Five Beautiful Boys

Escape?

"Okay," Ray said finally looking up from his laptop, "they've cleared out."
"Definitely? All of them? No one hiding?"
Ray grinned and nodded. "That's the beauty of these security systems, they're specifically designed to ensure that there are no blind spots. Even the areas underneath the cameras are covered by another. It's clear, Frank, no question."

Frank smiled. That's what he liked about Ray; the man had serious talent but was never egotistical. Not once had he ever said anything like 'don't you trust me?' or 'I know what I'm doing!'. He always explained for the benefit of Frank and Bob who, while being talented in their own fields, understood little about computing.

"Bob, can you help me, please," Frank turned as he spoke, realising as he did that Bob still had his hands full with Mikey. He was no longer struggling, but it still looked as though Bob had to use a lot of his strength to restrain him.
Bob nodded to Mikey. "What do I do with him?"
"Let go of me and let me help!" Mikey replied frustrated at his inability to break free from his grip.
Frank nodded briefly. "Take his cuffs off."
"Frank? Are you sure?" Ray asked, standing to remove the key from his pocket.
"Yeah," Frank nodded as he realised that he felt he could trust Mikey not to make a bid for freedom or try to attack them. It wasn't even because they had his brother lying on the ground, shot, unable to go with him. Frank genuinely trusted him.

Turning the small key in the locks, Ray released Mikey from the handcuffs. Finally able to move his hands after what had felt like an eternity, Mikey hoped that this period of being free of the cuffs would last a lot longer than the last. Moving immediately towards the door, through which Gerard lay still bleeding, Frank stopped him within inches of the door itself.

"What? I just want to help Gerard! I'm not trying to escape!" he yelled angrily trying to shove Frank out of the way, only to be grabbed and held by Bob once more.
"Ray, check the cameras again, please," Frank asked with caution in his tone.

Kneeling at the laptop, Ray flicked through all of the camera views, stopping on the one that showed the corridor leading up to the vault room. At the very end, his weapon trained on a spot roughly four feet above where Gerard lay, a police marksman stood pressed against the wall, almost hidden by the darkness.
Nodding, Ray admired Frank's foresight to check again for anyone returning. Showing Frank, Mikey and Bob the screen, Ray silently pointed to where the man was standing in wait.

"Mikey," Frank turned to him asking the question in a hushed whisper, "are you really helping us?"
"Yeah," Mikey nodded his head with assurance. "I am."

Frank desperately wanted to ask why, but he knew there simply wasn't time.

"I'm going to insist they get out and stay out, but I made a threat of what I'd do if they didn't go and I have to carry it out for then to take us seriously."

Mikey's eyes widened in horror. Frank's threat was to kill Gerard if they didn't pull back. As willing as he was to help, he couldn't allow that.

"No!" Frank whispered hoarsely and waving his hands in front of him as he realised what Mikey was thinking. "I mean, I'm going to fire a shot, into the vault so it's safe, but I want you to scream like I just shot you. Can you do that?"
"Yeah," Mikey smiled, a little embarrassed to have doubted Frank once more. "I can do that."
"Gerard," Frank kneeled on the floor near to the door and whispered, "I'm sorry to have left you so long. Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he croaked turning his head.

He wasn't badly hurt, but the shock of it had taken its toll on him. Of course, now he realised that the shock of being shot was nothing compared to the surprise of seeing how Frank was handling the situation. He obviously cared about Mikey's feelings and by default, at least, he cared about him. In all his dealings with him, Frank had been nothing but a controlling, almost sadistic, and determined and focussed criminal. Now, well now, he was just a guy and apparently a nice one, at that. He had assumed responsibility for the other four men in the room, be they associates or hostages. As he stared up at him, he began to see how Mikey had developed a different opinion of him and realised that Frank's behaviour on visits to the bank and his apartment had been merely an act.