The doors of the bank at the end of the street opened and out waltzed a rich-looking middle-aged man in a grey suit, his hair slicked back and his pace quick. He was carrying a briefcase in one hand and a phone in the other. He hurried over to his navy blue minivan and climbed in, locking all the doors. Suddenly, he felt the hair at the back of his neck rise and a shiver run down his spine. Someone was watching him, and he was sure he knew who it was. He smiled slightly and pulled out a small, white box. He removed the lid and took out something that looked like a big wad of money and smiled wider, pocketing the bundle. He put the box back where he took it from and exited the car, purposely leaving the keys in the ignition. The man walked over to the grocery store near the bank and disappeared inside.

…

Meanwhile, three men—Felix, Marcus, and Demetri—were standing among the trees, watching the man walk into the store with mischievous glints in their eyes. Felix, the main thief, nudged the other two forward, and the three men jogged to the minivan. The second thief, Marcus, stepped up to try and break into the vehicle, for it was his specialty. However, he was surprised to find that the door was unlocked, and he quickly opened the doors, ushering his companions into the minivan. When they were all inside, Demetri—the third person and cousin to Felix—started fidgeting.

"Guys, isn't it enough that you want to steal the man's money? Now you want to steal his car, too?" He said uncomfortably. Felix and Marcus exchanged looks and rolled their eyes.

"Look, Cuz, we need the money and we gotta to whatever it takes to get it," Felix retorted, then turned back to hotwire the car when something caught his eye. He smirked as he realized that the man had left the key in the ignition.

"Looks like our boy ain't too bright, eh?" He and Marcus threw their heads back and laughed. Demetri just rolled his eyes and motioned for Felix to start driving, to which Felix complied. They drove to a small, rundown shack in the middle of the woods, miles away from where they took it, and arrived half an hour later. Felix reached under the driver's seat after parking the minivan to take out the box, but was shocked to feel that there was something metal-like beneath his fingers. He bent over to look below the seat and saw that there was a small, electronic lock on the latch of the compartment that contained the box. There was a four-number code that had to be entered in order to open the compartment. Felix sneered and began to curse under his breath. Marcus looked up at him.

"What's got you all worked up?" Demetri glanced at him, too. Felix pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to the other two.

"There's a freakin' lock on the compartment!" He growled. He punched the steering wheel repeatedly in his anger. All he could think was that he was going to have to think of another way to get back at that empty-headed man for taking all the profit from the business in which they were once partners…

"Let me take a look, Cuz," Demetri said, hesitantly. "I might be able to figure it out." Felix stopped hitting the wheel and turned to his cousin, quirking an eyebrow.

"You think you could figure it out?" He demanded. Demetri shrugged.

"Maybe. Let me see it," He replied. Demetri and Felix switched seats and Demetri bent over, running his fingers over the lock. He tinkered around with the numbers, then punched in four numbers and the three men were rewarded with a tiny, satisfying 'click'. Demetri sat back and grinned at the other two. They were gawking at him, and Marcus shook his head.

"How'd you do that?" Felix asked, flabbergasted. Demetri gave him a lazy smile.

"The code was 4031, the one you had to enter whenever you went to work back when you ran that business with the guy whose car we stole." He replied, glaring at his cousin. Felix just rolled his eyes. Marcus cleared his throat.

"Shouldn't we open the box already…? He prompted. The other two nodded, and the three walked out of the minivan with the small, white box and into the shack. They sat around a square-shaped, rickety table and placed the box in the middle. Felix smirked and rubbed his hands together, staring at box that his old business partner kept his money in.

"Ready to get rich, boys?" He sneered. Marcus and Demetri nodded and stared hungrily at the box as Felix slowly lifted the lid. His blood ran cold and his heart stopped. He stared at the contents of the box and clenched his hands into fists. He began breathing hard, and looked up to the others to see that they had shocked expressions on their faces.

"Please tell me I'm the only one who sees a puny, insignificant QUARTER with a little PIECE OF PAPER!" Felix bellowed. The other men shook their heads mutely, and Marcus reached into the box and slowly took out the paper, reading it aloud.

"You thought you could take the money that is rightfully mine? Think again!"

…

Outside the small shack containing the three very bewildered and angry thieves, the rich man looked at them through the tiny, cracked window, grinning and shaking his head.

"Ah, Felix. You never were very smart, were you?" He whispered to himself, chuckling as he turned around and walked into his second car, a shiny, white Aston Martin Vanquish, and drove away with a smile on his face.