Chapter 33

Six prepaid Verizon Wireless phones were bought with cash. Twenty minutes were free with activation, and it supported mobile to mobile for a dollar a day. I bought six headsets with the phones.

King supplied us with three unregistered, unloaded guns and Diamond got us three homeless teenage prostitutes with no identification. They never saw none of our faces. Diamond approached them dressed as Chris the man he was born as. And let me tell you he made a better man and looked nothing like he did as a female. That was the reason Chris would be going into the bank.

I called one phone, and three wayed another and that one three wayed another until we were all on one line.

I explained if the signal dropped then they were to get out money or not.

We’d work in teams. We were all in place and ready at ten o’clock.

Vicky stood across the street from Washington Mutual Bank in downtown Palo Alto. The cellphones were our timers.

At one after ten Vicky picked up a pay phone and dialed 911. We were all in place listening on three-way, well six-way.

“They need help!” she yelled into the phone. “They’re going to kill someone, they’re robbing the bank.” This bitch was a good actress. I smiled listening silently. “I got out, but they’re still in there…I don’t know I’m downtown…on Hamilton…I don’t know. Oh my God, oh my God…Calm down? They got guns, I almost died…” I heard the phone slam down. “Phase one complete,” Vicky said into the phone.

“All units report, bank robbery in progress 300 Hamilton suspects armed and dangerous,” King said listening to the police scanner.

We all stayed in place waiting for Vicky, our eyes in Palo Alto. We heard sirens and commotion just as Vicky said, “First officers on the scene.”

Within five minutes, Vicky reported over ten police cars cruising up and parking.

“They’re here, guns out looking at the building,” Vicky said.

It was ten minutes past ten when Chris entered City Bank in Palo Alto off El Camino and California Ave and when the three homeless girls minus a gun did the same at the Bank of America across the street from City Bank. The homeless girls wore hoodies and were given a hand written note to give the teller. One girl would watch the door, one would chill in the bank as if she was there waiting on someone, and the other would hand the teller the note.

After they got the money, they would run outside and drop the bag of money in a trashcan and get the hell out of there. They were supposed to be done by ten twenty so they could catch the twenty-two down town. They would ride the bus across Organ Expressway where they would get off and walk to the Stanford Motor Lodge and go to their room.

Chris would go in armed and request the money and run out the back. City Bank had a guard that hung around outside the bank. Chris would run out the back to a large parking lot, throw the money in an open car window and keep it moving to the next parking lot. He was supposed to go through the back of Kinko’s and hit the bathroom and make the transformation from Chris back to Diamond.

I’d go get the money out of the trashcan and King should be picking me up in the car Diamond threw the money in. We’d go to drop the money off in Mountain View at a Motel 6 and then go swoop up Diamond and Vicky.

The girls were given fifty dollars in singles. They were also given a key and a locker number and told to go separately to the 24hour Fitness in Mountain View at five p.m. where they would find the five thousand dollars they were promised.

I was listening nervously on the phone as the girl named Zoe said, “‘Scuse me ma’am, I need to make a withdrawal.”

I heard the teller say, “Sure do you have your deposit slip?”

There was silence, and I knew she slid the note.

Then I heard Chris say, “Look bitch I want to go home to my kids and I’m sure you wanna do the same so let’s work together.”

“Okay,” I heard and smiled.

At ten seventeen, I heard Zoe say, “Thank you,” and then, “B of A hit.”

The phone call from the girls ended and at ten twenty King said, “Robbery at Bank of America on El Camino all available units report.”

I smiled as my heart pounded, “Wamu?”

Vicky said, “just now entering the bank. I guess they called the bank first.”

“CB we need you home,” I said dry swallowing.

“Don’t have me come back,” I heard Chris say and then, “Leaving now.”

I sighed.

“Hey,” I heard Chris yell. “I think you better get in there, there’s some nut with a gun.”

I was silent.

“Who was that?” King asked, we heard heavy breathing and running.

“Security,” Chris panted. “CB hit, drop made I’m gone.”

Chris’ line went dead. I took a deep breath and walked across the street from the Olive Garden to Bank of America. “‘ight see y’all in a few,” I said grabbing the little Dora the Explorer backpack out of the trash and putting it in my large purse which was a fashion statement and came in handy.

I had the world in that bag.

King pulled up as police siren’s made their presence known. I could see them turning on the opposite side coming off Organ Expressway. They’d have to flip a bitch to get to Bank of America, and then there was still City Bank to get to also.

I jumped in the rental car, and we calmly drove off rubber necking just like the best nosey white people.

By eleven, we were all in the Motel 6 in Mountain View screaming and yelling. I could not believe it; I’d just successfully robbed a bank.

A bitch felt like them hoes on Set It Off. We’d got away with a hundred and ninety thousand. The girls got the ninety thousand, which was way more than they kept in them registers. I wanted to ask them about it but contact was eliminated for safety reasons. Didn’t want the bitches snitching or asking fo’ mo’e money. Don’t even; I had a plan for this money.

Diamond had the teller empty out all the drawers, which I was surprised, went down without an alarm going off or a dye pack slipped in.

Robbing a bank was easier than I thought.

“With a gun in yo’ face your first thought ain’t to be brave,” Diamond said looking at me. “How much we get?”

“Ninety racks,” I told her. Yeah I lied. I counted the Dora backpack and hid all but ten racks and then I took more than half of what Diamond got out of the back before we went to pick them up.

“Fuck, you sure?”

I nodded sadly.

Everyone knew the goal and based on the goal the money would be split four ways. First, I’d take half and then it would be split four ways. The take would have been a little under twenty thousand for King, Vicky, and Diamond.

Diamond sighed, and I said, “Don’t trip, girl. I guess I can make it work. I’ll pay y’all the eighteen racks anyway. I mean come on I ain’t greedy and we just robbed a motha fucking bank!”

I got them pumped up again. We all chilled and talked about what we were gonna spend our money on. We had an early dinner, and I cashed Diamond out.

Her car was in the parking lot. She offered to take Vicky home while me and King took the rental back. She wanted King and I back together, so she thought quality time would help.

“Naw it’s in my name,” Vicky lied.

“I gotta take it back, and King drove me up there.”

Diamond shrugged.

“I’ll be at home later,” I told her with a smile.

She took her duffle bag sized white purse full of money and left.

When we were all in the car and headed towards Showers Drive King said, “So ninety subtracted eighteen, eighty two racks. I don’t know about Vick, but I ain’t trippin’ off the money. I barely had any exposure and hell we could flip eighty-two easily. That’s forty pounds.”

“Oh no, we’re buying fifty.”

He looked at me, but Vicky was the one who spoke. “Girl you can have my share we already talked, I’m just happy to have my best friend back. I mean I been struggling, and I’m happy to keep on as long as your by my side.”

I turned and smiled at my best friend, my sister.

“But fifty is at least a hunit racks Shi,” King said ignoring me and Vicky’s display of affection. “We short twenty eight. I mean I got like twelve, do—”

“We don’t need it,” I said as we hit 101. He looked at me, and I was afraid he’d hit something. “We’ve got enough.”

I know he was wondering if I’d had a stash all along or how we’d get twenty eight thousand dollars.

“We hit the banks for one hundred and ninety racks, and I gave Diamond her cut.”

“Shit, Shi!” I heard Vicky say. “But I thought…” Vicky was talking to herself in the backseat.

I looked at King smiling at me. “Shiesty Shi,” he was shaking his head and smiling.

I fucking missed him and his sexy ass smile. I regretted the fact I couldn’t give him what he needed. Still I fucking missed him.

“I missed you,” he said laughing.

I just smiled, over analyzing my next move.