Chapter 19 – Bang! Bang! BOOM!

Just before dawn, Jakub snuck out of the truck again and broke into the grocery store. He returned with a tarp: he, Barney, Hannah, Stas, and Gorski crowded beneath it as close to the truck cab as they could while Cheshire and Leon assembled a floor-to-ceiling wall of vegetable crates behind them. It was only three boxes deep, and anyone who inspected the truck too carefully was bound to notice the unusual usage of space, but Cheshire assured everyone he could pull it off and no one had a better idea.

They set out for the bridge at first light. Crammed into the back Jakub had no idea of how long it took or what traffic looked like. All he or any of them could do was stay as low as possible and hope.

The truck stopped, and everyone held their breath. Jakub could hear Cheshire chatting with someone but not any of the words, then the driver’s side door opening. “They’re going to open the back,” he whispered. “Not one sound.” His four companions went dead still.

The back of the truck opened, and despite the circumstances, Cheshire’s sing-song voice, perfectly at ease, helped calm Jakub’s pounding heart somewhat. “Potatoes and onions, mostly,” he was saying. “The tunnel crew sure had a great time opening them all up! I pounded the nails back in, figured you’d want the same experience.”

“Maybe I do,” said a man. “Every last one’a them.”

“Be my guest,” replied Cheshire smugly. “I’ve got all the time in the world.”

Everyone in the truck tensed in the short silence that followed. With no view outside the truck Jakub had no idea what state the bridge was in, how many cops were around or what they could possibly do if discovered. But then another voice joined the pair, a very familiar woman’s voice, and Jakub wilted with relief.

“Sir, this could be a trick,” said Gertie. “The tunnel said they didn’t find anything in the truck and Bloom was just trying to pull attention away from the river. This could be the same thing.”

“You think I’m that unoriginal?” Cheshire retorted. “Not that I have any idea what you’re talking about, naturally. What happened at the river?”

The policeman heaved a deep sigh. “Christ, you’re probably right.” His voice began moving away. “Hey, Perkins! Get on the horn and let our guys on the river know to keep an eye out! Bridges too!”

“Hey wait!” Cheshire called after him. “You really don’t want to look? I could have anything in here, you know?”

Barney muttered a curse under his breath; Jakub elbowed him. As Cheshire continued to badger the officer, they could hear the van doors creaking shut. “I’ll follow him back to Brooklyn, sir,” Gertie volunteered. “If he is trying to meet up with the others, I’ll get Alice on it.”

“Yes, good thinking, officer. You said you’re with Precinct 49…?”

The doors closed, and the rest of the conversation carried on beyond their ears. No one relaxed until the van started back up, and at long last they were underway again, across the bridge. “That was too damn close,” said Hannah, “but it sounds like we’re okay.”

“We’re not okay until we’re back,” Jakub insisted, preventing anyone from lowering the tarp just yet. “But yeah, seems like it.”

Half an hour later, the van stopped and shut off its engine. Once again everyone held their breath as the back doors opened, and they could hear the boxes being unloaded. “All’a you fools are under arrest,” declared Burke’s familiar accent.

“What in the name of all Hells ever imagined was that unholy mess? Some real American cowboys.”

Barney shoved the tarp down and scowled at him. “You weren’t fucking there, all right?”

Burke glared at him from over the top of the boxes that Gertie and her sisters were still dragging out of the truck. “And thank God for that, then. Did you at least get any money while you were at it, or is it at the bottom of the river?”

“Christ, shut up,” Barney muttered, and he shoved a few of the crates out of his way so he could climb down from the truck. “Yeah, we got the fucking money, all right?” He shoved his sack into Burke’s chest. “Start counting.”

Burke stumbled but managed to keep a grip on it. “Yes, sir,” he said, and he backed away so the rest could disembark.

Jakub stretched his aching shoulders and knees once he was out in the fresh air again. They were outside the Kozlow building—it felt as if weeks had passed since he saw it last— with a decent crowd around them, some faces familiar and others not. Gertie was dressed in her police uniform from their daring armored car heist, looking mighty proud of herself. As soon as Hannah was out of the truck she embraced her.

“Thank God for you,” she said, and Gertie laughed, agreeing with her.

“It was pretty damn close, to be honest,” Cheshire was saying, and Jakub finally spotted him up on the sidewalk, chatting with some of the newer Kozlow boys Jakub barely recognized. They were listening to Cheshire prattle on but without the gleam of fascination that the new recruits used to fix him with. Their attention was somehow…cold, their eyes pinched with suspicion. Barney and the others that had been on the disastrous mission said very little as they pulled their take from the truck and then helped shove the crates back in. The air was tense, and it put an itch between Jakub’s shoulders.

“Then boom, right in the heart!” Cheshire carried on as if oblivious to the silent, furtive glances being cast his way. “Jakub’s the best shot there is—he saved my bacon for sure. We never would have pulled it off without him.”

“Uh-huh,” said one of the members of his audience, but he didn’t look at Jakub. He only watched Cheshire.

“Hey, Bloom,” said Jakub, and he could feel the entire assembly draw in a breath as Cheshire turned his head. “Why don’t you bring the truck over to Edith’s? She could use the produce.”

“Oh! Good thinking.” Cheshire was all grins as he offered his small audience a salute and stepped off the curb. “Only if Gertie tags along. I’m so jealous of her uniform.”

“Fine, fine,” said Gertie. “We can pass by the precinct on the way, make it look good.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Gertie headed back to her “borrowed” black and white, but before Cheshire could get too far, Jakub snagged him by the elbow. “When you’re done, come back here and see me,” he said, firmly enough that the others would easily interpret his intentions as a reprimand. “We need to have a conversation.”

Cheshire gulped, and Jakub wished he was smooth like him, to know how to deliver some kind of silent reassurance that his temper was only for show. “Sure thing,” Cheshire said, and his grin struggled back into place as he resumed his path to the truck’s driver side door. “Will you still be my shotgun, Leon?”

“I’ll pass,” said Leon, and with a shrug Cheshire pulled himself up into the cab.

Only after Cheshire and Gertie had driven away did the tension begin to unfurl, though even then Jakub could clearly see some of that uncertainty shifting. Burke must have sensed it, too, as he hefted the sack Barney had passed him and swiftly headed inside. “Okay, well, I’ll be taking this to the basement, then,” he declared. “Lots of counting to do.”

Hannah followed after him with the other bags while the rest of Kozlow milled about. Jakub felt Barney move to his side and his skin crawled, but he held still. Once Burke was out of sight, Barney gave a sharp huff. “Thanks, Jakub,” he said, and he patted him on the back. Jakub held very still. “You did really good last night.”

“Sure,” said Jakub as everyone around them began to mutter and whisper. Gorski headed to the three Cheshire had been regaling and started speaking fast under his breath, while Leon and Stas leaned close together.

“You saw, didn’t you?” Leon was saying in Polish, and Jakub strained his ears to catch every word. “His hands? Lit up all red?”

“Yeah,” said Stas, still raking soot out of his hair. “I’ve never seen him without his gloves, so I never—”

“He never takes them off—now we know why.” Leon turned toward Barney and switched to English. “You saw too, didn’t you? Bloom’s hands?”

Barney took his cap off so he could smooth his mussed hair back. “Yeah, I fucking saw,” he said as he headed up to the front door. Jakub followed just so he’d be sure to catch all the conversation. “I’m going to go talk to the boss.”

Leon turned back to Stas as they passed. “I got a pretty good look when we were in the truck,” he carried on. “That’s not just magic, that’s evil.”

“Keep it to yourself,” Jakub snapped, and both men startled. “The boss will decide what to do.”

“Yeah—okay,” Leon chirped, though when he gulped Jakub knew better than to think he would actually keep his mouth shut. There were too many hungry ears around.

We can’t stay here, Jakub thought, a slow burning panic thrumming through his joints as he entered the building behind Barney. They were never going to really accept him, and thanks to last night it’s not even safe. The thought of having to tell Cheshire so threatened him with nausea, and he had to force himself to stop and take a breath. It’s not his fault—I don’t want him to think that it is.

Barney paused at the elevator to look back. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Jakub headed instead for the stairwell. “I need a minute to make sure my arm is all right,” he said. “I’ll check in with you and the boss later.”

“Sure thing,” said Barney, and something hard slid into his face as he boarded the elevator. There was no question what he was about to pass on to Kasper.

Jakub hurried up to his apartment. He left his rifle out on the table, in easy reach, just in case. Masterson couldn’t have survived that, but that doesn’t mean Lucky is finished, he thought as he sat himself down and unscrewed the cover plate on his forearm. The cops will start watching the building if they haven’t been already. Barney can’t be trusted—or  Hannah,  for that matter. He dragged his kit out from under the sofa. There’s no reason to stay here any longer—it has to be now.

Thankfully, Hallorran’s well-made prosthetic hadn’t suffered too greatly in the ordeals of the night previous. Jakub made sure to scrub dry any moisture and tighten every screw, then wound the mainspring. He felt the key turning in his chest too, filling him with determination and adrenaline. Yet somehow, he was also strangely calm. He knew very well what it felt like to run, and those memories of panic and escape hummed beneath his surface, but this was different. For the first time it didn’t feel like running away and that gave him all the focus and energy he needed.

Once his arm was closed and secure again, he began moving about the apartment. There wasn’t much that he owned, and he wasn’t sure he even had a decent suitcase to put it in, but he gathered what belongings were worth keeping in a corner of his bedroom, out of sight from casual eyes. He had the feeling Hannah might come check on him, and after everything he couldn’t be certain of what she would do, if she had any inkling of what was driving him now.

As Jakub dug through his drawers, his hand came across soft wool. Swallowing, he drew out from the most hidden corner of his wardrobe a burgundy suit coat of worsted wool: Cheshire’s Christmas jacket, which he had in a fit of drunken childishness spirited into his collection years ago. He pressed it to his face and was convinced that even after so long, it still smelled like Cheshire and his magic. The thought that Cheshire would catch him with it and require an explanation was a mortifying one, but it was even more unconscionable that he could leave it behind.

I’ll give it back to him, Jakub resolved as he carefully folded the jacket and hid it among his luggage, along with…a few other articles of clothing he had been bold enough to swipe over the years. When we get to wherever we go, I really will give it all back.

With his most basic preparations complete, Jakub took a quick shower to rid himself of the stink of river and smoke, then changed into fresh clothes. He didn’t like the idea of too much going on inside the building without him knowing, so he made his way downstairs floor by floor, ears open for gossip. Everyone was talking about the heist, of course, though those with forward-facing windows also had plenty to say about the police car parked outside. It had to have arrived pretty soon after Gertie left in hers, an unbelievable stroke of luck for a family that didn’t deserve it.

Burke wasn’t in his apartment, and Jakub didn’t catch him hanging around, so he headed down to the basement. What he thought he’d say to him, he had no idea, but he was eager to know what version of the night’s events had made it to his ears. As far as he knew there were only two people who would ever suspect what Jakub had planned, and he was determined to be a step ahead.

He opened the door to the basement, and a figure already halfway down the stairs turned to look up at him. It was Barney. “Oh, Jakub,” he said, pausing to let Jakub catch up. “Good. I gotta talk to you.”

Jakub was relieved that he’d remembered to bring some cigarettes; he pulled one from the pack and lit up as he followed Barney down the stairs. “What did the boss have to say?”

Barney shook his head. “I’ll tell you in a minute.” Jakub didn’t like the sound of that, but he didn’t question as they continued down.

Hannah and Burke were talking in hushed tones in the cellar, though they silenced too quickly for Jakub to catch any of the words. As he and Barney emerged Burke perked up in the most earnest “I didn’t hear you coming” approximation he could manage and said, “Hey, boss. Here for the numbers, aren’t you?”

“Why else?” Barney retorted, watching as Hannah pushed one of the satchels onto one of the wall shelves. “So? What’s the take?”

Burke opened a notebook on the table in front of him. “Fifty-seven thousand, four hundred ninety-five dollars. And twelve cents.”

Jakub strode forward to steal a look at the notebook while Barney sighed in disappointment. “Fuck,” said Barney. “Really thought we’d get a hundred thousand at least.”

“It’s better than we planned,” Hannah said as she set another bag into an unmarked crate and forced it shut. “And that total doesn’t take into account the items from the safety deposit boxes.”

“Right, right,” said Burke, paging through his book. “Some jewelry, a few small antiques.” He pulled a face. “Pretty sure you nabbed evidence of someone’s cooked books, too. Could be some blackmail potential. Hannah and I were just talking about that.”

Jakub cast Burke a look that had him gulping.

“Anyway,” Burke prattled on, “I amn’t no appraiser; we’ll sit on that part of the loot for a while and then get it pawned when things quiet down.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Barney   waved   dismissively.

“Thanks.”

Burke’s face screwed up while Barney wasn’t looking, and he quickly began gathering his notebooks up. “Sorry but I’m gonna take five now if that’s all right. I could use breakfast.”

“Me, too,” said Hannah, and the two of them started toward the stairs. “And a damn nap.”

Barney waved again, and as the pair of them left he turned to face Jakub. He looked a little too proud of himself considering everything that had taken place, and Jakub leaned back, holding his cigarette to his mouth to help keep the disdain out of his face.

“So,” said Jakub, watching Barney closely. “What a night.”

“Yeah. Shit.” Barney gave an incredulous chuckle; how dare he sound so nonchalant. “What a score, but it shouldn’t have gone that far. That asshole could have gotten any one of us killed.” He fixed Jakub with a more serious look. “Thanks for standing up to him.”

Jakub didn’t blink. He must mean when we talked outside the truck? How much did he actually hear? “Sure,” he said.

“The boss says Bloom’s grown too powerful too fast,” Barney carried on, and Jakub continued to hold very still, his anger crushed deep beneath his diaphragm. “He’s becoming dangerous. Whoever survived that shoot out is gonna be scared of him, not Kozlow.” He shook his head. “He was already throwing in with Masterson. If he ever got in his head that he didn’t need us, it’d be a real problem for us.”

For a moment it might have looked as if Barney had some idea what he was talking about. Could it be it had finally occurred to him just how lucky Kozlow had been all this time, that Cheshire hadn’t pushed his weight around or jumped sides? If it was clarity, though, it didn’t last long. That dangerous, too- eager gleam was already creeping back into his eyes.

“So?” said Jakub. “What does the boss want me to do about it?”

Barney smirked. “You always know what’s up, don’t you, Jake?”

“I’m the only one who can get close enough to him. He trusts me.” Jakub stared hard into Barney’s face. His heart was pounding and some part of him dared Barney to look a little closer, to figure it out. Part of him wanted the excuse to hurt him. “What do you want me to do?”

“Take one of his hands,” said Barney, insufferably pleased with himself, and it took all Jakub’s strength to stay composed. “You saw it last night, didn’t you? His palms lit up all red? That’s where the magic comes from.” He lifted one hand and drew on his palm with his finger. “Lose one and he won’t be as strong. That ought’a put him back in line.”

It doesn’t work that way, Jakub thought, not that he really knew. His anger clawed about in his chest as Barney kept talking. “It’s not like we need him for that anymore anyway,” Barney said, looking ever more convinced as he went. “He needs a fucking wake-up call.” His mouth twisted into a sneer as he wiggled his fingers at Jakub. “He owes you one anyway. Right?” Jakub felt the fingers of his left hand  sting  with ghostlike heat at the mention. He remembered waking up in a hospital bed and the hellish week that followed, buried under pain and weakness and uncertainty—but more than any of that the weight of Cheshire’s guilt crushing the breath out of him every time their eyes met. Day after day he had woken up furious and sick with the fear that a stupid accident had taken something precious from him when he needed it most. Barney would never understand. Jakub wasn’t even sure that Cheshire did. But anyone who thought they could wield that memory as a weapon in their favor was dead wrong.

Jakub took a long breath on his cigarette. Let it out. “I’ll take care of it.”

***

The drive to Edith’s was longer and more fraught than Cheshire thought it ever could or should be. Despite his exhaustion his mind wouldn’t stop spinning with images of the night before, and he found it difficult putting them all into place. Like his head was full of smoke after all.

Jakub said we’d figure it out together, so that’s what’ll happen, he told himself, over and over, as his fingers drummed against the steering wheel. He wanted to talk even before everything went to shit. But it’ll be okay. His stomach twisted into nausea as he thought of Jakub’s face upturned with that seeking expression he had yet to fully suss out: that heavy, piercing stare that seemed to expect something from him. No one had ever looked at him like that before, and he didn’t know what to do or if he should be excited or terrified of it.

As if anyone can fix a stare like Jakub anyway, Cheshire thought, trying to amuse himself. Nothing I can do but…wait and see.

Edith was just opening her diner when they arrived, and she made a fuss about the number of vegetables she was expected to hold onto. Cheshire and Gertie unloaded everything anyway, promising to bring all the boys back to help peel potatoes.

“What the hell really happened out there?” Gertie asked as she passed Cheshire a crate full of cabbages. “Some folks at the upper floors of the Morey said they could see smoke.”

“It’s, uh, a whopper of a story,” Cheshire replied, smiling around a wince. “You won’t believe me.”

“I never do,” she retorted, and though she was obviously teasing, it still stung a little. “Give me the real story later, okay?”

“I only ever tell the real story.”

“Sure, Bloom.” Gertie laughed and carried the crate inside, leaving Cheshire to pick up the rear.

Gertie ditched her stolen patrol car in a church parking lot as soon as they were finished with the vegetables, and it was a good thing, too: as they made their way back to the Kozlow building they passed several police cars on patrol, and even one recently parked across from the building itself. Cheshire slowed the truck long enough for Gertie to jam her uniform jacket under the seat and then they pulled up nice and easy, not a care in the world.

“We’ve been real lucky so far,” said Gertie as they each twisted their door open. “Let’s not cock it up.”

“Would I ever?” Cheshire retorted, and he climbed out.

The cops watched closely, but Cheshire pretended not to notice. He moved around behind the truck and opened the back door, just enough that anyone passing by would be able to see the carriage was empty. Leaving it that way, he headed back to the front and strolled into the building easy as you please.

Burke was waiting in the lobby, reading a newspaper. He looked up as Cheshire entered, and his wary expression didn’t help the state of Cheshire’s stomach any. “Bloom.”

“Hey Egg…ah.” Cheshire shrugged, but Burke rolling his eyes seemed like a good enough sign, so he came closer. “Did we make the news already?”

“Special edition.” Burke offered him the paper. “You gonna let me know how much is true?”

Cheshire accepted, gulping at the headline HELL IN HARLEM printed across the top of the insert. “I’ll, uh, let you know in a bit,” he said. “Jakub asked me to come straight up. Probably has an earful for me.”

“Probably,” said Burke, though his tone disagreed. “Keep me posted, won’t you?”

“Yeah! Of course.” Cheshire saluted with the newspaper and then headed to the elevator. “And when I do, I’ll tell you exactly what happened without one single exaggeration.”

“Don’t you always?” Burke shot back, and at least that felt a bit more like normal. He shooed Cheshire on.

The fourth floor was quiet. Cheshire found Jakub’s apartment unlocked but empty, and he helped himself to the sofa. Despite the anxiety buzzing through his chest he stretched out across the cushion to read the newspaper. Maybe if he forced himself into the appearance of ease, he would feel it?

The paper was mostly speculation, having been rushed through in a few hours since the late evening heist: it had only the bare details of the bank heist, the sinking boat, the fire in the park. Hints at those responsible but no names. Cheshire winced at the mention of police officers killed at the riverside, their names withheld until the families could be notified. They had already planned to lay real low after this job was done, but he didn’t have much faith that they’d have the chance to.

Cops will be all over us for as long as it takes, Cheshire thought, and who can blame them? Barney always takes things too far. He sighed. Not that I’m one to talk, I guess. What will Jakub say?

The door opened a few minutes later, and Jakub came in. Cheshire’s stomach went tight, but he pasted a smile in place. “Hey,” he greeted, and he gave the newspaper a shake. “Everyone’s talking about us already.”

Jakub already had a lit cigarette in hand, and he took in a long drag as he crossed the room. His face was hard and Cheshire ducked instinctively behind the newspaper. “‘Armed hooligans make off with over fifty Gs! Dramatic river showdown!’” He chuckled. “At least Barney got the message he was looking for.”

Jakub sat down on the sofa close to Cheshire’s hip. His body felt hot and coiled tight, like a heated spring, and when he took a breath Cheshire hurried to intercept, not ready to hear whatever was about to come out.

“Not sure what he thinks we’ll do about the cops,” Cheshire said. “We can probably expect a call from that marshal sometime soon. But Manhattan has to be out of our hair this time, right? I mean…they have to.” He licked his lips and tried not to think of Herb and Camila staring up at him among the smoke. “Feels like…things are gonna be different, now. One way or the other.” He chuckled nervously. “I gotta admit, I’m not really sure what comes next.”

Jakub hummed distractedly, which didn’t help Cheshire’s nerves any, and it prompted him to continue rambling. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Cheshire carried on. “It’s like you said, we’ll be…together, right? So stop worrying; it’ll work out somehow.”

“Yeah,” said Jakub, his voice still rough and distant. “Right.” He was quiet for a moment, and Cheshire began to sweat, before he finally said, “Hey. Let’s leave town.”

Cheshire blinked. He wasn’t sure that he had heard right at first and was afraid to respond in case he’d gotten it wrong, but then Jakub kept going. “Barney’s brought down way too much heat—there’s no reason we have to stick around for that. So let’s just go. We can start over somewhere else. Build something for ourselves.”

Cheshire peeked over the top of his newspaper. He didn’t know what he expected to see, but Jakub’s profile was calm and focused. “Maybe even go clean,” Jakub suggested, and before Cheshire could even boggle at the suggestion, their gazes met. Jakub stared at him with as much confidence as he’d ever seen him display. He meant it, and Cheshire tensed as if the sofa might flip out from under them at any moment.

“Just you and me,” said Jakub, and for once Cheshire could perfectly read the hopeful emotion in his voice. “What do you think?”

All the tension unfurled; all the weight sloughed off. Cheshire stared back at Jakub, shocked at the suggestion that it could be just that easy—and then shocked with the realization that it was. All those years spent climbing Kozlow’s ladder, each success that fell a little short of real victory, the money and the suits and the building…suddenly none of it mattered. What should have been a sobering thought was unexpectedly liberating, and Cheshire let the newspaper fall to the floor. “Okay.”

Jakub straightened up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” said Cheshire, and he barely had time to form a smile before Jakub pounced for a kiss. Cheshire welcomed him, wrapped him up, exhilarated and overwhelmed. He was right—this is all that  matters, he thought. Jakub shivered in his arms, so he held him tighter. Even when the kiss ran out and they could only stare at each other in amazement, he didn’t want to let go.

I  really  would give up everything for him. Cheshire at last managed a breathless grin as that revelation sent his heart pounding, and he couldn’t help a quiet, “Wow.”

“You mean it, right?” Jakub said, his expression taking on a familiar, steely intensity. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah,” Cheshire said again, unfazed. He laughed and darted in for one peck on the lips. “Let’s get out of here.”

Jakub wasn’t satisfied with just that: he pounced again, with such enthusiasm that Cheshire’s shoulders were pushed back to the arm of the sofa. But Cheshire couldn’t stop laughing, making a mess of Jakub’s passionate kisses. When Jakub finally gave up it was abruptly and all at once; he struggled out of Cheshire’s arms and all but vaulted to his feet.

“I’m already packed,” he said, and he kept talking as he headed into the bedroom. “I’m sure you need to go back to your apartment, but we should leave as soon as we can. We’re only going to see more cops show up here.”

Cheshire blinked stupidly and had to grip the sofa back to drag himself up. “Okay.” He chuckled some more, still mostly incredulous, as he leaned forward to try and see into the bedroom. “But we probably shouldn’t be seen leaving here together.”

Jakub returned dragging a packed duffle bag and the case for his rifle. “You’re right,” he said as he shoved both next to the door. “After you go I’ll wait half an hour. There’s no leaving through Manhattan now but if we go north we can take a ferry to the Bronx and head for the rail station up past Crotonville…” When he realized that Cheshire was still just staring at him blankly, he stopped. “What?”

Cheshire shook himself. “Nothing!” He pushed to his feet and moved closer, licking his lips. “Just seems like…how long have you been planning this, exactly?”

“Yesterday,” said Jakub. “I started thinking about it after Burke caught us, and after last night, I’m not sure we have a choice.”

Cheshire’s heart sank guiltily; Jakub shifted his weight and hurriedly added, “It’s not your fault. Barney’s plan was always going to go sideways.”

“Yeah, but, I am sorry,” Cheshire said, and he took Jakub’s shoulders, as much for want of that comfort as to convey his sincerity. “You’ve been with Kozlow a long time, and because of me—”

“Don’t,” Jakub snapped, though he then quickly softened his tone. “Chesh…listen.” He covered Cheshire’s hands with his, and though the press of his metal fingers was as always a sobering reminder, the earnest emotion in his face left Cheshire breathless. “I joined up with Kozlow in the first place just to keep myself alive. I stayed because of you. As long as we leave together I don’t regret anything. Okay?”

“Okay.” Cheshire grinned even though his throat was suddenly tight with emotion. “I stayed because of you, too,” he said, and he laughed. “Fuck Barney. Let’s just go.”

“Fuck Barney,” Jakub agreed, and he stole one more kiss before urging Cheshire back. “Go on—I’ll meet you at your place.”

“Right-O,” Cheshire agreed, light as air as he slipped out of the apartment.

Fuck Barney, Cheshire thought, trying to temper his pace as he skipped down the stairs. Fuck all of Kozlow. What haven’t I  done for them, huh? Worked my tail  off for them.

And when has any of them shown me an inch of gratitude? Never! His already tight chest began to clamp down further as the euphoria of Jakub’s confidence in him gave way to more sobering revelations. A lot of them have been hoping to see me gone for a long time. They ’re not gonna miss me. Barney said himself he was gonna replace me anyway.

Cheshire reached the ground floor and there paused, a hand on the wall to keep him steady. His mind swirled with all the jobs they’d pulled together thanks to him, the late nights he’d spent with the crew drinking and laughing…and he suddenly couldn’t think of a single one of them that would stand up for him if asked. Even before his fiery display the night before he’d begun to sense that distance widening between him and the rest of the gang, and especially him and Hannah. There wasn’t any chance of ever winning their approval now.

All those years spent living exactly the kind of life he’d always fantasized about…and so little to show for it. Cheshire scrubbed his sleeve across his face as he struggled to not let that thought drown him. They only have half of what they have because of me, and they ’ll never admit it, he thought, an uncomfortable bitterness stewing in his gut. They ’ll all be glad I’m gone. He took a deep breath. They ’ll miss Jakub, though. Good—they can blame me for that, at least. That’s one thing I’ll have done that matters to them.

Cheshire reached for the door to the lobby but then paused, glancing down the further stairs that led into the basement. A wicked, defiant little thought crept into his brain, and before he could entertain any wiser ones, he hurried downward. That, and maybe one other thing.

They couldn’t have made it easier for him: Cheshire opened a satchel on one of the nearby shelves and discovered stacks of bills, bound and counted. All those little presidents at least sure seemed happy to see him. Cheshire grabbed the bag off the shelf and headed back upstairs. Severance pay, he thought to himself, his mood improving by leaps and bounds as he vaulted out of the stairwell. This will be plenty to set up me and Jake somewhere. After last night, we earned it.

He came out into the lobby and found Burke was still there, though less welcome of a sight was Leon sitting with him. They were sharing a cigarette and talking in low tones, though as Cheshire approached he heard Burke say, “That’s a load of horseshit, and you know it.”

“But I saw—” Leon started to reply, but he clapped his

mouth shut when he finally took notice of Cheshire. “Bloom.”

“Hey there.” Cheshire managed to keep his manners light as he offered the pair of them a smirk. “Ten bucks says you were talking about me just now.”

Leon went a little pale, but Burke didn’t miss a beat, shooting back with, “Ye’re the only horseshit around here worth yammering about, aren’t you?”

“Can’t argue that,” said Cheshire, and he gestured for Burke to join him. “I’m heading back to the Morey. Care to join me?”

Burke raised an eyebrow, but he bobbed his head and hopped to his feet. “Sure. Might as well make sure the cops haven’t raided the place. If you think the pigs out front won’t hassle us?”

“They can try,” replied Cheshire, but as they started to leave, Leon called him back.

“What’s in the bag?” he asked, and he wasn’t a good enough liar to make it sound like he didn’t already suspect.

“Breakfast,” Cheshire shot back. “I’m starved!” He waved to Leon without looking back and continued outside.

Another cop car was parked out front—or at least, Cheshire had to assume it was. A man and a woman were seated inside, and they watched closely as Cheshire led the way to his car and tossed his bag in the back seat. As he and Burke pulled away from the building, the second car even started up to follow. Burke hunkered down in his seat nervously.

“Must’ve been some show,” Burke muttered. “Been a while since the cops paid us this much mind.”

Cheshire spared the following vehicle a glance before focusing on the road. “Don’t worry about them. If they were going to arrest us they would have done it by now.”

“Not sure that’s true, but what do I know?” Burke squirmed a bit more and finally faced Cheshire. “So? Ye’re gonna fill me in on yer version now?”

Cheshire frowned; he desperately wanted to know what Hannah and Barney had told him, but he caught himself before he could ask. “Not sure it really matters now,” he said instead. “I’m sure you heard the most important parts already. Masterson’s dead—I blew a bunch of stuff up. We got the money.”

Burke cast a wary look toward the back seat where Cheshire had stashed the satchel. “Uh-huh.”

“Burke…listen.” Cheshire took a deep breath, stalling to get his proper thoughts in order. “I just wanted to say…I’m sorry.” Burke gave him his full attention, and he started talking faster to keep from being interrupted. “Sorry I lied to you about me and Jakub. Sorry I’ve been, well…me. All the time.” He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “You’ve always been on my side and I’ve just made things harder on you.”

“Kozlow’s the one making things harder,” Burke said with a jerky shrug. “Don’t have to apologize for that part.”

“Yeah, well…” Cheshire offered him a wince of a smirk. “I still should for what I’m about to do.”

Burke sank deeper into his seat. “Fuck.”

“Jakub and I are leaving town,” Cheshire continued. He needed to get it all out before Burke started really swearing. “Tonight. We’re not waiting around for Barney to find out about us, or for the cops to come down on Kozlow for their own getting killed.” Despite his best efforts, some of his bitterness soaked into his tone. “It’s not like Barney’s ever gonna soften on me, so I’m through pretending he will. I’m out.”

“You get what that means, right?” Burke asked, his voice hard. “The two of you take off outta here with a piece of the take, you know what’ll happen.”

“Yeah, and I’m saying, I’m sorry.” Cheshire stopped at a red light, giving him the chance to face Burke seriously. “However this shakes out, he’s going to be looking at you, next. That’s why I wanted to give you the head’s up as soon as I could.”

“Fuck.” Burke rubbed his face as it went through several different frustrated expressions. “Ye’re really screwing me here, you—” He cut himself off, glaring intensely into his lap; Cheshire held his breath as he waited for him to continue. And he did, louder and harder than before. “No—fuck him— fuck all of them. I’m out too.”

Cheshire’s heart skipped. “It might not come to that,” he said apologetically. “But you—”

“No, seriously, fuck them. Fuck Kozlow!” Burke gestured sharply as he carried on. “Ye’re not the only one they’ve been dicking over all this time, y’know that, right? Stuck my neck out for them—backstabbed my own for them, and what’s it gotten me? We’re the ones that ended Foley. We’re the ones that put Kozlow in the papers and on the map. Where’s their gratitude, huh? Tossed out in the gutter, that’s where!”

“You’ve been a team player for them the whole time,” Cheshire encouraged him, continuing through the intersection. “That penthouse operation never would have gotten its legs if not for you.”

“Ye’re damn right it wouldn’t!” Burke retorted. “Put my goddamn blood into that building!” He looked up through the windshield and grimaced as the Morey came into view. “Guess that’s over, then. But whatever, fuck’m. They’re never going to get their act together, and with Manhattan going down in flames the city’s a lost cause for people like me. Time to cut my losses and move on.”

“Burke…” Cheshire sighed. “I really am sorry.”

Burke shook his head. “Naw, I know it ain’t you. We both just backed the wrong horse.” He sighed and pushed his hair back. “And I mean them—not me backing you.”

Cheshire smirked even though his throat was suddenly tight. “Thanks, Burke.”

They reached the two buildings, and Cheshire pulled the satchel full of cash out of the back as they climbed out. “You can come with us,” he offered, determined not to think too far ahead to what that meant. “Depending on how this goes down…”

Burke was already shaking his head. “And be your third wheel? Not unless ye’re giving me everything in that bag.”

“Will five grand do?” Cheshire offered, already opening the satchel.

“No, shit, it’s a joke, wiseass.” Burke waved him off. “I don’t need yer handouts. I’ve got a stash of my own up in the penthouse anyway.”

Cheshire laughed, but as he closed the bag back up, his humor sobered. He offered his hand. “I’m gonna miss you, Eggy.”

Burke eyed the hand for a moment as if there was a chance he might not accept. A pained look twisted his features but he wrangled it down before finally accepting. “Yeah, I know you will,” he said, with an ease that didn’t match the strength he put into his handshake.

Cheshire smiled, understanding, and he let Burke think for a minute that he was going to let the farewell pass with all manly pride intact. As soon as each let go and started to part, however, he added, “It’s okay to cry, just don’t let the girls see you.”

“I’m not crying!” Burke shot back, casting Cheshire a glare before turning to hurry away. “Fucking blind, you are.”

“You can dry your tears on that god-awful tie you’re wearing,” Cheshire continued to taunt, raising his voice the further Burke got from him. “Good excuse to buy something with taste!”

“Well you can—” Burke made a sound of frustrated exasperation and flipped him off. “Just get outta here!” he shouted, voice rougher than a moment ago, and he walked as fast as he could to the door. Cheshire grinned, warm with bittersweet relief, but when he headed for his building his attention was drawn by the unmarked police car parked across the street.

Forgot about them for a minute there, Cheshire thought, and despite the temptation he didn’t acknowledge them as he continued inside. We’ll have to lose them before we head for the station, but we will. Nothing can stop us now.

***

Jakub had told Cheshire he would wait half an hour before leaving himself. It was unquestionably the longest thirty minutes of his life.

After calling to arrange for a cab, he spent most of the wait pacing his apartment. He visited the window several times even though it didn’t give him a view of anything except the alley below, he checked and rechecked his packed bags. He stopped himself again and again from lighting up a fresh cigarette after his last burned down, knowing that the pack would be empty by the time he left if he didn’t. His chest buzzed with energy he couldn’t use yet, and he couldn’t stop thinking about Cheshire’s slow, hopeful smile.

Just the two of us, he thought, anxious and ecstatic, his heart in his throat. A whole new life.

At some point he managed to calm down long enough to pick up the phone receiver. A portion of his enthusiasm turned sour as he dialed Miklos’ number.

“Hello?” greeted a sleepy-sounded Miklos. “Miklos Horvay.”

“It’s Jakub. Sorry if I woke you.”

“It’s fine.” Miklos yawned. “What is it?”

Jakub shook his head. After everything that had happened overnight, he’d forgotten that barely twelve hours had passed. If Miklos had gone straight home after work he probably hadn’t heard one word about the heist and all that had followed. “I need to tell you something,” Jakub said, determined to be clear with every word. “There was a job last night, and it went bad. I’m sure you’ll be able to read all about it in the paper, even though not all of it is true. I think Jersey will be fine but you should stay away from here or Manhattan for a while, if you can help it. I don’t know what happens now.”

“Wow,” said Mikos, waking up more and more. “That bad, huh? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Jakub said automatically, but then he had to pause a moment. “I’m all right, and so is Chesh, but it’s bad enough that we can’t stay.” He took a deep breath. “We’re leaving town, tonight.”

“Oh.” Jakub could hear him sigh on the other end amidst a rustle of fabric. “Well, damn. If it’s as bad as that I’m sure you’re right.” His tone lightened with his familiar good humor. “Be careful out there, Kuba.”

Jakub grimaced. In his excitement to have gained Cheshire’s agreement he’d forgotten there were things he’d be leaving behind after all. “I’ll write,” he promised, twisting the phone cord in his fingers. “Plenty.”

“I have the feeling I’ll just have to keep reading the papers,” Miklos teased. “But I’d like that.”

He still sounded too well-resigned, and it made Jakub’s palms itch. “We’ll see each other again,” Jakub insisted. “You found me after six years when I wasn’t looking to be found. I’ll write you an invitation this time.”

Miklos was quiet for a moment, but Jakub could sense his gentle smile. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll look forward to it.” He chuckled. “In the meantime, take care of that big ham of yours.”

“I will. See you later, Miksa.”

“You, too.”

Jakub hung up. He had promised to wait a little longer, but the goodbye had him keyed up and a little anxious despite their promises, and he couldn’t bear to stay put any longer. He swept through the apartment one last time even knowing there was nothing left worth taking, and finally he donned his coat, hefted his luggage and left.

He was just about to step into the elevator when Hannah came out of the stairwell, and their eyes met.

She caught on immediately. Jakub didn’t even bother to keep the truth out of his face, or to try to come up with a passable lie or justification. He didn’t even retreat into the elevator to escape. As Hannah’s expression twisted with a pained look, Jakub kept still. It for some reason felt important to him that she understand he wasn’t running away; for the first time, he was running toward.

“Jakub,” Hannah said. She took a hesitant step forward. “Please, don’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Jakub said, though not as an apology for leaving.

Hannah took another step. “Let’s talk about it. If it’s—”

“This isn’t about Bloom,” Jakub interrupted her, not wanting to hear one more word about Cheshire from her mouth. “I don’t belong here.” Though he knew how much it would hurt for her to hear, he couldn’t pretend anymore that the truth wasn’t obvious. “Kozlow isn’t family to me; it never has been. It’s time for me to go.”

Hannah’s shoulders sagged with defeat, and as much as he meant the words, they still felt rotten in his stomach. “Take care of yourself,” Jakub said, and he finally stepped into the elevator. She didn’t try to stop him.

A couple of Barney’s new boys were milling about in the lobby, having taken up positions by various street-facing windows to keep an eye out for cops. Jakub crossing to the entrance with luggage in tow turned a few eyes his way; it might have been smarter to sneak out the fire escape, even if that meant exciting the police’s attention, but Jakub couldn’t bring himself to care about them. He strode directly out of the building without acknowledging anyone.

Thankfully, his cab had arrived a few minutes early. Even before the driver could get out to offer help, he loaded his bags into the back seat and climbed in. He gave the driver Cheshire’s address along with a wad of bills. “Make it quick.”

“Yes, sir!” the man chirped, perhaps with some inkling of just who he was ferrying. He quickly put the car in gear.

As they pulled away from the curb, Jakub gazed up one last time at the old brick Kozlow building that had been home for so many years—longer than he’d called any other place home. He didn’t like that thought much, and he tried to busy his imagination with the places he might call home next: another cramped city apartment, his guns wedged in among Cheshire’s suits; maybe a fancy house in the suburbs with tall hedges a lawn full of soft, green grass for Cheshire to lord over their unsuspecting neighbors. It still almost didn’t seem possible, but Jakub clung to each open path, letting that dusty old fortress slip away behind him.

***

It wasn’t that Barney didn’t believe it, or that he didn’t want to believe it. He’d always known that it was only a matter of time before Cheshire Bloom showed his true colors and fucked them over. But believing it meant having to act on it, and that part, after what he’d seen the night before…was a little harder.

There was no denying it, though. He stood with Leon in the basement, poring over the collection of different bags and boxes they’d separated the bank vault take out into. One was missing.

“I told you,” Leon said, trying to sound insistent and apologetic at the same time. “I saw him walk right out the front door with it.”

“You watched him walk right out with it,” Barney repeated, fixing him with a cold look.

Leon flinched back. “What was I supposed to do? I asked him about it, but he just kept going.” He leaned back, carding his fingers through his hair. “You don’t really think I stand a chance against him, do you? After last night?”

Barney scowled to hide his gulp. A few of the boys were starting to gather at the base of the stairs, and their expectant looks had him sweating. He pulled his cap off to smooth his hair back as he stalled. It’s not like he’d  ever use that  on  us, but… “Fuck. Who the hell does he think he is? He doesn’t get to decide his share.”

A murmur spread through the men gathered at the base of the stairs, and Hannah emerged. Her eyes were tired and red with emotion Barney had rarely seen on her, and it put him immediately on edge. He didn’t want to ask what was the matter with so many people watching, so he offered only a shrug. “What?”

“What’s going on?” Hannah asked, her voice as rough as her expression.

“Bloom swiped part of the loot and took off with his little weasel,” Leon blurted out. He cringed back when Barney shot him a glare, but it was too late.

Hannah’s shoulders fell, though she didn’t look surprised. “Does the boss know yet?”

“No.” Barney folded his arms; the thought of having to climb the building and explain the truth to his father already had his stomach knotting. “It’s fine,” he said, shrugging again. “Jakub will handle it.”

Hannah’s weary eyes immediately turned hard. “What?”

“He and I talked about it already,” Barney explained, though he didn’t like the disdain creeping into the faces of his men. They didn’t really expect him to chase after a witch himself, did they? As the boss’s son? His palms grew clammy. “Bloom knows I’m on to him, so it’ll be easier for Danowicz to get closer to him. He’s going to teach him a lesson.”

Hannah rubbed her face. What the hell was the matter with her anyway? Barney smacked Leon in the ribs. “Run up and call one of the boys over at Bloom’s building on Kent. They can keep tabs on him until Danowicz catches up with him.”

Hannah let out a sharp sigh as she straightened up. “Jakub’s gone.”

Barney stared at her in blank confusion. The words just didn’t penetrate. “What?”

“Jakub’s gone,” Hannah repeated, not that it made any more sense the second time. The more she talked, though, the more Barney felt cold and heat scuttle over his skin like a feverish sensation. “He packed up his apartment and left. He and Bloom are leaving together.”

“He wouldn’t,” Leon said, baffled. “He’s one of the best we’ve got!”

His disbelief shook Barney open. “That’s fucking stupid,” Barney snapped. “He just told me he’d handle it—he hates that asshole!”

Hannah’s face contorted into a strange, frustrated grin. “What?” Barney carried on loudly. “He does! We’ve all seen it!”

“Barney, the two of them have been in bed together, literally, for years,” Hannah said, and Barney recoiled as if struck. “He’s the last one that’s going to do anything to Bloom now. They’re gone.”

Barney’s head spun with confusion as everyone exchanged stunned looks. “I only just found out about it from Burke,” Hannah continued in a gentler tone. “And it doesn’t matter now, because they’re not coming back. Whatever they took, just let them go.”

Even in his shocked stupor, those final words carved into Barney’s chest. “No,” he said immediately, propelled by sheer instinct. Everyone was staring at him, and though he could barely get his eyes to focus he just knew what each of them looked like: they all thought he was a fool. A weak, cowardly fool who couldn’t see what was right in front of him. The thought that Cheshire was speeding off with the money he’d bled for, that god-awful smirk on his smug face, was sickening enough. That Jakub, his brother-in-arms, had lied to his face for that traitor buffon’s sake, was like a red-hot iron in his gut.

What would his father say? The suffocating dread of that explanation crowded out even the memory of the fire and brimstone from Harlem, and Barney gathered himself up.

“No, we go after them,” he demanded. He gave Leon a shove. “Call the boys on Kent and tell them to stay on Bloom no matter what.”

Hannah blinked at him in disbelief. “What? No. Barney, just let—”

“Call everyone,” Barney told the rest of the gang, and they each nodded and gathered themselves up; everyone who hadn’t been in on the heist was eager for a fight, and seeing them rise to his orders filled in any gaps in Barney’s confidence. “There are only so many ways they can skip town; we’ll chase them down and ambush them. We’re not scared of a few fireworks, are we?”

The boys all grunted their agreement and started back up the stairs. Even Leon, already pale, bobbed his head and hurried after to make the calls. Barney squared his shoulders and followed after, a hard coil of anger winding tight in his chest.

“Barney, this is stupid,” Hannah said as she followed him up the stairs. “You saw what Bloom can do.”

“I don’t care if he’s a witch or the devil himself,” Barney shot back. “I’ve got this.” He patted the revolver tucked into his belt. “All I need is one shot at him.” He ground his teeth as he fixed his gaze ahead. “One for both of them. Get your gun and come on.”

He stormed ahead, and just like he knew she would, Hannah sighed and fell into line.

***

When Jakub arrived at the building on Kent, he spotted Cheshire’s car but not Cheshire himself. The doors were unlocked, so he shoved his luggage into the back seat and went inside. The lobby was empty, but when he reached the elevator the door opened, and a man inside flinched at the sight of him. Jakub recognized him as one of Leon’s cousins who had moved into the building alongside Cheshire, and the wary look in his eye told Jakub everything he was afraid of: Hannah had already spread the news.

“Excuse me,” Jakub said coldly, and the man bobbed his head as he darted out of the elevator, sweat on his brow. As the doors closed Jakub in, he could see the man heading straight for the payphone next to the front desk.

Shit, Jakub thought, and he checked the revolver in his holster to make sure it was fully loaded. This could get ugly.

He knocked on Cheshire’s door, and it took long enough for Cheshire to answer that he started to get nervous. When the door opened and Cheshire grinned at him, dressed in a fresh, green suit and positively effervescent, his worries briefly washed away. He tugged Cheshire into a quick, urgent kiss.

Cheshire chuckled against his mouth. “I’ll take that to mean you’re ready to go,” he said. “Let me just grab my stuff.”

Cheshire moved deeper into the apartment. As Jakub peered inside, he realized that not much had been disturbed, and the only bags Cheshire had prepared were two large garment bags and a satchel. He frowned. “Are you only bringing clothes?”

“What else is there?” Cheshire replied earnestly, and

Jakub had to admit he didn’t have retort for that. He ducked into the bedroom, and when he emerged it was with a paper bag. He grinned hopefully as he offered it up. “For you.”

Jakub blinked at it in confusion. “What for?”

“Just because!” Cheshire pushed it toward him, so Jakub finally accepted and reached inside. “Honestly, I bought it as a birthday present, but in all these years you never did tell me what the actual day was. But I know it’s in April, and it’s still April now, so…” He gestured for Jakub to continue.

Jakub pulled out the gift: a cap of brown wool, bearing a short bill and a buttoned strap on the side. Though much simpler than anything he would have expected Cheshire to pick out, even Jakub’s untrained eye could see that it was hand stitched, and expertly so.

“I didn’t know we’d be going anywhere when I bought it,” Cheshire prattled on, and he watched, hawklike, as Jakub donned the cap. “But you could use a travel cap now, right? What do you think?”

“It fits,” Jakub said. He held still as Cheshire reached forward to smooth his bangs back, under the hem, but he didn’t care for that and immediately combed them down again. “How does it look?”

Cheshire laughed. “It looks perfect on you. Do you like it?”

“Yeah.” Jakub felt his cheeks grow hot; it was a ridiculous thing to get emotional over, considering the position they were in and what they might soon face, but he wished he knew better how to express to Cheshire just how happy the gesture made him. “Thank you.”

Despite those shy shortcomings, when Cheshire’s smile widened it seemed he understood after all. “You’re welcome,” he said, and he kissed Jakub on the cheek. Jakub swayed forward, looking for something more, but then Cheshire turned sheepish as he returned to his luggage. “There’s, uh, one more thing. And before you say anything, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Jakub frowned, but when he got a better look at the satchel Cheshire was scooping up, recognition sent his heart pounding. “Is that—”

“I know, I know,” said Cheshire, though he didn’t really sound that apologetic. He motioned for Jakub to head out and followed right after; he didn’t bother to lock the door behind him. “And I’m pretty sure Leon knows I have it, so we should probably get a move on.”

Jakub pursed his lips, but any irritation he might have felt over Cheshire’s impulsiveness crumbled before it could form. “Hannah knows something’s up, too,” he admitted as they headed for the elevator. “She saw me leaving with my things.”

“Then we should absolutely get a move on.”

They came out of the elevator into the lobby, and immediately Jakub spotted Leon’s cousin again, talking into the payphone. He eyed them as they passed, voice too low to hear. Jakub watched his free hand hesitating at his belt.

“Hey, Bloom,” the man called. “Where are you—”

“Fuck off, Szpilman,” Jakub snapped, one hand on his

revolver, and the man quickly ducked back, even the phone monetarily forgotten. They continued out uninterrupted again.

Cheshire shot Jakub a high-browed look as he stowed his garment bags in the back seat of the car, alongside Jakub’s things. Jakub frowned at him in return. “What?”

“Nothing!” Cheshire smirked. “I love it when you’re bossy.” Jakub blushed, but before he could think of a retort, Cheshire handed him the money satchel. “Take a peek while we drive. I’m not even sure how much I took.”

Jakub took the satchel with him to the passenger side, and as Cheshire pulled them away from the curb, he began thumbing through the bands of bills. His eyes grew wider as he went, and he glanced behind them with renewed paranoia as if expecting Barney to already be on their tail. He couldn’t tell if the cars behind them were following or not. “There’s twenty thousand in here,” he said. “That’s a third of the take, not counting the deposit boxes.”

Cheshire whistled. “Just try and say we didn’t contribute more than one third of the effort into getting us out of that mess alive last night, I dare you.”

Jakub closed the bag back up, his mind whirling again with the possibilities of the life they might now have. “This is good. It’ll last us for a long while.”

Cheshire hummed a few bars of an aimless melody, staring forward with such fixed attention that something had to be on his mind. Jakub gave him a while to get the words out; normally his patience would have worn out, but he instead prodded at his new hat, enjoying the stiff shape of the wool.

“Did you really mean all that up in the apartment?” Cheshire said at last. “The part about going clean, I mean.”

“Yeah. Kinda.” Jakub frowned. “We could. We can do almost anything.”

Cheshire cast him a surprised glance, and it wasn’t until then that Jakub realized how childish he must have sounded. He scrubbed the back of his palm across his mouth. “I didn’t think that far ahead yet.”

Cheshire’s disbelief softened into fondness that didn’t help Jakub’s embarrassment any. “Almost anything,” he echoed, and he grinned. “Lots of places that could use a tough guy and his charming partner,” he said.

“You weren’t bad as a landlord,” Jakub volunteered. “You filled the Morey up.” He paused, grimacing. “I’m sorry you have to leave it.”

Cheshire waved off his concern. “It’s a’right. I was more a pretty face than a landlord anyway. I know a thing or two about selling a con.” He laughed. “Maybe I’ll go into politics!”

In other circumstances, Jakub might have immediately voiced his concerns; driving through the city toward freedom, a new life theirs for the taking, he couldn’t consider anything from Cheshire a bad idea. “Whatever you want,” he said. “Wherever we want.”

“Yeah,” said Cheshire, and he grinned openly as they continued their race north.

They made good time to the ferry station, though once there they didn’t have any choice but to abandon the car. Cheshire sold it to a woman in the parking lot for ten dollars, and then they were off again, chugging across the river on a rickety old boat. Given his recent misadventures, Jakub stayed as far away from the railing as he could, his stomach anxiously knotting with every subtle lurch. Cheshire kept his arm around his shoulders the entire way across.

On the opposite bank they caught a taxi, and the escape continued. It was a long drive north, at first through bustling morning city streets, then past suburbs and into rural roads and flowering trees. The relative tranquility of the countryside tricked Jakub into forgetting for a while just how many people might have known about their plans, and what danger could be waiting for them. With the cabbie’s ears open they couldn’t have discussed it anyway, so Cheshire filled the time with idle chatter.

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever been on a train,” he said. “I even missed the last one you were on. Sure wish I’d been there for it; things might have worked out very differently.”

“There’s no point wondering about that now,” Jakub told him. “We’re okay.” Cheshire gave his hand a squeeze that helped to fuel him the rest of the trip.

It was approaching noon by the time they reached the train station. It was a small yard, with only two platforms and a charming old building that sold lunches as well as tickets. The next train out of town wouldn’t be leaving for another hour, so Cheshire bought them each a ticket, and they sat outside with their luggage, eating sandwiches.

“Did the ticket clerk give us a strange look?” Jakub asked, not looking back at the building. “He seemed tense.”

He was hoping Cheshire would tell him he was imagining things, but no such luck. “He did,” said Cheshire. “The taxi driver and the ferryman did, too.” He shrugged. “Guess we’re just that famous now.”

It’s not me that everyone recognizes, Jakub thought, without blame; he was more concerned about Cheshire’s safety than anything else. The thought that they could come so far only to be stopped by an over-eager cop or especially some Kozlow ally was a sickening one. “After we’re out of here, we should switch trains as soon as we can. There’s too many people on our trail.”

Cheshire nodded along and gulped down the rest of his sandwich. “There’s an outfit up in Boston that might be willing to put us up for a while. Or we could head out west. I never did get to meet Herb’s fancy Chicago guests. Or further west than that!” He chuckled to himself, grinning with each possibility. “They’ve got legal gambling out in Nevada now. Or say we hit up sunny California? A heist in every state from here to the coast!”

He laughed some more, and Jakub leaned in closer, glad to see him in good spirits.

An hour later, their train pulled into the station as promised. Its passengers disembarked, and as the staff began making preparations for the next board, Jakub felt his nerves creeping up on him again. It didn’t seem real that they were only a few steps away from their escape. He continued to stay close to Cheshire as they each pushed to their feet, willing his unending optimism to rub off on him. Those hopes were dashed when a squeal of tires drew his attention to the station’s parking lot, where three cars were jerking to a halt. All their doors started opening at once, and without waiting to make out any faces, Jakub reached for his gun. “Chesh, the bags—”

Cheshire turned, but before he could reach down a man leaned out of the nearest of the cars and opened fire. The platform erupted in pandemonium. Departing and would-be passengers screamed and ran in all directions, those that were close enough fleeing to the station building, while others scattered up and down the tracks. Jakub returned fire and thought he clipped the man, but by then the rest of the cars were turning out their goons as well. There were too many guns already firing, and even when Cheshire’s magic exploded the front bumper off one of the cars, the men didn’t retreat. Without any other cover on hand, Jakub and Cheshire abandoned their suitcases and made a dash for the nearest train car. As soon as they were through the doors several of the windows were shattered by gunfire, and they ducked to the floor beneath a hail of glass.

“Spread out!” Barney shouted to his men, and Jakub clenched his jaw. All the anger he’d felt staring Barney down in the cellar rushed forward once more, and part of him was grossly relieved he had the chance to channel that now. But that thinking was also dangerous, and instinctively he reached into his jacket for a cigarette. As satisfying as it might be to risk everything for one shot at Barney, they needed to keep a cooler head to get out of there alive.

Thankfully, Cheshire seemed to have gotten that memo in advance. He crouched down beneath the windows of the train car, his expression as calm and attentive as Jakub had ever seen on him. “Figures,” he muttered.

“Bloom! Danowicz!” Barney shouted as the screams from the bystanders thinned out and faded away. “Come on out! The longer you draw this out, the worse I wanna hurt you.” Jakub snorted as he lit his cigarette. Rich, to hear

Barney talk like that. It boosted his confidence more than it probably should have. No matter how many of his borrowed goons he has out there, between Cheshire’s magic and my gun, they don’t stand a chance. I’ll put a bullet in anyone who tries to stop us.

“Can you see the bags?” he asked, lifting his head. Cheshire was already peeking through the half- shattered window, distracted. “I guess we should have known they wouldn’t let us skip town that easily.”

Jakub worked his metallic fingers to make sure they were up to the incoming task. “It might have gone over better if you hadn’t taken their twenty large,” he retorted.

But he was only teasing, and Cheshire must have seen as much, because he flashed Jakub a smirk. “Why, Jakub,” he taunted back, “I thought you liked money.”

They were interrupted by a sharp clink from out on the platform: a metallic percussion so pronounced, so recognizable, that Jakub knew immediately what would happen next. He snatched Cheshire by his tie as the closest handhold and yanked him down, further away from the door. Seconds later the Hallorran bullet hit, and the traincar rocked with a bone-rattling explosion and searing heat. The stinging, noxious smoke that plumed out from the blast was so unlike Cheshire’s magic it made Jakub sick. Then it cleared, and the pair of them sat up and stared at the charred hole Barney’s revolver had punched clear through the train.

Jakub turned quickly to look his partner over, and was relieved to find him unharmed—startled, a half-panicked grin tugging at his lips, but unharmed. “Cheshire,” he said. “The bags.”

“Right.” Cheshire blinked off the remaining shell-shock from the blast. “They’re right where we left them. “

A good twenty feet from here, then, Jakub thought, and just to be on the safe side, he fished out the winding key for his arm. A few turns of the mainspring and he was confident it would hold up for however long the conflict dragged on. “Do you think you can cover me long enough to reach my suitcase?” he asked.

“Oh, I think I can do that and then some,” Cheshire replied, his voice already sharp and eager for it.

Jakub thought to caution him—they didn’t need a repeat of the night before—but he closed his teeth around the words before they made it out. If after everything Barney had seen, he had still chosen to come after them for money they were owed, he deserved a firestorm and then some.

So much for cooler  heads, Jakub  thought, and he flinched as Cheshire plucked the cigarette out of his mouth.

“Let me borrow this,” said Cheshire, and he smirked as he tossed the cig out the window.

It exploded the moment it touched the ground, louder and flashier than Cheshire would have normally pulled from something so small. The familiar, tangy smell of his magic was a strange comfort, even when overlayed with the cursing and shouting from Barney’s unprepared goons. We can do this, Jakub thought, his body coiling tight as he watched Cheshire also tensing in preparation. As  long as we’re together, we can do anything.

“Jakub,” Cheshire said, “whatever happens—”

He didn’t need to finish; Jakub already understood. He surged forward and pressed a kiss to Cheshire’s mouth, a solid affirmation that sent his heart thudding. We can do  anything, he thought again, and as he leaned back he locked eyes with Cheshire to convey exactly that. “Go.”

Cheshire grinned. “Aye, aye,” he said, and he pulled himself out of the train, Jakub just behind.

***

Barney and his men were just pulling themselves together again as Cheshire emerged. He had brought a dozen of them—mostly over-eager nobodies that had no idea what their gang owed to sweet-talking, safe-cracking Cheshire Bloom. But there was no time for pageantry this time; determined to provide the cover Jakub needed, Cheshire immediately turned the empty platform into smokey chaos. His gaze snapped from discarded luggage to public trash cans, exploding each into fire and ash. The blasts sent grown men scattering and blinded those who stood their ground, trying to return fire.

They really thought they could count on Barney and his one little gun? Cheshire thought, brimming with satisfaction as Barney threw himself behind a pillar to escape an exploding purse. We’ll teach’m, won’t we, Jake?

Jakub was only a few steps away from the bags. Cheshire recognized the Szpilman from his building nearby, gun up and aimed, and without a second thought he focused his magic on the trash can beside him. The metal drum exploded, shrapnel splintering in all directions. The Szpilman cried out and was quickly swallowed up by the smoke. It gave Jakub the last few seconds he needed to reach his rifle case, and out came the big gun. He was a sight to behold, and Cheshire hurried toward him as he leveled the rifle at their remaining adversaries.

If ever there was a scene fit for the papers. Cheshire continued to blow up everything he could get in his sights, disrupting their would-be assassins long enough for Jakub to take them out. Any advantage Barney thought he had with numbers evaporated as those that could turned and fled, blistered from the magic, while others fell to Jakub’s gun. Cheshire thought he might have even seen Leon limping into cover behind the station. His palms radiated heat, but it was Jakub’s warmth against his back that heightened his every sense. This was why he had stayed. He and his partner, back to back against the world, ready at last to claim their freedom. This was why he’d welcomed his magic in the first place. He looked for Barney among the chaos, eager to settle their long feud once and for all.

A bullet raked across Cheshire’s right ear with a stinging pain, and he lurched back as his glasses were sent tumbling off his face. The fiery battleground he had been in such control of was suddenly a blurry mess. He tried to hastily reassemble a map of the landscape in his mind’s eye, but Jakub calling his name, turning toward him, only made it harder to focus. They didn’t have time for Jakub to worry about him.

“Traitors!” Barney shouted from further down the platform, and there it was again: the heavy clink of the Hallorran revolver. Cheshire knew that even if he could visualize Barney well enough to destroy him, the gun was already firing and it would be too late.

No, Cheshire thought, even greater heat flooding into his open palm. He could picture far too easily the bullet leaving the barrel, Jakub standing directly in its path. No—why do I have magic at all if not for this?

He felt the seal on his palm sting like a white-hot brand—felt the rush of wind and smoke a moment later. He couldn’t see but he could see the bullet shatter apart from the fire he’d lit inside it. The blast reversed all momentum, like a shockwave knocking down whoever had until then remained standing. He heard Barney scream, heard bodies thumping onto the platform, and then…quiet. The smoke began to thin and the station at last fell still.

***

Jakub held his breath. His gaze swept over the destroyed platform, a fire or two still burning in places, Barney’s dozen goons either collapsed or fled. Barney himself lay motionless several yards away, blood on his face and shirt from the explosion that had gone off so close to his face. The layer of biting smoke over Cheshire’s magic was proof enough that the Hallorran had gone off, but it had all happened so fast Jakub wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Did he explode the bullet in mid-air?  he  thought, looking to Cheshire in stunned awe. “I didn’t know you could do that,” he said.

“Me, neither,” Cheshire admitted, looking to his open palm in similar amazement. He drew it closer, squinting. “What did I do? I can’t see a damn thing.”

Jakub continued to stare at him, speechless. Cheshire had done the impossible but he was far more concerned with poking at his bleeding right ear. “Crap,” he muttered, “I can’t believe they shot my other ear. It must be some kind of rite of passage.” He pressed his hand flush to the ear to staunch the bleeding. “It’s not even properly symmetrical.”

Jakub sighed; leave it to Cheshire to be more concerned about the scar than anything. He didn’t seem to have any idea yet what they’d finally accomplished and what it meant for them. But that was fine. If Cheshire could go straight back to being himself after all that, they would be just fine.

Jakub let the gun slip from his hands. “Well,” Cheshire started to say, “I guess we survi—”

Jakub drew them together for a kiss. Any moment now time would start back up, and they’d be off and running again, into new dangers—into a new life. But first he wanted his kiss. Light as air and overflowing with relief and affection, Jakub leaned into Cheshire’s warm and charming mouth. By the time they pulled back, he was sure he could have grown wings.

Cheshire squinted at him. “Are you smiling?”

Jakub’s cheeks went hot. “I thought you couldn’t see,” he retorted, but when Cheshire’s quiet laughter tickled his ears, he couldn’t deny it; he was smiling.

Voices picked up in the distance, along with the bells from fire trucks and police sirens. Jakub took a deep breath to refill his composure and then stooped down for Cheshire’s glasses. One of the arms was broken but he helped Cheshire fit the frame to his face enough to see for the moment. “We have to get out of here,” he said hurriedly. “Should we steal a car?”

“They’ll be on us by then,” said Cheshire, and suddenly a wolfish grin spread across his face. “Grab the bags—I’ve got an idea.”

He headed for the front of the train, and though Jakub understood at once, he didn’t have it in him to tell Cheshire that stealing a locomotive was probably a terrible idea. He stashed his rifle back in its case and drew Cheshire’s garment bags over his shoulder, but as he rose, ready to make a run for it, his attention was drawn by a shift of movement.

Hannah was kneeling next to Barney. The sight of the blood slicking his face gave Jakub a chill, though he realized soon afterward that he was still breathing after all. The thought that he would finally wake up to cops and handcuffs was a fitting one, and it kept him from drawing his gun. Instead he watched Hannah take off her suit coat and press it over him to try to stop the bleeding. Her face was hard-set with frustration he’d seen on her plenty of times, and despite the finality with which they had parted earlier, deep down he did hope that she would at least realize she had her own chance to escape.

Hannah raised her head. There was a twisted kind of apology in her face, something in her grimace that said I told him so. But what she said was, “Good luck, Jakub.” Jakub nodded, and he hurried toward the front of the train.

Something exploded, and Jakub’s pulse picked up all over again as he hurried to the engine car. Once he got closer, the trail of smoke leading to the destroyed coupler explained plenty. “This is going to be a lot easier to track than a car,” he said as he climbed aboard.

Cheshire helped him set everything down and then directed him toward the front. “We won’t take it far,” he assured Jakub as he showed off the engineer’s manual. “Just to get us away from here. We can dump it somewhere more scenic and then steal a car.”

They didn’t have much other choice. With the engine already prepped for their scheduled departure, manual in hand and a few lucky guesses, one last pull of a lever had the train lurching forward. With a chug, chug, chug the engine began to pull away from the station, leaving its passenger cars and the devastated Kozlow gang behind. Jakub leaned out the back, and as they began to truly pick up speed he spotted a half dozen cops flooding onto the platform.

“We’ll have to stop before the next station,” Jakub said as he returned to Cheshire’s side at the front. “As soon as they realize what happened, they’ll call ahead and—”

Cheshire wrapped his arm around Jakub’s waist and tugged him closer. How ridiculous, he thought, that after everything even a simple gesture like that could take his breath away. “We will,” Cheshire promised him, his face alight with hopeful exuberance as the train sped them onward. “Don’t worry, Jakub. We made it.” He grinned. “We’re going to be just fine.”

Jakub relaxed into his arms. “Yeah,” he said, believing it. “I know we will.”

They leaned close together as the train carried them on, toward their next adventures and a new life.

The End…?

Continue Jakub and Cheshire’s adventure in our comic series Bang! Bang! BOOM!

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