"One last straw, Argyle, and you will spend the rest of your life in jail," the deputy's tone was firm as he shot the man in front of him with a stern look.
Argyle scoffed and then slid his toothpick to the corner of his mouth, he had been receiving several warnings from this exact deputy, each time he got caught and arrested whilst carrying out the act of thievery.
"Yes, Mr. Greyson," Argyle gave the man a mocking-two finger salute and then chuckled.
He just completed his six years of jail term and neither was it a new thing to him. He had spent most of his time in jail either way.
"Get out of my office," the deputy pointed at the door and Argyle nudged his head forward, shoved his hands in his pockets, still facing him, he took steps backward until he was out of the deputy's office.
A dirty smirk played across his lips as he pushed his hair backward and made his way out of the jail's premises.
His smile didn't wave off even as he waited for the prison guard to unlock the gate.
Shoving his hand into his pocket, he slipped out his cell phone, popped some buttons, and slammed it against his ear.
'What do you want?' An enraged feminine voice inquired from the other end of the phone.
"I just want to speak with my daughter, Pumpkin."
'Do not call me that,' he heard the sound of a door being closed with a thud.
"Fuck, fine. I just got out of jail and I'd like to speak with my daughter. How old is she now? Thirteen? In grade six?"
There was a gasp.
'You moron, Natalie is nineteen and in college,'
"Oh, my bad. She grew up so fast, didn't she? When will you let me see her, Lilly?" Argyle threw the toothpick on the floor and crunched it with his boot-clad feet.
'She has a sensible person as a father, Argyle. Staying away from her life is the most considerable thing you've ever done.'
"Do not speak to me like that, dammit!" He cursed aloud because these words sliced through him, "She needs to know your shitbag husband isn't her father. Why do you keep depriving me of seeing my child? Because you swim in wealth while I don't? It's been eleven years since you took her away."
'Sixteen, you dumbhead. Your weak memory is doing you no justice, quit stealing and consider restarting grade one.' Lilly disconnected the call immediately and Argyle cursed deeply under his breath.
Natalie was three years old when Lilly took her away and claimed full rights because he was incapable of taking care of her, aside from that he was a criminal. Choose stealing as a hobby instead of doing something legal like a real man.
Argyle went to his usual pub to get himself some drinks. He simply had nowhere to crash because he was certain his landlord had thrown his things out six years ago. Not as if he had any valuables.
Just a cell phone and a fifty-dollar note with him.
Tonight, he needed to steal to survive or die of starvation and homelessness.
Dawning the last of his beer, he picked up his phone and called a friend of his that he was out of jail.
The next hour was spent catching up and stuff. His three friends, Gyle, Crispy, and Big Tony were talking about a three-million-dollar diamond that they saw in a jewelry shop.
It was barely three hours since Argyle's release from jail, yet he was considering doing anything to have some money. He didn't care if he'd risk getting caught, he needed cash.
"I say we go tonight," Argyle spoke up in the middle of the heated conversation.
"It will be complicated, man. Abled guards are securing the shop."
"You just got out of jail and you wanna rob the same night?"
His friends stared at him in shock.
"I fucking need money," Argyle gritted out and then slammed his fist against the bartender's tabletop, earning a glare in return.
"Sorry," he murmured and then fixed his gaze on his friends, "how much did you say is the diamond again?"
"Three million dollars, man." Big Tony responded, "we've been observing and it seems kinda hard to trespass."
"Nonsense," Argyle waved a hand away, "I say we go tonight. I'm penniless and homeless."
"But security is tight,"
After much persuasion from Argyle the Mastermind himself, they finally agreed to go rob the jewelry shop that night.
It was late evening when the gang hid at some darkened corner, dressed themselves up as elegant women, and shoved their rifles into their briefs, fully prepared to carry out the mission.
With Argyle leading, they made their way into the jewelry shop in the pretense of wanting to buy jewelry. The security guards in front let them in, thinking they were wealthy women because they arrived in a fancy car.
They observed the pieces of jewelry in the shop, feigning fake feminine giggles and fanning themselves with hand fans.
Immediately the diamond in the show glass reflected in Argyle's eyes, he looked around to see if the security guards were watching, because a few were inside as well.
"This diamond was brought from Germany a few days ago," the shop's manager told Argyle.
"It's eye-catching, may I know the worth?" Argyle asked in a low effeminating voice.
"Three million dollars, miss." The shop's manager provided.
"Oh, I see." Argyle fluttered his fan on his face and then faked a smile at the manager, "I feel hot all over sudden. Having so much makeup generates heat at times," he concluded with a fake laugh before eyeing big Tony who wiggled his fake boobs in front of a security, and earned a scowl instead.
"Well, I must say you should reduce it, if so." The manager smiled at Argyle and then paused, before blinking in wonder when he saw something odd.
"Wait a minute, is that a half-shaved mustache on your face?"
Argyle immediately threw his fan over the floor and bent over, "Christ, my fan just slipped off my hand like that," he pushed his hand through his gown and slipped the gun out from his briefs, and hid the gun behind him.
While the shop manager's eyes widened in horror. How could a woman act so unladylike?
"You were saying?" Argyle hid his mustache with the fan and batted his fake lashes at the manager. Meanwhile, he was cursing Gyle under his breath. Why did the man shave half of his mustache and left half? The fucking foundation couldn't hide it all.
"That you.." the shop's manager's mouth parted in horror when Argyle pointed the rifle to his head, "hand over the diamond now or I'll shoot you." Argyle used his real voice this time, bemusing the shop manager even more.
"You're a man?"
"Hurry or I'll shoot you?" Argyle glared at the old man, before nodding at Big Tony to deck the security in front of him.
It all happened in a swift motion when the men punched the securities, wrestled guns out of their hands, and even gave them chokeholds.
The shop manager had his hands up in the air in surrender as he drew closer to the diamond because Argyle was still aiming the gun in his direction.
He pulled out the diamond from the show glass and threw it at Argyle who caught it midair with his left hand.
Just then gunshots sounded in the shop. It was the security outside. They were shooting the thieves through the glass doors and as Argyle tried to hide with the diamond, he sustained a bullet right on his head, something which splattered his brain in the process.
His knees gave out underneath him like he wanted to pray and he slumped and died immediately. While the diamond lay a few meters away from his body, stained in his own blood, yet uncovered parts still reflected both rainbow and white light.