Chapter 6: stealing from my girlfriend

“You have got fifteen minutes!” The man’s voice echoed in Joe’s head as he headed to Rosie’s home.

Joe walked quickly.

He hoped Rosie’s father wouldn’t be home, but his hopes were shattered when he came across the sleek black car parked in the driveway.

Her father was home.

Shit, Joe thought. This keeps getting worse.

Not wanting to draw any attention to himself, Joe decided to circle around to the back of the house.

He knew the layout well; after all, he had spent countless evenings here.

He made his way to the back door. The house was quiet.

Good! Everyone was asleep.

Joe’s heart pounded in his chest as he approached Rosie’s father’s study. He knew the parcel had to be there. He had come across the safe some time ago.

Joe’s eyes darted around until they landed on the safe.

Then, just as he reached for it, he heard a sharp click, followed by a high-pitched whine.

The alarms.

He had triggered the security system.

He heard footsteps pounding up the stairs before he could even think of what to do next.

They were coming.

The door to the study burst open, and Jack, Rosie’s father, stepped in.

Behind him were Rosie, her brother Brandon, and Aaron. The sight of them made Joe’s stomach drop.

Jack didn’t hesitate. He stormed toward Joe and, with a hard slap across the face, knocked him to the ground.

“You goddamn thief!” Jack roared, grabbing Joe by the collar and yanking him to his feet. “You come into my house to steal from me? After all I’ve done for you?”

“Please,” Joe gasped, holding up his hands in surrender. “It’s not what you think—”

“Shut up!” Jack barked, shoving Joe toward the door. “I trusted you, and this is how you repay me? Sneaking around my house like a rat, trying to steal what’s mine?”

Rosie stood there, staring at him. Joe’s heart broke when he saw the disgust in her eyes.

“Dad, let me deal with him,” Brandon said, stepping forward. “This piece of trash doesn’t deserve your time.”

Joe turned to Rosie, pleading. “Rosie, please, you know me. I wouldn’t do this. I was forced—someone made me come here.”

“My friend’s in danger, and they said if I didn’t get the parcel in this safe, they’d kill him.”

As he spoke, Rosie didn’t even look at him.

“You’re pathetic, Joe,” she said quietly, “You think we’d believe a word you say? You’re a liar and a thief.”

“I know why he did this?” Aaron said, stepping forward. “He just couldn’t stand seeing us together.”

Joe shot Aaron a look. He removed my eyes from him, turning to face Rosie.

“I’m telling the truth,” Joe said. “Please, I never wanted to hurt you or your family. I was trying to protect my friend—”

“Enough!” Jack shouted, cutting Joe off. He turned to Brandon. “Call the police. Let them take care of him. He’s going to rot in jail for this.”

Brandon nodded, pulling out his phone and dialing. “I’m on it.”

“No, no, please don’t call the police,” Joe begged. “You don’t understand. If they don’t get the parcel, they’ll kill Jerry. I didn’t have a choice. Please...”

“You made your choice the moment you walked into my house intending to steal.” Jack spat.

Tears burned in Joe’s eyes. He had never felt so hopeless, so completely trapped.

“Please,” he begged again. “You can’t let them kill Jerry. I’ll do anything; just please don’t call the cops.”

But none of them listened. Brandon was already on the phone, talking to the police, while Jack and Rosie stood by, watching Joe with disgust.

“You’re going to jail, Joe,” Jack said coldly. “And you’ll never see the light of day again. You’ll rot in a cell for the rest of your miserable life. I will make sure of it.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, but no one seemed to care.

The sound of police sirens in the distance sealed his fate.

Joe knew at that point there was nothing he could do.

Before Joe knew it, the police had arrived. He was dragged downstairs by Brandon.

“Officer Micheal,” Jack greeted the officer, then he turned to face Joe.

“This man,” Jack spat, “tried to steal from me. From my own house!”

The officers turned their attention toward him.

“Wait, please! It’s not what it looks like!” Joe blurted out.

He held his hands up in a futile attempt to show that he wasn’t a threat. “I was forced to come here! I didn’t have a choice!”

The officer closest to him narrowed his eyes. “Forced? By who?”

Joe fumbled for words. “There was this man... He has my friend. He told me if I didn’t come here and steal something, they’d kill him! I swear, I didn’t mean to—”

But Jack cut him off, stepping in front of the officer. “He’s lying! Don’t believe a word of it. He’s always been trouble, always finding ways to weasel his way into things he doesn’t belong in. Arrest him!”

The officers exchanged glances, clearly unsure of who to believe. But Joe could see the doubt in their eyes.

He was an outsider here, a man with no power or influence. Jack, on the other hand, was untouchable.

“I’m telling the truth!” Joe said. “My friend’s in danger, and I had no other choice—”

Without waiting for him to finish, one of the officers moved toward Joe and pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt.

“Put your hands behind your back,” he said coldly.

“No, wait!” Joe cried. “Please, just listen to me! You have to—”

But the cold metal of the handcuffs snapped around his wrists before he could say another word.

As the officers began to lead him toward the police car, Joe caught sight of Aaron.

“Guess you’re cursed, Joe,” Aaron sneered. “How else do you explain always getting into trouble like this?”

Joe’s blood boiled at Aaron’s words, but he could do nothing.

He wanted to shout and fight back, but he knew it would only make things worse.

The doors slammed shut behind him, leaving Joe alone in the suffocating darkness of the van’s metal cage.