Venice; Money Heist [2]

The Hour Of The Dolphin

Venice

The click of the handcuffs is oddly soothing, knowing that Gandia and his little band of monkeys can't do anything except watch us. By now, he's regained consciousness and is trying to act tough.

"Listen to me. Is this your big plan?" I check his handcuffs again, a gun pointed at him, listening intently with a smirk on my face.

"You're going to tie us up and treat us like dogs?" I take a moment to look at them. Gandia and his monkeys are lined up, handcuffed to a pole at the reception.

"If you ask me, it's more like chickens on a perch just waiting to be executed. So no, my dear. We're all family here. Remember that if any of you need to pee," I add the last part with a touch of amusement.

"I'm gonna kill you," he threatens in a calm voice. "You and that half-breed over there," he nods towards Nairobi. I turn to her with amusement before looking back at him and giggling. Then I stand up and walk over to the Governor, who is currently being tied up by Nairobi, a bit away from the group.

"Governor, if I may." I crouch in front of him, reach into the inside pocket of his jacket, and pull out his security card. I hold it up to his face. "See this? I'm going to hold onto it for you." I stand up and tuck the card into my inner pocket before turning to the hostages, who are lined up in two rows forming a path leading to the grand staircase in the entrance hall. Helsinki and Bogota are patrolling, keeping them in check with Stockholm's help. I walk down the aisle towards the staircase.

"May I have your attention, please?" The hostages flinch at the sound of my loud voice, and I find it mildly amusing.

"We've placed 460 kilograms of explosives in the windows, all the doors, at every entrance, and in all of the exits. So if anyone tries to escape... BOOM!" The hostages jerk and gasp in shock. "They'll escape, but in pieces." I raise my hand for emphasis, though they can't see it.

"It's not worth the trouble. Unfortunately, we're all stuck in here together for a few days, all right? But during this time," I reach Helsinki and Bogota and turn around, "all of you will have our protection. And in return, you're going to protect all of us. Marvelous. And now, whenever you like, you may all take off your masks." I clasp my hands in front of me and look up the stairs to where Stockholm, and Phoenix are descending. I notice no one is moving, so I turn back to the crowd. "Now!" They squeal, and I almost laugh at how dramatic some of them are. I just told them it's a give-and-take situation, so why would I harm them right away? I look around. "Hey there! How's it going? Now that we can all see each other's beautiful faces, let me introduce Nairobi and Mr. Bogota. They'll be picking four volunteers." I hold up four fingers and nod to the two before stepping between Helsinki and Phoenix.

The two step forward, and Bogota starts speaking in a bored tone.

"My name is Bogota. I came to do the hard part of the job. We'll be working at 65 degrees Celsius. That's essentially a fucking crematorium. We're doing shifts of 12, 14, 16, or 24 hours. Whatever you can handle. So, who's in?" No one volunteers, and he looks annoyed at Nairobi, who just gives him an encouraging nod. He points to a middle-aged man, and Nairobi takes over.

"Name?"

"Augustín. Augustín Montero."

"Why are you here?"

"I came to exchange money." Bogota nods, and Nairobi pulls him a step forward by his shoulder.

"Congratulations. Step forward, sir. Our first volunteer."

This continues for a few minutes until the last volunteer refuses.

"No, ma'am."

"Don't call me 'Ma'am.' I'm not a ma'am. Step forward. You're volunteering."