Chapter 12

Pete smiled fondly at the unpleasant memory, swinging his legs off the bed, he moved to the small drawer by the bathroom door where he had dropped his wrap of weed, he picked it up, searched his Jean for a lighter and took one long drag of it, exhaled dramatically and closed his eyes for a second or two. The gang. He could still remember when he'd first found Valeria, a known and almost busted hooker with a record of stealing that preceded her. From gold to diamond to lamps, wedding rings, shoes, cars, even priced books. Valeria had a way to her that endeared her to Pete. At her age, she still had the school girl heart that made her value the materialistic things of life. While he'd gathered more than three Ferraris, two yachts, a jet, eight helicopters and enough gold bars that he lost count of, Valeria had instead collected diamond encrusted earrings, artworks and artifacts from renowned museums around the world.
Being the leader of the gang meant he had to agree what deals and taken and what heists was worth it. Most times, Valeria's heists made more money than his and Nick's put together. He could recall a painting they took from France that was worth $1.8 million, he'd been eager to see tht as hard cash, so had Nick. Valeria had insisted she didn't want the painting sold. The next day, she'd given Nick and himself $600,000 each and the painting had never been seen again. Even the bead Moses now went about with, it had been her share of a loot from China. Worth over $100,000 in the black market, she'd insisted it looked good on her neck and since then hadn't taken it off, risk and all. She had a fearlessness about her that Pete envied and admired all the same. The same fearlessness he hated when she turned the tables on him, almost deciding how deals went and when she was involved. Some operations, Valeria was in the background and others she was the ringleader, making deals and sealing them with little or no help. She was a staunch member and so was Nick.
They could conquer the city if they wanted to, Pete decided with a proud smile, all he had to do was clean out their stack and start on a blank slate to build it up again. He was young, he had a team of the best thieves they were and he had the brain and guts for the job, all he needed was the connection to clean his stack, the reason he accepted the "baby" job in the first place and the reason he let the cunning Senator draw his strings like the grand puppeteer.
"Soon" he mumbled to himself.
Nick leaned on the door of the now empty fridge, biting tentatively on a banana that had passed too many nights to remain  edible anymore. He was dressed in a black form fitting trouser, a black turtle neck vest and a pair of grey leather boots.
Pete puffing his marijuana was seated on the dinning chair, his legs rested on the table next to a bowl of stew, cold and forgotten. He was dressed in a cyan T-shirt, a woolen jacket over it and a pair of leather boots beneath his brown shorts. His goatee trimmed and oiled after his shower, his hair still wet. He glanced at his wrist watch impatiently and tapped his long nails on the edge of the table.
"Are you certain we can't buy a few more days here?" Nick asked.
Pete tsked with a wild shake of his head.
"I'm certain we can't. They'll smoke us out" he replied with assurance and sat up, dropping his feet on the tiled floor with a thud.
"The news haven't mentioned anything this morning, I'm guessing it's a good sign" Nick stated as he finally decided he'd eaten enough germs and tossed the banana to the trashcan by his left, his aim was weak, he missed and the fruit plopped on the kitchen floor.
"Harms done already. If this was the 60s we'd probably have our faces plastered in wanted posters all over town" Pete snickered and took another drag of his weed, puffing the smoke beautifully and relaxing slightly, his shoulders visibly lowered.
"I heard jails in New York aren't so bad" Nick joked, his eyes mocking at Pete.
"Like your tender ass would survive there for one week" Pete replied with a snort.
"They're not so tender. I've done my time, Pete, more than once and you know this"
"Yes, for carjacking and cybercrimes. Try kidnap and attempted murder and all other offences the attorney general will come up with and see how much you like it in there"
"I'll pass. I love being a free man" he replied with a shrug and went to the living room, took the remote and changed the channel from the National News to a cartoon show he loved passing hours with.
"Vee? It's you we're waiting on, you been in there a whole century you know" Pete called out.
Valeria rolled her eyes from the bathroom floor here she squatted, her hands itching from too much glue and her nose tingling, she'd breathed in enough hair particles to last her a whole life time.
On the floor, on a small fluffy blanket was Moses - or Mary - considering he was now passing for a girl. With just enough glue, human hair wig and dye, makeup and thrift baby wears, Valeria, the queen of disguise, the serpent and chameleon was making Moses over to pass as a girl. Mary.
This plan that been decided upon hours ago, when Pete pointed out that the newspapers had the face of Moses plastered on them and he didn't want the to risk it.
Nick had gone out to grab what she needed and she had began work immediately she fed the boy. With her own hair tucked under a wavy blonde wig, her eyes covered with hazel contact lenses and her lips at least an inch larger than normal, Valeria was good to go.
Dressed in a dull beige colored blouse and a knee length plaid skirt, she wore her favourite ring on her ring finger and slipped on a low heeled sandals, topping it off with an ugly green scarf to give her the  perfect Southern Mother look. Just dull enough to be ignored and warm looking enough to be helped if the need arose - which she sincerely hoped it wouldn't.
In all her heists so far on her adult life, this job was ought to be the easiest. No guns, no old wrinkled men she had to give fellatio to, no need for bloodshed and threats. It was simply playing mum and keeping thyt act for a couple weeks while Pete did what he knew how to do best and get their stack cleaned out.
Yet, it was by far proving to be very drainig and frustrating for Valeria. Each day, Moses just pulled a little at her heart strings and scared her almost into backing out. His cough had subsided thankfully but his breathing was still rasped whilst he slept. Valeria had stayed half of the night up, watching him sleep and waking him when it seemed he inhaled for too long.
The brownish wig fit Moses perfectly and 'she' looked like a pretty little girl in the miniature floral dress. Moses smiled and babbled away as she worked on his full head, braiding it loosely and glueing on the wig. She'd just dabbed a small amount of blush on his cheek when Pete called out to her. She would be done in no time but the distraction of their bickering was what she didn't need.
In the sitting room, Pete now sat with a G23 Gen4 9mm pistol, arming it with bullets and assembling the other guns into a four compartment suitcase. On the first compartment was baby clothes, the second shoes and nappy pants and bibs, the third compartment was filled with cartridges and nasty looking knives, the last compartment was where the honey was. Eight different handguns safely tucked away, a rifle and a disassembled to fit in the case, spare barrels and some more cartridges. Pete didn't take chances and his guts told him the job was just beginning. He doubted that Nick and Valeria quite grasped how much danger they were in at the moment. How many units of the U.S Police Force was on a hunt for them and how the news was already spreading that they were a trio.
The news three days ago had been a press release from Capitol Hill media itself. A certain elderly man had caved in and confessed that he was paid $5,000 to leave the small gate at the side of the mountain open that night and he had done just that. A series of investigations was done and the diabetic woman had also been fished out, the news spread like wildfire that staff at the estate were involved in the kidnap. The woman made a teary confession that she was sick and needed the money for your maintenance drugs and her child's tuition, adding that she was never told they would be stealing a baby. She had assumed it was some mere document or even jewelry.
As Pete had watched the news that evening at the small cafe downtown, the comments from the customers told him enough, if they were caught, they'd rot in jail no doubt. He wasn't scared, no, he had come too far to be scared, born and bred in the life of crime, hi first toy had been an empty gun he stole from a hunter's pack. It had stopped being just a toy when he turned fourteen and found two bullets for it. But in all his life, one thing he did learn to do was have just the right amount of worry and caution to make him act fast enough. He wasn't stupid and only stupid people believed they were invincible.
Nick sat cross legged on the centre rug, munching on crackers and watching the cartoon still playing on the screen, Pete scowled at the sight and looked away. There was a certain innocence the Nick that the life hadn't quite taken away from him and frankly sometimes he did envy the man, looks and all.
Pete was just about to call out to  Valeria again when the door bell rang and he sat up, alert.
Nick too who seemed too engrossed in his stupid cartoon seconds ago was perked up too, his eyes meeting his questioningly, a clear indication he too wasn't so calm after all.
Pete wiped the table clean of the ash from his marijuana, flipped the couch open and tossed in the knives he was fiddling with. He fluffed the cushions as the door bell rang again and moved the four compartment suitcase under the couch, sitting and taking a deep breathe. Nick rose too, shoved his gun behind him and answered the door after several persistent rings.
"Took you long enough" Tracy said as she moved into the house without waiting to be invited. She was holding a tray of freshly made and sweet smelling short bread, a maple syrup bottle beside it.
"Where's my cute little baby?" She cooed as she moved to drop the tray in the kitchen.
"Tracy, Hi. Please sit, I'll put these on the rack to cool" Pete said as he rose and took the tray from her, disappearing into the kitchen.
Tracy smiled and returned to the couch, making herself comfortable. Nick waved with a charming smile which she returned and winked.
"Valeria is putting the baby to sleep. We were just about going to get a few things for breakfast" Pete said as he returned, watching as Tracy had taken his place on the couch, right above the knive and her fat white feet just shy of the suitcase handle.
"Would you like to have something to drink? There's wine" he lied swiftly with a smile he hoped was charming.
Tracy shook her fat head. "No, I'm afraid I've had enough as it is. I'm watching my weight now" she smiled and winked at Pete too.
"I was wondering if Sonia was up for a small get together later, no big, just the neighborhood women. Drinks and some cakes and small talk, you know, get to know everyone" she offered.
"She would love to" Pete replied.
"The men's gathering is happening at the cafe downtown too, maybe Zach and you could go, beers and guy talk. You've barely been out of his house since you came" She observed with a cute little pout.
"My wife is still grieving" he replied with a plastered sad look.
"She should go out often.  The air could do her good you know"
"Yes, she'll think about it. Thank you, Tracy" Pete said in his best dismissive tone which apparently didn't get to Tracy as the fat lady was still on the couch, very comfortable.
"Sonia! I brought fresh bread" she yelled out as she took out her cell phone and typed away.
"I'll just wait for her. Some girl talk, I've been in all day and the walls and begining to tire me out" she said apologetically.
Pete nodded and moved to sit beside Nick on the double seater. Both gazes on the woman. Pete swore under his breathe as she wiggled on the couch and fluffed the cushions.
"Do you like Jazz music?" She asked randomly.
"I don't. But Zach does" Pete lied again, briskly.
"Does he now? There's a concert downtown, Simon is coming and I bought ticket for three, the more the merrier" she offered with a smile to which Nick nodded wordlessly, eager to get out of sight of the friendly woman.
Tracy's eyes went to the front door about three seconds before the door bell rang, Pete observed this as his eyes had been on her all the while.
Nick rose to get the door.