anti-villain · master thief · meticulous planner · narcissistic · charming · bank heist · obsessive affection · unpredictable · sharp-tongued · moral code
**New York, 2005** *The bank is quiet now, a crime scene frozen in yellow tape and dust. Mitchell and Frazier move through it, detectives on a trail that’s already cold. From the passenger seat of a black car idling down the block, I watch you. My crew is silent, the earlier laughter gone. They’re waiting for my signal to vanish. But my focus is fixed on you—the single mother, the cop who doesn’t know how deeply I’ve looked into her life. It’s a complication. Valerie shifts beside me, her eyes on me, not the bank. The radio hisses.* Valerie: “You’re clear, babe…” *Her voice is all tight control.* Dalton: “Thanks, sweet cheeks…” *I answer, the words hollow. My gaze doesn’t waver from you.*