A motorhome sat quietly by Corona Avenue in Queens.
Rango squeezed through the slightly narrow door, glancing casually around the interior.
On one side, a cleverly converted counter served as a shoe rack. In the center were a couch and a coffee table, clearly, the couch doubled as a bed at night.
The entire rear of the van was taken up by a compact but fully equipped kitchen: fridge, sink, counter space, stove, everything was there.
Despite the tight quarters, the place was spotless. Several small potted plants added a bit of life to the space.
"Beer or whiskey?"
"Beer. I don't want to get drunk on my first day back in New York."
Catching the cold can Kevin tossed over, Rango slumped into the couch and glanced around.
"What's going on here? You sold the house?"
"Bank took it."
Kevin sat across from him and chuckled. "Man, a whole lot went down while you were gone. Mom's got hit in a wreck on her night shift… she gone now. Insurance been playin' games, takin' forever to pay up, and I couldn't hold down the mortgage by myself. But shit, sleepin' in a van still beats layin' out on the damn sidewalk."
Rango's brow furrowed as he sighed. "Life is a f**king movie, bro."
He raised his can solemnly. "To Dana. She was a great mom."
"To Dana."
Kevin managed a faint smile as he clinked his whiskey against Rango's beer and downed it in one gulp.
"By the way, what was that scene in the park earlier?"
Rango wiped his mouth and gave him a curious look. "You used to freak out over big dogs. And now you've got the guts to pull a smash-and-grab in Manhattan?"
Kevin waved his hands in protest. "First off, I ain't the one who jacked those purses or that ice. That was Doug and his boys. I just helped 'em move the stuff, made a lil' side money, that's all. Second…"
He looked dead serious. "That was no regular-ass dog. That was a damn Caucasian Shepherd—bigger than grown folks! I was nine, bro! Pissin' my pants? Shit, that was the only sane reaction!"
Seeing how hard he was trying to defend himself, Rango and Ted exchanged a knowing look and chuckled.
"So, how's Doug and his gang doing these days? I bet they were the happiest when I left New York."
Growing up as a white kid with oriental in Queens, Rango had dealt with plenty of crap from street punks. But with two lives' worth of experience and the confidence from his system, he was never going to be a pushover.
One night, when some punks tried to extort him again, he pulled a revolver straight out of his backpack and shot at their legs.
From then on, he always carried knives and blades. If anyone messed with him, he wouldn't hesitate to draw a weapon.
That ruthlessness earned him quite a reputation in the neighborhood. He made a bunch of friends and followers and was a notorious schoolyard menace in those days.
"They're rolling with a biker gang leader in Brooklyn named Dominic now. Been making good money these past few years. But that's not important. Rango…"
Kevin paused, hesitating. "You still remember what went down with your moms and pops disappearin'?"
Rango's eyes widened. He jumped to his feet and stared hard at Kevin. "You saw them?!"
"Uh… no. But…"
Kevin scratched his head as he recalled, "Right after you sold the crib and dipped out of the country, there were a couple of nights. Some dudes in suits and shades kept lurkin' around your old spot. They had crucifixes, silver swords… real exorcist-type stuff. So I started thinkin'… maybe what happened to your folks ain't as simple as we thought."
Rango slowly sat back down, fingers tapping the armrest as he sank deep into thought.
Nine years ago, he was just a high school kid. One evening, he came home like always, only to find the house eerily empty. Burn marks stained the walls, and the whole place was trashed.
His parents, who had just returned from a business trip, had vanished without a trace.
The police claimed it was a fire, but no ignition sources were found. None of it added up. But back then, he was just a teenager. Powerless to uncover the truth.
Then his sister died during childbirth. Disheartened, he gave up on college and followed Cobb to go outside the US.
"Forget it…"
Rango shook his head and pushed the thoughts away. After stubbing out his cigarette, he turned to Kevin and said, "I'll find time to look into my parents later. Right now, my priority is Emma."
He repeated what the orphanage director had told him earlier. Kevin looked closely at the man and the bear in front of him.
Ted was still his same fluffy self. As for Rango…
Wearing a plain brown jacket over a black pair of jeans, with a watch on his wrist that looked decent but clearly wasn't any Rolex Kevin recognized, he seemed far less impressive than Kevin had imagined. No wonder he was stressed about housing and work.
Thinking he'd seen through Rango's situation, Kevin suddenly got up from his seat. After checking outside through the van's window to make sure no one was watching, he quickly shut the door and pulled the curtains closed.
Then he switched on the light and pulled out a rolled-up sheet of paper from a compartment in the shoe cabinet.
"Kevin… what is this?"
"Shh."
With utmost care, Kevin unrolled the paper and spread it out on the coffee table. "I got a plan," he said, real serious. "If it goes down the way I'm thinkin', not only you get that house situation handled, we 'bout to come up big, like real money big!"
"Uh…"
Ted squinted at the blueprint of Roslyn Savings Bank in front of them. "Wait… are you trying to rob a bank?"
"Bitchin'."
Kevin smirked with confidence. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I've been laying the groundwork for years. This is a flawless heist. Zero loopholes!"
Before Rango or Ted could interrupt with their skeptical expressions, he launched into the details. "First, we get in the bank. Janitor, security, doesn't matter what the job is, just gotta get our foot in the door. Then we show up every day, do the work, and gain their trust. Play them like puppets."
"Not bad," Rango said, raising an eyebrow. So far, it wasn't a terrible plan.
"How do we get the money? Blow the vault when no one's around?"
Kevin chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "No need for explosives, my man. That's the genius of it. The bank gonna drop the money straight into our accounts on its own. Week after week. Month after month. They won't even know they been hit. And after twenty or thirty years, we just stroll out the front door clean, no heat, no risk, nothin'."
"…"
Rango and Ted both froze. Something didn't feel quite right about this plan.
"I think I get it now," Rango said after a deep breath. "It's a decent setup. But before we do anything, I have to ask…"
He turned toward Kevin, who was still buzzing with excitement over his "flawless" idea, and said bluntly, "Do you maybe not know the difference between robbing a bank and working at one? Thirty years? Who the hell pulls a job and then sticks around for decades?!"
Kevin's mouth opened but no words came out. After a beat of silence, he gave an embarrassed laugh. "Guess I'm not cut out to be a criminal after all."
Rango chuckled and shook his head. "You've got the wrong idea. It's not about the money. I'm not broke. I've just been away from New York for too long. Felt a little lost on my first day back."
Ted added, "Yeah. The deals we closed in Africa and Central Asia? We could buy hundreds of vans like this without even blinking. Rango's not stressed about money. He's stressed about the job."
"Job?"
Kevin blinked. "What's so hard about that? Stores on Roosevelt Avenue are hiring every day. With your experience, you'd get in anywhere."
"Dishwasher? Cashier? Sales clerk?" Rango fired back. "You really think a director as strict as the one at the orphanage would let me adopt Emma if I'm working a job like that?"
"Hmm… good point." Kevin nodded in agreement.
In this country, even close relatives had to pass rigorous background checks to adopt a white girl. The requirements were no joke.
"Wait!" Kevin suddenly sat up straight and held up one finger. "My uncle works at the museum. They hirin' night guards right now. Pay's solid. And the museum director? Dude's big time in New York high society. If you land the job and he vouches for you, adoptin' Emma gon' be a breeze."
"Security guard?" Rango frowned. He didn't come back with millions just to play doorman for someone else.
Still… if it helped him adopt Emma, it might be worth it as a temporary move.
Nodding to himself, he asked, "Where is it?"
"Manhattan. The American Museum of Natural History."
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