Chapter 14: Heist
1370 Words
Benny’s phone buzzed. A new message. The sender? Unknown.
“You have 24 hours to bring me what I need. No excuses.”
He didn’t need to guess who it was. Malcolm Sloane. The corporate kingpin who played people like chess pieces. This wasn’t just about business anymore. This was about survival.
Across the dimly lit office, Lor sat with her arms crossed, staring at Dan’s name flashing on her phone screen. She hadn’t answered his last call. Or the one before that. Her hands trembled slightly, but she masked it well.
"Are you going to answer?" Benny asked, watching her closely.
She shook her head. "Not yet."
There was a knock at the door. Three sharp taps. Not an office knock—a warning.
Benny exchanged a glance with Lor before walking to the door and cracking it open just enough to see who stood on the other side.
Uma.
Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes carried an urgency that set Benny on edge.
"We need to talk," she said. "Now."
Lor exhaled sharply. "If you're here to defend Dan—"
"I'm not," Uma interrupted, stepping inside without waiting for permission. "This isn't about him anymore. This is about Malcolm."
Benny felt a chill run down his spine. "What do you know?"
Uma hesitated, as if deciding how much to reveal. "The flash drive. Malcolm isn’t just after it—he needs it. Whatever’s on there could ruin him."
Lor narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that?"
Uma swallowed hard. "Because I was the one who stole it."
Silence. A thick, suffocating silence.
"You?" Benny repeated, his mind spinning.
Uma nodded. "Malcolm doesn’t know I took it. But Dan does. And if Malcolm finds out..." She trailed off, her meaning clear.
Lor clenched her fists. "So Dan knew about all of this and still lied to me?"
Uma sighed. "Dan’s in deeper than you think. If you don’t handle this carefully, Malcolm will make sure none of us walk away from this."
Benny glanced at his phone again. 24 hours. The clock was already ticking.
They had a choice: hand over the drive and hope Malcolm didn’t kill them… or find a way to use it against him before time ran out.
Neither option looked good. But one of them would decide who survived this game.
Benny’s hands tightened around his phone as he reread Malcolm’s message. 24 hours. That wasn’t a deadline—it was a death sentence if they didn’t act fast.
Uma stood in front of his desk, her arms crossed, waiting for a response. Lor, still gripping her untouched coffee, looked between them, her expression unreadable.
“So you have the flash drive?” Benny finally asked Uma.
She hesitated. “Not exactly.”
Lor scoffed. “Of course you don’t.”
Uma shot her a glare. “Listen, I had it, but I couldn’t risk keeping it in my apartment. Malcolm has eyes everywhere. I stashed it somewhere safe.”
“Where?” Benny pressed.
Uma’s gaze flickered. “It’s… complicated.”
“Try us,” Lor said coldly.
Uma exhaled. “I hid it in one of Malcolm’s own buildings.”
Silence. Then Benny let out a dry laugh. “You hid incriminating evidence against the most dangerous man in the city… in his own building?”
Uma gave a tight nod. “Think about it. He’d never expect anyone to be that reckless.”
Lor rubbed her temples. “You are that reckless.”
Uma ignored the jab. “It’s in the archive room at Sloane Tower, 37th floor. Security is tight, but I know a way in.”
Benny exchanged a glance with Lor. Breaking into Sloane Tower? That was career suicide. Maybe even actual suicide.
“Why would you even take the flash drive in the first place?” Lor asked, her voice suddenly quieter.
Uma hesitated. “Because Dan told me to.”
The air in the room shifted. Benny felt his stomach drop.
Lor’s fingers curled around her cup, but she didn’t lift it. “Dan?”
Uma nodded. “He knew Malcolm was hiding something huge. He wanted leverage.”
“And now he’s sleeping with you?” Lor said bitterly.
Uma flinched. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like?” Lor’s voice shook.
A beat passed. Then Uma whispered, “Dan’s scared, Lor. More scared than I’ve ever seen him.”
Benny leaned forward. “Then why hasn’t he run?”
Uma hesitated. “Because Malcolm doesn’t let people run. You know that.”
A heavy silence settled over them.
Benny’s phone buzzed again. Another message.
“Tick tock, Benny.”
He put his phone down. “We need that drive. Tonight.”
Lor sighed. “Breaking into Sloane Tower isn’t exactly a quick errand.”
Uma’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I know a way in. But once we go in, there’s no turning back.”
Benny looked at Lor. She met his gaze, and for the first time in years, he saw fear in her eyes.
But then she nodded. “Then we better not screw this up.”
Uma exhaled in relief. Benny stood, his heart pounding.
This was it.
One night. One heist. One chance to bring down Malcolm Sloane.
Or they’d never make it out alive.
The city hummed with a quiet menace as Benny parked a block away from Sloane Tower. The neon lights from a nearby billboard flickered over the car’s dashboard, casting blue shadows across Lor’s face. She sat in the passenger seat, staring at the towering structure ahead.
“Tell me again why this isn’t the dumbest thing we’ve ever done?” she muttered.
Uma, sitting in the backseat, pulled on a pair of black gloves. “Because it’s also the most necessary thing we’ve ever done.”
Benny checked his watch. 11:47 PM.
Security rotations changed at midnight. That gave them thirteen minutes to get inside before the next shift started.
“You two remember the plan?” he asked.
Lor sighed. “Yes, Benny. I distract security, you disable the cameras, Uma sneaks in and gets the flash drive. Then we all walk out like nothing happened.”
Uma adjusted the strap on her crossbody bag. “And if something goes wrong?”
Lor shot her a look. “Then we improvise.”
Benny smirked. “Just like old times.”
Uma glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “Let’s hope we don’t have to.”
12:01 AM.
They moved quickly. Lor, dressed in a sleek black dress, walked confidently up to the front desk, flashing a fake ID and an easy smile.
“I have a meeting with Mr. Hidds,” she purred.
The security guard, a young man with an unfortunate haircut, swallowed hard and nodded. “Uh… right. Mr. Hidds?” He fumbled with the desk phone.
While he was distracted, Benny slipped past the entrance, ducking into a hallway that led to the maintenance room. The moment he was inside, he set to work on the security feed. A few wires, a quick hack, and—
The camera feeds froze.
Uma moved fast. She glided through the side entrance, past the now-useless security cameras, and into the stairwell.
The 37th floor loomed above.
She took the steps two at a time, her heart hammering. Keep moving. Don’t think.
When she reached the archive room, she found the door locked. No surprise.
She pulled out a lockpick kit. A few quick movements—click. Unlocked.
The room smelled like old paper and stale air. Uma slipped inside, her eyes scanning the shelves. She knew exactly where she had hidden the flash drive: behind a row of old acquisition files in a red folder labeled ‘Q4 Projections.’
Her fingers brushed against it.
Got it.
But as she turned to leave, she heard footsteps.
Uma ducked behind a filing cabinet, pressing her body against the cold metal.
The footsteps stopped at the door.
A voice. Familiar.
“I know you’re in there.”
Her breath caught in her throat.
Dan.
She clutched the flash drive tightly.
Everything had just gone horribly wrong.
- Writer
