Melissa sighed contentedly as she snuggled up to Bruce and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

“I’m sorry for waking you up.” She purred like a contented cat, with a broad smile on her beautiful face.

“No, you’re not.” He rejected that notion, smiling down at her.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Melissa agreed. “I just got tired of waiting for you.”

“Tired?” Bruce squinted at her. “Why? How long was I in there?”

“Forty-five minutes.” She replied.

“Holy crap.” He mumbled. “Anyway, there’s no need to apologize. It was great.”

“I really can’t describe it.” Melissa laughed, her eyes sparkling with joy. “You always pay attention to me. I can’t get enough of that.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Bruce whispered. ‘Come on, get up. We need to start packing.”

For some reason that Bruce could not fathom, Melissa’s eyes darkened. Her smile was wiped off her face; she acted as if he had told her something terrible.

“Do we?” She wondered. Even her voice did not sound cheerful as usual. Instead, it sounded very sad.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” He asked, his own voice shaky with anxiety.

“Nevermind.” Melissa shook her head sideways, once. “Ok, let’s start packing.”

Bruce jumped out of bed, unable to shake the feeling that she was hiding something from him. He could hardly take his eyes off of her, as he put his clothes back on. On the other hand, Melissa chose to lie in bed and peer ceilingward, unwilling to meet his gaze. Her odd behavior made him curious, but it also enraged him. Within minutes, he could feel the blood boiling in his veins. Melissa’s prolonged silence was not a good sign by any means. However, knowing that he was in no condition to have a difficult conversation, he stormed out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

“Alright, what the hell is this? We just had sex and she’s sad? What’s going on here? Get a grip, Bruce. Keep your temper. This girl is special. She said she’d follow you. What more do you need? I just need her to tell me what got her so upset. Was it something I said?”

Lost in his thoughts, he reached the living room. At that moment, the loud, banging noise of someone trying to kick down his door forced him to flip around. A second, even louder bang sent the door five feet across the living room. It fell with a thump, landing a few inches next to his right leg. Two, large men with guns in their hands, pointing them at him emerged. Right behind them, the man that Bruce physically hated: Frank Howard.

“You’re quite something, Mr. Harris.” He smirked, lazily walking into the suite. “You steal from me, you date my daughter, you refuse to help me, you walk out on me… Am I forgetting something? It’s a rather long list.”

“No.” Bruce grumbled. “What the hell are you doing here, Howard? How did you find me?”

His questions appeared to amuse Howard. As soon as he had finished his sentence, the elderly man burst out laughing. In fact, he laughed so hard that he held his stomach.

“Thanks, I need that.” Howard chuckled. “By triangulating my daughter’s cell phone. We had a nice, long talk last night.”

At that point, the sound of the bedroom door opening drew his attention. Melissa slowly crossed the corridor, with her arms folded across her chest, looking down at the floor. Before he could address her though, the sound of a whirring helicopter approaching sent his adrenaline into the ozone layer.

“Melissa…” Bruce’s voice was bass-deep, with a hint of change behind it. “What did you say to him?”

“I told him everything.” She replied, her voice trembling, but still, she wouldn’t face him. Instead, she looked up at her father. “The money is in the suitcases.”

“No!” Bruce screamed at the top of his lungs, grabbing his hair in despair. His world had just collapsed around him. Melissa’s betrayal cut like a knife. Tears welled up in his eyes, as he fixed her gaze on her face, once again trying to make her look at him.

“Was any of it true?” He asked, his voice thick with emotion, his hands shaking as he ran them through his hair.

“Yes!” Melissa cried, finally meeting his gaze, as tears spilled from her eyes. “I had to make sure you were safe!”

“Safe?!” Bruce yelled.

“My father promised not to hurt you, if you robbed those trucks!” She cried even louder, as her tears rolled off her face. “He said I could follow you!”

“He’s going to kill me!” Bruce cried.

“Please don’t say that!” Melissa begged, rushing towards him. Stopping in front of Bruce, she reached her right arm forward and tried to put her hand on his face.

“Don’t touch me!” He snarled.

“Oh, my God…” She sniffled, putting her head in her hands.

“Where’s Matt? What have you done with him?” He inquired, averting his gaze from her, panting.

“Bring them here.” Howard ordered in a loud, hoarse tone.

“Them?” Bruce squinted at him. It didn’t take long for his question to be answered. Two of Howard’s men emerged, holding Matt tightly by the arms. His mouth was duct-taped shut and his hands were bound. Two more quickly showed up, holding Julia and Jeffrey accordingly.

“I’ll let them go, as soon as you rob those trucks.” Howard stated. “I have the itinerary. My men have done all the recon necessary. I need you to coordinate the whole thing and drive one of those trucks yourself. You’re a much better driver than any of my men. At least, that’s what Sanders said, before I shot him last night.”

“You fucking piece of shit!” Bruce’s voice roared like thunder.

“I’m sorry.” Howard smirked once more. “Your friend, the blonde and the guy stay here. I’ll cut them loose, as soon as you finish the job. Follow my men to the chopper. They’ve been instructed to answer your questions. And Harris?” He paused, taking one step closer to him. “Don’t even think about crossing me.”