[Poison]

"Get that door open, now." I hissed at Mike Devon, my partner in crime. Here we were, outside of a upmarket little place in the city on a frosty winter's night. Dressed all in black, our faces shielded by balaclavas.

See, Mike and me were thieves. Burglars. Whatever you wanted to call it, we broke into places and took what wasn't ours.

Mike was the muscle, dealing with occupants if they ever got out of hand. In his late twenties, he was a good fifteen years younger than me. He'd been in the Army once upon a time, too, and his clean cut, muscular physique was something of a contrast to my average, slightly pudgy frame.

"You got it, Reynolds." He whispered back, getting to work on picking the lock.

While he did, I kept lookout. Dark as it was, we were terrified of being seen by nosy neighbours. The weight of my M1911 inside my coat was something of a reassurance.

As Mike picked the lock and I kept an eye out, I took a quick look inside the building. What I saw took my breath away.

"Whoah..." I gasped, thrilled at the sight...