Lucky Boys (Il Fortunato #1)

28. Brooks

CHAPTER 28

brOOKS

Skye adjusted my collar then took a step back, examining every inch of the uniform. I stood awkwardly, not loving the jumpsuit I was wearing. It felt awkwardly baggy in my legs and itchy around my shoulders. I couldn’t wait to get it off. Finally, Skye nodded, satisfied.

“Looking good, sunshine.”

I rolled my eyes. I was sure I looked amazing in this drab gray electrician jumpsuit thing. But if it got us into the Larsen house, I’d wear it.

Skye and I spent an extremely boring day of waiting around a tiny postal pick up hoping that Larsen or someone who could lead us to Larsen would show up. We chatted up the clerk who was friendly and spoke decent English, but she couldn’t give us any real information. Finally at 11:22am a man fitting Larsen’s description walked in to pick up his mail. He was an attractive guy, but nothing about him really stood out. He spoke to the mail clerk in perfect Finnish, friendly and polite, though he didn’t talk for long. He left and then we tailed him to the local grocery store and bought enough for one, maybe two if the second person wasn’t a big eater. Everyone in the shop had known him, and he’d stopped to speak to several people. Not for long, but he’d been attentive and kind, always asking questions and careful not to give any information away in his perfect Finnish.

It was stressful, and honestly a whole bunch of time just waiting around while this dude did every day errands. He didn’t do anything suspicious and never called or reached out to anyone once. Finally though he headed back to a house and we had a fucking address!

Once we had the location we traded off with Luca and Maverick who staked out the house and tried to find anything they could. From the outside, there was no sign of Matthew, and while Diego tried to hack the guy’s security, he wasn’t having any luck. Which is how we ended up here, wearing an electricians uniform and getting ready to sneak in. Sinche Diego wasn’t having any luck doing it remotely, we’d have to manually put listening devices and bugs in the house. While I was there, we’d also try to give his computer an undetectable virus that would allow Diego access to all his files.

It would also give us a chance to see if Matty was there. None of us could figure out why Damian had stopped making contact, if that was what really had happened. He seemed to be living a normal life in this Finnish village. He might have upped and left the house Covington had provided for him, but he wasn’t covering his tracks particularly well, and if he was as experienced as we guessed, that wasn’t an accident. If Covington really gave a crap, he could’ve found him a while ago. Damian wasn’t hiding—he was getting mail for fuck’s sake. I’d seen him on a smartphone. It seemed like the only person he was trying to avoid was Covington, which rang all kinds of alarm bells.

Anyway, it was a couple days later, and Skye and I were pretending to be electricians to get into the house. It had taken a bit to work out, as none of us knew Finnish and two Americans showing up at his house would be too suspicious. So once again, Luca had called in a favor to Kai and Martinez. They had helped out the Finnish ambassador in Moscow a few years back with something, which was when they’d built the house since they’d fallen in love with the area and had been able to get a favor. So in about twenty minutes, we were meeting an undercover Finnish police officer who would help talk us in.

Ideally, Skye and I could stay quiet, get in, plant the bugs, and get out. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I was nervous, though. I never did shit like this. I broke in at night or when the house empty. I didn’t go undercover. I didn’t have to fool a professional. I tugged on the sleeves of my uniform again. They were long enough to cover all my tats, but still, I had to be sure. We were trying to avoid any major identifiable features. I’d even taken out my facial piercings and I would be wearing a hat to hide my hair.

Skye could obviously see how nervous I was and cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. “You got this, sunshine. We got this. It’s just like any other job you’ve done. Let the expert do the talking, and you focus on what you’re good at: breaking us into his office and other high-profile rooms and getting these listening devices working.” He planted a big, sloppy, wet kiss on my lips, making me laugh. “And then Diego can do his thing. We’ve all got what we’re good at. You focus on your part and we’ll be golden.”

I chewed on my lip. I got his point. It wasn’t breaking into the office I was nervous about. It was getting into the house to begin with. We wouldn’t even understand what was happening. What if this cop guy was secretly a double agent and told Larsen the truth? We wouldn’t even know until it was too late. What if I got caught on my own? I’d be forced to speak English, and then Larsen would hear I was American and immediately know something was up.

Skye gently placed his thumb on my bottom lip and tugged it out of my teeth. I hadn’t even realized I was biting it. “You got this, Brooks. I believe in you.”

I took a big, heaving breath and finally relaxed my shoulders. I could do this. I had no choice. I looked up at Skye. “You’re right. I do got this. We’ll be fine.”

“That’s the spirit. Are you ready?”

No, but I had to be, so I nodded. He grinned at me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders and led me outside. “Come on. Rumor has it Martinez has a couple bikes here. Let’s take those to meet the cop. And let’s get out of here quickly before Luca can find us and start nagging us again.”

That got a real laugh out of me, and I was sort of relaxed by the time I put on a jacket, covering my uniform, and helmet. We met the officer in front of a little cottage twenty minutes later. An electrical van was parked outside.

A tall man in his early forties dressed similarly to us walked outside.

“Hello,” he greeted in a strong accent. “I’m Akseli Korhonen. I heard we’re breaking into a house today.” He was grinning, nothing like a police officer should be, considering we were breaking probably a zillion laws.

“Hi,” Skye responded, stretching out his hand. “I’m Skye, and this is Brooks. We really appreciate you helping us out today.”

He clapped his hands. “Well, when the ambassador calls for a favor, you can’t turn it down. Besides, Damian Larsen has been on our radar for a while, but we haven’t been able to get him.”

Skye cocked my head to the side. “Is anything we find admissible in court?” I hadn’t really thought about that, but he made a point. I mean, I didn’t know the Finnish law system inside and out, but I assumed that was the same.

Korhonen just shrugged. “Let me worry about that. Try not to kill anyone and everything else will be fine.”

I barked out a laugh. I liked this guy. “Can’t make any promises,” Skye replied with a raised eyebrow. “Ready to go?”

Korhonen rolled his eyes but headed toward the van. I bounced up to Skye, feeling a certain kind of way, grabbed his hand, and held on as we met the cop at the van.

Once we started driving, Korhonen went over the plan. “At 08:30, the electrical company received a phone call from the Larsen household about an outage.” One that had been cause by us, I might add. “He was informed that someone would need to come look at the issue. That’s us.”

“Do we actually have to fix this?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound as nervous as I was. I knew fuck all about electric wiring or whatever else, but Korhonen shook his head.

“No, one text message and his power will be back on. When we get there, I’ll do all the talking. You two stay by the van and look like you’re getting the equipment. Hopefully, he’ll walk away and let us in. If he waits or asks for ID’s, you give him the ones that were provided and stay silent. Do everything you can not to talk. Once we’re inside, two of us will go to examine the electrical problem, and the third will sneak away to plant the devices. If he’s not suspicious, we have fifteen minutes. If he is, then, well, we have less than that. Who’s staying with me?”

“I am,” Skye answered. “Brooks will plant the cameras.”

Korhonen nodded. “Very good. Check your body cams and communication devices. Make sure they are working now.”

I snorted, already doing just that. It wasn’t my first job, but the guy was doing us a huge favor so I kept my mouth shut.

“Mic check, D?” I asked when we were suited up.

“I hear you loud and clear. Skye?”

“I hear you.”

“Good. Luca, Mav?”

“All clear,” Luca responded.

“Brooks, adjust your button. It’s blocking the body cam,” Diego told us.

“Oh fuck.” I fiddled with it for a few seconds. “Better?”

“Yes. Okay, you’re both all clear.”

Just in time, too, because we pulled up to the iron gate that surrounded the house. It stood out since no one else’s home was fenced in, but the gate was unlocked and we were able to easily drive onto the property.

I had zoned out some but came back to the present when I felt Skye’s hand on my knee.

“You were bouncing it,” he told me quietly. Fuck, I hadn’t even realized it. I had to get a grip on my nerves. Everything spoke to Larsen being a professional. He would clock anything remotely suspicious.

We stopped right in front of the house, and I immediately started scanning my surroundings. I tapped Skye on his shoulder and pointed to the cameras. He nodded. “They must be battery operated, but his internet is out as well as electric. If things go right, then that virus will give Diego access to his computer and he can alter the security footage. Just be careful and keep your head down.”

I swallowed and tried desperately to find that center I always lived in during a job. I’d done this hundreds of times. The fact that our target was in the house made no difference.

“Someone was watching for us,” Korhonen muttered as Damian Larsen leaned against the wooden doorframe, studying us carefully.

There was nothing that specifically appeared threatening about the man. He was about my and Skye’s height with a lean frame. His hair was graying at the temples, and he had metal-framed glasses that he pushed up his nose. But none of that took away from the underlying feeling of “danger.” He might look unassuming, but one of the first things Pops had taught me was to never underestimate anyone. I had a feeling that Larsen had won many fights because he wasn’t taken seriously. I would not be one of those people.

“Careful, sunshine, Larsen is already suspicious,” Skye warned me unnecessarily.

Something just clicked then and all the nerves slipped away. I was locked in and ready to go. It didn’t matter if the dude was watching my every move. I could be a fucking ghost when I wanted to be. Skye nudged my shoulder in support, understanding in his eyes as Korhonen stepped out of the van and immediately started talking to Larsen in rapid Finnish.

I was worried that our plans was spoiled before we started when Larsen pulled out his phone and called someone, but after a moment he got off, seeming satisfied.

“How do we know when we need to get over there? I don’t understand a word they’re saying,” I asked, glancing at them quickly.

Skye threw a bag of equipment over his shoulder. I checked my pockets for the devices, which of course were right where I’d left them. Skye had a few as well. I would be doing the majority of it, but if he was in the position to plant some, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

“Body language,” Skye answered quietly. “Just pay attention. Korhonen knows we don’t understand them. He’ll make sure we know what to do.”

It made sense, and I reminded myself that even though I didn’t know Korhonen, this was literally what he did. He’d get us in. Soon, there was a pause in the conversation and Korhonen turned toward us. He said something in Finnish but at the same waved his hand and jerked his head. Come here.

We went.

Larsen looked us both over skeptically, and I thought we both did a decent job of looking bored as fuck and wanting to get on with our job. I was really glad we’d made sure all my tats were covered and I’d taken out my piercings. I had a feeling that Larsen had catalogued every detail he could see of us in that few seconds of examination. The fewer identifiable features, the better.

After a moment, Larsen nodded and let us through. Korhonen said something, probably thank you, and Larsen pointed toward a utility closet and then thankfully walked away.

Once we were on our own, Diego started to speak into our earpieces.

“Just checking the equipment now that we’re inside. If you hear me, B, scratch your nose.” I did as requested.

“Good. Brooks, watch yourself. I clocked three cameras already,” Maverick added.

Skye coughed and then casually ran four fingers through his hair. “Four cameras. Copy.” Mav said.

For two minutes, we all fiddled inside the closet. Even though Larsen had left us, I had no doubt he was around somewhere, keeping an eye on us.

“I’m going to talk to Larsen,” Korhonen whispered, careful that Larsen couldn’t hear us. He looked at me. It was our cue. Korhonen would distract Larsen long enough for me to sneak away and hopefully find an office or where he kept his computers. Maybe a bedroom too.

As Korhonen found Larsen to distract him, I easily snuck by and tried to guess where the best place was to get started. A kitchen lay directly in front of me, and a comfortable looking living area was to my back. I skipped both of those for now. There were three doors that were closed on the bottom level. I had to take a chance that once of them might be an office. The first was a bathroom.

I slid farther down the hallway and tried the second door. Locked. Bingo.

Besides the listening devices, I also had a lock picking kit in my pocket. It was a simple lock, one meant to keep kids out, not a professional. Honestly, it was a little disappointing. Still, I quietly pushed the door open, relieved to see a large desk with a laptop on top of it. “At his office. Door was locked, but I’m in,” I told them as I slid in and closed the door behind me.

“Good job, Brooks.” Luca said.

I was kind of silly that it was that he was proud of. It was just a lock. But still, I’d take whatever ‘good boys’ he’d be willing to give me.

I walked over to the computer first. “It’s off, D. Do I need to turn it on?”

“No. Just put in the drive and get the cameras up. I’ll do the rest.”

“Copy.”

Quickly, I pulled out the flash drive. Good thing Diego had sent us with all kinds of fun toys before we’d left. Once it was in the USB port, I left the computer alone and tried to find the best place to hide the bugs.

“Flash drive is in.”

“Thanks, B,” Diego said. I could hear him typing through his mic.

I quickly placed the bugs. They were tiny as fuck and, according to Diego, undetectable. I didn’t know who his contact was to get this kind of equipment, and it was probably better not to.

“Done. Can I take the flash drive out?” I asked.

“Hang on . . . Okay, go ahead, I’m in.”

I pulled it out and shoved it in my pocket.

“Your friend better move quickly,” Korhonen whispered, but I heard him. My heart pounded in my chest, but I left the office without being seen.

“I’m done in the office. Should I try to get upstairs? I can put some devices in his bedroom and look for Matthew.”

“No.” That was Luca. “Just get out of there. If you see somewhere else to leave one on your way, do it, but don’t take risks.”

“Got it.”

“I dropped one in the living room, sunshine,” Skye told me.

“Understood.”

I started to head to the front door, as Korhonen and Skye were already outside, when I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

“Uh, guys?” My voice hushed just in case Larsen could hear me, “There’s a kid here.”

A little kid with light, nearly white, floppy hair sat at the table, eating a sandwich and playing something on a tablet.

“Matthew?” Diego asked.

“No, a kid, kid. He’s like 6 or 7. He’s eating a sandwich.”

“Fuck. Does he look scared or in trouble?”

“No, he seems fine. He’s playing on a tablet.”

“Don’t talk to him then. We’ll figure it out later,” Luca replied.

“Can you get me a clear shot of him?” Diego added.

“Yeah, hang on.”

I slid around the corner, careful to stay out of the kid’s direct eyesight, but he wasn’t paying attention. “Got it.” That was from Diego. “I’ll start facial recognition on him.”

“Do it think it’s Larsen’s kid?”

“As far as I know, he doesn’t have any children,” Luca added. “But I guess it’s possible.” Not that the kid looked like him, but that was best-case scenario, right?

“Good job, trouble. Now get the fuck out of there.”

“Why is everyone always saying that to me?” I grumbled.

After about a minute, I was walking out the door. Korhonen pulled out his phone, and 30 seconds later, the power came back on. I breathed a little easier.

“I’ll go tell him we’re done. You two get back in the van.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. This job had gone way too smoothly. I wanted to be long gone before shit hit the fan.

Skye and I were already settled in the back when Korhonen came back. He didn’t say a word until we were off the property and on the main road.

“Fuck, we did it.” I breathed out a sigh of relief, already unbuttoning the top of the uniform.

“How’s it going, D?” Skye asked. “Do you have sound and visuals?”

“Confirmed. Even if he uses a scanner, these will be untraceable. I also started facial recognition on the kid. I’ll let you know if I get a hit.”

“Great job, everyone,” Luca chimed in. “Tell Korhonen we said thank you and that we owe him one.”

“Will do, boss.”

“There was no sign of Matthew,” I added, frowning. “I didn’t get to do as much exploring as I’d like, but there was no sign of a teenager living there, though I didn’t get in the bedrooms.” I was still a little salty about that. I felt like I could’ve made it, but I understood why they didn’t want me to take a chance.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him.” Skye squeezed my knee. “Now that we have eyes and ears in that place, it’s only a matter of time.”

I could only hope he was right.