It was only 8 a.m. and already the heat was oppressive. Picking up his iced coffee Lom moved to an inside table at the café. Bank was always late; he'd never been on time as long as they had worked together.

Putting down his phone he powered up a new burner phone. He reviewed the photos and information on it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bank arrive. He gave Lom a quick wave and headed off to order a drink.

"What are you looking at?" asked Bank as he placed his coffee on the table and sat down.

"Pictures of our friend, Adi, and his family. His wife is Mint. They have two sons, Run and Tin. Run is 20 years old, Tin is 10."

"That's quite the age gap," said Bank. "Sounds like someone was a surprise baby."

"Mint's family is in the United States. Her mother was very sick so she spent several years there taking care of her mom. When her mother finally passed away, she returned to Thailand. Tin might have been the result of Adi welcoming her home," said Lom.

"So, how are we going to do this?"

Bank appeared nervous and kept shaking his leg. He was not ready to leave collections behind but was afraid to admit this to Lom. He had no idea what would happen if Lada went into labor while they were on this job. He hadn't told his wife anything but she had questioned him more than usual about work.

"Okay, first, take this burner phone. No mention of anything on our personal phones and don't call the burner numbers from your phone. Also, don't refer to anyone by name, only numbers. Not our names, not the targets' names."

Bank took the small phone from Lom and powered it up.

"Second, we're gonna need a crew of about six to eight guys. They'll grab the family, drop Adi off for us, and move Mint and the kids to another room at the same location. You and I will deal with Adi separately from the rest. Okay?" Lom waited to see what Bank would say.

"Where's the location?" asked Bank.

"Here, I put the address in a text. It's not finished being built yet and one of the subsidiaries owns it so no one will bother us if I tell the boss." Lom didn't want to mention his father's name, he was paranoid now.

"Okay, cool. How will they move the family without a fight or the police being called?"

"They keep the air conditioning on all the time at their house. We'll have one guy slip inside while they sleep and make sure all windows and doors are shut tight. Once that's done, he'll return to the group outside. We'll pump the gas the boss secured for us through the central air unit and knock them all out at once. They should be down for forty to sixty minutes. By the time they wake up, they'll be bound and waiting at the location."

"Cool. Sounds like a smooth plan. What skills do we need on the crew?" Bank had worked for Ton a lot longer and wondered who Lom chose for the mission. Although he knew Lom was a great guy, there was a lot of hatred for him within the organization simply because he was Ton's son. He wasn't sure they could trust everyone Lom would pick.

"I'm leaving that part to you. You've worked with almost everyone and they like you. You know their strengths, their loyalties. I trust your judgment. Make sure they aren't going to screw us over because of me being involved." Bank stared at Lom. He'd never realized Lom was aware of how many people disliked him. Now that he knew, Bank felt sorry for him. His father didn't trust him, the men didn't like him, and yet he was expected to prove himself.

"Okay. I'll choose a top crew, one that will be loyal to both of us. Thanks," said Bank.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Thanks for trusting me to pick the crew. I thought you were going to do it all to try to prove something to your dad. Thanks for letting me do this half of it." Bank had always liked and trusted Lom but now he respected him as well.

"Sure, of course. Ton thinks of you as a good employee who knows the job and you are the only one I trust to have my back. I have a bunch of burner phones for the crew once you pick them." The two men sat in silence drinking their coffee before heading out to begin their preparations.

Lom visited the secure location for the fifth time. He checked out nearby areas through windows facing out in every direction. He noted the schedules of nearby businesses, who had employees arriving and departing, which places received deliveries, and at what times, etc. He gathered chairs, rope, blindfolds, water, and other materials they'd need. All that was left was to abduct the judge and his family.

After lunch, Lom texted Bank to meet up for an iced coffee. Bank arrived 25 minutes late which made him smile. They sat down and enjoyed their drinks. Bank smiled shyly at Lom. "Guess what I did?"

"What?" Lom asked, wondering what would make Bank act this way.

"I went to the temple to make merit today and spoke to the monk about a baby blessing for Little Bank."

"You went to the temple? Did Lada die from shock when you told her?" asked Lom.

"I didn't tell her. She's been yelling at me for years to make merit and to get on the right path. I decided to surprise her so I set the date and paid for the baby blessing already!" Bank was proud of himself.

"When you get home, she's going to be so happy! Too bad she's so pregnant because otherwise she'd be giving you some love for this," said Lom.

"I'm not going to tell her until the day Little Bank is born. I want to surprise her and show her I'll be a better father than I have been a husband. I'll tell you this much: the seventeenth of next month, mark it on your calendar."

Bank wouldn't stop smiling. "Can you believe, I'll be a father? My whole life I've never done anything right. I never got good grades at school, my parents were always upset with me for getting into trouble, and now this job... Sure we make more money than other jobs but it's not honest or safe. After the baby, I'm going to tell Ton I am quitting. I don't want my baby to grow up without me and I don't want Lada to worry anymore."

"I figured you might. Or really, I figured Lada might force you to quit. It sucks we won't be partners anymore but you better not forget me. I still expect to be invited over for Lada's cooking and to spend time with Little Bank! Hopefully, we can still go out for coffee like this," Lom said, smiling at his friend.

"You know we will. It'll take more than a baby to break up this friendship," laughed Bank. Lom realized Bank was probably his best friend. He hadn't had a best friend since Fah. It was nice to have someone to just bullshit with.

"So the seventeenth? I'm looking forward to it. I guess this is our last job together. Our first promotion and our last job." Lom sighed.

"Okay, I picked the crew. I didn't want to expose anyone's names so I didn't text you. I gave them the burner phones you gave me. Everything is set into motion for Saturday. They got the perfume the boss is sharing with us, and the equipment." Bank waited for Lom's response.

"Perfume?" laughed Lom. "Is this a crime movie? Has the eagle landed?" Lom laughed even harder.

"Shut the fuck up, you were the one who told me not to be specific!"

"Okay, okay, I'm glad it's all ready for work to begin. We just need to wait for Saturday then. Why don't you go spend some time at home with the mama-to-be and relax a little?"

"Cool, Lom. Hey, thanks for understanding why I'm quitting."

"I get it. I'm glad things are going well for you. Do you have any idea where you'll work after this?"

"I have a friend who works at the water park. They need people there."

"Are you sure you want to do that, Bank? The water park with kids, teenagers, and tourists? The job you have now might be safer," Lom teased. They spoke a bit more then went their separate ways.