Heist

00 prologue

I dip my hands back into the warm sudsy water, rummaging around on the bottom for anything I might have missed. Hand clasped around a stray mug, I bring it up, scrubbing the inside with a cloth. Jess, one of the waitresses, calls out the return of empty plates and I turn to go collect them when the front door bang open with such force, I think it might shatter.

"This is a robbery, everyone on the floor!" A deep voice booms and I freeze for a millisecond before running into the staff toilets behind me. I look around the room frantically, my eyes zooming in on my surroundings. It's the male toilets, which I've never been in before, and to my horror and surprise there's no cubicles for me to hide in. I duck behind a large bin in the corner, hugging my knees to my chest.

I can hear my own breathing and not much else, any noise from front of house muffled by the tile walls. Then suddenly the door bursts open and tear rolls down my face. I'm hardly hidden, and I can see the back of the man who just came in, a gun held in his right hand. If I can see him, he can see me. He takes a glance around the room but appears not to notice me.

He's not here to search the room, I realise, instead he rips off the black ski mask covering his face and takes two large strides to the mirrors above the sink, staring at himself.

"What are you doing?" He mutters to himself, running a hand down his face. He takes a deep breath, as if preparing himself, and just as he's about to put the mask back on his eyes shift to me.

We stare at each other for what could be two seconds, but could also be minutes, and he glances back at the door, flustered.

I've seen his face, which I know can't be good. I curse myself that in this moment, when my life is in peril, the main thought on my mind is how normal he looks. He appears to be around my age, in his late teens, and the combination of his blue eyes and curly brown hair could credit him being called...attractive. His eyes soften as he overcomes the shock of not being alone in here, and at once he looks kind, and scared.

Why do I feel like I've seen him before?

"Stay here," Is all he says to me, shoving the mask back over his head and leaving as quickly as he came.

"All clear back here, boss!" I hear him shout and I relax into the wall, my heart pounding in my ears.

Then the silence settles again.