Chapter 5 #2
“No, because every time I think I’ve come close to mapping out all the security features, I find another layer,” Sable said into the cell phone pinched between her ear and shoulder.
Over the past week, three more thieves had attempted to steal the Precieux Egg.
The first group hadn’t even made it past the front door.
They hadn’t expected the entrance sensors to be so sensitive, and their increased weight set off the internal alarms. The Fae had programmed the scales concealed below the thresholds to connect with the surveillance.
The cameras scanned every guest and measured their height, girth, and mass, which allowed them to predict the average weight of each body type.
The mathematics were remarkably accurate, which helped alert the guards to possible concealed hardware.
If anyone was too heavy for their predicted frame—or too light—the guards would investigate, and when the group walked through the entrance, the computers estimated each team member was fifty pounds heavier than they should be.
Security apprehended them and found portable EMPs, as well as other electronics of the trade, hidden below their clothes.
Magic runes had been engraved into each item.
They’d hoped to knock the museum off the grid with an Electric Magnetic Pulse, but not even magic-inscribed tech was a match for Cash.
A solo female thief tried next by pretending to take a tour during business hours.
The temperature sensors surrounding the egg registered when body heat stood too close, though, and Cash had been alerted when she leaned over the barrier.
At first, he’d assumed she was simply being nosy…
until he found a horde of supplies in her purse.
The third male thief tried entering from above.
The museum didn’t allow aircraft to fly overhead, so he’d jumped off Skyline Towers with a hang glider.
The second his feet hit the roof, pressure sensors alerted Cash to an unauthorized presence, and an army of towering Fae males confronted him when he attempted to slip down the stairs.
“More and more thieves keep showing up, and I’ve been watching them as well as the museum,” Sable continued. “Corvid is in town, which makes me nervous, but he hasn’t made a move yet.”
“He’s smart like you. He wants to watch the others fail, so he knows how to succeed.”
“That’s my plan. I’m either going to learn enough to steal the egg myself, or I’ll let someone else take it and then rob them,” Sable said, glancing up from where she sat on the park bench.
For the past week, she’d been glued to her work, and she needed to escape the dark computer room and see actual sunlight before she went mad.
“Right now, I’m building a three-dimensional model of the museum with that program you designed.
Every time I learn about a new line of defense, I add it to the simulator, hoping that with a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view, I’ll spot a hole I can slip through, but the more time that passes, the more I doubt it.
The Merveille De L’art defenses are insane. ”
“I was worried that would be the case after they hired a new head of security,” Peter said. “Cupid doesn’t just recommend people for fun. This man is going to give the competitors a run for their money. Poor guy. It could get him killed.”
“Killed?” Sable couldn’t control the alarm in her voice. “Why killed?”
“The rules said there are no rules, so killing the guards is technically allowed. Thieves like you honor the art of the theft. You plan and wait and watch until you can flawlessly execute the heist. When artists like you go to work, most don’t even realize they’ve been robbed, but a lot of zeros are attached to this prize.
Some despise patience. They want the money, and they will charge the museum guns blazing to get it. ”
“No, they can’t kill him.” Sable’s pitch escalated, giving her emotions away. She hadn’t told Peter she was seeing Cash, but her panic made it obvious she cared.
“I don’t want to see anyone dead, but why the concern?” Peter asked, and Sable heard the wariness in her friend’s voice.
“Um…” She scrambled for a plausible explanation, and spotting a group of kids playing soccer, she blurted, “He has a kid. The new head of security is a single dad, and he brings his son to the museum often. He’s all that boy has. This competition can’t get him killed.”
“I hope it doesn’t, but when he took this job, he understood the risks.”
“Risks of theft, yes, but not the risk of a tactical assault.”
“He’s ex-special forces, Sable. That’s exactly why they hired him.”
“No… this contest can’t murder him.”
“Well, you better steal the egg before the glorified mercenaries get there. I have faith in you. You are still the only thief I’m rooting for.”
“Yeah…” She fell silent, fear for Cash and Clover bubbling in her chest.
“You can do it,” Peter said, mistaking her silence.
“Yeah. I know.”
“Actually, that’s why I called you,” Peter said. “Of course, I’m more concerned with your safety than some guard’s, but this rumor isn’t just bad news for him. It’s bad for you too.”
“What’s wrong?” She perked up.
“It’s just a rumor, so nothing’s been confirmed.”
“Peter, what’s wrong?”
“There’s a new player on the board.” Peter’s somber tone chilled Sable to her very marrow. “Word on the street is The Ombra is coming for the egg.”