Here's the next update on this Pre-Spooky Season short.
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. Typos are my bad.
Stephanie's POV
"Are you slow or what?!" Wannabe leader shouted at Chris, waving his weapon as a scare tactic.
"Chris." I murmured, using the sound of my voice to get him to focus on me rather than the Glock wielding man. With a minute nod, I silently conveyed that everything would be okay.
Chris kept his eyes locked with mine as he was herded towards his coworkers, fully trusting my guidance.
"Back up!" Wannabe boss shouted the command, forcing my six closers to shuffle backwards and away from the counter. Once their backs were basically pressed flush against the rows of toddler costumes, my staff stopped moving. With nowhere else to go, their wide eyes flicked towards me as they kept their hands raised in the air.
For months, I've repeatedly heard from my associates that I have a piercing blue gaze. Their 'Omg, Steph, your eyes are like super, super blue right now! It's so hard to concentrate with your pretty blue eyes.' has been their top excuse whenever they don't fully process my instructions on a special daily task. I used to think that they were full of crap, their attempt at trying to butter me up. Finally, I'm now discovering that the power my blue eyes has on them is very real.
Taking advantage of the hypnotic hold my eyes allegedly have, I deliberately locked eyes with each and every one of my associates. Feeling my eyes on them, coupled with the fact that they're all watching my every move closely, I'd made silent contact with everyone before the men's attention shifted to me. I conveyed as best as I could that we're going to be okay, that this will all be over before long.
"You the one in charge?" Wannabe pointed his weapon at me, walking back towards the front doors to be face to face with me. With the counter between us, he had to lean forward to make himself look more threatening. From this up close I noted his eyes were gray, devoid of any warmth.
"Yes." I didn't offer more information, knowing from experience that talking too much can be detrimental. If these guns are here for quick cash, best to let them get on with their agenda.
"Come here." Spittle spewed from his snarled mouth with the order. Ignoring the saliva glops that landed on the counter between us, I made a move to do what he demanded. "Slowly." The warning should have been unnecessary, unless he knows who I am. It's nearly impossible to fully shed my past, still actively carrying around some of my old reputation. This town won't let me easily forget that for years I was the Bombshell Bounty Hunter.
As I readied to round the end of the counter, I faked a clumsy slip. With my body nearly fully obstructed from the men's view, I quickly fetched the box cutter and store key from my apron pockets. Tucking the items beneath the mountain of bags under the counter, I forced air out of my lungs to sound like I had the wind knocked out of me by the surprise fall.
I was up from my 'slip' and 'cape snag' before the men fully reacted. A small smirk directed at my team was meant to convey that I was okay. I doubt they even realized what I did, my reflexes kicking in without warning, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Still with my hands up in the air, I walked parallel to the counter on my way towards Gray Eyes and his guys. Having my back to my team was a million times better than the alternative.
"Stop." He gritted out when I reached him in front of register two. Roughly, and without warning, he reached for my apron and yanked forcefully. I knew the walkie clipped to my apron and my cell phone peaking out of one of the pockets would catch his attention. His move was a little too predictable, even if I wasn't expecting the rough manhandling.
I suppressed the urge to hiss at the pull on my lower back when he yanked, not wanting to further spook my group. Biting my tongue has and probably will always be extremely difficult for me, especially as Gray Eyes looked me up and down.
Earlier this afternoon, Mary Lou stopped by to drop off food for her oldest son, JC. Since he came to his shift straight from school, Mary Lou wanted to make sure her oldest baby had something yummy to eat during his meal break. My BFF packed some yummy homemade food for me too, even adding a peanut butter and olive sandwich to serve as my snack. Unable to pass up the opportunity before she left, Mare told me I looked really hot in my costume. According to my BFF, the booty shorts and boots showcase my toned legs just right. Of course, Mare hyped me up by saying that I was looking like a snack.
I didn't want to get a Wonder Woman one piece bodysuit type costume given how much movement I'd subject the material to during a busy closing shift. The two piece consisting of a top and shorts I came across online felt like the best variation of the costume that would fit my needs. The iconic gold waist cincher has kept my midriff covered despite all the bending I've done today. I don't consider the bottoms as booty shorts, because my cheeks are fully covered and then some. Plus, as an added layer of modesty the cape falls about three inches past the length of my shorts. With my booty hidden from lecherous looks, an easy modification gave my doodah an additional layer of coverage in the form of a makeshift half apron. Yes, I wanted to look good in my costume, yet I also wanted to keep myself from looking like the stripper version. My bold red lip, headband, wrist cuffs and boots completed my legendary look. Looking hot and badass negated how achy my feet would be at the end of the night for choosing to wear the heeled boots instead of sneakers. Halloween season is only once a year after all, right?
"Mmm." Gray Eyes blatantly undressed me with his heated look, causing a knot to form in the pit of my stomach. A wave of nausea washed over me as I stood before the disgusting trio.
Perhaps Mary Lou was right and these do look too much like booty shorts. Uhm…
"Nice." Gray Eyes smirked as he traced the swells of my breasts with the barrel of his gun.
Typically, I'd say he wouldn't have much to fixate on but this top coupled with a good Victoria's Secret find had my girls looking fuller. I even overheard Marie Kalinoski whispering behind my literal back when she stopped in after her demon spawn was out of school this afternoon. I'm one hundred percent sure she spread the fresh rumor that I got a boob job. The Burg grapevine ran with the gossip, as always, to the point that even I heard about it before Kalinoski even finished paying for the sexy lace tights I suggested would complete her Halloween look.
My fight or flight instinct had me stuck in a seemingly never ending survival mode. It all came to a head shortly before the Fourth of July, highlighting certain lows in my life. I was physically and mentally exhausted, desperately in need of change. I didn't want to be stuck in a perpetual loop, bumbling along like I've been doing. Simply existing didn't cut it out for me anymore. I wanted to live, really live, after years of repeated trauma.
The irony wasn't lost on me. Regardless of how hard I've tried to live a 'normal life', extricating myself from unnecessarily dangerous situations, it didn't take much for me to be sent back to the rut I was previously stuck in. The gun waving, intimidation and full on helplessness had flashbacks, resounding echoes of my previous life, barreling back. And in full force too.
Repressing the major ick the invasive ogling elicited was a monumental task. The shiver that ran up the length of my spine had goosebumps threatening to erupt all over my body. Even so, my brain once again switched into survival mode.
Smiling coyly, I raked my eyes over Gray Eyes as I let my instincts take over. Giving him the false sense that my detailed once over is because of his irresistible sex appeal allowed me to take advantage of this opportunity. Starting at his feet, his boots reminded me of Rangeman's high standard sturdy combat boots, except these were crappy replicas. His cargo pants looked glossier and made of a flimsier, cheaper material than Rangeman's uniform brand. The utility belt was pathetic looking too.
To the untrained eye, Gray Eyes could pass off as a combat ready man. I wasn't easily fooled by his cheap mercenary copycat getup. His crappy fit and being distracted with my breasts rather than being focused in this robbery, helped me quickly conclude that Gray Eyes and Co haven't been doing high level ops long, if at all, before this one.
By the time I flicked my blue eyes up to meet his leering Gray ones, I had a good read on him. Gray Eyes was definitely feeling himself, flashing a cocky smirk thinking that he was just so damn irresistible. Who the hell thinks they have a serious shot with the victim of the crime they're currently in the middle of committing? Seriously! As Devon would say, Gray Eyes is cringe.
What felt like an eternity later, the disgusting lewd appraisal Gray Eyes subjected me to came to an abrupt end when my cell phone buzzed. Still holding my ruined apron in his left hand, Gray Eyes snapped to attention.
Simultaneously, the store phone's shrill ringtone filled the already tense atmosphere. My heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest at the knowledge that those two calls were confirmation that the silent alarm was tripped successfully.
Missing the automatic check up call from the security company will ensure the authorities are notified, along with Rangeman.
Notwithstanding my distancing from bounty hunting and any type of contract work with Rangeman, the Merry Men are still in my corner. I know the guys still keep tabs on me, even if my life's been pretty anticlimactic in the danger department these last several months. Rangeman doesn't handle security for these temporary Halloween stores, but they do offer their patrol services to the monitoring company hired nationwide by corporate. We're lucky enough to be in a Rangeman service zone, something most other stores around the country don't have the luxury of. Sure, the stores inside a mall and other select locations have armed security guards to help with loss prevention. Instead, we have Rangeman as our backup. I'm more than grateful for the exchange. One security guard versus my Merry Men? It's a no brainer!
"While you're distracted by some tits, this bitch tripped the alarm!" Gray Eyes got yelled at by a newcomer. The new player was allowed in by the masked man standing closest to the front doors. Based on his commanding presence, the new guy is most likely above Gray Eyes in the hierarchy. Like, way above Gray Eyes.
"Call them off, or your sidekicks will pay the price for your stupidity!" Gray Eyes was quick to level his gun at my forehead as he attempted to save face with his pals and boss.
My shoulders shook violently from holding in my mega eyeroll in response to Gray Eyes. With the final countdown to Halloween, there's a company wide costume theme for our last week with the public. To start counting down from day seven, today's theme is Superheros vs Villains. Obviously, I called dibs on Wonder Woman. Duh. Chris opted to dress up as Clark Kent, wanting to be less obvious with his costume. Devon dressed up as Batman, showing up with a last minute homemade version for his costume. Lizette, possibly due to her crush on Devon, is dressed as Batgirl. Lindsey is our resident Supergirl. JC kept it classic with Spider-Man. To close us off, Megan is sporting a unique Spider-Girl inspired look.
Who would have thought that we'd end our night in a cliched Superheroes vs Villains standoff after all?
"Do it!" Gray Eyes is turning unhinged in his attempt to save face, which will not bode well for us.
Snatching the store phone from its cradle, I kept my tone calm. There's no sense in further spooking my closing A-team.
"Hi. This is Stephanie." I greeted after answering via speaker on the last ring. "My employee number is three, three, three, one, five, one, three." The woman managing the project support office overnight shift asked the standard security questions as soon as I confirmed my identity.
Not even the threat of Gray Eyes waving his gun in my face detracted me from the activity of his comrades by the front glass doors. I watched as the three other men rolled two heavy boxes inside.
They're not here for money. This isn't a mere robbery.
"Yeah, we're having a little technical difficulty." I fibbed, still ignoring Gray Eyes. Horrified, I had to keep my cool as who I assumed was the real boss finally walked inside. "Yes, I will restart the system. Thank you, Sam."
My heart felt like it was going to lurch out of my throat as my stomach clenched. Sam is this year's secret code to use when there's an emergency.
The silence stretched on for a few seconds, the caller processing the bombshell. By deactivating the alarm's control panel to quickly and discretely trigger the silent alarm, I also took down the cameras' power source. The outside world is oblivious to what's going down here tonight.
"Okay. Thank you for verifying. Call back if you continue to experience technical difficulties. Have a good night." Thankfully, her sweet collected voice didn't give anything away.
Gray Eyes yanked the phone out of my hand just as the dial tone blared.
The main boss, a massive man that could give Cal a run for his money, wheeled in a third container. As soon as he cleared the doorway, two of the masked men placed a weird looking device on the glass. The red blinking light on the contraption and the fact that the newcomer didn't even bother covering his face was a devastating blow.
Mercenary Boss is not worried about hiding his identity, because he doesn't plan on leaving behind any witnesses. These guys aren't here for our sales cash. I have no idea what they're looking for, but it's clear they want us for one thing and one thing only: to serve as their human shield against the cops.