And When The Walls Come Down

Palermo

The military uniform was itchy and hot, and I knew we were off to a bad start when the policeman in charge refused to let our convoy enter. Palermo, however, stood firm, snarling orders until we eventually secured our passage, and I let out a sigh of relief.

I hadn't wanted to come.

I'd spent countless hours arguing with Sergio about this, surely a young woman wandering the city streets and countryside was less suspicious than Marseille?

The truth of the matter was that I wanted Marseille inside. He was a very valuable asset in this war, and I knew I could count on him to watch out for both Bogota and Palermo. Sergio wouldn't hear it though, and in the end he finally told me the real reason as to why he wanted me inside the bank. I wasn't so stupid as to think of myself as a skilled robber, however, I was also smart enough to recognize the fact that my true talents were in my diplomatic nature.

The real reason why Sergio insisted I be inside alongside the rest of the group was because he wanted me to keep an eye on Palermo.

I didn't trust Lisbon completely, but I also knew Sergio could handle himself, and if push came to shove, I also knew Palermo had at least three back up plans in case things went south. He'd keep me safe.

I watched impassively as everyone took to their assigned posts, Nairobi and Tokyo went off in search of our Flipper, while Helsinki and Palermo took charge of getting rid half of our hostages and then of gathering the other half together.

The explosions were louder than I'd expected them to be, and the screams that pierced the air made my heart begin to race. No matter how many times I went through this, the first few minutes of a heist always made my adrenaline spike, the uncertainty always there, that maybe this time, something would go wrong and things would end before they'd even have a chance to start.

The theatrics were to be expected when it came to Palermo, he was so very much like Berlin in that regard. I couldn't help but snicker at the
looks of pure panic that flooded the faces before us.

Helskini and I shared a look when the shots rang out above us. Apparently Tokyo's confidence in securing our number one hostage had been unfounded. Palermo turned to look at me, and I subtly mentioned with my head, asking if he wanted me to go.

"No. You're staying here, with me, no matter what." He said tersely, already beginning to walk down the stairs. "Stockholm. Go."

I shrugged, he was the boss. Besides, Tokyo and Nairobi could handle themselves right? I let out a sigh, slipping out of the heavy uniform and into the much more comfortable red jumpsuit, knowing that the real mission was just about to begin.

Denver and Moscow were passing out jumpsuits and blindfolds to our sniveling hostages, while Palermo snarled orders for them to put the items on.

I shivered at the growling tone in his voice, hating myself for still finding that so attractive. It was the accent, really, both Andrés and I had always loved it so.

Fucking hell. Since when had allowing the parents one call a day been part of the plan? Was Denver really such an idiot?! And since when had he been put in charge? In case he'd forgotten, Palermo was the one calling the shots in here, and he was nothing more than the hired help.

Having Cincinnati made him soft.

Hostage coordinator. How creative. I made a mental note to remind him to put that in his future resumé.

I couldn't help the snort that escaped me at the thought, Denver's dirty look doing nothing to scare me as I rolled my eyes at him. Palermo didn't look in the least bit amused. The plan was still on shaky legs and this idiot was already grating his nerves.

I shot Moscow, a warning look. If he wanted to have a son when this was over, he'd do well to keep Denver in check.

Suddenly, Stockholm barged in, looking frazzled and scared, and my stomach clenched with fear.

"Palermo. We have a problem."

///

My hands were steady as I aimed the gun at Gandia's shaved head. Nairobi and Tokyo were surrounded by Flipper's personal guards, and we each aimed our guns at them.

"Aim your guns at me, I'm the only valuable person here." Perfectly humble, like always. I gritted my teeth as I watched Gandia's attention be briefly captured by him, before he barked out "No. Aim at her!"

Palermo shot me a look, before he began an impromptu anatomy lesson. I could see the outcomes of various scenarios he no doubt was running through, flash through his mind. Somehow I knew this wasn't going to end well.

Gandía was dangerous. We'd both told Sergio as much. He was the one man we were supposed to kill if we wanted the plan to progress smoothly. He was the only one who posed a threat to us while inside.

Sergio had been adamantly against it, as had Lisbon. Their idea to get rid of him was simple and effective, or so they'd claimed.

I bit my lip as I watched Gandía's hands, Palermo's words ringing in my ear's as though I was underwater.

Gandia was slowly lowering his weapon, and then suddenly he turned and shot at where Palermo was standing. I watched as he fell backwards, a shout of pain passed through his lips, and I shot down blindly at the guards below us, running to where Palermo was.

Air wasn't getting to my lungs, and I dug my nails into my palms until I felt blood begin to seep, the last thing I needed right now was to have a panic attack. I dropped to my knees cradling Palermo's body as I gently turned him around. Despite my erratic breathing, my hands did not so much as shake as I took in the damage.

Palermo was whimpering in pain, and I looked up as Helsinki approached. "We need to move him, now!"

His beautiful eyes were coated in shards of glass, I wanted to scream and I knew this had all been Nairobi and Tokyo's fault. If anything, anything, happened to Palermo, there would be hell to pay. Nobody, not even Sergio would be able to stop me from collecting my pound of flesh.

I'd already lost the only other person I'd ever cried about because of Nairobi, I wasn't planning on losing Palermo because of her stupidity, anytime soon.

I gripped Palermo's hand tightly as we began to move into the hallway, his body spasming lightly. The pain must've been excruciating. I felt tears prick my eyes. He held onto me, his long fingers interlocking with mine, and I bit back the sob that threatened to spill forth. Now was not the time to cry.

Palermo would be fine. I would make sure of it.

///

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