I smile when I hear the loud, obnoxious sirens. Sure, the sirens mean I’ve been caught, but they’re also kind of a sign of a family reunion. Oh, joy, I think sarcastically, silently praying it's Officer Mendez's team.
But then I feel the cold barrel of a gun press against my neck, and I realize that I wasn’t the one that set off the alarms, and I’m not the only one after the object clutched in my hand.
“Give me the diamond and I won’t have to kill you,” I hear a heavily-accented voice say in my ear.
***
I was born into what some might call a “crime family.” Considering the fact that theft is a crime in most countries, I guess, “crime family,” is more or less the truth, but it’s not quite that simple. My family has stolen priceless artifacts for centuries, but we only steal what other thieves have stolen for their own benefit. My family steals from some of the greatest thieves in the world and instead of fencing the artifacts to make money, we return the artifact to the family it originally came from. So, theft is sort of a crime, but my family makes the crimes somewhat noble. At least on my mother’s side. My dad is noble for other reasons, but I’m not even going to talk about him yet.
My earpiece beeps and my brother’s urgent voice comes over the line. “Get out of there,” he hisses. “Officer Mendez got word about this op. Abandon it, Sky.” His voice hardens when he says the cop’s name, and I really can’t blame him. Mendez has been chasing my family since before I was born, and sometimes he can be a bit of a nuisance. But the fact that it’s Mendez makes it so much easier for me. My brother doesn’t get that because he doesn’t know the things that I know. Mendez—as long as he’s fast enough to be the first one here and if he can show up alone—won’t let me get arrested. What father—even the father of a thief—lets his only daughter get arrested?
I’m not dumb enough to think that’s his only reason, though. If my DNA gets put in the system, they can match it to his and take him off the case due to his familial connection to me. Or worse, they can just arrest him for obstruction of justice. Either way, if Mendez catches me alone, I’m free.
I still get ready to bolt because there’s a possibility he might not be alone. I make my way toward the designated escape route when my earpiece beeps again. This time, it’s my mother. “Skyler, they’ve already got that way blocked off.” I can hear the clicking of keys over the line and I wait for her to instruct me which escape is best. The fact that it’s taking her so long isn’t good. The longer she takes to find an escape route increases the likelihood that they’ll find it first and I’ll be caught. I’m just about to give up and make a break for the lower floors when my mom finally speaks up.
“Second floor. There’s a window that lines up with one of the windows of the building next door.” She laughs slightly, despite the dire situation. “What’s ironic is that the building next door is a ‘haven for at-risk youth’. I’m sure you see where you might fit in there.” I ignore the joke and take the stairs two at a time with my pulse throbbing in my ears and adrenaline racing through my veins.
I stumble on the last few steps and trip, landing on my shoulder. I feel a sharp pain and I cry out slightly. Both my mother and brother fervently express their worry and I take the earpiece out irritably. I put it in the front pocket of my jeans and get up slowly, trying to ignore the agony in my shoulder.
In my gut, I know this is a big mistake. I’m not the only thief in the building, and maybe if I’d kept my earpiece in, mom could’ve told me to be on the lookout for whoever it was.
Yeah, sometimes my bravery and stubbornness can be synonymous with stupidity and recklessness, and usually gets me into trouble.
I enter the second floor and look around for the window. Right as I see it, I feel the cold gun pressing into my neck, hard enough that know it’s going to bruise.
“Give me the diamond and I won’t have to kill you.” A man says into my ear. He’s got a thick accent that I can’t place and there’s something about the way he’s holding the gun that makes me certain that he knows how to use it and he won’t hesitate to use it if I don’t obey.
Oh, but the aforementioned stupidity always prevails over my fear, and my mouth always chooses moments where my life is in danger to make witty remarks. It’s almost against my will.
“Why should I give it to you? Finders keepers.” I almost stomp my foot and cross my arms like a girl in one of those stupid high school dramas, but that would look ridiculous with a gun pressed to my neck, so I refrain from doing it.
I immediately regret my attitude when the gun presses harder to my skin. “And losers weepers. Do not test me, little girl. Give me the diamond and I might feel merciful enough to let you go.”
I’m just about to hand it over when a familiar voice booms through the room like the crack of a whip.
“Release her, Yuri.” Officer Mendez, my father, commands.
Yuri spins abruptly and I hear two gunshots, then I breathe a sigh of relief when I hear my dad shouting orders at some other cops. I turn around, look up at him, and try to repress my tears, but for some reason, they fall anyway. “I… I could’ve died…” I say between sobs.
He puts an arm around me and I feel rather than hear his sigh. “I know, Skyler. Believe me, I know. I almost had a heart attack when I saw his gun on you.”
I nod, trying to stop crying. When I finally look up at him, he’s got his eyebrows raised and I roll my eyes before reluctantly giving him the diamond. “So, what happens to me now?” I ask curiously.
He hesitates for a nanosecond, and then gives a pained sigh. “Skyler, you’re nineteen, so you’re criminally responsible for your actions since you turned eighteen, and the list of thefts you’re wanted for since then is… well, long.” He pulls cuffs from his belt and cuffs my hands behind my back. I wince at the discomfort this causes my shoulder and he reads me my rights, his tone going from concerned father to cop instantly. I sigh slightly but smile when he puts me in the backseat of his car. Honestly, I’m glad he’s the one arresting me. He’s much more gentle than the other cops would have been. He shuts the door and when he gets into the driver’s seat, he puts my favorite band on the stereo. I laugh quietly. Not even my mom knows who my favorite bands are. I haven’t seen my dad since my sixteenth birthday, and he still knows more about me than my mom does. I smile at him in the rearview mirror. “You know, I’m kind of glad I got arrested.” I say softly. “At least I got to see you again.”
He doesn’t say anything, but I see his lips turn up into a smile as he drives.
A/N: Should I continue this? I’ve got some ideas whirling around in my head, and I’m not sure I should. R&R, loves!
