CHAPTER 72
Tiffany
I was packing my bags for the trip I had booked for us when I heard a noise coming from downstairs. Damien was here sooner than expected. Our flight left Newark International at five, but we wanted to beat the turnpike traffic. We wanted to give ourselves time to get through security and grab lunch before our flight.
“You’re here early.”
He came up the steps out of breath holding two suitcases with money falling and hanging out of them.
“Where did you get all that money? What the hell is going on, Damien?”
“We will talk about it later, but I need you to hide it.”
“For what?” I stood still for a moment, then he started pulling out guns from under the mattress. Then he gathered more money from the back of the closet and handed it to me and told me to hide it.
“Why?”
“Just do what I tell you to do. Put it in the bathroom. Put it somewhere and fast. We have to go.”
I followed behind him, when we were both stopped in our tracks by the sound of multiple cars pulling into our driveway. Then a loud banging noise came after that. I looked out the window and there were several police cars outside.
“What’s going on?”
“My investment and business opportunities are here.”
A voice on a bullhorn said, “Damien Holcomb, come out with your hands up.”
“What the hell is going on, Damien? Tell me. Why are the police at the door?”
“Because I robbed some banks.”
“Banks?” I screamed and covered my mouth.
“We have to hide this money.”
I didn’t want my prints to be on the money and I didn’t want to be a part of any robbery.
“Damien, you have to turn yourself in. This is insane.”
I began walking down the steps. He cocked his gun and said, “I’m not going to jail.”
“You can’t shoot at the police. What are you thinking?”
“Come here.” He closed the door and the shades.
“They are not going to go away. Let me go to the door and talk to them.”
“No, come here,” he shouted. At that very moment I didn’t know if I was a hostage or a conspirator.
“Oh, my God! This is going to be on the news and my mom will find out.” She told me not to go back to him. I should have listened to her. Why didn’t I listen? I thought.
“Damien, what are you planning to do?”
“We will just wait for them to come in.”
“Then they will come in shooting.”
“We don’t have a choice. You are here with me, until death do us part. Right?”
“Huh?”
“This is your fault anyway. You were the reason I started robbing banks in the first place. I was sitting back in the projects after having millions. Who can ever say they touched a million dollars? People work they whole life and may never accumulate that type of wealth. I had fifty of them and they are all gone. I saw cats from my old neighborhood wondering why I was back on the block. They said, ‘Dame, I know you got a stash somewhere. It is not possible to spend that kind of money.’ They don’t know, do they? How much goes to taxes, what’s eaten up by agents and lawyer’s fees. Then you treat yourself to a few things and the rest goes to a greedy-ass wife that you can never say no to.”
“Don’t you try to blame this on me. It is not my fault. I didn’t put a gun in your hand. I didn’t say go rob banks.”
“Be quiet. You didn’t complain when I called you and told you I was rich again, did you? You came right home.” His words were interrupted by a noise coming from downstairs. It sounded like the police were in. Thank God. Damien went to check where the noise was coming from and I knew this was my opportunity to run. I had about five seconds. I ran toward the window and began trying to lift it. The window wouldn’t open, three men pointed their guns toward me. I raised my hands and silently screamed help to them. One reached out his hand and told me to jump.
Damien was coming toward me with his gun raised and an angry look on his face. I rushed toward the window. I crashed through it. I felt the glass pecking my face and I saw the man’s arms open. I also felt my ankle being grabbed. I kicked away and felt my body land on the top of the waiting man. We were far from safe because Damien began shooting at all of us. Other cops came toward us and rounds of bullets were shot into the house. Damien continued to shoot back until there was silence. I knew the silence meant that he was shot and my life as I knew it was over.