Nine
Xin
It had been a week since Gabriel and I hung out at the dog park, and it was finally time for the next step.
Patrick Lewis and his wife were off on a weekend trip, and we wouldn't get a better chance than this.
This part of the job was mostly up to Renée, but I'd be playing a supporting role, while, as usual, Gabriel made sure his alibi was solid.
While I hadn't told Gabriel, I'd made sure to erase any connection between Gabriel López and Gabriel Lawson, the last name he'd shared with his brother.
I'd also discovered that the cop who'd been the lead on his brother's case had retired from the force a couple of years ago, so there was no one except Aisha who knew about his connection to Kevin.
"All right! Let's do this," Renée said into my ear, and I winced.
I'd turned the sound as low as it could go without muting it, but it still felt sharp against my sensitive ears.
I could try using magic on it, but electronics and magic didn't always behave properly, and I didn't want to risk damaging it mid-mission.
My laptop was an exception because I'd worked on it for months.
"Yep. Everything looks good. I've got the cameras."
Renée and I had different builds and hair, so I'd used some of my illusion magic to make her look like me.
She still wore a mask to hide her face, and gloves to keep from leaving fingerprints—she still had to look professional, even if we intended to get caught—but the illusion was to confirm the thief was me, not to lead them straight to me. That part would come after.
"Okay, here I go," Renée said, then murmured a low prayer before getting to work.
I followed her through the cameras outside Patrick's house. It was an independent bungalow with two stories, six bedrooms with attached baths, a kitchen, a dining room, a rec room, a living room, and a display room.
While I could've committed this crime with a lot more ease than Renée, that would've required using undeniable magic, and I couldn't do that until I'd told Gabriel the truth. So I had to trust in her skills and do whatever I could to make sure everything went off without a hitch.
Gabriel, at this very moment, was at the other side of town, having dinner with a date he'd paired with on an online app specifically so he could be out and about somewhere while the theft took place.
I was not happy about that, not that I could've told him. Despite our bond, I had no claim to him yet. He was his own man, and I couldn't have stopped him even if it was a real date and not just the means to an end.
Still, I was glad he trusted me enough to watch over Renée and make sure everything worked out.
I knew he wanted to be here himself—we'd even argued about it—but I hadn't budged.
Making sure he wasn't blamed in any way was my number-one priority, and I wouldn't let anyone stop me from doing that, even him.
I watched as Renée unlocked the door, then entered the alarm code.
Over the past week, I'd followed Patrick a few times in incognito mode, and I'd made a note of every security measure in his house, which was how I knew there were not one, but two alarm systems.
I smiled as Renée entered the second code and the device flashed green as well. While we only knew about it because of my surveillance, it would be another nail in the coffin for Patrick. If he hadn't paid someone to steal from him, how had they known about the secret second alarm system?
"Okay! Where do I go now?" Renée asked, her voice low. Since she had her back to the camera, they wouldn't be able to tell she was talking to—aka working with—someone.
We'd attached a camera to her jacket since not every room in the house had cameras and I needed to follow her, and I used it, the blueprints, and my own memories from my snooping to guide her around the house.
Renée moved confidently, as if this was her own home, though because of the illusion, it felt like I was watching myself.
Over the next half hour, I directed her from place to place, and she collected paintings, statues, photo prints, and every piece of expensive art in the house. Most of the stuff was insured, of course, but that was the point. Why else would Patrick steal them from himself?
Once she had everything we needed to take in one place, she opened the garage door. It didn't make any sound, partly because it was fairly new and partly because of me, and Renée hurried out to the van I was sitting in.
I'd 'borrowed' the van specifically for this purpose, and while I'd hidden the plates, there was a sticker on the windshield that would lead the cops to the laundromat I'd stolen it from, where a CCTV recording would show me stealing it.
I'd given myself a false name and an arrest record to make it more believable, and I'd left a helpful print on the van that I'd be returning to the laundromat after we were done here.
As she climbed into the driver's seat, she glanced over at me. "Tell me again why you couldn't have driven it in?"
"Because we want to make it look like a one-person job, so that when they find me, they don't keep looking for you," I said, and she sighed.
"Fair enough. Thank you, by the way," she said as she backed into the garage. "For taking my place, I mean."
"I don't mind," I said, and I meant it.
Patrick wasn't the only one I'd followed last week.
I couldn't make sure Gabriel was safe if I didn't know about every person involved in this thing. So I'd followed Renée and Aisha, and I'd discovered exactly why Renée hadn't wanted to be the one who got caught.
She had a son, a sweet eight-year-old kid who'd already lost his dad just two years ago. She was all he had.
I'd already decided I would make sure she never had to steal again once this was over. It was the least I could do.
Five minutes later, we were out of there with most of Patrick's treasures. We'd left the money and jewelry behind because that would involve breaking into the safe, and I knew he had some extra security measures in there, including the fact that he was notified every time it was opened.
We still had quite the haul, though, and the objective wasn't to steal from him, but to make it look like he'd stolen from himself, and this was more than enough for that.
Renée drove to the storage center, and I directed her through the back road straight to our unit.
It didn't take us long to unload most of the things.
I'd made a list of the uninsured stuff, and Renée took those.
She'd already set up a sale with her fence, and Gabriel and I had both agreed she should keep the money.
He'd intended for us to split the money between us, but I didn't need it.
I'd told him I had taken the job for the challenge, not the money, because I couldn't tell him I was doing it for him.
Gabriel
My phone buzzed as I was scooping up the last of my dessert and desperately trying to keep paying attention to the man sitting across from me.
I'd picked the first man who'd been up for a date tonight, but now I wished I'd been a little more discerning.
Jared wasn't bad to look at, but it might be his only redeeming quality. He was rich—hedge fund or investment banker or something of the like—and arrogant. He'd spent the whole date talking about himself and his many exploits and hadn't asked me a single question.
I'd spent half the date thinking about Xin and the mission, and the other half just about Xin. I wished it was them I was on a date with. I was confident I wouldn't be bored with them.
"Excuse me a minute," I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and Jared frowned. I realized I'd cut him off mid-sentence, but I didn't really care, because the message was from Xin.
Xin: All done. Renée is off with the sellable stuff, and I'm just returning the van.
Me: Thank god. I can't take one more minute of this.
Xin: Bad date?
Me: You have no idea.
Jared cleared his throat, loudly, and I glanced up, giving him an apologetic smile. I opened my mouth to tell him this wasn't working and make my escape when he beat me to it.
"I'm gonna get going. I don't think this is going to work," he said, and somehow his tone managed to imply that was all my fault.
I bristled at that, but kept my mouth shut since it wasn't like I was interested in him.
He left, and it was only when our server returned that I realized he hadn't paid. Why was it that people who boasted the most about having money were also the most reluctant to spend it?
I decided it was just as well since I'd now have paper proof of my alibi, and took my time finishing my dessert before paying. I left a good tip as well, partly because Jared hadn't been very kind to the young woman, but also because it would make me more memorable.
Walking out to my car, I connected my phone to the car's Bluetooth, then called Xin as I started the car.
"Hello, Gabriel," Xin greeted, and my lips curved up involuntarily. I pressed them together, shaking my head.
"Hey, Xin. I'm just heading back now. Did everything go okay?"
I'd really, really wanted to be there with them, but Xin hadn't let me.
How I'd ended up letting them control my mission was anyone's guess, but I knew in the end it'd been the right call.
The moment someone figured out my connection to Kevin, I would be the number-one suspect.
I had to do everything I could to make them look somewhere else.
"Without a hitch. I'll show you the footage later. I've made it look like it was me, and no one will be able to tell the footage has been altered."
The confidence in their voice made me smile, and once again, I was glad I'd picked them.
The reason I'd first emailed them was because Aisha had heard of them through the cyber crimes department, an elusive hacker who liked playing Robin Hood but left no trace of their movements.
I'd figured if anyone would enjoy fucking over a rich asshole, it would be them.
I'd emailed a few others, of course, but they'd turned out to be the best candidate for the job.
While I hadn't been wrong, I also hadn't expected how involved Xin would get, or how much they'd help improve the plan.
"That's great. Patrick won't be back until Monday morning. Do you think Renée will be able to sell the stuff before then?"
Once the cops got involved, every stolen object would go on a watchlist, and it would be so much harder to sell them. That was another reason we'd decided to carry out the plan today. It was Friday, which gave us two full days to make the sale.
"Oh yes. Since I gave her a list of things a few days ago, she already has a buyer lined up through her fence, so it should all be done in a few days, and the buyer will know to keep the purchase under wraps for a while."
They'd thought of everything, hadn't they? Why did I find their competence so alluring?
"Perfect. I can't wait to see Patrick's face when he walks into his home and finds his walls bare."
"I'll be sure to save the recording for you," Xin said, and I was pretty sure I could hear a smile in their voice.
I found myself smiling too, and even after we ended the call, the smile stayed on my face the whole drive home.
That night, I didn't see Kevin in my dreams, or Patrick.
Instead, I saw Xin.
It was a simple dream, the two of us seated on the couch with Gray at our feet, watching a movie with a bowl of popcorn balanced on my legs.
I turned to look at Xin, and found them already watching me. They smiled, then leaned closer, closer, closer, and then soft, warm lips pressed against mine.
The bowl fell as I turned toward them, popcorn scattering on the floor as Gray chased the kernels, but I didn't care. All my attention was focused on Xin.
When I woke up, my whole body was buzzing with warmth, my heart racing like I'd run a marathon, my thoughts full of Xin, Xin, and more Xin.
Fuck, I was in so much trouble.