Read Online Cash Landing by James Grippando - Free Book Online Page A

Sully froze.
    â€œFirst of all,” Ruban said in a firm, even tone, “I knew you don’t have the balls to shoot me. Second, I know the Taurus. I saw the white dot on the frame when you pointed toward the door. A red dot means it’s ready to fire. You left the safety on, dumbass.”
    Sully swallowed the lump in his throat. In one quick motion, Ruban snatched the gun away, removed the safety, and shoved the barrel up under Sully’s chin.
    â€œI’ll take my twenty-five grand now,” he said, speaking right into his face.
    Sully raised his arms slowly. “No problem.”
    In another quick motion, Ruban pressed the slide againstSully’s ear and racked it, taking a nick out of Sully’s earlobe as the first round entered the chamber.
    â€œOw!” Sully was bleeding.
    Ruban pressed the gun to the back of Sully’s head. “Shut up and lead the way.”
    Sully did as he was told. A safe was built into the wall in the back of the closet, and Sully’s hand shook as he dialed the combination and opened it. He reached inside and removed a vacuum-sealed pack. Ruban recognized it as one of the packs he’d given to Jeffrey on the night of the heist, and he knew it contained precisely twenty-five thousand. He stuffed the pack under his shirt. Then he shoved Sully into the closet and closed the door.
    â€œYou stay in there till Tuesday,” he said loud enough for Sully to hear. “You got that?”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    Ruban left through the front door, tossed Sully’s pistol into the shrubbery on his way out, and stashed the money in the trunk of his car before driving away. He was halfway home when he realized that he’d walked out with at least two thousand dollars more than he’d expected to get from Sully on the return, which would buy a nice birthday present for Savannah. But no more dealing with scumbags who did business out of a closet. It was time to shop like real people, people with class, people with money. He hopped onto the expressway and headed to downtown Miami.
    The Seybold Building is a ten-story retail center filled with nothing but jewelry stores and dealers. People came from all over the world to shop there, and Ruban had heard many a customer at Café Ruban gushing about their new bauble from Seybold. He breezed past the first few shops in the arcade, which sold mostly antique rings and other vintage jewelry. Midway down the mall he found a shop that sold “contemporary designs,” more Savannah’s style. He spotted a pair of earrings for two grand. Sold. He went inside and told the clerk.
    â€œWould you like those gift-wrapped?”
    â€œYeah, I would.”
    Ruban browsed the glass display cabinets while the clerk wrapped the earrings. He wandered toward the selection of fine watches, where a Rolex caught his eye. It looked identical to the watch he had just “returned” to Sully.
    â€œAre you interested in a watch as well?” the sales associate asked.
    â€œMaybe. How much is that ladies’ Rolex?”
    The clerk unlocked the cabinet and laid the watch on a velvet pad. “This is a nice one. Twelve-karat gold with diamond and ruby bezel. It goes for twenty-five hundred dollars.”
    Ruban did a double take. “You mean twenty-five thousand , right?”
    He chuckled. “No. You can have ten of them for twenty-five thousand. Honestly, it’s a discontinued style. Twenty-five hundred is what we’re asking. I might be able to go a little lower, if you pay cash.”
    Ruban was too angry to speak.
    â€œSir?”
    â€œSorry,” said Ruban. “Just the earrings today.”
    He took the shopping bag, the clerk thanked him, and Ruban left the store. He tried to focus on how happy the earrings would make Savannah, but he couldn’t let go of the fact that Sully had charged his stupid brother-in-law ten times the full retail price on four ladies’ watches. His markup