Chapter 16 #4
I press my fingers to my temple, trying to process the sheer madness of it all. “And what happens if you miss? If the jump doesn’t work? Or if the system doesn’t let you in?”
Koen’s smirk softens into something more serious. “Then we’ve failed. But if we don’t try, we’ve already lost.”
“What’s the point of living if you’re not gonna have some fun?” Ace shoots me his signature line, his gaze steady on mine.
Nicholas mutters under his breath, his frustration clear. But he doesn’t argue further as he sits back with a scowl etched into his face.
I glance at him, trying to find some shred of logic in this madness. “Can’t you get us access to the rooftop? You live in the penthouse.”
“No, they’re right.” Nicholas exhales, his frustration evident. “The rooftop is the most secure part of the Heights. The transmitter up there is worth millions. It controls all the information and security feeds for her entire network. You’d need security protocols, biometric scans, and—”
“Still. Wouldn’t gathering what we need to get up there be easier for us?” I ask, cutting him off. “I could—”
“No, Novalee,” Koen says firmly, his expression serious.
“Yes, it’d probably be easier. Safer, for sure.
But we’re doing it in style, our style. Oscar’s style.
Nobody will talk about this for years if we don’t make a show out of it.
We’re Oscar-fucking-Lane’s family. If we do something, we do it right. ”
Nicholas’s fingers tap against the armrest again. “You’re betting everything on one night.”
“We are,” Ace agrees. “Because it’s the only way to take them all down at once. If we try to pick them off one by one, they’ll scatter, and Veronica will cover her tracks.”
“Fuck, Copy,” Nicholas mutters, looking at Koen. “This could end in a disaster.”
“We’ve planned for every contingency,” Koen counters.
“Have you, though?” I challenge. “Because it sounds like there were gaps the first time around.”
“That’s why we’re revisiting it now.” Ace’s gaze is still on me. “To make sure there are no gaps this time.”
“And some new tricks,” Koen chimes in, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Coins and cards.”
“Speaking of… how will we communicate if it’s outside?” Ace asks, his brow furrowing slightly.
“Same as inside,” Sylus replies with a shrug. “Earpieces.”
“Will that… work with your… you know?” I glance at Koen, hating myself for asking that in the first place.
Does everyone in here know?
“His hearing aids are even more high-tech than the earpieces. It’s no problem to make them act as some,” Sylus answers as if it’s not a big deal at all.
Maybe it isn’t.
Koen shrugs. “What he said.”
It definitely isn’t.
Ugh, I’m an idiot.
Nicholas frowns. “Veronica will notice me wearing one.”
“So, you won’t,” Sylus says smoothly. “At least not until she knows that she’s fucked.”
“And what happens after?” I ask, turning to Koen. “When the show’s done, you’ve stolen a Lamborghini, and the Strip is buzzing with chaos?”
“We’re off to live a happy life elsewhere,” Sylus says smoothly, pulling me closer.
“And where would that be?” I arch a brow when he kisses up the side of my face.
“The plan was Malta.” Koen shrugs. “But I think Italy has a nice ring to it.”
“It does,” Ace agrees.
“I heard they have pretty good food,” Sylus whispers in my ear.
“What do you say, Snickers? Ever been to Italy?” Koen asks Nicholas.
“No, but I could get used to the idea.”
Italy. Tuscany. Rosalee’s dream.
My escape plan.
Find some crumbling villa surrounded by golden hills, sip wine under the stars, and forget about the ghosts that haunt me. I thought it was mine alone, something I’d chase after when everyone else was gone.
But it’s like they’re inviting themselves into that dream, not as intruders, but as partners. Family. It could be not just my escape.
It could be ours.
And the thought terrifies me. Not because I don’t want them there.
God, I want that more than I’ve let myself admit.
But because I’ve always imagined this ending with me alone.
Now, I’m daring to picture something different.
Koen’s laughter echoing through a sunlit kitchen, Nicholas lounging near the pool with Sylus doing embroidery next to him, and Ace and me playing cards in the shadow of a pine tree.
A life. With them.
I let my gaze drift across the room, taking in each of their faces. Koen with a confident smirk on his lips. Nicholas, skeptical but listening. Ace, with his eyes only on me. And Sylus, leaning against me with that maddening grin that says he’s ready to burn the world down if it means winning.
Still…
“This is insane,” I whisper, shaking my head.
“It’s brilliant,” Koen counters. “Trust us, Little Thief. We know what we’re doing.”
Do they?
Because as much as I want to believe in their plan, there’s a gnawing fear deep in my chest. If they’re wrong, if even one part of this elaborate, high-stakes spectacle goes off script, this doesn’t only end in failure.
It ends in flames.
Literally.