The tiny engine strained to accelerate up a hill as we sped out of the city. Three guys, plus our recently-acquired cargo; close to 500 kilos in total.

“Nothing yet,” said Jeff, listening to a police scanner in the passenger seat.

Still, I checked my mirrors for any sign of flashing lights. But it looked like we were clear for now.

We followed our GPS to the drop point on an old logging road, and got out of the car to look at our prize. The dark metal cube, about 20 centimeters on a side, sat undisturbed in the middle of the trunk. Pure Osmium. With the precious metals market hotter than ever, there was no better time to pull a heist like this.

The buyer arrived in a beat-up green minivan.

“How do you want to do this?” I asked.

“Your money is in the back, in three separate bags, like you asked. Just load the cube into my van.”

“Maybe you’d better just take our car. It’s heavier than it looks.”

We split up and walked back to the highway separately. A million dollars each; not bad for a night’s work.