Bmail

What began as a prank was about to bring them riches beyond their wildest dreams? Not bad, for two young people working in a contact centre on minimum wage. Phoebe returned to the car with their food order.

‘There you are that should keep you quiet.’

‘Oh, cheers. So, why am I here again?’

‘I would have thought that was obvious. Even to a blunt instrument like you… back up. I’m a vulnerable young female. Your damsel in distress,’ she joked fluttering her eyelashes.

Alex almost choked on his chicken wrap.

‘You, vulnerable? Don’t make me choke again. You are as wily as a fox, and twice as dangerous. And I could always say no.’

Phoebe smiled at him.

‘You could, but I’ve just bought lunch… look you’re here now. Just another few minutes and we’ll have the biggest bloody bonus you could imagine.’

‘So, what did you do for that?’

‘As I said before, I bait the hook a thousand times hoping to reel in a rich and very guilty catch,’ she scoffed.

‘Oh well, let’s hope it’s not a shark,’ Alex muttered.

Phoebe looked at him. Suddenly, the car lit up, it was their signal.

‘That’s them now. Trust me, only those with something to lose, living in fear pay up.’

‘If you say so,’ Alex thought.

The headlights flashed again. They put their hoods up, Alex took a picture of the marks vehicle before pulling in front of it and waited. They looked at one another. Phoebe sent a message to the occupants of the other car:

Throw the bag out of the driver’s window. Do not approach as we collect. Once the money is checked, if everything is there, and we can leave unhindered. Your secrets will be erased.

As instructed, the bag was thrown from the car. Phoebe retrieved it, slowly unzipping the holdall. Her eyes lit up; her jaw dropped, and her heart skipped a beat. The holdall was crammed with bank notes.

‘What the hell? There are thousands of dollars here…’ she thought, swallowing hard.

She looked back towards Alex with a shocked expression on her face. Then, she felt deep through the bag checking none of the notes were duds. Nervously, she checked around before returning to the car.

‘Let’s get out of here… go on, drive, shit hot!’ she demanded.

‘In this heap of junk, good luck with that.’

‘Did you park where I told you?’

‘Sure did… so, is the money all there?’

Phoebe felt through the bag.

‘OMG, you could say! Look, it’s a life changing amount.’

Alex took his eyes off the road and looked at her in horror.

‘Jeez, how much is there?’

‘Who knows? I’ve never seen this much money in my life. There must have been $50,000, easy…’

Alex looked worried.

‘I’ll give you twenty per cent for everything you’ve done for me today and before.’

‘Really, how much? Jeez… the biggest bonus I’ve even had was $400.’

‘Really? Oh, shit!’ she laughed.

She dug back into the bag.

‘What have you got us into?’

Phoebe shrugged her shoulders.

‘Who cares, I’m out of this little town with this amount,’ she thought.

Half a mile down the road, they pulled into a dark side street. Quickly they changed into Alex’s car.

‘Want your keys back?’

‘No, just throw them. It’s just a tin can, I can buy something much better with this,’ she said shaking the holdall excitedly.

‘Are you not worried, this is all too easy? Who has a spare $50k?’

‘It’s actually more than that… but who cares,’ Phoebe laughed.

They pulled away and took their planned route off the main roads. Phoebe began to count out Alex’s share.

‘That’s odd… what is that?’ she thought.

There was a blinking light at the bottom of the bag.

‘Alex, what is this?’

‘Crap! What do you think this is?’

Alex looked down at the bag, the device blinking back at him.

‘Oh, Jeez… what does it look like?’

Phoebe shrugged.

‘Looks like some sort of tracking device. Does none of this worry you?’

‘No, it can’t be…’

‘Don’t just sit there, throw it out the window! I knew something felt wrong.’

Phoebe quickly ditched the tracker. Then felt for any other little surprises.

‘Now what?’ she thought.

She produced a little black book and looked inside:

We won’t be taken for a ride by some greedy little chancer. We are in charge! Look behind you…

‘OMG,’ she thought.

She looked in the mirror.

‘Alex, put your foot down!’

‘What?’

‘Faster, we’re being followed.’

Neither of them had noticed a motorbike following behind them for the last mile and a half.

‘Oh, fuck!’

‘I know…’

As they sped up, it was clear they were spooked. The trailing motorbike behind put its lights on, and its engine thundered into life.

‘Come on, move this bloody thing!’ she bellowed.

‘I’m trying but do you know how we are going to outrun a motorcycle?’

‘No?’

‘Didn’t think so… well, for the record, we can’t possibly. It’s faster and more agile than us.’

‘For what it’s worth, I’m sorry okay?’

‘What?’

‘I’m so sorry, for what I’ve got us involved in. All I did was send out a few phishing e-mails make guilty people uneasy. These people messaged back and said they had the money…’

‘Quiet! It’s pulling alongside us; we’ll talk about what’s right and wrong later.’

The motorcycle in the middle of the road. It was getting closer to the driver’s door. Phoebe and Alex slid down in their seats. The motorcyclist appeared to be waving for them to pull over.

‘Why don’t you bump him?’

Alex ignored her. She could see in the motorcyclist pulling level with the driver’s door.

‘Doesn’t look as though Alex is prepared to do anything?’ she thought.

Suddenly, she grabbed the steering wheel and forced the car to the left. They felt a thud, as Alex struggled to correct the wheel.

‘Are you crazy?’ Alex shouted.

‘One of us has to do something…’

The motorcycle sped up alongside them again, this time brandishing something.

‘What is that?’ Phoebe cried.

‘It’s a gun, you were right.’

Alex veered sharply to the left, but the motorcycle this time avoided them as they rounded the bend.

‘Brace yourself Phoebe.’

The road ahead was a straight as far as the eye could see. Alex dropped a gear and planted his foot firmly on the accelerator. Momentarily they appeared to be pulling away for the motorcycle. But then is began gaining on them.

‘Ready?’

As it moved to overtake them, Alex slammed on the brakes and opened his door. The bike smashed into the door at full throttle. The driver’s door was ripped off its hinges before the rider was thrown into the air. The car span off the road and collided with a tree.

‘Are you alright?’ Alex asked.

Alex was covered in glass, he looked to Phoebe and reached for her hand. She was shaken.

‘Yes. But Alex, what are we doing with?’ she nodded towards the stricken rider.

‘Phone…’ he demanded.

Alex got out, taking a bat with him. He kicked the gun into the undergrowth by the roadside. Then approached the rider.

‘It’s okay, he’s out cold.’

Alex took a picture on Phoebe’s phone.

‘Come on, out of the car and bring the bag.’

‘What? Why?’

Alex stood up the bike.

‘Here, hold this…’

‘What are you doing?’

‘Getting rid of our trail.’

He took a gas can out of the trunk and poured some gas in the front seats. He took her phone and wrote a message:

This is what happens when you follow us. Get stuffed!

He attached the picture and sent the message to their mark.

‘Alex, Alex! I can hear an engine coming towards us. Hurry up!’

Alex turned to see a light up ahead. Swiftly he lit his lighter and threw it inside.

‘Come on, let’s go!’ Phoebe cried out.

‘Okay, okay…’

Alex revved the motorcycle engine.

‘Hold on tight.’

Phoebe clung to him with the holdall clenched between them. Alex took her by surprise, taking them off the road and into the woods running alongside the road. They zipped between the trees, steadily climbing up hill as they headed away. Alex stopped the bike.

‘Are we alright?’

‘Not sure, I can still hear something.’

They listened.

‘It sounds like a bike.’

Alex turned pulled away again. They got deeper and deeper into the woods. But each time they stopped they could hear the other bike.

‘Alex, it sounds as though it’s getting closer.’

‘Shit. God damn it! No matter how far into the woods we go, they’re gaining on us,’ Alex sighed.

He looked around at their surroundings. In the distance he could faintly see a motorcycle headline approaching.

‘What do we do?’

‘Can you ride this thing?’

‘Of course, why?’

Alex got off, ushered her to ride away and hid behind the nearest tree. She swiftly rode away continuing to climb uphill. Alex remained out of sight and listened. The sound of Phoebe’s bike died away, while the other bike trailing them grew louder. Alex’s heart begun to race. He looked around on the ground beside him.

‘Oh, Alex what the hell are you doing in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night?’ he thought.

Soon the lights from the pursuing bike shone through the trees. It was only feet away. Alex only had a few seconds to think. From behind his tree Alex suddenly swung a large branch at the chasing rider.

‘Arrrhhh!’

The rider fell to the ground. Alex swung the branch again and struck the rider’s helmet. The rider kicked out and brought Alex crashing down. The rider leapt on Alex, pressing his full weight onto the branch against Alex’s throat.

‘Get off!’ Alex coughed.

Alex used all his strength to relieve the pressure around his throat.

‘This is it, I’m a dead man…’ Alex thought, closing his eyes.

Thud!

‘There’s the money, take it. It’s all there,’ Phoebe declared dropping the holdall.

The rider turned to examine the bag. They turned to Alex and continued to apply pressure.

‘My employers want me to kill the chancers who have been blackmailing them.’

‘Leave him alone, you don’t need them. Take the money and run.’

‘Just like you were hoping to do?’

Phoebe realised there was no reasoning with this man. She picked up the holdall and thrust it with all her might into the rider’s ribs. The holdall burst open and notes blew everywhere.

‘Oh, shit! Well, easy come, easy go… get up Alex.’

Bang!

As the bank notes fluttered to the ground, like leaves from a tree. The rider had produced a handgun and shot Phoebe in the shoulder. She dropped to her knees. Alex jumped to his feet, seething.

‘Your turn next…’ the rider declared.

‘You think so?’

Alex kicked the rider full force in the head. The gun dropped from his hand. Alex wrestled the rider, took off this helmet and headbutted him. Alex began punching the rider, he was not holding back.

‘Alex, stop! Stop it! I’m okay…’

Struggling for breath, Alex stepped away. Phoebe smiled at him.

‘Flesh wound…’

He smiled, just at that, the sky above them lit up and was an almighty crack! Then, the heavens opened.

‘It doesn’t rain but it pours…’

Phoebe held onto Alex.

‘Remind me not to come out with you again. Jeez, what a day… this morning we were working for Bmail, now we’ve got a charge sheet as long as your arm…’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Seriously? What about blackmail, extortion, assault, leaving the scene of an accident, arson and once we’ve collected all this money from the mud - money laundering,’ he laughed.

‘It’ll be worth it; you do realise there’s probably about $100,000 here.’

Alex looked around them with amazement. Now they just had pick it all up again.