Black Girls and Bad Boys: Stealing Loretta Read Free Page B

of her
– she couldn’t remember who or when. A few minutes later, the police arrived
and started taking statements.
    Loretta gave her account of events to a
sympathetic female officer. She left out the part about the kiss. There was
nothing to be gained by going over that again. Not to mention how mortified
she’d be if Sean Thomas found out.
    No. Those were five minutes she’d take to
her grave with her. It had been a reaction to the shock of the robbery. Her
life had been in danger.
    But then she remembered the way he’d
carefully pointed his gun at the floor. He’d never intended to hurt her.
    That didn’t excuse him from armed robbery.
    The police finished up and people started
to leave. Where the hell was her boss? A sudden burst of anger put her on her
feet. That lazy sod was out doing who knew what while she had to deal with
robbers and guns and the police.
    “Okay everybody, we’re closing for the
day.” She’d wait until Sean came back and then leave herself. He could hang
around for the forensics team to turn up.
    The last of the customers drifted away and
everyone else got their things from the staff room. Loretta fetched her handbag
from her office and waited by the door.
    ***
    W ith their firearms stashed away and their
balaclavas gone, Jordan and Danny looked pretty inconspicuous walking into the
shoe-shop next to the bank. Ursino had made a small investment to make sure the
security cameras wouldn’t be working in there.
    There was no need to tell Danny to keep his
cool. Thank god they didn’t have Bill to worry about.
    “Well, that went pretty smoothly.” Danny
cracked a smile for the first time that day and Jordan slapped him on the back.
They changed out of their black jackets into colourful green and red ones.
They’d agreed to split up for the next part. Jordan went first, walking out of
the side entrance and out into the shopping centre. Danny would catch up with
him in the car park.
    He wasn’t handing the cash over to Ursino
until that evening so he had to stash it in a safe place for the meantime.
    As he strolled past the shop windows,
Jordan felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was bound to be Gina. He
brought the mobile out and sure enough there was a text from the lovely lady
scrolling over the display.
    Are you done yet? How about lunch? And
then we could get some food.
    She just didn’t stop. His thumb hovered
over the screen lock. More sex would be good right about now – his blood was up
from the robbery and he had an abundance of nervous energy.
    His mind went back to the bank. To the bank
manager and her irresistible lips.
    He put the phone away.
    Yes, he was horny. But he didn’t want to
screw Gina. And there was something he could do about that.

CHAPTER 2
    ––––––––
    L oretta had a clear view of the high street
from where she was standing, so she spotted Sean coming long before he noticed
anything was wrong.
    His expression grew more sour the closer he
got to the bank. “Where is everyone?” he asked when he reached her.
    “We’ve been robbed. The police have been
and gone.” She stepped outside, holding the door for him.
    “What are you talking about?” He swapped
places with her without thinking.
    “While you were out, there was an armed
robbery. They cleared the tills.” She clammed up, remembering how the gun had
felt pressed into her ribs.
    “You let them take the money?” His face
puckered and her last nerve gave way.
    “That’s what we’re supposed to do, in case
you’ve forgotten. Or would you rather they’d shot me?” Her hands curled into
fists and her chest got tight. “Look, I’m going. You’ll have to wait for
forensics.”
    “Forensics?”
    She sighed, tears gathering at the edges of
her eyelids. Explaining it to him was more than she was capable of. She needed
to go home. Actually, she needed a stiff drink. “Not now, Sean. Please.”
    She made to leave, but he caught her by the
arm. “You can’t go. This is your