THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS SIGNAL

Valentin glared at the two huge and masculine security guards behind the slightly open glass door of The Royal Bank of Scotland. Instinctively, he slowly lowered his broad shoulders, relaxed his tiger looking eyes and took three deep breaths into his lungs. He feels his muscles and all senses are very alert. His heart beats fast; probably due to the double espresso he had few minutes ago. He now quietly froze his sensitive body. It is now 3:50 in the afternoon; the bank will be closing in ten minutes time. Valentin tilt his head slightly and gazed on the rear view mirror ad nodded to the person in the back seat.

‘Let’s do it’, a woman’s voice said from behind him. She the carefully wear the face mask and face shield and started her way out of the car. Valentin followed her out, also wearing N95 face mask and a clear face shield. Valentin and Jessica had been planning and practicing this move for almost two years. The Pandemic Covid -19 sealed it, by compulsory wearing a face mask and face shield as health protocol in this New Normal era will not conceal one’s identity. Even with the help of CCTV footage. A million dollar plan.

Jessica was a couple of steps from the entrance door when she turned her head to Valentin, she stared at him saying nothing. Valentin looked uncertain, analyzing the situation. Her action is a distress signal which means stand down. He scans the area and noticed a police car parked right in front of their car.

Valentin slowly opened the zipper of his sports bag. ‘And the police car?’ Jessica’s face is now clouded with confusion. Valentin winked at her, his mind is sending a signal telling her there is no stopping them now. It is a fool proof plan. Jessica smiled and strode directly to the front entrance door. 3:55 pm. exactly five minutes before the bank close. As the two drew closer the door swing open in front of them. One of the guards immediately took their body temperature using a thermal scanner. Jessica was the first to enter. The bag was checked by the other guard. Valentin watched the other guards closed the main entrance door. His mind churning around like the blades of a helicopter, before the guards check his bag, he took the two sting gun out and yelled to Jessica. ‘Now’, Valentin shouted, and without hesitation lunged forward to the two guards, knocking both of them in an instant using the sting gun. Jessica also drew the 9mm gun from bag and run directly to the bank teller. She pointed the nozzle of the gun to the head of one of the shaking bank employee. ‘Everybody on the floor’ Jessica ordered the few bank clients,

‘who is in charge? Where is the bank manager?’ Jessica’s voice was loud and full of urgency. Despite the commotion the area seemed perfectly calm. The few Bank clients and employees dropped on the floor in submission to Jessica’s order. The terrified bank teller stood frozen while pointing to an Italian lady sitting few meters from the Bank Vault. Valentin was already in motion, grasping the Italian bank manager on the shoulder. Adriana, the Bank Manager felt paralyzed, pinned on her big chair, looking very horrified.

 ‘So you’re going to shoot me?’ The manager said in frantic voice.

 ‘No I will not hurt you if you will do what I say to you and cooperate nicely. ‘Valentin answered.

‘Grazie’ trying to calm herself, trying to think what she was trained to do in situation like this.

‘Please open the Vault now and hurry up’ Valentin ordered her.

Adrianna remembered now, she slowly put her arm down, her right hand trying to find the red button under her table. Pressing this will send an emergency signal to a nearby Police station.

But before she moves her hands down, Valentin was quick to react and pull her up. Valentin tried to rid his mind of a bloody encounter. As she stood up, tension ebbing her entire body, she could not explain the mix of emotions knotting her chest. Walking down the narrow path leading to the Vault huge door she felt a deepening horror over the possible outcome of this scenario. ‘Think’ she told herself, but her mind is blank. ‘No, i will just follow his orders and all of this will be fine.’

‘Is something wrong?’ Valentin asked, sounding more impatient than concern. No answer from the horrified Lady, as they now in front of the huge round imposing steel door.

‘Fine, now open the door quickly.’ The bank manager stood for a moment pull a deep breath and walked closely to the Vault mechanism. Valentin was excited to what will happen next. Adriana stepped closer to the device and very carefully looked through a protruding lens that is similar to a telescope. Then on the side is a big green button. Adrianna pressed it. Valentin heard something clicked. A shaft of light oscillated back and forth, her eyeball was scanned in the process like a photo copy machine. It is a state of the art retina scanner. Only the Bank manager’s two retina patterns are authorized for security. The steel door slid open and Valentin hurriedly walked through. His gaze landed in the center of the room where piles of US Dollar bills nicely stacked.

‘Fill up the four sports bags quickly’. Valentin ordered Adriana, and looked at his watch. Where the hell is Jessica? ‘Seven minutes’ he told himself. Two minutes pass and Jessica came rushing and picked up the two almost full sports bag.

‘We have to leave now’ she told Valentin.

‘One more minute and we will leave’ He answered back.

Jessica now walking briskly almost running with two huge sports bag on both hands. Gun tucked on her waist. She passed the employees which are still on the ground but one of them had managed to make a phone call already to someone outside.

Valentin now came rushing through the main entrance. ‘It’s time’. Valentin and Jessica now in front of the two guards tied on the steel railings of the Bank atrium. No movement from the two, sleeping like a baby. The sedative Valentin gave them are strong enough to immobilize them for an hour.

Valentin felt some precious time is already slipping away. He looks outside for a sign of police visibility.

‘What a surprise, quiet outside’

Jessica now sprinted towards the huge glass entrance door.

Valentin now steeped out of the Bank and into the open air, followed closely by Jessica. A slight grin on Jessica’s face as the two reaches their parked car.

‘Hurry put the bags in the trunk and I will start the car now.’

Jessica with forced closed the trunk and is now moving inside the car. She can hear a siren getting louder. She tapped the shoulder of Valentin and they speed off. She turned her had back to see the Bank and saw the employees running outside.

‘Direction?’ He sounded confused.

‘West’ and then give him the city map with markings.

‘Thank you’, he half spread the map on the dashboard.

‘The final marker is across the interstate.’ He told Jessica. His pulsed quickened. They continued the long drive for 15 minutes. He triple checked his markings and studied carefully all the possible routes. ‘Something looks odd.’ Valentin with a low toned of voice. He noticed a long que of cars as they are about to turn the last crossroad and into the interstate. 

‘There must be something going on.’ Jessica racked her brains, trying to picture out the front end of the line. ‘a vehicular accident probably?’

Valentin sat still, his basic instinct tell him that the systematic arrangement of cars could not be accidental. They were still fifteen to twenty cars behind. ‘We could not turn the car back; cars are continuously coming from the back.’ Jessica’s mind is running out of alternative. There is no turning back. They sit quietly for five minutes before the answer hit them.

The police are doing a routine checkpoint.

Valentin took a deep breath and exhaled, Jessica did the same as sigh of relief.

They continue the drive towards the interstate where a parked black Van is waiting. They will switch cars and will leave their rented car behind.

‘We are almost there.’ Valentin told Jessica.

He pressed the brake hard on the crossroad and sat still. Thrilled by the thought of a home run, taking with them million dollar of cash.

His eyes now focus to the traffic lights above him.

Jessica’s eyes became big as she hears the engine of the car roar to a speed.

‘What are you doing?’ He asks with a loud voice to Valentin.

Valentin step on the accelerator harder as they pass the middle of the crossroad almost hitting the other cars moving from their left side.

‘Lord all mighty, why did we go, didn’t you see it is still red lights?’ She screamed over his shoulders.                                                           

‘What?’ I thought it is already green.’ Valentin almost gagged.

‘Don’t worry, now we are almost there.’

Loud horn coming from the cars on both sides of their car echoed alerting the two policemen inside their patrol car parked on the side of the street.

‘There you go, a car beating the red traffic lights, let’s get them. The driver of the patrol car whispered to his partner. One of the younger police gets out of the car and flagged them down.

Valentin saw the police waving at them, and instead of slowing down, shifted to the 4th gear, ‘Fasten your seatbelt, we are not stopping.’ I forgot to inform you I have a vision problem, I am color blind, and I mistakenly thought it is green light already. That is the reason I step on the gas.’

They continue driving in the interstate, Jessica looked outside the window and saw the park black Van, and slowly disappear on her eyesight, their getaway car is gone, and so their dream of the wedding.

Behind them siren coming from the police cars flood the air, and roar of helicopter blades high above them circling with bright beam of light directly on top of their car. Valentin shoulders slumped, he felt wildly drawn to her, more than any woman to her life. He scratched his head in disbelief.

‘There is something that interest me more,’ He take a small box from under his seat and hand the lady sitting beside him.

‘Will you marry me?’ Valentin asked her with a teary eye.

Jessica opened the box and saw a diamond wedding ring.

‘Yes oh yes, I will. Merry Christmas! Darling.’ Jessica whispered to his ears and kissed him softly on the cheeks.

‘I love you.’ Valentin answered, he felt the words flow not from his mind, but from his heart.