Glad Mare's POV was well received. Felt like using her POV would help show more background as well as give a better sense of the store layout. The SUVs Mary Lou saw parked in the back can be a useful tip, an interaction she most likely didn't think was important at the time. We also got to see why Steph's store is doing so well in sales, a combo of Burg peeps stopping in just to see what new gossip they can concoct about Stephanie and the fact that Steph is really good at getting people to buy more than what they originally came in for.
Updates for other stories are coming too (I hear you :).
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. Typos are my bad.
Lester's POV
"What's the rundown?" I asked the control room after hanging up on Ranger and tapping Hector in.
"Silent alarm was triggered." Slick recounted, his gaze focused on the monitors ahead of him.
My ears roared with the effort to keep myself calm and collected. Steph's store doesn't use Rangeman tech for their security needs. If I'm remembering correctly, the company they use has a five minute delay when it comes to the silent alarm notification. I understand that given how hectic things can be, it's a form of error margin. I get it, yes, but all season Beautiful's store has never tripped their alarm during business hours. There were a series of incidents last month that kept triggering the motion sensors after hours. Beautiful would be a few blocks away, driving home after a long shift when the alarm went off. Due to protocol, she had to return so she could check what the deal was. On the third night, Stephanie's Spidey Sense was triggered. She thought there was someone inside the store, an eerie feeling that assaulted her as soon as she entered the building. In response, Stephanie did the right thing by calling for back up. Both the Rangeman patrol and the police cruisers that responded to the call did thorough walkthroughs that late night. Neither found any physical spooks hiding in or out of the building. Corporate sent Beautiful a new set of motion sensors days after the incident, which resolved the issue.
Until now.
"Hector." I called over my shoulder when I felt him slip into the control room.
"Si. I check." Hec assured that he was tapping into the store's video feed as we speak, something we're technically not supposed to have access to.
"They're calling Bomber's cell and the store phone to confirm." Bones shared from his seated position next to Slick in front of the surveillance monitors. "There are no reported power outages in the area."
"Mira." Hector tapped my left bicep, thrusting his tablet in my face so I could see for myself.
As I watched the teens gather around Stephanie behind the counter, possibly on their way to clock out for the night, my stomach dropped when I saw one of the boys get shoved back inside the store. The three armed men were just inside the double glass doors when Stephanie jerked her head up. There's no sound on the feed and no angles that cover the outside, but this at least confirms that the alarm wasn't tripped on accident.
"Shit." I muttered to myself when I caught Stephanie's sleight of hand movement, tossing a bag I presume with cash inside under the L-shaped register counter.
"Si." Hector agreed, his breath brushing the side of my neck as we both clenched our teeth.
Beautiful set the example, raising her hands in the air so that her team could follow her lead. I watched the kids do just that before the camera feed disconnected.
"Power source disconnected on purpose." Hector confirmed my fears as I passed the tablet back to him.
The control room's line rang, answered on the first ring by Zip. His eyes flicked towards me, silently indicating that this was the call we were waiting for.
"Stephanie answered the check in call, but used code to indicate that they weren't alone." Zip relayed as soon as he was done with the call, simultaneously activating an alert for nearby patrols to head to the area in question.
"Attention all patrol units…" Zip followed the activation of the emergency alert for our patrols in the area to head to Steph's location with a quick message through our comms.
"Tell the units that Stephanie is wearing a Wonder Woman costume." Dead silence fell over the control room, all eyes except those on monitors shifting to me with my heads up. It'll be better for all involved if everyone knows that Beautiful and her team are all dressed as superheroes. Better safe than sorry as some of her workers are wearing masks over their faces too.
Multiple devices buzzed around us with Hector's Trenton wide notification. Opening the message, I was greeted with still shots of the video feed he gathered for us. Somehow, Beautiful dressed as Wonder Woman while having guns pointed at her face just seems fitting.
Also, from this angle I can totally understand why the Burg had a fresh rumor circulating the grapevine this afternoon. The camera angled down between the two registers closest to the doors must have captured killer snapshots of Beautiful's cleavage, tiny snippets of photographic proof showcasing what the Burg was buzzing about. Goes to show how much the Burg knows, because that spectacularly hypnotizing view may be enhanced by some good support, but never silicone or saline. Ranger better get his shit together, I swear. Beautiful's got options. Lots of them. Tick Tock, Cuz. Make your move or sit yo ass down.
With Hector hot on my heels, I bolted towards the stairwell. On my descent, I messaged both Bobby and Tank. My gut is telling me that this isn't a simple robbery. Not when Beautiful is in the thick of it.
Hector shoulder checked me, demanding to be the one behind the wheel. "I drive." He declared, his hard stare broking no argument.
"Fine." I gritted my teeth, not liking having to concede. At least if I was the one driving, I'd have something to focus my dark, racing thoughts on aside from simply sitting down for the ride.
With the control room sending out the necessary updates to our boots on the ground, I reached out to Ranger. I'm sure he's already on the verge of going mad. Best not to add to his already maddening situation by delaying what we know so far.
Something big's going down at Steph's store. Possible robbery in progress. Will keep you posted.
S&R
Stephanie's POV
What started off as a party of three masked men barging into my store, turned into a group of five. The tools and equipment they brought with them aside from their weapons told me they expect to be here for a while, reinforcing my suspicion that they're not here for money. They need us inside with them while they attempt to accomplish whatever it is they're here for because we'll be the only thing keeping the police from simply descending on us.
The unmasked bossman, along with the man that helped him wheel in the containers, began making their way towards the back without wasting a beat. With the assistance from one of Gray Eyes' masked men, the three disappeared from our view. The other masked man took cover inside our spooky maze displayed near the glass doors, using his vantage point to keep an eye out for any police activity beyond the doors.
"Phones!" Gray Eyes snatched an orange hand basket from the pile near the entrance, once again waving his gun to intimidate my team. "Hurry up!" He hollered, urging quick compliance. "Sit and don't try to be a hero." Gray Eyes ordered, glaring specifically at JC due to his big bulky size, tossing the basket on the counter near register five once he had their phones. "Hands behind your back."
Six sets of terror filled eyes shifted towards me once again, long gone was their usual youthful playfulness. I nodded minutely so that they could comply. I'll never forgive myself if they get hurt on my watch.
"Restrain them." Gray Eyes ordered me, throwing the handful of zip ties he took from my apron at me. I did as he ordered, using the opportunity to once again reassure my team. Before long it was my turn.
Biting my cheek kept me from groaning in pain with the rough encounter. Having my hands tied behind my back isn't ideal, none of this horrid nightmare is, but I'll deal. I've been through worse... survived worse...
As soon as Gray Eyes deemed my hands restrained to his liking, his large hand over my right shoulder exerted downward pressure. I glared up at him the whole time he pushed me down. My bare knees hit the cold, glossy floor, leaving me momentarily at eye level with his crotch. His sickening smirk at the suggestive position is one I'll make sure he severely regrets.
"Good girl." Gray Eyes honest to God patted my head as if I were his dog. "You look like a screamer." That stupid half grin unleashed a familiar heat across my chest. "I'll make sure we show you a good time before the night is over." Gray Eyes tipped my chin so that I could better lock eyes with his, wanting to show us all that he was in control.
Like hell I'll let you have some 'fun' with me, you piece of shit. I'll bite your pathetic excuse for manhood clean off if gets anywhere near my mouth. It's a promise.
Thankfully, Gray Eyes had to prove himself useful to his men and ambled away after he felt like he'd asserted dominance over me.
Not wanting to look at my kiddos for fear of what I'd see in their eyes after that unsavory interaction, I chanced a peak over my shoulder. From my vantage point, it wasn't easy to get a clear view of Gray Eyes and the other man. I could hear them talking, yet could only make out one out of every other word. Straining my ears, my heart beat faster when I heard their heavy footsteps moving away from us.
It's now or never.
"I'm going to suck your blood!" Dracula's wooing voice obliterated the sounds of our breathing, marking their location.
Home Décor. Gray Eyes and Co have moved away from the front of the store, possibly on their quest to catch up to the others.
"Steph..." Lizette choked out when I sat back, springing into action.
I could feel the heat of their stares as I shuffled on the floor, struggling to accomplish my goal. My movements were awkward, a glaring sign that I haven't been kidnapped in months. Getting myself out of restraints has never been my forte, but I learned a trick or two from the Merry Men.
Swallowing my groan, the pull on my right shoulder was a stark reminder that it really has been a long while since I've done anything along these lines. Regardless of how ungraceful I probably looked to my team, I was successful. Eventually. Despite feeling like it took me forever even though I know it hasn't been long since Gray Eyes stepped away. With my arms no longer stuck behind my back, I scrambled to get out of my zip tie bind before Gray Eyes and Co returned.
A new wave of nausea washed over me with the repeated blows I gave my stomach in my effort to break free. By the time I finally succeeded, I was in pain, exhausted and my wrists felt like they were on fire. Still, I forged on.
Being on a time crunch, I pushed myself to keep going. Crawling, I made my way as stealthy as I could towards the box cutter I stashed under the counter.
"You need to get out of here." I whispered while I used the hooked end of the standard box cutters we use during shipment days, slicing through Lizette's restraints as I outlined an escape plan.
"Steph." Chris warned with a quick hiss.
"What's going on over there?!" Gray Eyes was coming in hot, leaving me with little time to react.
By the time he reached our corner, I had my arms behind my back and tucked under my cape to keep my cover.
"And what's with that incessant buzzing?!" Gray Eyes is projecting his low level role in this operation. He's not taking well being delegated to the least exciting role available.
"It's Lindsey's alarm." Megan blurted, possibly to shift the attention away from Lizette who was the closest to me. In a hurry, I made sure Lizette had a firm hold of the store key and the box cutter before Gray Eyes loomed over us.
"Yes, my sugar..." Lindsey proved to be a really good actress, convincing us all with her performance.
"We have snacks in the back." Gray Eyes glared at me when I told him to go get something that would help elevate Lindsey's low blood sugar.
"You're going to get them snacks." Gray Eyes told me, grabbing my right arm roughly to swiftly bring me to my feet without much participation from me.
Glancing over my left shoulder, I gave my kiddos a curt nod. I'm going to pull focus away from them so that they can have a shot of making it out of here. The alternative if they stay here with me is a horror I wouldn't even wish for Joyce, much less for these younglings. Mouthing a last second reminder as Gray Eyes dragged me behind him, I could only hope to be able to buy my staff enough time to make their getaway.
S&R
Lester's POV
Ramon and Hal beat even the first responders to the scene. Having to intercept and fill in the police before they approached the storefront and made the situation worse, a lot worse, meant we had to waste valuable minutes that could have been better used to strategize.
Hector was busy tapping into any and every surveillance camera available in the area. The officers on scene reached out to their superiors to make an official request for backup. Every Rangeman on scene, including me, remained vigilant. We've established a perimeter, keeping a watchful eye. The blinking light on whatever contraption these asshole set up on the glass door meant we had to be extra careful.
"Incoming." Manny alerted over our comm units.
From our vantage point, effectively hidden from view of the front doors, we spotted the approaching vehicle before the asshole inside of Beautiful's store could.
"Road's closed." I hissed, impatiently ordering the driver of the minivan to hook a U-turn and go back the way they came from. We began redirecting the sparse late night traffic for a three block radius just to be safe. This driver must have cut through an alley and the bank's parking lot a block over to avoid being detoured.
"What's going on?" A familiar voice demanded. When I approached the driver's side, I recognized the woman sitting behind the wheel as Stephanie's childhood friend, Mary Lou.
"Mrs. Stankovic..." She cut me off before I could attempt to appease the overwhelming worry that's clearly taken hold of her.
"No, no, no, no!" Mary Lou let out a cry that was so gut-wrenching, one that I've only ever heard once in my life before, when I succinctly explained the situation.
Fuck me sideways. I thought when someone cut the lights inside the building, snuffing the little bit of visibility we previously had shortly after Mary Lou's arrival.
This night just got a whole lot more unpredictable.
