~But I can't hold you, too close now,

Through the wire, through the wire~

"I didn't come here for a job." Louis erupted, his usual loud self. "I told you, I'm out."

"Let him talk." Zayn said weakly, shielding the infant's ears.

"Tell them the payout." Ed nodded to Simon.

"The three of them aren't interested in the payout." Simon said, hitting the wall softly. "This job gets me out. I've planned it over and over again, and it'll work. This is my last job."

"Your last job?" Harry was confused, as was everyone else.

"Elaborate." Zayn said, also clueless on this topic.

Simon began by walking over to the whiteboard and writing two names up there. Simon and Nick. "Nick is my brother. Both of us are successful businessmen. And we have a yearly contest, fiscal year, in which we see how much money we can each make illegally."

"I am so confused." Harry said, putting his head in his hands.

"I rob banks, that's a lot of what I do. But I'm getting old and tired of the contest."

"How does it end?" Louis said, tense. He repeated himself when Simon stayed silent. "How does this dumb contest end?"

"When one of us gets caught. But we can't turn each other in. But I planned a way to stop all of this. It's so genius, that I'm sad that I've never thought of it before." He paused, like a teacher, letting everyone's brains absorb the knowledge that he had given up. Then he circled his brother's name on the whiteboard. "This year hasn't been the best. I'm not making my usual money. That's another reason to go big or go home."

"Spit it out." Ed rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to rob my brother. Well, you guys are going to. Hopefully."

"I'm in." Zayn said, face emotionless.

"As am I." Ed said, putting his hand in the middle of the table. Zayn also put his hand there.

"I'm sensing there's more." Louis was quiet until that moment.

"We have to break out Perrie and Niall to make this work."

"I'm in." Harry said immediately, placing his hand on the table. Louis looked at him, eyes full of confusion. "If we can break out Niall, than I have to be in."

"But, you see, we need Perrie to break out Niall. That's how she fits into this scheme of things. And Perrie will not participate in the break-out unless Luke and Palmer are also broken out."

"No." Louis said.

Zayn hit his head on the desk purposefully and hard.

"I don't want to do this." Liam said, his breath coming in quicker than usual. "I don't want-" He pushed the chair back from the desk, shoving his head between his knees and staying there.

"I'm not letting my dumb boyfriend do this alone, so, I'm in. And then all of us are done from crime." Louis made the statement for everyone, and they agreed.

"What's the payout?" Harry whispered to Simon, finally.

"3 million."

Liam slapped his hand in the middle of the table fast as lightning.

"Okay," Simon said before another second passed. "We break Perrie out in one week."

"That's not enough time for prep." Louis scowled. "And she's in England. We're in America."

"Flight leaves at 7, boys." Simon tossed the tickets across the table at each of them. "Sorry, but they're business class."

"Better get the sleeping pills." Harry winked at Zayn, who shook his head as he held back giggles.

"I'm not scared of flying anymore."

"Lies." The other three said, and then the four of them giggled. Ed watched them, an amused smile on his face. He was too tired to say anything, or even participate.

It was just like old times, except Niall was gone. But soon he would be back, and life would be normal. Well, as normal as you can be when you're always looking over your shoulder.