Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Declan
By Sunday, the tension in Raven’s apartment is getting to us both.
Partly it’s the doctor’s instructions not to do anything ‘strenuous,’ and damn it if he’s not right. My thigh is healing, the wound closed and a scar forming, the surrounding bruise now a fading green-yellow. But it’s still swollen, the muscle stiff and quick to cramp as soon as I push it.
Much as I hate to admit it, certain activities would hurt like hell.
We kiss, and it quickly grows hot and heavy.
I love the way her hands claw at my shirt, or slip beneath to lie flat against my skin.
More than once, she forgets about my side, fingers brushing the wound.
The sting adds spice I never thought I’d like, and the guilt in her beautiful eyes is its own turn-on.
I have to admit, when it comes to her, I may be a little fucked up.
She never lets it go further, and I’m not yet strong enough to pin her down and force the issue. I’d be more than willing to risk any discomfort, but every time I reach for her, she gives me heated looks then slips away, telling me it’s too soon, for my own good.
I don’t know if she’s doing it deliberately or to protect me, but the frustration is tangible. For both of us.
My leg isn’t fit to ride by the time we need to leave. Every gear change would hurt, and though I’m desperate to get back on the bike, Raven’s more practical.
“What would happen if you cramp at seventy?” she asks, ordering an Uber on her phone. “It hurt you putting your jeans on.”
True. Didn’t think she’d noticed. “So you were watching.”
“You’re easy on the eye,” she murmurs. “That’s just genetics. You got lucky. Don’t get a big head.”
I’ll take it.
It feels strange to be in a car for the ride to the Art District, but nice to be able to sit next to her.
As if we haven’t seen enough of each other this past week.
Still, I let my hand fall naturally onto her leg, and she doesn’t object or move away. There’s tension in the air even here. We don’t speak on the journey, yet I’m conscious of her every movement, every breath. I think it’s the same for her.
We reach Kurt’s unit and she helps me out of the car. I grimace at the flight of stairs up to his rooms.
“Should we meet elsewhere?” she asks.
“No, that’s crazy. I can do it.” And I do, one step at a time, like an old man.
Fuck, I hate being debilitated.
“There he is!” Dario greets us with his usual ebullience.
Raven gives him a hug, and it takes a special effort not to clench my fists and scowl at him for that.
Cole’s there, lounging on the sofa. Tasha’s on her laptop, of course.
Cammy gives me a knowing look that makes me double-take, wondering what Raven’s told her.
And Kurt Renner, the mastermind of this crew, sits in his ridiculous Chesterfield, his elbows propped on the arms, regarding me like he can see right through me.
“Good to have you back, Declan,” he says.
“Thank you for Steven’s services.” It’s polite, maybe even prudent.
He inclines his head, acknowledging my thanks, if not my debt.
Raven sees me to the couch and fetches us both a coffee, and we all settle down, watching Renner expectantly.
“This is the big one,” he begins, voice quiet as always. Today, it adds anticipation, and though I resist the urge to lean forward, the others don’t. “Our target is a corporate vault, Meridian Pacific Capital, in San Francisco.”
This causes a stir. Tasha doesn’t respond; of course she already knows. But Cole speaks up.
“Corporate? That’s not our usual play.”
“Because the payoff is massive. Ignoring the reserves of unmarked, untagged cash, and gold bars we probably won’t bother with for weight reasons, that still leaves something in the order of fifteen million in uncut diamonds.”
Dario grins. Raven sucks in a breath. Cole leans back, looking thoughtful.
And I see an opportunity.
“How the hell do you know?”
Kurt focuses on me. “Because that’s my job.”
“Sure. But forgive me if I need a little more… faith.” I frown, figuring it out. “Meridian Pacific? What is that, foreign?”
Kurt inclines his head. “Chinese.”
“Why would they be keeping that amount of stones?”
Kurt holds my gaze, his eyes flat and cold. “Escrow.”
“What?” Dario asks.
But I get it. “So they’re a clearing house, and the diamonds are sanctions evasion? Moving money across borders without financial surveillance? Some kind of private transaction, and they’re doing the dodgy deal?”
“Exactly that.”
Dario chuckles. “You’re smarter than you look, Declan.”
I ignore him. “But how do you know, Kurt?”
His expression gives nothing away. “That’s my business.”
“Corporate security isn’t a jewelry store near Rodeo Drive.” I hold his gaze. “Armed guards, 24/7. Biometric access controls. Monitored elevators, motion detection, CCTV everywhere. I need something more concrete than your say-so.”
“This is my crew, Declan. This is the job we’re doing.”
“I agree with Declan,” Raven says, unexpectedly. “This is a significant jump up. We had one guard on the last job, and people could’ve gotten killed. Now we’re breaking into a foreign-owned building with private security?”
“Our lovebirds have a point,” Cole adds. “I get the payoff, but we’ve never done a corporate job before.”
“We do banks,” Cammy says, drawing eyes because she so rarely speaks at these briefings. “I can’t drive the van into a corporate area without getting picked up on more cameras than even Tasha can handle.” She glances at the other woman. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Tasha murmurs.
Kurt takes a moment to look around his crew, sensing the shift against him that I may have instigated. I force myself to stay relaxed, but I sense the moment he makes his decision.
“Very well,” he says. “Declan is correct, Meridian Pacific is holding the stones while a financial transfer is negotiated. I have corroboration from external parties as to the value of that. The stones are there.”
“Fifteen million, you said?”
“Correct.”
I lean back into the couch. “It’s not worth it.”
“What?” Dario says.
Cole tilts his head to me, a smile on his lips. Cammy’s gaze snaps my way.
“Declan…” Raven murmurs.
It’s interesting there’s no reaction from Tasha, but then she must already know more than the rest of us. She’s Kurt’s technician.
“Fifteen million of uncut stones without provenance are hard to move in bulk. You’ll get what, forty cents on the dollar?
Then he takes his share.” I gesture to Kurt.
“What do you usually take? Forty percent? Fifty? That leaves three million, split six ways. Half a mill each, for a job with this much risk?” I look at Raven, because she’s the emotional lynchpin of this group. “What do you think?”
She doesn’t answer, frowning in thought.
“Unfortunately, I’m forced to agree again,” Cole says. “And you’ve forgotten we’re sinking five hundred grand in costs to make this happen. That’s seventy grand from each of us, if you want to look at it like that. Seventy in the hand to five hundred in the bush? It’s a tough ask, Kurt.”
“I promised you seven figures,” Kurt says quietly, and we all stare at him. “Declan’s right about the fencing costs, but the money’s all yours. I won’t be taking a cut. That’s six million split six ways. A million to each of you.” He focuses on Raven. “Enough for you to ride as long as you want.”
“Why aren’t you taking a cut?” Dario asks the question first.
“Because he’s getting paid another way.” Cole provides the answer I’ve already reached.
Kurt inclines his head. “True. That’s why we’re doing this job.”
“There’s something else, isn’t there?” I ask, my heart rate picking up. This is the information I need to give to Mercer, I can taste it. “What else is in that vault?”
Kurt smiles but says nothing.
“What is it?” Raven asks. “What’s so important that we’re risking our lives for it?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kurt says. “Suffice to say, it’s worth enough to me that I’m giving up my three mil for this job, and you all get a million, cleaned and paid in crypto. Now, is that enough, or not?”
He’s asking everyone, but his gaze is on Raven.
She shrugs. “I told you I would.”
And that gives the permission for the others to agree. I have to hand it to Kurt; he knows Raven’s value the same way I do.
“Yeah, I’m in,” Dario says. “Could use a million.”
“Me too,” Cammy adds.
Cole nods thoughtfully. “I think that tips the balance.”
Tasha still hasn’t spoken, but no one expects her to. Her involvement is taken as a given. Instead, they’re looking at me.
“Sure, why not.” I want to dig more, but I know Kurt won’t give anything else away.
And now I have enough to whet Mercer’s appetite.
“One last point. We break into this place, figure out some way into the vault, inevitably trigger some alarms, private security descends on us. Seems getting in isn’t as hard as getting out. We’ll need an exit plan.”
“We have one,” Kurt replies. “Meridian Pacific Capital’s HQ is a building nine hundred feet high in downtown San Fran, and the vault’s on the top floor.” He focuses on me. “Everyone here knows how to parachute. Do you?”
My eyebrows rise. “An urban BASE jump? Are you shitting me?”
Raven leans forward. “He’s got a goddamn gunshot wound in his thigh, Kurt.”
“He has time.” Kurt laces his fingers together, his confidence restored now that we’ve all agreed. “I’ve set this up to give you as long as I can. Two weeks from today. We can’t wait a day past that.” He nods to me. “You’ll be healed in another week; that’s one more to practice.”
“I’m going to need practice too,” Raven says.
“We all are, save Cole here.”
“And I’m the instructor again?” Cole asks, like he knows the answer. He winks at Raven. “It’s not been that long, babe. It’s like riding a bike.”
“You’ve done this before?” I murmur to her.
“We all have,” Kurt replies. “So my question stands: do you know how to parachute, Declan?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I’ve jumped out of a few planes.”