A new job

"So we just kidnap her, keep her for a few days and get the money and then release her?" Ash asked.

"Yes, that's what I was told." Ben replied.

"Who is she? We don't do kidnappings, it's out of our forte" Ash enquired.

Cody handed him a picture. "Her name is Sophie Sinclair" he told him.

Ash looked at them in horror, "Please tell me you are joking, you guys want us to kidnap the heiress of the Sinclair family empire?" he asked.

"Yes" Ben replied.

Ash looked at them like they were dumb.

Ash, Ben and Cody were the ABC gang. They were orphans who had bonded together and became a gang when the orphanage had thrown them out at age fourteen to make room for other children.

They specialized in pick pocketing and little scams, this had sustained them for the past six years.

They had never attempted something as serious as kidnapping and this wasn't even a random person, it was a rich socialite, Sophie Sinclair, heiress of the Sinclair empire.

Everyone knew the Sinclair empire. They were the richest in the kingdom, they ran a lot of businesses, from weaponry to gadgets, automobiles, medicine and many more.

"So you guys want us a small gang from the slum to kidnap a heiress to the biggest empire in the kingdom, from a family that the king dares not offend, do you realize she is betrothed to the crown prince?" Ash asked them.

"Calm down Ash, I have a inside man. Everything is going to go smoothly, her guards will be distracted and then we swoop in and get her. We keep her for a few days and then we return her. We get a million crores" Ben explained.

"A million crores?" Ash asked in disbelief.

"Yes, a million crores. Split three ways, we both get three hundred and fifty thousand crores and Cody gets three hundred. Our lives will change, we won't have to do crime ever again" Ben tried to convince Ash.

"Why do I get the smallest share?" Cody asked.

"Because you are the youngest" Ben told him.

"You are older than me with just three days" Cody pointed out.

"I am still older."

"Enough! That's enough argument for today. But it still seems shady to me Ben. Why us, we are just a small gang from the slums, they could ask anybody else to do it" Ash asked.

"OK, let me explain. Her mother Mrs Sinclair is our client. She is the one who wants her kidnapped. I don't know why she wants this. Her personal assistant was the one who contacted me. They want a small gang that no one will think of suspecting" Ben explained.

"But why would her own mother want her kidnapped?" he questioned.

Ben shrugged, "Who knows how this rich and powerful people think. It's not our business, we are just the kidnappers." he answered.

"How exactly do you know this PA?" Ash asked still suspicious about the whole thing.

"He was one of my customers in those times when I sold drugs" Ben replied.

Yes, when they had just been sent out of the orphanage and they were broke, Ben had secretly sold drugs a few times for a local drug lord. An enterprise Ash had stopped immediately he knew about it.

"Really? And he just happened to remember you from that time?" Ash asked.

"Well, you remember that gold watch we stole last week, he was in the pawn shop when I went to pawn it off and he helped me get a good price. As a matter of fact when the owner of the shop wanted to call the cops, he helped me." Ben explained.

"Hey, you didn't tell me about this" Cody scolded him.

"Well, I am saying it now, aren't I?" Ben asked him.

"Okay, go on with your story" Ash told him.

"So after the whole pawn shop thing, he asked me out to dinner and then he told me about the job. He was going to give it to some other gang but I convinced him we could do it." Ben told Ash.

"You didn't say anything about a dinner." Cody accused him.

"I am saying it now Cody, focus!" Ben told him.

"When are we supposed to kidnap her?"

"Tomorrow" Ben replied.

"You are going to see this PA of yours tonight, get more information because we won't walk into this blindly" Ash told Ben.

"Can I go with him?" Cody asked.

"No, I am going alone" Ben said with a tone that invited no arguments.

Cody sat down grumbling to himself while Ben went to contact the PA and get ready.

Ash sat down to think about it, if this worked out, they would be rich. They could finally move out of the slum. They could do a legitimate business and stop crime.

But what if things go wrong? A little voice whispered to him. If things went wrong, they would go to jail. It would be the end of them. At least he and Ben could survive jail, poor Cody would die. He glanced at Cody who was licking a lollipop and sighed.

Ash stood up, he couldn't leave this to Ben, they would all meet this PA, so Ash could get all the information he needed.

When Ben came out, Ash informed him that they would all go to meet the PA.

Cody cheered with excitement which made Ben roll his eyes as he brought out his phone to text the PA that he would be coming with the rest of his gang.

"He is expecting us" he told them.

"Cool, let's go." Cody said excitedly as he left the house.

Ben looked at Ash in exasperation. "I understand why you have to go, but does he really need to come along?" he asked Ash.

"The last time we left him alone at home, he almost burned himself and the house down."

"That's true, let's go. We don't want to keep our man waiting" Ben told Ash, together they left the house.