Chapter 128 Deadlock and Ambush
Bell was busy for another half an hour before she finally stopped. After a short break, she washed her hands and returned to the second floor.
Her sweetheart in the room was already snoring. Bell gritted her teeth to keep herself from kicking him off the bed.
The next morning, Luke was woken up by Elsa again.
This time, he didnât answer the door until he was dressed.
He asked Elsa to sit down while he washed his face.
When he was almost done, Elsa asked, âWhat did you find yesterday?â
Luke shrugged and said, âNothing new.â
Elsa wasnât very disappointed. After all, they were already clear on the robbersâ plan.
Luke added, âHowever, I tampered with their car. I think itâs possible to stop the car at the right moment.â
Dazed for a moment, Elsa then got excited.
The robbers were important, but the eight million dollars even more so.
If she and Luke could find the money, their operation wouldnât be for nothing, and NYPD would have to tolerate them because of it.
Luke finally asked, âHas the boss reached a deal with NYPD yet?â
Elsa shook her head. âTheyâre not giving in. Itâs still a deadlock.â
Luke chuckled. âThatâs fine. They probably will when the next bank is robbed.â
Elsa said, âLetâs hope that NYPD canât afford a fourth robbery.â
Luke was rendered speechless by her gloating remark.
They acted exactly the same as before.
Elsa went to the police department as the liaison, while Luke kept an eye on the four women.
Wearing his earpiece, Luke had breakfast at the fast food restaurant near the robbersâ warehouse and eavesdropped on them.
From what he was hearing, the robbers wouldnât take action until tomorrow.
At the moment, they were planning the operation in the warehouse.
After an entire morning, the four women finally had lunch and took a break, and so did Luke.
Luke returned to the apartment and greeted Bell, before helping her with car repairs again.
âCan we get it done by tomorrow morning?â asked Luke while he tried to help.
Busy with the work, Bell replied, âYes, if I work all night.â
Luke asked, âHow long do you need if I help out?â
Bell said, âIn that case, probably by midnight.â
Luke said, âAlright, letâs make it so.â In any case, Bellâs car was only a backup, and might not be put to use.
That night, Luke took another tour of the four womenâs warehouse, only to discover that they had already gone to bed.
Luke wasnât surprised. Those people would start their last operation probably at five in the morning. It was only reasonable that they would sleep early.
Confirming that the four women hadnât run off, Luke returned to his apartment again.
Bellâs car was almost ready. To quote her, she never expected Luke to be so useful.
Luke chuckled at that. Tony Starkâs abilities were more than useful.
Elsa was back, too. She even observed Luke and Bell as they worked, but she wasnât interested in helping at all.
The best thing the female detective could repair was probably her gun.
Jessi, Bellâs sweetheart, dropped by as well. Luke simply buried his head below the engine hood when they kissed and cuddled each other.
At eleven that night, Luke returned to his room to rest.
He asked Elsa again in passing, but NYPD still hadnât given in yet.
Luke reminded her, âTheyâll perform their last operation tomorrow morning. Are you sure thereâs still time?â
Elsa said, âMaybe not, but thatâll be NYPDâs problem, not ours.â
Luke was suspicious. âReally?â
Elsa said, âOf course. Remember to get up early tomorrow. Weâll ask Bell to drop us off at the Nassau border.â
Luke snorted, knowing that his partner was planning to fly solo without NYPD.
If NYPD still wouldnât give in, she could still acquire the A8, where the robbers had stashed their loot, as important leverage in her negotiations with NYPD.
Luke understood her thoughts and nodded. âAlright, Iâll go to bed soon.â
At half past six the next morning, Luke was woken up by Elsa again.
After he indicated that he would be ready to go in ten minutes, Elsa left to wake up Bell.
Today, Bell was going to take them to the Queens-Nassau border for their possible chase-and-run.
Though slightly tired, Bell soon cleaned herself up and went downstairs.
Today, she was in red sportswear.
Luke remarked, â...Bell, weâre going to be chasing robbers today. Are you sure they wonât pick you out as their primary target because of your eye-catching clothes?â
Bell said, âAlright, Iâll change.â
A moment later, she returned in bright yellow sportswear.
Luke opened his mouth, only to come up with nothing.
He remembered that Bell had been in bright green sportswear when they first met, so all her clothes were probably in the same style. She would probably have to stay in the car later.
Luke pointed out the route, and they slowly drove past the four womenâs warehouse.
With the bugs, Luke heard them making final preparations; they were clearly ready to leave.
He checked the time. It was slightly past eight.
In the next moment, a white BMW 760Li drove out of the garage.
Luke smiled at the four women who looked like men in their suits, hats, masks and sunglasses. âLetâs go, Bell. Weâll wait for them on the road up north.â
Bell said regretfully, âItâs a pity that I canât race them again.â
Luke was lost for words. â...Donât even think about it unless you want your baby to be impounded again. Elsa might not be able to help you next time â NYPD might even revoke your driverâs license because of her.â
Bell found that odd. âWhy?â
Luke said, âBecause weâre going to steal their credit today.â
Bell was stunned. âArenât you detectives who transferred here recently? Theyâre so mean to their own people?â
Luke chuckled. âWeâre officers from LAPD, not NYPD.â
Bell said, â...I donât care. I would rather help you than help those who locked up my baby for days. At least you got my baby back and brought him back to life, didnât you?â
Luke grinned. âOf course I did.â
Bell asked, âAre we in a hurry?â
âNo, Bell, normal speed will be fine. They wonât be able to go so fast.â Elsa clearly didnât want to suffer another near-death experience.
Bell shrugged regretfully. âFine, letâs go.â
Half an hour later, the three of them appeared on the Nassau border.