The numerous wads of cash fell on Jon’s kitchen table with a thump, as Tim emptied his bag. Some of them even fell off the edges. They all had bank straps wrapped around them. Most of the wads were $100 or $50 bills. There were only three packs of $20’s on the left and two stacks of $10 on the right side of the massive pile.

“Holy shit…” Jon whispered, opening his eyes wide. “There’s got to be more than a million here.”

“Way more,” Tim spoke his mind, the sight of the money putting a smile of contentment on his face. “Let’s count it.”

Jon did not speak. He picked up the wads from the floor and tossed them onto the pile, before they started separating them. By the time they finished counting the loot, the two friends were ecstatic. Tim could finally relax. Not only had they evaded arrest, but they seemed to have stolen more than enough money for his plan.

“One million, two hundred and forty thousand bucks, baby!” Jon cheered, wrapping his chubby arms around Tim.

“Damn…” Tim snorted. “I just love the smell of money. Thanks a lot for this, Jonny.”

“Thank you!” Jon exclaimed, pulling back. “What the hell are you talking about? You did all the work!”

“We did this together, man.” Tim winked at him.

“I’d love to see the look on Bradford’s face.” Jon laughed. “That smug son of a bitch won’t even know what hit him.”

“I got a favor to ask.” Tim assumed a firm tone.

“Anything,” Jon responded.

“We need to pay someone a visit,” Tim continued. “Burt Maddox, the CEO of ‘Maddox Pharmaceuticals’. Have you heard of him?”

“Who hasn’t?” Jon shrugged his shoulders. “Why do you want to meet with him?”

“He owns that compound in Vermont; the one where Jitter got killed,” Tim elaborated. “I want to lease it for a while; maybe buy it, if I can.”

Jon’s smile fled his face. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Much to Tim’s frustration however, Jon quickly burst into loud laughter, clutching his stomach.

“Oh, baby…” Jon chuckled. “That’s just sweet, you know that?”

“Know what?” Tim grumbled.

“You’re doing all this for a chick!” Jon laughed. “Who would have thought?”

“Are you coming with or not?” Tim insisted.

“Oh, I am.” Jon nodded. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I can’t blame you there. I saw her; she’s really hot. But what if he says ‘no’, Tim? What are you going to do then?”

“He won’t.” Tim assured. “Who the hell would turn down six hundred grand, anyway?”

“Six hundred?” Jon opened his eyes wide in disbelief. “That’s your cut from the job. You’re giving her everything you’ve got?”

“Almost,” Tim sighed. “I’ll still have another twenty left.”

“Big deal…” Jon mumbled. “You went through all this trouble…” He faltered, “For twenty thousand? Seriously?”

“It’s not just that, man. There are some things you can’t put a price on.” Tim groaned. “She loves her work. It’s her...”

“I really hope you know what you’re doing.” Jon interrupted. “I hope you don’t regret this. Anyway, what do you need me for?”

“Let’s say he may need some…” Tim paused, “persuading.”

“What do you mean?” Jon squinted at him. “You want me to rough him up?”

“No, dumbass,” Tim grumbled. “I can do that by myself. Just make sure you get your laptop.”

“I really should teach you a thing or two about computers.” Jon pointed out. “I don’t need to come with. Hacks can be done remotely. All you have to do is call me. I don’t know about you, but I think we should do this again. You saw it; we make a good team.”

“That we do.” Tim smiled. “Don’t tell me you’ve already found your next victim.”

“I wish.” Jon said with a sigh. “But I’m sure I’ll find something, soon enough. What about you? What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t know.” Tim attempted a serious tone, as his smile slowly faded. “Going legit felt pretty good: I didn’t have to look over my shoulder; I met some nice people…”

“Shitty paycheck,” Jon interjected. “Look, we’ve just committed the perfect burglary. We were fast, accurate, professional… No witnesses. No fingerprints. Even the bomb we used is untraceable. I bought it off a Cuban lowlife in Miami. I know you, Tim. You’re only saying these things because you met her. She made things interesting, didn’t she?”

“It’s a lot more than just ‘interesting’.” Tim disagreed.

“Just think about it.” Jon urged. “It would be great to work with you again.”

“Yeah, I feel the same about you..” Tim’s smile returned to his face, as he offered his hand for a handshake.

“Good luck.” Jon’s voice became lower, as he shook his friend’s hand. “If you change your mind…”

“I know where to find you.” Tim finished his sentence. “Goodnight, buddy; I’ll call you tomorrow.”

The two men exchanged a cordial hug. Eager to break the Josephine the news of his success, Tim left his friend’s house in Queens, swelling with pride. After all, Jon was right: they had stolen more than a million dollars, without leaving any clues. Nobody would even suspect them.

Teaming up with Jonny? That sounds fantastic. The guy’s a computer wiz. But, I don’t think Joey’s going to like that. I’m coming home to you, baby.