Chapter 190: Smash and Grab.

Inside the dimly lit van, the atmosphere was visibly heavy. Its occupants, a motley crew of soon-to-be criminals, prepared for their first heist. Their faces were masked, and tools and weapons were stowed haphazardly around them. Jasmine tried to muster a façade of composure. Her gaze alternated between the baseball bat beside her and the weapons of her criminal friends – comrades in crime? Gangster peers? Fingers of anxiety gripped her heart, but for her children's sake, she refused to back out now. Not that she actually could. She didn't think she could back out now. Ethan had made it clear that once they started, there was no turning back. Her thoughts raced as she remembered the personal information she had unintentionally shared with him. Her address, phone number, her full name – all laid bare for a man she barely knew. She unconsciously leaned in closer to the timid figure beside her.

Ty, a nervous young man with a pallid complexion, huddled in the corner of the van. His jacket zipper became a plaything for his jittery fingers. He couldn't help but shake like a vibrating phone. "Please get off of me," he politely requested, his voice trembling with unease.

"Sorry, baby," Jasmine replied, righting herself as she tried to wear a brave facade. Meanwhile, Butterfly, donning a hot pink ski mask emblazoned with the words, 'Yes Daddy?' on the front, cast an impassive sidelong glance in their direction. "Quit talking. It's hot enough in here," she commented, her tone curt.

Queeny, with a purple bunny balaclava, exuded an air of anxious enthusiasm. She played with one of the bunny ears on her mask and remarked, "Chill out, guys. It's just like a movie, only with real-life consequences. No biggie, right?" Her sarcasm, though well-intentioned, did little to help relax the others, who simply exchanged uneasy glances. Jake remained silent, his hands methodically running up and down the straps of his duffle bag. His gaze remained inscrutable, and the crowbar in his lap occasionally caught the moonlight, making it glisten menacingly.

"Are you all excited? Our first night as virgin criminals? I know I can't wait to see our pay from whatever we're about to do," Ricky chuckled, his tone far too cheery for the situation.

"Ricky shut it," Butterfly admonished.

"Chill, Butterfly. I'm just trying to help y'all relax," Ricky said, raising his hands in a non-threatening manner.

"It isn't working. So, I agree with Butterfly. Shush, boy," Jasmine added.

"Fine, I can tell when I'm outgunned," Ricky backed off and quieted down.

Ethan cast a watchful eye over the group through the rearview mirror. His expression held a hint of uncertainty, a vulnerability he tried to mask with resolve. Clearing his throat, he attempted to project an air of authority as he addressed his team. "Alright, folks, we're here. I'm going to tell you the plan, and feel free to ask any questions on your mind." Everyone turned their ears up as they listened closely to Ethan. "We're going to go in, we're going to snatch what we can, and then we're going to get out. You only have ninety seconds to grab what you can. At ninety seconds, you need to be in the van, or you will be left behind. I don't really care what you have in your pockets or bag at the time. If you're not in here by ninety seconds, you'll need to find your own way back," Ethan spoke to them in a serious tone.

"Why ninety seconds?" Queeny asked.

"You cannot spend more than ninety seconds doing a heist unless you want to be caught. This rule is normally for bank robberies, but I figured it should work for other crimes as well. All we're doing is smashing and grabbing. Nothing more, nothing less. We're not hurting anybody, and insurance companies will insure the stuff we're stealing. Don't overthink it. Just smash and grab," Ethan reassured them.

As their heads nodded, they clutched their weapons. "Alright, let's go make some bread, people. Follow me," Ethan said as he got out of the van, leading the group of highly 'inconspicuous' criminals behind him. Once they reached the locked doors, Ethan pulled out a small vial of bubbling green liquid. He covered his nose and poured it on the glass. They watched as it dissolved the glass, creating an opening for them. He tossed the vial before applying another to the second set of locked doors behind the first.

"Come on. Get to smashing and get to grabbing now. Ninety seconds is in effect now," Ethan reminded them while speaking in hushed tones.

The group squeezed their way in before smashing the glass displays where the jewelry was sitting. Ethan knew that the silent alarm had already been tripped, and he quickly made his way to the back where the store's safe was located. It didn't take much searching, fortunately. A large safe sat in the manager's office, or whoever's office this was in the back. "Your humble servant requests your amazing services, Jinx." Ethan politely requested the daemon fox after ensuring no one was behind him and no cameras were present.

Jinx softly yipped, content at his submissive behavior, as a portal appeared underneath the safe, leading to his bedroom. He considered following the safe through the portal but remembered Poison's strict warning against revealing their abilities to normal humans. Ethan returned to the front of the store, pondering the existence of daemons like Poison and Jinx. Were they normal? How many more daemons were out there? Did the government know about them? What kept them from wreaking havoc on humanity? If Ethan couldn't find a way to convince Poison not to harm him, he'd be defenseless against her incredible power.

Ethan made it back to the driver's seat and waited for the others. He didn't have to wait long, as they followed him out of the store. Their bags were bulging with gold, diamonds, rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watches, and all sorts of valuable-looking items. When the ninety-second timer on his phone went off, Ethan drove off without looking back, just as he had promised. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw everyone accounted for but looking far more frazzled than they did when they had left.

Ethan put up a divider between the front seat and the back of the van. He asked Jinx to create a portal to take them back to the hideout. With a lazy glance toward Ethan, Jinx yipped, and a portal large enough to swallow the van appeared in front of them as Ethan continued driving. He drove through the portal and abruptly hit the brakes when he found himself about to crash into an abandoned building. "S-Sorry about that, guys! Come on out, let's see how much we managed to get, and I'll explain some things for you," Ethan apologized.

Ethan led the group inside as they presented their loot, which was now piled up into a dazzling, almost blinding mound of riches. Gold formed the resplendent base, casting a warm, inviting glow. Diamonds and other precious gemstones added fiery shards of light, creating beautiful patterns on the walls. Sapphires, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, and a myriad of other jewels added vibrant splashes of color to the treasure trove. The pile was a mesmerizing fusion of riches, a dazzling spectacle that left them breathless. In its presence, the criminal crew's initial shock gave way to a chorus of gasps and exclamations. Some stared wide-eyed, their breath momentarily stolen by the sheer magnitude of the wealth amassed before them. Others couldn't resist reaching out to touch the shimmering bounty, their fingers tracing the edges of riches beyond their wildest dreams.

Jasmine, her heart pounding with a mix of disbelief and exhilaration, couldn't help but let out an awestruck whisper. "Is this... is this real?" Ty, still trembling from the adrenaline rush of their heist, stammered in disbelief. "I've never seen so much money in my life." Butterfly frowned as the reality of her situation finally hit. "So, this is what it feels like to be a criminal." Queeny, her enthusiasm infectious, clapped her hands in delight. "It feels amazing, Butterfly! We can literally do anything we want with all of this!" Jake, a rare glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes, simply nodded in agreement, his gruff exterior momentarily softened by the glittering sight. Ricky couldn't contain his excitement. "We're rich, you bastards! We're freaking rich!"

Ethan knew he had to address a pressing concern. "I don't want to rain on your parade, guys, but I can't let you take all this home. The cops are going to be on the lookout for people trying to sell jewelry or people suddenly toting jewelry on social media or just in everyday life. But before you get too down. I'll do the hard work of converting all of this into actual cash for you all to bring home, but it'll take me a few business days. This is a lot of stuff to change into money, and it's more difficult than you'd think to sell. The cops are going to be looking everywhere for this stuff, but they can't find it if I turn it into cold, hard cash. Are there any questions?"

"When should we expect to be paid?" Butterfly questioned.

"A week or two if I'm lucky. But I will keep you all updated, and if it takes longer than expected, you will receive more than you normally would because that would be my fault, not yours. Is everyone fine with that?" Ethan made eye contact with them all.

"What if I really need the money now?" Jasmine spoke up, her rent was due soon, and she knew her landlord wouldn't accept giving her an extension.

"Well, I can pay you ahead of time if it's an emergency, but the amount you were entitled to will be reduced. Is that okay? The pay you were going to receive will be cut by the amount you need now. If your share was higher than what you're asking for, you'll just receive a smaller cut than the others, but if it's lower, you will owe me the difference," Ethan explained.

"Yeah, I really need it for my rent," Jasmine replied, realizing she had no other option unless she wanted to risk being evicted. Her landlord did not give a shit that she was a single mother with two kids.

"Alright. Everyone else, you may return home. Don't forget to take off your masks and collect your belongings. We won't be coming back here next time," Ethan waved at the others and gestured for Jasmine to come closer. "How much do you need?" he asked.

"Fifteen hundred," Jasmine answered.

"Alright, hold on." Ethan reached into an unseen pocket and then requested, "Can you turn around for a moment? Just for a moment."

Jasmine complied, and she heard a strange sound she couldn't quite describe. When Ethan told her she could turn around again, he handed her a stack of cold-hard cash. The fat stack of cash dominated her thoughts, and she didn't question where he had hidden it. Jasmine waved goodbye and shoved the money into her coat before clutching her baseball bat and making her way to her car. Holding onto such a large sum of money was a terrifying experience she hadn't anticipated. The money she usually held was in her bank account. It was a new experience holding this much freaking money...