Prologue.
20 Years Ago
Sitting in the back seat of the cab Ronnie West took on last look at the picture of his 3 year old son Mikey with his mother Sharon before putting it back in his pocket to get his mind on the task at hand. Ronnie was professional heist man and has been for most of his life. From banks to jewelry store, Semi-Trucks with expensive cargo to foreign cars, there wasnât much Ronnie felt he couldnât pull off. He always made friends with the right people, policeman, and even a few local politicians to make sure he could operate without much pressure on his back. And this heist today was possibly one of the biggest ones heâs ever pulled.
To help him he decided to reach out to a few guys in the old neighborhood he felt he could trust. First up was Gus Briggs local tough guy. Gusâs game was mostly intimidation, muscle, a leg-breaker for the bookies. Basically a bully. Ronnie used him as a look out boy when they used to rob stores as kids, and as they got older it was Gus who suggested strong arm and eventually armed robberies. Ronnie always looking for a bigger score while Gus just liked the thrill and the potential for violence.
Up next was Jim Waters. Jimmy wasnât much other than someone who always tagged along and did whatever Gus said. He was known as a fuck up when it came to his own affairs, and had a reputation as a coward. Jimmy was quick to pull a pistol out in an argument but never shot one person than anyone could remember. Ronnie felt he was more deadly with a pocket knife than Jimmy was with a gun. But that was Gusâ boy, so it didnât take much convincing to get him to tag along.
With Gus and Jimmy committed, all Ronnie needed was a wheel man. He couldnât think of anyone better than his good friend Sam Brown. Brown could drive almost anything in any situation. He wasnât much for the violence but as a getaway driver, he was top notch. Once he was briefed on the Bank Heist and the potential of money they would all get he was down as well.
And the score was a big score. Possibly the biggest score Ronnie ever staged. It came off as your everyday Bank robbery Ronnie had some inside information about a large shipment of cash being sent to the bank that day. Some local yahoo named Marus Franklin hit the megaball lottery for $250 million and wanted it all in cash. After taxes it was well over $100 million in cash. And Ronnie had information on what bank he would be at, on what day and what time he would be getting the money. Now because this yahoo was all over TV with the giant check smiling from ear to ear, everybody in the city knew what he looked like and all the attention in the world was on him. The banks really didnât want that kind of heat, so the plan was to have the money bagged up and ready for him hours before he even got there. So once he arrived all he had to do was sign a few papers, take a few pictures, load up his bags and be off, all under heavy police escort.
Now that might present a problem if someone was plotting to rob this guy at the bank, especially with the police around him 24/7. But what Ronnie figured out was that with all the attention on this guy, all the cops in the area were worried more about getting him to the bank safely and out of there, than watching the money before he arrived. In fact as it stood this morning, several streets were blocked off, and enough detours were set up that if someone one was bold enough to run in the bank, grab the bags of prepacked money and head in the correct direction, the police wouldnât be able to follow or get a description of the vehicle they fled in even if they wanted. Ronnie was exactly that bold.
20 Years Ago
Sitting in the back seat of the cab Ronnie West took on last look at the picture of his 3 year old son Mikey with his mother Sharon before putting it back in his pocket to get his mind on the task at hand. Ronnie was professional heist man and has been for most of his life. From banks to jewelry store, Semi-Trucks with expensive cargo to foreign cars, there wasnât much Ronnie felt he couldnât pull off. He always made friends with the right people, policeman, and even a few local politicians to make sure he could operate without much pressure on his back. And this heist today was possibly one of the biggest ones heâs ever pulled.
To help him he decided to reach out to a few guys in the old neighborhood he felt he could trust. First up was Gus Briggs local tough guy. Gusâs game was mostly intimidation, muscle, a leg-breaker for the bookies. Basically a bully. Ronnie used him as a look out boy when they used to rob stores as kids, and as they got older it was Gus who suggested strong arm and eventually armed robberies. Ronnie always looking for a bigger score while Gus just liked the thrill and the potential for violence.
Up next was Jim Waters. Jimmy wasnât much other than someone who always tagged along and did whatever Gus said. He was known as a fuck up when it came to his own affairs, and had a reputation as a coward. Jimmy was quick to pull a pistol out in an argument but never shot one person than anyone could remember. Ronnie felt he was more deadly with a pocket knife than Jimmy was with a gun. But that was Gusâ boy, so it didnât take much convincing to get him to tag along.
With Gus and Jimmy committed, all Ronnie needed was a wheel man. He couldnât think of anyone better than his good friend Sam Brown. Brown could drive almost anything in any situation. He wasnât much for the violence but as a getaway driver, he was top notch. Once he was briefed on the Bank Heist and the potential of money they would all get he was down as well.
And the score was a big score. Possibly the biggest score Ronnie ever staged. It came off as your everyday Bank robbery Ronnie had some inside information about a large shipment of cash being sent to the bank that day. Some local yahoo named Marus Franklin hit the megaball lottery for $250 million and wanted it all in cash. After taxes it was well over $100 million in cash. And Ronnie had information on what bank he would be at, on what day and what time he would be getting the money. Now because this yahoo was all over TV with the giant check smiling from ear to ear, everybody in the city knew what he looked like and all the attention in the world was on him. The banks really didnât want that kind of heat, so the plan was to have the money bagged up and ready for him hours before he even got there. So once he arrived all he had to do was sign a few papers, take a few pictures, load up his bags and be off, all under heavy police escort.
Now that might present a problem if someone was plotting to rob this guy at the bank, especially with the police around him 24/7. But what Ronnie figured out was that with all the attention on this guy, all the cops in the area were worried more about getting him to the bank safely and out of there, than watching the money before he arrived. In fact as it stood this morning, several streets were blocked off, and enough detours were set up that if someone one was bold enough to run in the bank, grab the bags of prepacked money and head in the correct direction, the police wouldnât be able to follow or get a description of the vehicle they fled in even if they wanted. Ronnie was exactly that bold.