would host a lunch, and we would all sit around at a fancy table with broad smiles. I probably would have even been engaged by now or had a child or two running around.

That was all just a fantasy. The reality was that I was 28, a criminal and didn't even know who my mother was. Oh, and not to mention, single as single can be. Not many women want to be with a poor man who lives his life in the fast lane.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The alarm on my watch went off, which made my heart start racing. The crew should have been back by now. I looked back at the company entrance, but there was no sign of movement. I strained my hearing to focus, and the sound of a police siren could be heard ever so faintly.

"Shit! Where are they?" I muttered, worried. The company door flew open as if on cue, and 4 men carrying filled duffel bags ran out. The red and blue lights danced off the glass as the police sped towards us.

"Fuck!" I cursed and gripped the handbrake. The crew jumped into the back of the vehicle and threw the bags in.

"Uh, fucking hell!" Calvin groaned as he jumped in last. The police cars were about 5 metres behind us.

"Jason, fucking go!" Axel yelled, making me drop the handbrake and press down the accelerate. The vehicle sped off as the police chased after us. Banana Brain by Die Antwoord started playing as Axel turned on the radio.

"A fucking car chase! You better put those driving skills to use, ey, Jason?" JB laughed and smacked the back of my head. I clenched my teeth together and overtook another vehicle as the police sirens blared.

"What took so long?" I shouted as I quickly took a turn and switched gears.

"JB wanted to grab a bit more," Wen replied, and from my review mirror, I saw him shake his head.

"Look at how much we grabbed! We gonna be rich!" JB yelled and shook the bag full of jewellery.

"Yeah, that's true." Wen nodded with a slight smile.

I noticed a bridge up ahead that stood above a cement floodway for the city. Since we were in the dry months, the canal would be empty and make the perfect getaway.

"Gents, I have an idea, but you aren't going to like it," I smirked and increased the acceleration. "Hold on!" I yelled as we drove onto the bridge. The police cars were so close behind us, and my heart was rapidly beating.

"You are going to crash!" Axel screamed as he noticed I was headed into the bridge railings.

"That's the point." I smiled and jerked the steering wheel to the left. The side of the vehicle rammed into the railings and flipped over the bridge.

As we flew threw the air, it felt like we were going in slow motion. The chain around my neck hung above my head as we were upside down. I watched as the crew tried to grab onto something to keep themselves down.

"I'm going to kill you!" Calvin screamed, and everything went back to normal. The wheels landed on the slope of the floodway. I quickly shifted the gears and clammed down on accelerate as we sped down the slope. My idea had worked. In the review mirror, I saw the police cars had stopped on the bridge and watched our getaway vehicle speed away.

"You fucking crazy, Jason!" JB laughed.

"We need somewhere to lay low until the heat dies down," Wen announced, and the crew voiced their ideas.

"The rich bastard's holiday homes are empty at this time. We can stash our car in their garage and stay over for the night." Axel interrupted, which we agreed to.

"I'll deactivate the alarm system if there is one," Wen added with a nod.

***

As we drove into the rich neighbourhood, I noticed there weren't any lights on. Axel was right. As we turned the corner, there was a fancy house with the gate wide open. Even the garage was left open, and no lights were on. Some rich bastard forgot to close up, which meant it was the perfect hideout.

I drove into the yard and parked in the garage.

"I'll go close the gate, so no one suspects anything," Calvin stated before running off. I switched off the engine and climbed out of the vehicle.

"Even the door to the house is open." Wen chuckled as he turned the door handle and pushed it open. I shrugged my shoulders and checked the time. It was 3 in the morning. So either the person who owns this house was drunk when they left or just stupid.

"Rich folk." JB shook his head and grabbed the duffel bags. Soon afterwards, Calvin returned, and we closed the garage door. From the outside, no one would notice a difference.

Let me break down the crew real quick. Wen is the brains of the operation and also our eldest member. He had been doing heists since college once his parents lost their jobs. Wen is an Asian with brown hair and wears a pair of glasses. He looks like an ordinary happy middle-aged man.

Then there's Axel. His parents were Indian and African American, so he's somewhere in between. Axel is excellent at strategizing, finding buyers for the things we steal and holding the crew together. I guess you could call him our leader.

Calvin is the muscle of the group. He trained in the army for a few years before they dismissed him for misconduct. Calvin got addicted to crystal meth, but now he's been clean for 3 years. He believes the law turned its back on him when he needed help, so he joined the crew as a rebellion. He is a well built black man which long braids.

JB is well... JB. He's my older brother and honestly doesn't have the best mental state. He is an adrenaline junkie and acts without thinking about the consequences. I guess all crews need to have their crazy or wild animal. JB is short for Juan-Ben. He has a scruffy beard and ginger hair. We have different fathers... thank goodness.

Then there's me. Jason Hinral. I'm the youngest of the crew and the getaway driver.

"Jason, you coming?" Axel called, which made me snap out of my thoughts. The rest of the crew had already walked into the house and waited for me to join them.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry." I responded and pulled the pistol I had from the waistline of my jeans.