"there were sirens in the beat of your heart"

•••

I walked through the wooden hallways, my trainers squeaking on the floors unsatisfyingly. I had my tablet in my hands as I looked for my boss to notify him about some details concerning the burglary.

The day of the heist had finally arrived, and Andrew was all over the place. He had been on edge for a few days, but I had disregarded it until now. A loud clatter made me jump when I entered the kitchen, and I overheard someone cursing under their breath.

"Fuck."

"Andrew?" I asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I failed to put the mug on the counter," he grinned. I strolled over to him and eyed the broken mug on the floor; coffee was spilt everywhere. I noticed his hands were slightly twitching, making me sigh in frustration.

"Stop drinking coffee," I snapped, "You are too energised."

"I need to stay awake, love."

"How much coffee did you drink?"

"Seven cups...?" he said with a lopsided smile.

Andrew was an avid coffee drinker and always had a mug or two before a job. I would typically prevent him from pouring himself a third cup, but I had clearly screwed up my first mission of the day.

Watching Andrew get apprehensive over a heist would forever be astonishingly uncanny to me; I had adjusted so much to his usual frolicsome manners that seeing him nervous was a rare occasion.

"That would be enough, no more coffee." I picked up the pieces of the white mug and threw them in the bin as he propped himself on one of the nearby stools. "Let me clean this mess."

When I was done wiping the floor, I placed the cloth back in its place and sat down next to Andrew, who was gazing at me with a ridiculous grin on his face.

"What's up, love?" he inquired, "You were trying to find me, right?"

"Your crew is ready," I replied, ignoring his smirk, "I made sure they were provided with their respective weapons and checked everyone had their masks." I stared down at my tablet. "Also, your clothes are waiting for you in your room, and your guns are in the garage."

"What about the transport?"

"The vans are on their way as we speak," I answered, "Two hackers are inside the hotel and waiting for you to arrive." The list of the staff had helped us slip in a few of Andrew's employees beforehand.

"Everything is ready?" he asked.

"Everything is ready," I repeated.

"Great, now the fun part can begin." He stood up and gestured for me to accompany him, and I obliged.

We strolled back to his bedroom, where he began scouring the walk-in closet for his clothes. He took off his dark shirt, revealing his tattooed chest and flat stomach. I immediately glanced down at my tablet and inadvertently avoided him.

"I-I am going to be following you to The Wynn," I stuttered, "I will be a few streets away to guide you in case you need help."

Andrew stopped moving, making me look at him again. He was still shirtless, and a bulletproof vest was in his hands, but he was staring at me.

"Take the shotgun," he ordered me.

"I will; do not worry," I reassured him. We gazed into each other's eyes for a brief moment before Andrew dropped the vest on his bed and seized a white tank top instead.

"You can gawk if you want to," he smirked, "It's not like you are doing it already or anything." I rolled my eyes.

"Sure," I replied, "In your dreams."

"Then, I think I must be dreaming," he pulled the tank top over his head, "So, what do you say we skip to the part in which I stick my tongue down your throat and-"

"Your vest, Andrew," I quickly grasped the garment and threw it at his chiselled face, hindering him from continuing his sentence. He yanked it on in between waves of laughter and pointed to something across the room.

"Do you mind grabbing my coverall?"

I left my tablet on the nearby desk and walked towards the black jumpsuit. I waited for Andrew to stop chuckling before handing the coverall to him.

"Mask," I grabbed it from the bed.

"Thank you, Sabrina," he smiled, "You said the weapons were in the garage, right?"

"Yes, come on, you must leave in five minutes." I recovered my tablet, and we walked together down to the ground level. When we stepped into the garage, three vans were parked in it, and Andrew's crew moved around swiftly.

Andrew smirked mischievously, and I could feel his power growing on him. He climbed onto one of the vans' bonnets and clapped his hands, making the crew go silent.

"Good evening, everyone," he greeted them, "Are you ready for the greatest heist of all times?" They cheered. "Let's do this!"

Anyone could tell Andrew was elated about this job if he walked around with that ludicrous smile on his face, but I was not going to ruin his delight by telling him that. He jumped off the car and joined me once again as everybody else filled two of the vans.

"That is the one I will be driving, is it not?" I pointed at the empty van as I left my tablet on a table. Taking hold of the shotgun laying on it, I slung its strap over my shoulder.

"That's right," Andrew stared at me with an indecipherable expression.

"What is the matter? Is there something wrong?" I asked apprehensively, ready to seize my tablet again to fix any mistake, but before I could question him any further, Andrew pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around me. Taken by surprise, my breathing hitched, but I eventually hugged him back.

"Be careful, okay?" he whispered into my ear. I leaned back, placing my hands on his chest since he still had his arms around my waist, pressing me against his body.

I wanted to gaze at the floor because I knew I was blushing like a fool, but I refrained from doing so; it was evident already. It had been a couple of years since someone had shown concern towards me.

"Try not to die, will you?" I retorted, "I do not feel like missing you at the moment."

"I won't, love," he winked, letting me go, "You will not get rid of me that easily." Andrew sauntered to one of the full vans with his weapons in hand and jumped inside, grabbing hold of the sliding door.

Before closing it, he shot me a final, genuine smile as the garage opened. They left and, soon enough, I was in my own van as well, following them not too close behind.

I parked on an empty street and placed the earpiece in my ear, listening to Andrew speak to his men.

"We all go in through here, and then we split between these doors, alright?" I heard him say, "Sabrina, are you in yet?"

"I am here," I replied, "Is everything going as planned?"

"Yes, we are ready to go in," he stated, "Let the others know." I turned to my laptop and clicked a button on the earpiece, switching channels.

"Hello?" I tested it.

"What's up?" a female voice replied.

"They are in position," I said, "Turn off the cameras."

"On it." I switched the channel again.

"All clear, the cameras are off," I informed Andrew.

"Let's go!" he shouted, "Cameras are off! Go, go, go!"

I heard a door open, and people screamed in the background as they entered The Wynn. My laptop was attached to a tiny camera on Andrew, so I could see what happened inside. I watched as the masked crew run and shot at the ceiling, making the guests and staff throw themselves to the floor.

Andrew was calmly breathing as he raced towards the casino with his shotgun in hand. When they arrived, he was the one to shoot at the roof.

"If you actually value your life, I advise you to stay down," he spoke over the gunshots loud enough for everyone to hear him. I saw his team run for a locked door nearby and opened it with the help of a guard. They broke through, and Andrew followed them silently.

They ran down the long corridor I had been in with Elizabeth a few days ago until a gleaming, metal door came into view. I shifted my earpiece again and informed the hackers in the security room to unlock the safe's door.

Right away, I observed them opening the vault and heading inside. Andrew's hands worked rapidly, picking up neat bundles of dollars and stuffing them inside his duffel bag.

I felt like laughing when I thought that, years ago, I was so buried in debts I could barely eat, and now, I am watching my boss steal millions of dollars I would have killed for. Life can be unmistakably peculiar sometimes.

Mere moments later, they ran back out; gunshots chased them as they arrived at the white vans. I watched Andrew throw the sliding door open and blow out a breath.

"Shit!" he cursed, "Shit, shit, shit."

"He's dead!" a man yelled after him. I finally saw what was the cause of the commotion when Andrew moved. The driver of their van was sitting still, his head on the steering wheel as blood dripped down his neck. I noticed a small wound on his head, a bullet, most likely.

"Sabrina," Andrew called me, "Sabrina, I'm going to need you to come in." I could feel the desperation in his voice.

"What?"

"We don't have time to move the body!" he was getting more anxious by the minute, "We need you right now, or we are dead."

"I am on my way." I closed my laptop and slipped on a pair of sunglasses to avoid getting recognised before turning on the engine.

I accelerated and drove through a couple of intersections before pulling up at the hotel. Andrew, who was shooting at a couple of guards, spotted me and motioned for the team to hurry. They stumbled in, and in a matter of seconds, I was driving again.

"I'll guide you," Andrew said, sitting next to me as he removed the mask from his face. Soon enough, I heard police sirens chasing after us. I was not bothered by them until I heard glass shattering behind me.

"Are they fucking shooting us?" I asked Andrew, who seemed taken aback by my swearing.

"Drive," he commanded, "We will handle that." I did as I was told and drove, my hands gripping the wheel too firmly as I heard more gunshots. The police cars were still behind us, and bullets whizzed past my window when my rage was completely over them.

"Andrew," I said somberly, "Hold the wheel."

"No, what are you-"

"Hold the bloody wheel," I interrupted him, grabbing my shotgun, "Do I have to do everything?" I rolled down my window and got half of my body out of it. Five police cars were pursuing us, and they were getting excessively close for my taste.

I shot at the tires of two of them and watched them create a large wreck with the other patrols. Slipping my hand back into the vehicle, I extended my arm towards the man behind me.

"There is a smoke grenade under my seat; give it to me." He instantly obeyed and handed me the weapon.

A bullet grazed my shoulder as I adjusted myself to throw the grenade, but I disregarded it since I could not feel the pain due to the adrenaline coursing through me. I would tend to that when we arrived at the mansion.

After I threw the smoke grenade, the van made a sharp turn, inducing me to briefly lose my balance. I almost fell onto the road, but Andrew caught my hand, pulling me inside the vehicle again.

My foot slammed on the pedal when I was accommodated; taking advantage of the absence of the police, I accelerated the van and entered a multi storey parking lot.

We got out of the vehicle and headed to the cars that were waiting for us. Andrew slipped into one of the driver's seats, and I sat down beside him. He drove the car back to the mansion, not uttering a single word except to congratulate the team on the successful heist.

When we arrived, the crew headed to the dining room to celebrate, but I separated myself from the group and headed to Andrew's room instead. I knew he had medical supplies there because he always demanded having them near him.

I still could not feel the sting of the wound, but it was bound to start really soon. Fortunately, I knew how my body reacted to bullets, so I did not hasten to cure my shoulder.

Even from the other side of the house, I could hear the shouts and cheers of the team downstairs. I slid into the bathroom and gently opened the cabinet; however, I froze when I felt someone nearing me behind my back.

"What are you doing?" They interrogated me before I could turn around.