Price Tags and the Highest Bidder

A short story by Emma Brattin.

Reno, Nevada after sunset. February 2018. Photography by Emma Brattin.

Nine days since the envelope was delivered to the wrong person. Three days until expected delivery of the goods. Four minutes since a plan finally formed in his head. Marcus took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

FOUR DAYS LATER

“Dude, you looked sick.” Nathaniel said, reaching out to Marcus for a fist bump. They were the first to arrive.

“Not as bad ass as Jaynee looked rolling in on that crotch rocket like she owned the joint. Totally useless for boosting, but one hell of an entry.” Marcus replied as Jaynee walked into the room.

Nathaniel nodded grinning. Both him and Marcus were trying to act normal and lighthearted despite what they’d seen … and what they knew was coming next.

“Blah, blah, blah,” Jaynee said smiling. She waved her hand in the air to shrug off their praise.

Nathaniel couldn’t help but watch as Jaynee bent over slowly to adjust her shoe.

“Why did we pick this dump?” Jaynee asked as she stood up and carefully set her purse on the folding table. She glanced around at the dingy hotel ballroom.

At fifty-six years old, Jaynee was a knock-out. From the beginning, quite possibly every guy (and girl) on the team had a crush or daydream involving her. Her skin was naturally tan, she had silvery blonde hair, bright green eyes, and perfect teeth. At 5 feet 9 inches, she was fit and stood above most men. Her posture was perfect. She walked gracefully. When she fixed her gaze on anybody, that person could do nothing but stare back. She was captivating. She was dangerous.

From the moment Marcus received the envelope intended for Macho Marcus Santina, a notorious gangster, he’d struggled with the right course of action. Two choices had eventually formed in his mind. One, steal the goods to save the merchandise and the humans involved. Or two, ignore everything and let the gangsters leave a trail of innocent collateral.

Marcus sighed. Sucks to share a name with a dangerous gangster. He’d found Jaynee through careful word of mouth when forming his crew. In the end, Jaynee was the only reason any of them survived the heist.

Or at least that’s what she wanted everybody to believe.

Unknown to Jaynee, Marcus and Nathaniel had seen the real Jaynee in the heat of the heist . . . and she definitely wasn’t on their side.

As the final three crew members stepped into the dingy ballroom, Jaynee walked over and took a moment to greet each one of them.

“Looks like you finally had a goodnight’s sleep!” She said to Nicole, Marcus’ heist partner. Nicole was known for burning the midnight oil when planning a heist, often yawning the entire next day. She was also known for being hot-headed and prideful, and certainly caused the most drama in the group. But the rest of the crew respected her mind and abilities, so they’d overlooked her attitude.

“Hello, handsome. I missed you! Will you be joining me tonight in the room?” Jaynee laughed as she greeted Josiah, her heist partner. There was a rumor circling that he’d gotten drunk on the first night of planning and wandered into the wrong hotel room. Everybody had heard some version of him trying to get Jaynee into bed. Or another version where he laid on her lap and asked her to sing him lullabies like his granny used to do. And one that he insists is true is she had simply shooed him, and he’d gone to his own room. Whatever the case, anybody could tell they’d become fond of each other in a friendly way, and it didn’t matter what had really happened. 

“You cut your hair off! How freeing is that? I adore the new look!” Jaynee said with an authentic passion as she greeted Kain, the final member – Nathaniel’s partner. Kain was also a knockout. A petite blonde with a smart head, she was fierce and competitive, and not afraid of anything.

While the boys (Josiah, Nathaniel, Marcus) got along with all the team members, the girls were a different matter. Jaynee could handle both Kain and Nicole as they both respected her. Unfortunately, Nicole took an instant dislike to Kain and made it clear she’d not work alone with Kain. Jaynee had agreed and paired the group as one male, one female.

“To Jaynee, and an epic success!” Nathaniel said, starting a round of applause. Nathaniel,

Marcus, Kain, and Josiah stood up and clapped. Nicole stayed in her chair and offered up a brief golf clap. Jayne stood with a sad smile on her face, as if reliving the final moments of the heist.

“But seriously,” Marcus spoke up, “Jaynee … thank you.” He approached Jaynee and reached out, playing the part of a grateful teammate who’d saved them all. Jaynee placed her hand in his, frowning ever so slightly. He bowed and kissed her hand. She studied his face briefly with a concerned look then glanced around the room. A smile returned to her lips.

Nathaniel glanced at Marcus.

“Wait.” Marcus mouthed silently to him in response.

“What is a queen without her court?” Jaynee raised her arms delicately and facing her palms to the ceiling, she gestured to the crew surrounding her. “We succeeded in the daylight.” She took a deep breath. “But now the night falls and we must face a new enemy.” Her smile faded as she dropped her arms to her side.

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the mirror behind Marcus and Nicole dropped to the floor. Kain screamed and ducked under a table. Josiah hit the floor facedown, covering his head with his hands. Jaynee started running towards the entrance.

“Now, Nathaniel!” Marcus yelled over his shoulder as he ran after Jaynee.