Chapter 18 #2
My cheeks burn as I glance at the guys, but Sylus laughs, clearly unbothered. Ace’s lips twitch, almost forming a smile.
“It’s complicated,” I mumble, trying to downplay it.
“Girl, don’t even try to it’s complicated me. You’re living the dream. The fantasy. Told you manifesting works. What do we say? We don’t chase, we attract.”
“Oh, I chased the fuck out of her,” Sylus interjects, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. “She punched a guy in the face, took me home, kicked me out, then vanished into thin air, and I spent days trying to track her down.”
That little gossip.
Annabelle blinks at him, then turns to me, eyebrows arched. “You punched a guy?”
I shrug. “He deserved it.”
“He absolutely did.” Sylus leans closer, his grin widening. “But I didn’t deserve her vanishing on me. That part? Completely uncalled for.”
Annabelle snorts, shaking her head. “You mean you didn’t catch on that she was a runner?”
“She’s not just a runner,” Sylus says dramatically. “She’s a magician. One second, she’s there, all glitter and sass, and the next? Poof. Gone.”
“Sounds like you worked for it,” Annabelle teases, leaning on the table with a sly grin.
“Worked for it?” Sylus laughs. “I earned it. Blood, sweat, and tears. But it was worth every second.” His smirk softens as he turns to me. “You were worth every second.”
“Ugh, cute.” Annabelle groans, rolling her eyes dramatically, then she turns to Ace. “And you, fellow blondie? What’s your deal?”
I jump in quickly before Ace can speak, not ready to unravel my entire backstory right now, “We were together when we were teens. He’s from my hometown. I just… found him again.” Annabelle doesn’t know all the details of my past, and this isn’t the time to lay it all out.
Ace glances at me, a flicker of amusement in his eyes as he smiles faintly. “Yeah, we must’ve manifested getting back together a lot.”
“So damn romantic,” Annabelle swoons, clutching her chest. “And now you’re telling me you need my help for… what exactly? Need a bridesmaid?”
“I wish,” Sylus mutters, while Ace shakes his head but doesn’t argue.
“No bridesmaid needed, thanks.”
Annabelle might be over the top, but she’s my safe place. And for once, it feels good to let someone into this insane, tangled life I’m trying to navigate.
The server returns with our drinks, setting down our caramel monstrosities. Belle takes a slow sip of her latte, sighing in exaggerated bliss. “God, I needed this. Okay, spill. What’s this thing you need me for?”
I glance at Ace, unsure how much to reveal. “Well, it’s not pure coincidence why I’m with these particular guys,” I start carefully, stirring my latte. “They need my help to pull something off.”
“Something?” Belle echoes, her eyebrow arching.
“It’s a show,” Ace says, surprising me by jumping in. “The Lane brothers are planning one pretty soon.”
“A show?” Belle perks up, her excitement palpable.
“Yeah,” Ace continues, sipping his coffee like he isn’t dropping bombshells. “But it’s not your usual magic show. It has a bigger purpose.”
“Which is?” Belle leans in.
“To bring down some very bad people,” Sylus interjects.
Belle looks between the three of us. “Okay, I’m intrigued. What do you need me for?”
Ace sets down his cup, meeting her gaze evenly. “We need to ensure the bad guys are in the crowd that night. For that, we need to make them come. They’re all working for Veronica Harrington.”
Belle freezes, her caramel latte hovering just shy of her lips. “Wait, Veronica Harrington is the bad guy?”
“Yes,” Ace confirms.
Annabelle’s gaze snaps to me. “But you said you’re with her son.”
“He’s not the bad guy.” I wince. “And technically, I’m not—”
“Okay.” Annabelle cuts me off. “Veronica Harrington is bad with bad-guy employees. Nicholas Harrington is good guy. Go ahead, Blondie.”
Ace shoots her a playful glare but continues, “We want to send a message that looks like it’s from Veronica to make them attend, but we can’t use her phone directly.”
“If we can get access to their phones, I can make it look like the message is from her, even though it’s not,” Sylus jumps in. “But to do that, we need to get their phones, alter what we need, and return them without them noticing.”
I take a sip of my drink, watching Annabelle closely. “And since we need four people to pull this off—”
“Done.” Annabelle cuts me off before I can finish. “I’m in.”
“You don’t even know—” I start, but she shakes her head.
“Babe,” she says firmly, setting her cup down. “You’ve never asked me for anything in the last six years. It’s always been me needing you. You need me now? I’m there. No questions asked.”
God, I love this girl.
But she needs to know what she’s getting herself into.
“We could mess up. This could be dangerous.”
Annabelle’s gaze flicks between Ace and Sylus, sizing them up. “You know what you’re doing?”
“Yes,” Sylus says confidently. “I wouldn’t risk her if we didn’t.”
“Agreed,” Ace adds. “This part of the plan isn’t the risky one. Your role would be pure distraction. Nothing more.”
“I can do distraction.” Annabelle smirks, leaning back in her chair. “Hell, I thrive on it.”
Ace nods, a flicker of approval crossing his face. “Good. We’ll get you the details later. We can’t discuss it all here, but I’m glad you’re in.”
Annabelle picks up her drink, raising it in a mock toast. “Thanks, Blondie.”
Sylus snickers, leaning toward me. “Your bestie’s got more guts than half the people I know.”
“She’s got plenty of guts,” I murmur, my heart swelling with affection and nerves. This is why she’s my girl. And now she’s stepping into my madness with no hesitation, no questions. Just trust.
God, I hope she won’t regret it.
“All right.” Annabelle sets her cup down with a decisive clink. “When do we start this whole saving-the-world-one-bad-guy-at-a-time mission?”
Sylus grins, letting his chair drop back to all four legs with a thud. “Patience, Blondie. First, we scope things out here, then we head home and fill you in on the rest.”
He waves down the server and pulls out a card, casually handing it over to pay for our coffees.
“Thanks,” I say, meeting his gaze.
“Anything for you, Sparkle baby,” he replies smoothly, his grin wide enough to make my heart stumble.
“Yeah, thanks, Sy,” Ace mutters dryly.
Sylus shrugs, unbothered. “You can thank Ezra later. I swiped his card to pay.”
“You did what?” I ask, staring at him in disbelief.
“He won’t even notice,” Sylus says with a casual wave of his hand as if this isn’t the first time.
Annabelle snorts into her empty cup, and Ace shakes his head while my laughter carries over the rooftop as we gather our things and start toward the far end of the bar, where the Lamborghini glints like a prize waiting to be claimed.
Sylus and Annabelle hang back, positioning themselves on our backs to avoid drawing attention, while Ace and I move closer to the Lambo, where I notice the lock is an electric panel.
“This…” Ace points to it, “… is an RFID-based system. The glass doors swing outward, but only after the key card signal is verified. We were going to use an RFID skimmer,” he explains.
“But thanks to you, we don’t have to mess with timing or risk the skimmer glitching. We can simply use the key card.”
“Key card?”
“Belmont’s master key. You saved us a lot of guesswork and potential screwups.” Ace lips curve into a faint smile. “One less thing to stress about.”
“And no alarms?” I ask as Annabelle steps a little closer, careful not to attract attention. To everyone else, we look like tourists admiring the Lambo.
“No alarms,” Ace confirms. “Not as long as the card’s signal is clean and the doors open smoothly.”
“And the car?” I glance up at Ace. “How do we get it out of there without setting anything off?”
“We’ve got a bypass module for that. It’ll override the keyless entry system long enough to start the engine.”
Behind us, Sylus snickers. “A little digital magic goes a long way.”
Annabelle leans closer, crossing her arms as she whispers to me. “Am I hearing this right? You guys are planning to steal this car?”
I let a sly smile tug at my lips. “Pretty much.”
She lets out a low whistle, shaking her head. “The shit you get yourself into. Girl, I’ve been moved out of our place for not even a month, and now you’re out here planning grand theft auto?”
I chuckle. “It’s for a good cause.”
“Uh-huh. Sure it is,” she mutters, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and begrudging admiration.
We make our way toward the opposite end of the rooftop, leaving the gleaming Lamborghini behind for now.
The wind picks up as we approach the edge, carrying a faint chill that prickles against my skin.
My breath catches as I glance across the yawning gap between rooftops, and my stomach twists as the sheer scale of what we’re planning hits me. This isn’t just ambition. It’s madness.
“This is madness,” I mutter my thought, gripping the railing tightly. “There’s no way he can make that.”
“Koen can do it,” Ace replies without hesitation. He rests a hand on the railing beside mine, shaking only slightly, his gaze fixed on the far rooftop.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Sylus and Annabelle join us, and Sylus gestures toward a cluster of cactus plants a few feet away. “Let’s see if they’re still there.” He crouches down to peek behind the prickly greenery before he straightens again with a satisfied nod. “Yep, still right where we left them.”
“Good,” Ace replies.
“What’s still there?” Annabelle asks, her curiosity now mirroring my own.
Sylus steps back, allowing us a clear view. Hidden beneath the cactuses are several wooden planks stacked haphazardly yet carefully enough to remain out of sight.
“Planks?”
“For the ramp,” Sylus explains, brushing his hands together. “Ric will have to set them up on the railing to create the angle Koen needs.”
“What the fuck are you guys up to?” Annabelle exclaims, her tone caught between incredulity and amazement.
Right. Koen can’t just drive straight into the railing.
Annabelle raises an eyebrow at Sylus. “And how exactly did you get those up here? Pretty sure wooden planks aren’t standard rooftop décor.”
“People don’t ask questions when you’re wearing a neon vest. Walk around like you own the place, and everyone assumes you’re supposed to be there.”
Annabelle snorts, shaking her head. “You guys are unbelievable.”
“And you’re sure this will work?”
Fuck, the more I get to know about the plan, the more hesitant I get.
“It’ll work,” Ace reassures me. “We measured everything. Calculated every angle. This spot is perfect.”
Sylus pulls a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, tapping one.
“No blunt today?” Annabelle asks him with a smirk.
“Nope, I stopped.”
I don’t even think as I reach for my matchbox and light it for him.
“Oh?” Annabelle raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I’m high on glitter these days,” he deadpans, making her laugh. “See that?” He exhales, then hands the cigarette to me before he points to a faint, almost imperceptible mark etched into the concrete near the railing. “We made it three months ago. This is the exact spot the ramp has to go.”
I take a drag as I look from the mark to the planks, then to the distant rooftop of Harrington Heights. “You guys are either brilliant or completely insane.”
“Both,” Sylus replies with a wink, taking the cigarette back for another slow drag.
“Well.” Annabelle folds her arms. “I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of excited to see how this all plays out. Whatever the hell it is.”
Ace’s lips twitch into a faint smile. “You won’t have to wait long.”
The wind howls around us, tugging at my hair and making the planks rattle faintly against one another. My heart beats louder in my chest as I glance again at the gap between the buildings. It’s wide. Too wide. Koen’s going to have to defy gravity to pull this off.
This isn’t reckless.
It’s borderline impossible.
But that’s the thing about these men, they thrive in the space where others would fold.
I exhale, the wind stealing the sound from my lips as I let my eyes drift back to Ace. He has to be terrified, but he handled this outing so well.
I can keep my shit together if he can.