Had Melissa given Bruce that letter a few hours earlier, he would have been dying to read it. The time or place would not matter. He would love to read whatever his lover had to say to him. However, that was not the case anymore. For him, the envelope in his hands was just a reminder of her betrayal. His initial thought was to burn it. Deep down, he knew that her words would hurt him more deeply than her actions. However, he did no such thing. He chose to put it in his pocket and try to focus on the task at hand. Not only for Matt, but also for Julia and her partner. Their help in getting Melissa back had been invaluable. Bruce had to do everything in his power to save their lives, as he felt guilty about dragging them into this chaos.

A few minutes after 11pm on that dark, chilly, moonless night in Fountain Hills, he and Howard’s men took up their positions on Barnard Road, hiding in pairs behind large, thorny bushes, on either side of the uphill road. As Bruce would lead the assault, he hid with Tom behind the bush with the best vantage point, at the top of the road. The right turn that the six, armored trucks would take was more than five hundred yards down the road, giving them plenty of time to get ready.

Under any other circumstances, Bruce would not feel anxious at all. He had done this twice before, while being a member of the motorcycle club. Back then though, he only had to worry about his personal safety. The lives of three innocent people did not depend on him. More than that, the people who he had worked with were his friends and would risk their lives to save him, not total strangers like the ones he was with that night. He had been given an AK-47, a powerful assault rifle and a handgun, but he knew that should anything go wrong, he could not rely on any of them.

“Look what you made me do.” He thought to himself, grasping the grip of his rifle. “This is all because of you, Melissa. I really don’t know why you flew here. Are you still hoping that we’ll be together after this? Really? Guess again, darling. This ship has sailed.”

Picking up the faint sound of an engine, he slightly raised his head over the bush. Two seconds later, the headlights of the first truck appeared in the horizon.

“Get ready.” He spoke in his intercom, as tension tightened the back of his neck. The first truck entered Barnard Road. The remaining five followed within seconds. Shivers went down his spine, as he realized that he had to give the order to block off the road.

“Block them!” Bruce commanded. Within seconds, the two trucks that Tom had spoken of emerged from the road to the right. The first turned onto Barnard Road and the other one followed behind it. After a few seconds, the driver on the left lane eased up on the brakes, stopped and waited for his colleague to do the same, as the first armored truck approached the top of the road. Should any of the truck drivers decide to escape, he would have to use the muddy, ditch-ridden sides of the road. With the first armored truck nearly a hundred yards away, Bruce drew in a deep breath, feeling drops of sweat flowing down his forehead.

“Now!” He whispered, just when the second truck came to a full stop. Upon his order, he and eleven of Howard’s men popped out of the bushes, with their rifles pointed at the driver of the armored truck. The driver stepped on the brakes. The tires of the large vehicle squealed as it was slowly brought to a halt.

“Get out of the truck!” Bruce’s stentorian voice roared like thunder, echoing in the vast wilderness. The driver opened his door with fear-clumsy fingers and stepped down the large vehicle; moments later, his colleague followed.

“On your knees! Hands behind your head!” He ordered once more. The two security clerks had no choice but to comply.

“Do what I said.” He told Tom, looking down at him over his left shoulder. “I’ll be waiting.”

“You heard the man!” Tom spoke in a loud tone. “Gather them up. Let’s move!”

Bruce lowered his rifle, looking down into the terrified eyes of the middle-aged truck driver. He squeezed his lips and began to shake his head sideways, overwhelmed with guilt over his actions.

“Poor bastard.” He thought to himself, as Howard’s men dragged him away from the vehicle. “I just threatened you with a gun, because some rich prick wanted to get richer. Damn… I wish she was here, just to see his face. That’s the only way she’d understand what she’s done.”

Howard’s men carried out Bruce’s orders. The security clerks were gathered on the left side of the road. Soon afterwards, they bound the clerks’ hands and ankles. Three men jumped into the decoy trucks. One at a time, they put the trucks into gear and jumped out of them. They all crashed into the large oak trees, on the left or the right side of the road. With the trucks disabled, it was time for Bruce and Howard’s men to leave.

“We’re ready.” Tom spoke in the intercom. Bruce sprinted along the road and boarded the first of the three remaining trucks.

“That was fucking beautiful!” Tom commented, with a silly smile on his face, climbing into the truck cab.

“If you say so.” Bruce croaked.

“Come on, man!” Tom patted him on the back. “You should be proud!”

“Ok, shut up and let me drive this thing, will you?” Bruce groaned, gently stepping on the gas.

“Whatever you say.” Tom spoke in a happy tone, lying back in his seat.

“Alright, you piece of shit. We’ve done it. Let’s see if you can keep your word.”