Adrian woke up with his head on a table.
The bar was gone. Sunlight through blinds. He was back at Victor's mansion. Someone had brought him here.
Stacy sat across from him. Laptop open.
"You passed out," she said. "Tony carried you in."
Adrian sat up. His mouth was dry. His skull throbbed.
"Victor wants to see you."
Victor was in the study. Map on the wall. Red markers.
He didn't look up when Adrian walked in.
"Los Angeles," Victor said. "I have a rival. He has something I need."
Adrian stood by the door. "What something?"
"A hard drive. Financial records. Enough to ruin him." Victor turned. "I want you to steal it."
Adrian said nothing.
"You'll have four people. You, Andrew, Stacy, Tony."
"Four isn't enough."
Victor nodded. "Then find a fifth. Someone you trust."
Adrian thought. Only one name came to mind.
Tony drove. Adrian gave him the address.
The city changed block by block. Skyscrapers became brick buildings. Brick became empty lots. Then trees. Then nothing.
Adrian watched out the window. He hadn't been back here since he left.
The cab hit a pothole. Adrian's head hit the roof.
"Sorry," Tony said.
Adrian rubbed his skull. The roads got worse the closer they got.
The compound appeared behind a chain-link fence. Same faded paint. Same rusted gate. The grass was tall now. Knee-high. No one had cut it in months.
Tony parked. Adrian got out.
The air smelled like wet dirt and old metal. He walked to the fence. The loose section was still there. He pulled the wire back. Slipped through.
His shoe sank into mud. Cold. Seeped through the fabric.
The courtyard was empty.
Kids used to run here. Now just leaves. Cracked pavement. A swing set with one seat missing.
Adrian walked slow. His footsteps echoed off the buildings.
The kitchen door. Still didn't close all the way. The storage room. Lock still broken. The hallway where he first met Marcus.
He pushed open the main door. Inside smelled like bleach and old paper. A woman sat behind a desk. Gray hair. Reading glasses. She was signing forms.
Adrian knocked on the doorframe.
She looked up. Squinted.
"I'm looking for Marcus."
She set her pen down. Thought.
"Left. Years ago."
"Where to?"
She shrugged. "Didn't say. Heard he runs something now. South side. Old factory district." She paused. "He's not the boy you knew."
Adrian nodded. Turned to leave.
Through the window, he saw the back fence. Where Marcus first told him to stop waiting.
Tony drove south.
The buildings got shorter. More boarded windows. Graffiti on every wall.
The street was wet. No rain. Just damp from somewhere.
Music thumped. Low bass. Adrian felt it in his chest before he heard it clearly.
He told Tony to stop. Got out.
The sidewalk was cracked. Weeds growing through. A stray dog watched him from across the street. Didn't move.
Adrian followed the bass. A warehouse. Red door. No windows.
Two guys stood outside. Both young. One in a hoodie. One with a gold chain.
"This is private," Hoodie said.
"I'm looking for Marcus."
They looked at each other. Gold Chain went inside.
Adrian waited. Hands in his pockets. The cold bit his ears.
A minute passed. Two.
The door opened.
Marcus stepped out. Older. Leaner. Scar on his cheek. Same sharp eyes.
He stared at Adrian. Then smiled.
"Look who found his way back."
They sat in a back room.
Concrete walls. Folding chairs. A table with cards on it. Marcus's crew moved around them. Maybe ten guys. Some young. Some older. All watching Adrian.
"You running this?" Adrian asked.
Marcus nodded. "Someone had to." He leaned back. "Why are you here?"
Adrian told him. LA. A heist. Victor. The hard drive.
Marcus listened. Didn't interrupt. Just tapped his finger on the table.
"Good money," Adrian said. "And I need someone I trust."
Marcus was quiet for a long moment. Then he stood.
"I'm in. But my crew comes if things go sideways."
Adrian nodded. "Fair."
Marcus extended his hand. Adrian shook it.
The grip was firm. Same as when they were kids.
Back at Victor's mansion, Marcus stood with his arms crossed.
Andrew sized him up. "This the guy?"
Adrian nodded.
Victor walked in. Looked at Marcus. Then at the rest of them.
"LA. Tomorrow. This is the target."
He spread a map on the table. A building. Three entrances. Security cameras marked in red.
"Adrian and Andrew go in through the roof. Stacy handles the cameras from the van. Tony drives." Victor pointed to Marcus. "You're on the ground. Watch for cops. Call it in."
Marcus nodded.
Andrew went to the corner. Unzipped two large bags. Guns. Gadgets. Zip ties. Smoke grenades.
He started loading magazines.
Victor looked at his watch. "Plane leaves in thirty minutes."
Tony was outside. Leaning on a black SUV.
Victor walked up to him. Handed him a set of keys.
"Your new ride. Waiting for you in LA."
Tony's eyes went wide. He looked at the keys. Then at Victor.
"You serious?"
Victor didn't smile. "Don't crash it."
Tony grinned. "Fast is my only speed."
The plane was small. Private.
Adrian sat by the window. Stacy across from him. Andrew and Marcus in the back. Tony was already asleep.
The engines hummed. The runway lights passed by.
Stacy looked at Adrian. "You nervous?"
Adrian watched the ground fall away.
"No," he said. "But I should be."
The plane lifted into the night.
LA was waiting…