𝑼𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝑫𝒐 𝑼𝒔 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 | ✓

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sɪx

Partners in crime, a term everyone is familiar with. It's your best friend, someone who's got your back always and sticks up for you no matter what. But Tobias and Esmeray brought about a whole new meaning to those simple words. Involve them, and it meant someone who helped you break the law and would kill for you if that's what it took to get you out safely.

For the weeks that followed Tobias's release from Eastham Prison Farm, he and Esmeray went on a spree. Not a killing spree, mind you, but one of robberies. Grocery stores and gas stations weren't too small for them, in fact, that's the places they loved to hit the most. Whatever had cash, weapons, and ammunition to fuel their planned attack on Eastham Prison and the Texas authorities was in their line of sight.

The sweltering summer heat found Tobias gassing his Mustang and making the engine roar. He smirked and drove one handed, glancing over at Esmeray as she applied lipstick using the sun visor's mirror. She looked a vision in her burgundy ruffle-sleeved dress and he watched her for a moment before returning his focus back to the busy highway.

"What's the plan for this one?" Esmeray asked, popping her lips as she looked in the small mirror before shutting the visor.

He slid his gaze back to her, that smirk still on his lips. "It's a hit-it-and-quit-it one-and-done type, my little dove. I gotta say you look quite ravishing."

She laughed softly and leaned back against the seat. She pulled her black velvet purse into her lap by its silver chain handle with a knowing smile on her face. "Thank you, love. You look handsome as always."

"Not as good as you though baby doll." He clicked his tongue at her playfully as he turned into the parking lot of Sam's Hardware. He leaned over and shared a soft but heated kiss with her before straightening. "Remember, we start on my signal. What we're wanting is the money in the register and any of the guns we can grab."

She nodded as he spoke, glancing along the black barrel of his M1819 Browning Automatic Rifle. With a final determined look at Tobias she got out of the car and shut the door. She walked around the front of their beast of a car and straight toward the twin glad doors of the hardware store. She felt the cold metal barrel press into the middle of her back and prod her forward and she bit back a smirk. She assumed a frightened expression and raised her hands.

Tobias kicked open the door with his foot and shoved Esmeray forward, keeping the barrel of the BAR between her back. He watched the cashier's eyes widen and a gasp rose from the few customers clustered around the glass cases filled with weaponry and ammo. "Open the damn resister or the lady dies."

"Yes s-sir right a-away sir," the balding man behind the counter stuttered. His chubby fingers fumbled with the register as he rushed to do Tobias's bidding. He looked up fearfully and gulped. "S-Sir I can't get it open-"

"You heard the man, open the register!" Esmeray ordered as she pulled a Colt pistol from her purse and leveled it between the cashier's eyes. "Now."

"Nobody move unless you wanna die," Tobias threatened, sweeping his BAR over the three cowering men. He quickly frisked them, stuffing billfolds and watches in his pockets before busting the glass of the cases with the butt of his rifle. The shatter of glass filled the silence along with Elvis Presley's voice blaring Dirty, Dirty Feeling from a radio somewhere in the store as he pulled a black sack from under his leather jacket and began to stuff pistols and boxes of ammunition into it.

Esmeray poked the cashier's shoulder with her sidearm, stabbing the barrel against him roughly. "Open the damn register right now! You have five seconds. One. Two. Three-"

"Okay okay I got it, Miss. Don't kill me," the cashier pleaded as the register drawer popped open and revealed a stack of bills and a tray of coins. "Here, take it."

Esmeray snatched up one of the brown paper bags from the counter and slipped all the currency inside. Sirens sounded and her lips parted in surprise. The cops were here. She could see the lights of their flashers blinking outside.

"Get outta here, Miss E," Tobias ordered as he jogged toward the second exit with the bag of weaponry over his shoulder.

"Mr. T, take this," Esmeray tossed her paper sack of money to Tobias and watched him catch it. "I'll distract them. If not, we'll both get caught."

Tobias's chest heaved as he looked at her. In his peripheral vision he could see the cops getting out of their car and he swallowed hard before nodding. "See you on the other side."

"See you on the other side," Esmeray repeated in farewell. She held up her hands, her pistol rotating and hanging by the trigger guard on her pointer finger.  She lifted her chin as three cops walked in with guns drawn. "Hello, gentlemen."

"What's a lil' lady like you doing the likes of this?" The grizzled officer with a intense stare asked as he walked up to Esmeray and took her pistol.

A boyish officer who couldn't be too long out of the academy holstered his weapon and crossed his arms. "Where's your partner, Miss?"

"I'm sorry, lovelies, but I'm gonna exercise my right to remain silent," Esmeray answered with a tilt of her head. She struggled to remain composed as her heart pounded against her ribcage like a wild animal. She kept her spine straight and her head held regally high even when the third and quiet officer brought her arms around to her back and snapped the cuffs around her wrists. A smirk of satisfaction curled her lips as she heard the rubbing roar of the Mustang's motor. In the end she won anyways, captured or not.