Chapter Eight

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Work until your bank account looks  like a phone number

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Work until your bank account looks
like a phone number

"How much is there?" Beth asked as Ruby and Cassandra counted the money in Annie's living room.
"Same as yesterday." Cassandra said as she plopped down in the couch next to Annie.
"Costa Rica?" The blonde asked.
"Bugs." Ruby replied.
"We can't run." Beth said. "We have families."
"China?" Annie asked as her laptop beeped.
"Earthquakes." Ruby said simply.
"That's your big issue with China?" Cassandra said. Annie's laptop beeped again.
"You have a better problem with China?" Ruby asked.
"Language barrier, human rights violations, communistic rule." Cassandra listed.
"We're staying here, and we are facing this." Beth said.
"Air pollution. Swine flu." Cassandra continued looking pointedly at Ruby.
"They don't have Indian food." Ruby said. "I need to go someplace where they have Indian food."
"India?" Annie asked her laptop beeping.
"God, no." Ruby said.
"Who keeps IM'ing you?" Beth asked Annie as her laptop beeped one more time.
"Oh, I put Hans up on ebay." Annie explained.
"Who's Hans?" Cassandra asked confused.
"The little drummer boy I stole from Boomer's granny." Annie said showing the painted China designed to look like a German boy with a drum. "Annie, that is an heirloom." Beth said.
"Who's she gonna pass it down to?" Annie asked. "Alba? Or her only one quarter Mexican grandchildren?" Cassandra looked in between the three other woman confused. "Holy mother." Annie said.
"What?" Beth asked.
"Hans is up to eight g's." Annie exclaimed, showing the girls the eBay page.
"What?" Cassandra said dumbstruck. "Did you take anything else?"

Cassandra swallowed hard handing the bag full of money to the man with the tattoo at the top of his brow grabbed it counting the money. Cassandra and Ruby shifted nervously. The guy looked up at the leader shaking his head. "You're short." He said.
"No, we're not." Beth said.
"Actually We're over." Annie explained, showing the guy the dolls she had stolen. "See, these are super rare collectables."
"Treasures." Beth interrupted.
"Yes, sister, you are correct." Annie said. Cassandra groaned she already knew something was going to happen; and it wasn't going to be pretty. "That's a better word for these." She said looking at the gang members. "Because these super rare treasures go for 10 to 15 g's on ebay. How much leg work is there, right?" She continued. "But the truth is, it's very little. Because we have done the lion's share of the work for you. Ruby?"
The other woman stuttered. "These are the usernames and passwords for our ebay accounts. Plus auction tips to maximize your profits." She gulped.
"You want me to sell your dolls?" The leader said.
"Tell him about Hans." Beth said sounding cocky, which made Cassandra fidget in her set even more.
"Ooh, our little drummer boy." Annie cooed. "The pride of Hamburg." She explained. "You see, Hans here is one of only 12 in the entire—" The leader darted forwards smashing the china to pieces with his hand. Ruby and Beth screamed as Cassandra shot back from the loud noise and flying shards of china. "11 in the world." Annie corrected.
"This some kind of joke to you?" The leader asked. Annie shock her head vigorously. "I'm done playing with you guys." Cassandra held on to Beth's hand as the two other men starting throwing stuff on the floor, shattering Beth's china cabinet, destroying the house as the leader sat down and started scrolling through his phone. "What are they doing?" Annie cried.
"Making it look like a home invasion." Cassandra said, shifting around so much that she almost fell of her seat.
"So they can kill us?" Beth asked.
"Please don't do this!" Ruby cried. "Wait, please, wait! We can get you the money, I swear!"
"Please!" Annie sobbed. Cassandra watched silently as one of the goons pulled out a gun and a silencer.
"We have families! Please!" Ruby said. "We have kids! Please, don't!" Annie began to cry uncontrollably as the goon raised the gun to Beth's head. "You're an idiot." Beth hissed at the gang leader. "What, are you gonna blow our brains out all over the room? 'Cause that's how it works, right? Someone shorts you, and they get tossed out like trash?" She asked rhetorically. "And no one cares, and no one even notices. Your problem this time is that's not us." She said. "We're normal people. We pay our taxes and We take our kids to P. F. Chang's, and we take orange slices to soccer games." She continued. "And when bad things happen to good people, everyone else goes crazy. It's all over the news." Cassandra inhaled deeply. "And there are all these hashtags and movements. Because if it could happen to us, it could happen to anyone." Beth exclaimed. "So if you wanna invite all that attention over a few grand, then you're not the smart businessman you think you are." She said. "Now, roll the dice. Tell him to pull the trigger. See what happens."
"Please, please." Annie begged.

"This was my favorite sangria bowl." Beth said picking up the shattered pieces of china.
"Well, it could have been your face." Annie said.
"L'chaim." Ruby said, toasting Annie. "To life." She said, handing a shot glass to Beth.
"Dude." Cassandra exclaimed. "Hey, it looks like we got a survivor." She said picking up the German girl with a love letter.

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