Rain “Rebel” Crawford #2
The truth was, neither of them needed the money anymore.
Dice could’ve walked away years ago, but loyalty to this crew always outweighed another payday.
Kash was in the same position. Between her family’s money and everything we’d stacked over the years, she could’ve retired whenever she wanted.
But she stayed because we were family. But now things were different.
Dice had Ritz, Revv, and Koasta waiting for her at home.
Kash had Declan and little Kashlyn. They finally had something worth risking it all to protect instead of risking it all to keep it.
I finally agreed. “If anybody’s earned retirement, it’s you two. Go be with your families.”
Dice smiled. “I appreciate that. One more, and then I’m done.”
Kash grinned. “Girl, I’m ready for the big one. And Declan’s definitely ready to help us.”
I pointed a finger at both of them. “Y’all better not get all soft on me before then.”
Dice threw her hands up. “Excuse us? You’re the one who needs to retire, get a nigga, and pop out a couple of babies.”
I scrunched up my face. “First of all, I don’t want no kids. Second, men ain’t shit.”
Kash snorted. “That’s because you keep pushing every good man away.”
“I do not,” I rolled my eyes.
“The only reason you can’t keep one,” Dice chimed in with a smirk, “is because every man gets intimidated by whatever the hell you and Crow got going on.”
I frowned. “Crow and I don’t have anything going on.”
Kash and Dice exchanged a look before they both burst into laughter.
“Action begs to differ. That’s yo’ boyfriend-bestie,” Kash teased.
“My what?” I shot back.
“You heard her,” Dice laughed. “That man looks at you like you hung the damn moon, and you over here acting clueless.”
I shook my head. “Y’all are delusional.”
“Mhm,” Kash said. “Keep telling yourself that.”
The three of us burst into another round of laughter before going right back to counting our money.
After leaving the safehouse, I headed back to my hotel suite.
The moment I stepped inside, I found Cairo stretched across the bed watching television.
As soon as he saw me, he grabbed the remote, turned the TV off, and sat up, giving me his full attention.
“Glad you made it back, Rain.” His eyes swept over me, searching for any cuts, bruises, or signs that something had gone wrong before he finally relaxed. “Everything go as planned?”
I dropped my duffel bag by the door and kicked off my shoes. “Everything went exactly the way we drew it up.”
A grin spread across his face. “Knew it would.”
I smirked. “I’m straight, Cairo.”
One of his brows lifted. “Cairo?”
I shrugged. “Since you wanna use my government name, I figured I could use yours.”
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “So that’s what we doing now?”
“You started it.”
“Fair enough.” He leaned back against the headboard, still smiling. “I kinda like hearing my name come out your mouth.”
“Pssh... whatever.” I rolled my eyes, fighting back a smile. “What you tryna eat?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
“Don’t get excited,” I laughed. “I’m only feeding you because you’ve been sittin’ here playing alibi all day.”
He clutched his chest dramatically. “Damn, Rain. Here I was thinking you missed me.”
I shrugged. “I did... but that don’t mean you ain’t gotta eat.”
His grin widened. “I’ll take both.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Boy, you so damn greedy.”
“Only when it comes to you.”
I rolled my eyes again, but the smile never left my face. We quickly freshened up, changed clothes, and headed downstairs to grab something to eat. The elevator ride was quiet, with Cairo standing beside me, his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie while I scrolled through my phone.
The moment the elevator doors slid open, I knew something was different. The lobby buzzed with nervous chatter as hotel guests gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves. Uniformed officers moved in and out of the entrance while employees stood off to the side answering questions.
My gaze drifted toward the front windows. Red and blue lights bounced across the glass. Outside, patrol cars lined the street while yellow crime scene tape stretched around part of the block. News vans had already pulled up, their cameras aimed toward the intersection.
I didn’t have to ask what was going on. SPJ Bank was less than a block from the hotel.
Cairo followed my gaze before leaning closer.
“Looks like somebody having one hell of a day.”
“Ain’t us,” I replied calmly.
The corner of his mouth curled into a grin. “And let’s keep it that way.”
I slipped my arm through his as we headed toward the exit.
“You worried?” I asked quietly.
He didn’t even hesitate.
“About you getting caught?” He glanced down at me and smirked. “Not even a little. We planned every move. The only thing I’m worried about is what you’re buying me for dinner.”
I laughed under my breath. “Your priorities are all the way messed up.”
“Nah.” He opened the door for me. “My priority is making sure my girl eats after a long day at work.”
I bumped his shoulder as we stepped outside. “Work, huh?”
“Sounded better than ‘bank robbery.’”
I couldn’t help but laugh. To everyone around us, we were just two people heading out for dinner. Nobody would’ve guessed the woman walking hand in hand with Crow had just helped pull off one of the biggest bank robberies the city had ever seen.
Honestly, seeing all those flashing lights and officers swarming the streets reminded me that nothing lasted forever.
Kash and Dice had families now, and I understood our days of robbing banks were coming to an end.
We had cheated fate more times than I cared to count.
Every score, every getaway, every close call was another gamble with our lives.
The difference was that back then, we were just young and fearless, chasing the next rush.
Now, we had people depending on us. If I was being real, every thief had to make a choice: you walked away while you still could, or fate made the decision for you.
I had every intention of making sure that choice was mine.