Chapter 20 #2
“All right.” Everyone’s eyes settle on me, which makes my skin crawl, but I ignore it, or at least try to.
“Here’s how a wire mob works. It’s old-school, but it’s efficient.
” I hold up a finger. “First, you’ve got The Steer.
They scout the mark and figure out what we’re after.
” I raise another finger. “Next is The Stick. Their job is to hold the mark in place. Usually, they ask for directions or start a casual conversation.” I raise a third finger.
“Then comes The Shade. They block the mark’s eyeline to make the actual steal invisible, creating a cover. ”
Nova nods knowingly. “Distraction and misdirection.”
“Now we get to The Mechanic.” Finger number four goes up.
“They’re the one who does the dip, the actual steal.
When they’ve got what they were after, The Duke comes in.
” The last finger raises. “They take the stolen item and disappear immediately. If the authorities catch on, nobody left in the crew has the goods.”
“Damn.” Annabelle whistles low under her breath. “And here I thought pickpocketing was just… y’know, quick hands.”
“It’s an art form, babe.” Nova chuckles. “And Ace is practically the Picasso of pickpocketing.”
“It’s an art form when done right. You’ll be the Stick, our distraction, Annabelle.
Nova will act as the Shade and Mechanic in one, tossing the phone to me.
I’ll get it to Sylus, who will do his magic.
Then I’ll bring it back to Nova, who has to plant it again while you’re still keeping the mark busy. ”
“That’ll work.” Levi leans back, a lazy smirk on his face. “As if those guys could look anywhere but where these two beauties are standing right in front of them.”
“It could work with Foster and Blackwood, but this will never work with Belmont.” Nova lets out a breath. “I’ve already fucked that up.”
Sylus shakes his head, flashing her a reassuring grin. “That’s fine, baby. Thanks to you, I’ve got his private number, and I can do some different magic with that one.”
“So,” I continue. “We only need Foster and Blackwood. Now we just need to figure out where they’ll be at a specific time.”
Nicholas straightens. “Well, that’s easy.”
All eyes snap to him, and I raise an eyebrow. “You think so?”
“They play poker with Veronica on Tuesday nights. But I know for a fact that they always hang out in the casino beforehand while waiting for her. You’ll have at least an hour in The Heights with them.”
My eyes dart to Koen, who’s already smirking, clearly onboard. “It’s worth a try.”
“Risky as fuck,” I counter. We’d be in the lion’s den.
Koen shrugs. “Isn’t all of it?”
Well fuck, if that ain’t true.
Nicholas cleans his hands on a napkin. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we all helped?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Harrington.” Sylus snorts, crossing his arms.
Nicholas opens his mouth to protest, but I cut him off before they can start to bicker again. “You guys are too recognizable.”
Nicholas scoffs. “Copy and Paste over there are, but I’m not a celebrity.”
Annabelle’s laughter bubbles up, and she points between Levi and Koen. “Copy and Paste? Wait, who’s who?”
Nicholas smirks, pointing at Koen. “Copy’s the older one.”
Levi rolls his eyes, leaning back dramatically. “Yeah, by like three fucking minutes.”
Koen shrugs, smug as ever. “Older is older.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I interject, trying to keep them focused. “You’re still too recognizable, Nicholas, especially in your own damn hotel and casino.”
Nicholas argues under his breath, “It’s not mine. It’s my mother’s,” but he doesn’t push further.
“We’d be faster if we split up.” Annabelle sits forward. “If Nova took one guy, I could take the other.”
Nova’s grin is wide and teasing. “Did you ever pickpocket anyone, Belle?”
“Well, no.” Annabelle pouts. “But how hard can it be to learn?”
“It took me six months to get even decent at it.” Nova turns toward me, a mischievous glint in her eye. “And even after years of practicing, I’ve never reached Ace’s level. He’s a fucking magician.”
All eyes turn to me, and my cheeks heat under their scrutiny. “You’re exaggerating,” I mutter.
“I’m not,” Nova counters. “Show Annabelle and Nicholas.”
I shake my head with a smile. “Not happening.”
Koen chimes in, his arms crossing over his chest. “I’ve never actually seen a demonstration either.”
“Same.” Levi raises a hand lazily, smirking. “Consider this a request.”
“Guys, I haven’t done shit like that in years. Maybe I was good when we were teens, but—”
Nova cuts me off with a pout, her lips pushing out in that irresistibly cute way that absolutely wrecks me.
Today’s already been a marathon of pushing limits—leaving the house, walking through a crowded plaza. Every second had my brain screaming at me to bolt, to find safety, to shut everything out. But I stayed. I held Nova’s hand, and I stayed. For her.
And now, here with all their eyes on me.
The idea of reaching out and deliberately touching someone else to demonstrate a skill I haven’t used in years, feels impossible.
But there’s no time to take a breather, no room to ease into things.
Not even two weeks. That’s all we’ve got, then everything comes crashing down, and every single piece of this has to be perfect.
If I’m going to do this, there’s only one way.
I press a quick kiss to Nova’s pout, unable to resist, making her eyes go wide, and my heart flutters with contentment before standing with a sigh. “All right,” I start, my voice steady despite the chaos inside me. “Let’s start with the basics. Distraction and shade.” I turn to Nova. “You’re up.”
“Me?” she asks, her tone laced with amusement.
“Yeah, you.” I gesture her forward. “Who better to test my skills on than the queen of steals herself?”
Everyone leans in, the room buzzing with anticipation as she stands in front of me. It’s like they’re expecting a magic show, and hell, maybe they’re not wrong.
“Distraction,” I teasingly say as I take a deliberate step closer to Nova. “It’s all about misdirection. Drawing the mark’s attention away from what you’re doing. Shade is what creates the cover, making the move invisible. It’s about timing, choreography, and confidence.”
I wouldn’t even consider what I’m about to do with anyone else, it wouldn’t work, not like this. Half the skill lies in knowing, or at least sizing up, your mark. And I know my girl better than anyone.
Her lips part, a flicker of curiosity in her gaze, but when I step closer, the space between us shrinks to something electric. I don’t touch her, don’t even lift a hand, but my presence alone seems to pull her focus. Her eyes dart to mine, and I see the faint rise and fall of her chest quicken.
Her throat bobs as she swallows, and I catch the slightest hitch in her breath. I shift closer still, not breaking eye contact, and her pupils dilate.
“Do you know what’s distracting me right now?” I ask.
“What?” she whispers, her voice catching as if she isn’t sure she wants to hear the answer.
“You.” My eyes flick briefly to her lips, just long enough for her to notice before returning to hers. It’s subtle, a calculated move, and I see the way she sways ever so slightly toward me, like gravity itself is shifting.
And that’s when I move.
My hand dips behind her, gliding only close enough to her back pocket without brushing her skin. She’s so focused on me, on my face, my voice, the tension between us that the phone slides free with no resistance.
I step back and hold her phone up between us like a prize. “That’s distraction.”
Sylus lets out a sharp whistle, leaning back in his chair with a laugh. “Ric, you smooth bastard. I don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified.”
Nova crosses her arms, but there’s no hiding the way her lips twitch into a reluctant smile. “You’re a jerk.”
“And you’re so easy to distract,” I counter and toss the phone back to her. She catches it mid-air.
The adrenaline of the steal hums in my chest, but it’s the way she looks at me that has my blood running hot. Damn, I was addicted to this eight years ago, and suddenly I’m right back to craving her.
“All right, what else you got?” Koen smirks, bringing me out of my head.
“Chest pocket steals,” I say, eyes still on Nova’s green ones. “They’re all about hiding the motion. Problem is, you don’t have a chest pocket.”
Nicholas stands abruptly, unbuttoning his shirt. Annabelle lets out a low whistle when he’s left bare-chested.
“Now that’s teamwork,” she teases, earning a sharp glare from Nova that only makes her chuckle.
Nicholas steps up behind Nova, draping the shirt over her shoulders.
She pulls it on without hesitation, buttoning it to keep it closed.
While she adjusts the shirt, her focus momentarily distracted, I slip her phone from the back pocket of her jeans again and smoothly place it into the chest pocket of Nicholas’s shirt.
When she notices, her sharp look meets my grin, and I can’t help the chuckle that escapes me.
I rest a hand lightly on her shoulder, right above the chest pocket. “Do you still have your matchbox?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Let me see it, please.” I extend my free hand.
Nova reaches into her jeans pocket, pulling out the small metal matchbox I haven’t seen in years. It’s still the same. As she moves to hand it over, I let it slip from my grasp, the box tumbling to the carpeted floor.
“Oh no.” I feign exaggerated dismay.
She narrows her eyes suspiciously but leans down to retrieve it. As she does, I dip the hand I had resting on her shoulder into the chest pocket of the shirt, retrieving her phone without a hitch. When she straightens, I’m already holding it out between us with a smug grin.
“Dammit.”
Annabelle lets out a low whistle. “This time, the movement did the work, didn’t it?”
“Exactly.” I nod, handing the phone back to Nova. “Let the mark do the work. Kinetic energy does half the job for you. And timing? Timing is everything.”