8. Ava
Chapter 8
Ava
After leaving Garrett and America behind, I choose to live in Majorca, specifically S’Arenal. As it’s the perfect place to hide away, rather than in the more obvious town of Palma.
It was also because Seb had an apartment here and I stalked him while I was deciding if he would be my perfect right-hand man.
He was.
Not only his nerdy hacking skills, but him, too.
And then I fell in love with the place, bought a boat, and somewhere along the way I fell in love with Seb, too, and he moved in with me.
We’ve been together ever since.
I don’t care that he’s a beta. I love his cute accent, and he treats me better than anyone has ever done before.
“How’s your leg?” Seb asks as I rub my fingertips over the small red bump the anti-scent vaccine always leaves me with.
I don’t tell Seb, but I also have the injections for his sake.
Of course, I don’t want an alpha smelling my perfume and thinking he can claim me as his. But deep down, I know each time I mask my scent, Seb visibly relaxes.
“It’s fine,” I say, flicking through the first file that he was given in Palma. “Getting on and off an island is going to be a nightmare.”
“I agree, but the pay-off is fantastic.” He looks over the rim of his black glasses at me. “It’ll set us up. We could take years off and adopt a child.”
I know Seb wants children, or I think he does. Maybe he thinks because I’m an omega, that it’s me who does.
“We’d be crap parents,” I say and laugh. “We live on a boat, for starters.”
“We could buy a villa in the north of the island. It’s beautiful up there and less touristy.”
“We like hiding out among the tourists. Safety in numbers, remember?”
He sighs. “We can talk about it another time.” He taps the paper on the small table between us. “Let’s go over the details and decide if this job is a yes or a no.”
There’s something about going to an island I know is protected by security that is second to none, but also the home to the secret family, the DuPont’s.
“Our contact, Silas, believes the security is more relaxed on the day after a public showing,” Seb states as I sip on my latte at a bistro in the town of S’Arenal while we gaze at the tourists tanning their bodies on the beach.
“How do they know that information? I mean, if nobody but the DuPont’s are on the island the next day, how can anyone know?”
Seb smiles. “They got the information from a former security personnel.”
I turn to look inside the bistro. My eyes scan the open refrigerator. “I need to eat. Do you want breakfast before we work on the files?” I ask.
“We’ll eat after. We need to go over everything before the cafe gets busy.”
I nod, contemplating Seb’s words as the warm sun casts its golden glow on our faces as thoughts of infiltrating the heavily guarded island, home to the mysterious DuPont family and their priceless treasures, sets my pulse racing.
“We already know the DuPont’s open the museum up to the public. I don’t know why. It’s not like they need the money. The family is rumored to be the richest in the world.” Seb can find out virtually anything by using his super hacking skills.
“Ego,” I state. “It’s very alpha-like to want the world to know what you have.”
“And we could take a slice of it away with us,” Seb says, with a hint of mischief. “They also have a collection of blue and pink diamonds which we could sell.”
Pink diamonds. The words make me shiver. “There’s only one pink diamond I want to steal. And I’ll take it when I’m ready.”
Seb eyes me suspiciously. “I thought you were over that.”
I lift my coffee cup to my lips and stare over the rim at him. “I need revenge. I warned you it would never go away.”
“And when do you plan to steal it?” he asks, sharpness coating his words.
“When Garrett needs it.” My words in response are just as sharp.
“When he has an omega,” Seb answers his own question.
“There’s no fun in stealing it before then.”
Seb flicks through the files in front of him. His shoulders tense and I sense the anger coursing through him. “He might have one now.”
“He doesn’t.”
Seb stares at me.
I point my nail over the file before his anger bubbles to the fore, as it has before now. “What else do we know?”
“We’ll need to be well-prepared,” he says, curtly.
I nod. “I agree. Their security may be relaxed, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. The DuPonts didn’t amass their wealth by being careless.” The salty sea breeze mingles with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee as I lift it to my lips.
Seb leans forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “No, they stole most of it, and someone wants it back.”
“We need to continue with caution. He could be using us,” I say, my voice low and serious as I turn from Seb, and stare at the vast blue ocean in front of me, and think about that.
When I turn back to him. Seb’s eyes meet mine, and he gives a slow nod of agreement. He understands the gravity of the situation we’re about to step into. The DuPont family is notorious for their ruthless protection of their secrets, and if we’re being contracted for this job, it possibly means someone has caught their attention, and we could easily find ourselves trapped in the jaws of danger.
“I’ve managed to gather some intel on the island’s security system,” Seb reveals, pulling out a tablet from his bag. “It’s state-of-the-art, equipped with motion sensors, heat detectors, and an advanced surveillance network.”
I lean in closer, studying the blueprints and security schematics that illuminate the screen. “Impressive,” I murmur, my mind already racing with possibilities. “But if we can disable their surveillance and bypass their alarms, we might have a chance.”
Seb nods, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. “I’ve been brainstorming some ideas. We could try exploiting a vulnerability in their network, or perhaps create a diversion in another area of the museum to distract their guards.”
I consider his suggestions, weighing the risks against the potential rewards. This job is unlike anything we’ve ever attempted before, and failure could have dire consequences. But the allure of the DuPont family’s treasures, particularly the fabled Circle of Life , is impossible to ignore.
“We need to be meticulous,” I say, my voice steady and determined. “No room for errors or oversights. We’ll study every detail of their security system until we know it better than they do.”
Seb grins, sensing the fire that has ignited within me.
“That’s the spirit, Ava. Which is why I’ve been gathering every bit of information I can find about their systems, their routines, even their family history. And I’ve got something interesting for you,” he adds, reaching into his bag and pulling out an old, weathered journal.
Curiosity flickers across my face as I reach for the journal.
The leather cover feels soft and worn beneath my fingers, as if it holds secrets of centuries past.
I open it carefully and see the elegant handwriting. Though it’s a copy of a book. The faded pages show how old the original is.
“What is this?” I ask, my voice filled with wonder.
Seb leans in closer, his eyes glisten, his excitement palpable. “The original belongs to the family of an ancestor of the DuPont family, a man who was also a renowned art collector and thief. He documented his heists, his strategies, and even hints at the hidden treasures on the island.”
“How did you get it?” I can hardly contain my eagerness as I skim through the entries of daring thefts and elaborate schemes. Loving that the journal offers a glimpse into the mind of an old day master thief.
“Everything has a price. Do I contact Silas about our decision?”
“Yeah.” I turn the page and grin, seeing the DuPont island and how it sits deep in the Mediterranean Sea. An island that is blocked on Google Earth. “We might just have stumbled upon the key to unlocking their secrets,” I say. Anticipation seeps through my veins.
“Do you fancy a trip to DuPont Island, the tourist way? Our contact can get us on the next flight in.”
“And can we trust our contact?” I ask. “What have you found out about him?”
“His name is Silas St. James. What I’ve learned is that he is legit. He normally steals art and the occasional jewels.”
“And now he wants the ultimate, the infamous Circle of Life.” I pause as I stare at Seb. “But why does he want to hire us? Why doesn’t he do it himself?”
“He heard we’re the best.” Seb grins.
I’m still not convinced. “Really? We keep a very low profile.”
“You keep a very low profile. When someone wants a hacker, most people know about me.”
I sigh.
It’s true, Seb has always been the mastermind behind our operations. His reputation as a hacker is renowned, and I’ve always preferred to stay in the shadows. While he finds the intricate plans, I take the information and use it to my advantage.
But this job, infiltrating the heavily guarded island of the DuPont family, feels different.
“He wants to work with the person on the day. He wants in on the job,” Seb says.
I shake my head. “I work alone. Only you’re allowed in my ear and nobody is allowed to distract me.”
“He believes you and him can work really well together.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you sure he doesn’t know who I am?”
Seb shakes his head. “He knows I’m not the man on the ground. But don’t worry, he doesn’t know who you are.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because he thinks you’re a man.”
I smile, but I still feel a sense of unease. “I don’t trust this Silas guy,” I confess, setting my coffee cup down. “Why does he want the Circle of Life?”
“In my opinion, he knows he’s not efficient enough to do the job. I know he has a contract with someone to steal it. Which means he’s a winner already. He just needs you to do the job for him and maybe his ego wants to say he did it, too.”
“Is there anything else he can get us?”
Seb leans back in his chair, contemplating my words, his fingers tapping on the table rhythmically. “Not only access to the island for a visit, but he can get you off the island in his helicopter afterward.”
“What else do you know about him? His private life, for instance.”
“There’s not much to go on. He is a single dad, but apart from that, he’s a ghost, just like us.”
A ghost.
The thought sends a chill down my spine. We’ve always prided ourselves on being elusive, operating in the shadows where no one can touch us. But there’s something about Silas that doesn’t sit well with me. It’s like a subtle warning whispering in the back of my mind.
“We need to proceed with caution,” I say, my voice low and serious. “Silas may be a ghost, but ghosts have a way of haunting you when you least expect it.”