Chapter 6 The Robbery 2

Still sobbing, Isabel squirmed under her friend's grasp. "No. Don't say that. There's no certainty that we're going to get out of this alive. You should have just let them take me. Why did you have to offer yourself off like some sort of sacrifice? I have nothing to lose. I have no family. No one is going to miss me. If these guys kill me, you know that Big Daddy is just going to get another person to dance in my spot at Club Indigo. He's not even going to waste any time." She managed to say between sobs.

"But if you die, what's going to happen to the twins? Who is going to take care of them? Did you even think of that?" Cassie's breath caught in her throat as she held the crying body of her friend even tighter. "Of course I did. And don't say that Isabel. If anything were to ever happen to you, I'll miss you terribly." Then she brought her voice down to a whisper. "We just have to find a way to get out of here." Isabel stopped crying but she continued to shake. "How? We can't just roll out of a moving vehicle. And this stupid van doesn't even have any windows." For the first time, Cassie looked around the van. She found that Isabel was right. The backside of the van didn't have any windows. That explained why it smelled so bad and why sweat had started to form on her forehead and under her armpits. The absence of windows left out the opportunity for them to bang on the windows in an attempt to alert any other road user of their kidnap. It also avoided them the privilege to see where they were going. But even though Cassie couldn't see the road outside of the van, she knew that they were moving very fast. She had to act quickly before the two men got to their destination. She slithered her hand away from Isabel and brought out her badly dented phone. Isabel gasped which she quickly turned to a cough when the skinny man eyed her with distaste. He had already taken off his mask! He had limp shaggy blond hair which was so oily that it looked like she had used an entire liter of oil as shampoo. A large angry scar ran from the top of his face to the corner of his mouth, giving him a permanent scowl. His nose was crooked, serving as evidence of multiple fights. A large red spider tattoo decorated the side of his neck. She quickly looked down and tried not the let the fact that he had shown her his face bothered her. Cassie had a phone! "Obviously, the two of them are just a duo of absolute idiots for not searching us for a phone. They didn't even bother to tie us up. But thankfully, their stupidity is going to be our saving grace." Cassie scoffed as she winked at Isabel who had to try really hard not to giggle despite their circumstance. As the car continued to speed along, Isabel split her attention between Cassie who had begun tapping away on her phone, and their two kidnappers who were chattering excitedly amongst themselves. "We're on the news," Cassie whispered. "They are saying those two robbed a bank and ran into Club Indigo for cover." She explained how to understand why the two men had each been carrying large duffel bags which were probably bursting at the seams with cash. She chose not to turn the phone in Isabel's direction as some of the comments on social media were saying that they both deserved to be kidnapped and even killed for working at a strip club. That would set her friend off. "That's good news and all but can you please try to get in touch with the authorities and let them know that we need them to rescue us?" Cassie nodded and dialed 911. It didn't take long before a cherry woman answered. "Hello, 911. What's your emergency?" Cassie brought her voice to its lowest volume. "Hi. My name is Cassie Peters and I've been kidnapped along with my friend Isabel Gomez." She explained. "We were the girls that were taken from the strip club. "Oh, dear." The 911 operative exclaimed. "Are any of you hurt? Can you see where the men are taking you?" "No. We're both fine. Isabel is a bit shaken up but she's fine. There are no windows at the back so I can't tell where we are." Cassie explained. "Okay. Just stay on the line with me sweetie and I'll start tracking this number. Just hang in there." The 911 operative consoled her. Cassie held her breath as she heard a repeated clicking sound. She failed to notice that the car had begun to slow down and that the friendly chatter between her two kidnappers had turned aggressive. "Okay. I've got your location. And you're in luck, there's a squad of officers just five minutes away from you. Just stay on the line and they'll be right there." The other woman on the line urged. Before Cassie could express her thanks, Isabel nudged her into silence. The van had come to a halt and the loud music has stopped. Still, on the call, Cassie slipped the phone into its hiding place and listened as the two kidnappers continued to argue amongst themselves on how to share their loot. The bulky man in the skull mask had also taken his mask off. Unlike his accomplice, he had his brown hair cut close to his head in a military style. He had a multitude of faint superficial scars decorating his face. His green eyes showed with anger as he gesticulated wildly towards his accomplice. "What do you mean you want to take sixty percent of what we got?" He asked, nostrils flaring. "If you think you can screw me over Robert, you better think again." He jabbed a thick meaty finger at the skinny man – Robert's – chest. Robert smacked the hand away. "Listen Tobias. I'm even doing you a favor over here. I'm the brains of this operation and you know it?" He drawled. "Were you the one that figured out how to disable the bank's alarm system? No. Were you the one that said we should run into the strip club for cover? No. Were you the one that thought we should take those chicks as hostages so the cops won't shoot at us? No. That was all me. Just admit it. I did most of the work for this operation and therefore I deserve most of the pay. The only thing you're good for is brute force." "Why you little piece of shit!" Tobias yelled as he charged at his accomplice. The van rocked and swayed as the two men struggled and fought for dominance. Suddenly a loud gunshot ran out and the van stopped swaying. Cassie and Isabel watched in horror as Robert rolled Tobias' bloodied dead body off of him with a maniacal glint in his eyes. "Well, that's unfortunate." He sighed, wiping blood off his face. "Ah well. More money for me. But what to do with you two?" He drummed his fingers and got out of the van. Isabel and Cassie hugged themselves tightly and waited for Robert to open the van's door. He never did. "This is the Atlanta Police Department. Put your hands in the air." A loud voice boomed. Predictably, Robert did not put his hands in the air. The sound of bullets permeated the air as the two friends continued to hold on to each other. It took five minutes for silence to finally return. "Do you think it's over?" Isabel inquired in a small voice. A loud rap on the van prevented Cassie from ever replying. The door slid open and a ruddy face of a young police officer appeared in the narrow gap. "Isabel Gomez? Cassie Peters? I'm Officer McPherson. Are any of you hurt?" They both shook their heads. "It's good to see that you both are unharmed. We've apprehended the criminal. Let's get you both home." He said as he extended his hand towards them. He helped Isabel out first before turning to Cassie. "That was quick thinking on your part to get in touch with 911, Miss Peters." Once both women hopped out of the vehicle to see Robert being shoved into the police car by Officer McPherson's partner. Robert turned around just in time to catch their eye. He looked every bit the crazed person that he was. Splashes of blood were all over his face and outfit. For a person that lanky, he was trying to resist arrest with inhuman strength. He was close to foaming at the mouth. "You called the cops on me?!" Robert spat at Cassie. "I'll get you for this you stupid bitch!"