Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
Sable dropped to the floor and held her breath, waiting for the alarms to alert the bank to her presence, but all was silent—business as usual.
“I’m in,” she whispered.
“That was almost too easy,” Peter said through her earpiece.
“I know. I’d hoped for more of a challenge.” She scanned the endless rows of safe deposit boxes. “Although let’s not get too cocky yet. These might be wired.”
“I doubt it,” Peter said. “Security here is a joke. This bank didn’t leave their defenses wide open just to arm these.”
“You never know.” Sable shrugged as if her partner could see her. “So, any suggestions on which I should open first?”
“Try box 441,” he said. “I have a hunch.”
Sable slipped silently across the floor to safe deposit box 441 and withdrew her lock picks. It took her a matter of minutes to defeat the mechanism, and she removed the metal rectangle from the wall with a triumphant smile.
“Nope, no alarms on the boxes,” she said.
“Can confirm. No silent alarms have been sent to the police.”
“It’s like they’re asking to get robbed.” Sable chuckled as she pulled back the lid. “Oh my god.”
“What?”
“The diamonds on this thing. Hold on.” She tapped the side of her glasses to turn on the camera. She hadn’t needed it for this job, but she figured Peter would want to see the extravagant jewelry.
“Oh my god is an understatement,” he said. “That probably costs more than my car.”
“Yeah, but only because you don’t go out much,” Sable teased. “You sit behind your computers, and we both know your setup is worth twenty of these.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“I will be taking these.” She tucked the diamond necklace into a special section of her pack before emptying the box of its expensive contents. “Okay. Pick another box.”
“Hmmmm…. Try 720.”
Sable crouched in the corner and picked the lock. She withdrew the metal container and lay it beside the first before opening it. “You researched the owners, didn’t you?” she asked when stacks of hundred-dollar bills greeted her.
“Couldn’t help myself. Means we’re in and out much quicker, too.”
“I’m not complaining.” Sable emptied the cash into her pack. “These people might, though.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t look into them too intensely. Just enough to learn who had fun boxes.”
“All right, then find me another fun one.”
“Um, try either 333 or 108.”
“Should I play Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe?”
“Don’t you do enough of that with the kid?”
“Clover is eleven now,” Sable said, still unsure how an entire year had passed since she’d joined Cash and Clover’s lives. “We don’t play stuff like that. It’s all sports and action movies.”
“So then play Eeny, Meeny,” Peter laughed.
Sable jokingly pointed her fingers as if to play the game, but then she stepped for box 333.
It contained deeds and other important papers.
Boring for her, but valuable to their owner, so she tucked them into her pack before moving to 108.
She picked its lock with expert skill and was immediately rewarded with a stack of bond certificates.
“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.” She slid them into a manilla envelope for safe transportation. “What do you think? Do I have enough or should I keep going?”
“What’s the total stolen value?” Peter asked.
“At least a million.”
“Well, I think that proves your point. No need to get greedy.”
“But diamonds,” she joked.
“If you want one, get Cash to give you a ring,” Peter said.
“He will when the time is right,” Sable said.
Everyone assumed she was upset about her bare ring finger, but she wasn’t worried.
They would eventually get married, but like he’d said to her a year ago, their joining had felt like a marriage.
They’d tried to take their relationship slow, but before anyone realized it had happened, she’d woken up one day to realize she was living with Cash and Clover.
They couldn’t be any more of a family if they tried…
if only the legal system felt the same. On more than one occasion, her care of Clover had been thwarted because she wasn’t his mother.
The Ombra had been arrested and was currently in a maximum-security prison.
She had zero interest in her son, her only interaction with the boy to kidnap him to win a heist, but because they shared DNA, she had more rights than Sable did as the woman who actually cared for the child.
“Okay, well, I think you stole enough for one afternoon,” Peter chuckled. “Get out before someone decides to work and catches you.”
“Unlikely, but I agree. See you on the flip side,” she said, and with that, she vanished back into the ceiling vent as if she’d never even been there.
Twelve minutes later, Sable kicked the vent so hard that the cover flew across the office.
It clattered against the far wall, yanking a scream out of the man at the desk, but she jumped from the ceiling before he could finish the terrified sound.
She landed with grace and sauntered across the room, where she settled in the chair opposite his stunned expression.
“Hello… Mr. Baxter,” she said, glancing down at the man’s name plaque to ensure she was using the correct one.
Bank managers all seemed to have similar names.
“My name is Sable, and I’m from The Rabbit’s Foot Consulting.
” She handed him her business card, and he took it without closing his gaping mouth.
For a moment he stared at her, and then he glanced up at the opening in his ceiling before looking down at her card.
“Rabbit’s Foot Consulting…” he mumbled. “Yes, we have a security consultation next week… what were you doing in my ceiling?”
“We do have a meeting next week,” Sable said. “And I can come back to give you my recommendations then, but before you decide if you want to keep our appointment, let me show you something.”
She stood up, unzipped her pack, and withdrew the contents.
“Jewelry from box 441.” She laid the diamond necklace on the desk.
“Cash from box 720.” She placed the pile of hundred-dollar pills before the gawking manager.
“Paperwork from box 333, and bonds from 108.” She slipped the envelopes onto the desk before retaking her seat.
“What the hell?” Baxter tripped over his words.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I should’ve been clearer,” Sable said with a smile. “I just robbed your safe deposit boxes.” She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. “About thirteen minutes ago.”
“That’s impossible.” Baxter fumbled with his computer mouse as he checked the security system.
“Unfortunately, it isn’t,” she said. “You hired The Rabbit’s Foot Consulting to conduct a security assessment of your bank, but to test your system and the reliability of your staff, I always attempt a break-in prior to my appointments.
No one knows I’m coming, so they don’t add any extra security measures.
It gives me an accurate view of what is working and what isn’t so that my recommendations are tailored to your needs.
Some of my clients have excellent surveillance, and infiltrating their systems is difficult, but sadly, Mr. Baxter, I strolled into your bank, stole approximately one million dollars’ worth of safe deposit box contents, then exited your vaults without anyone catching on.
I can leave and return next week for our scheduled meeting, but since a diamond necklace that costs more than your car is sitting on your desk, I think we should have that conversation now. ”
“Ummm…” he clicked the intercom button. “Cindy, can you clear my calendar for the rest of the day?”
“Yes, sir,” his assistant said.
“Thank you.” He released the button. “Do you have proof that you stole from us and this isn’t a scam?”
“I’m so glad you asked.” Sable pulled out her laptop and opened it, twisting it on the desk so he could see. “My partner, Peter, is on the line. He recorded the entire theft to both act as proof and to help walk you through your most problematic areas.”
“Hello, Mr. Baxter,” Peter said.
“Hi, Peter. I believe I spoke to you to schedule the consultation, correct?” the manager asked.
“That’s right,” Peter said. “All correspondence goes through me because we like Sable’s identity to be a secret until after her assessment.
If you recognized her voice, it might make breaking in harder for her since we utilize almost every trick in the book in our tests.
Thieves are experts in multiple approaches, and Sable is one of the best in the world.
There’s very little she can’t steal, which is why we’re lucky she doesn’t actually rob anyone.
All of her skills go toward helping people prepare for thieves like her. ”
“That’s… cool.” Baxter stared at Sable with an expression that was equally impressed and terrified.
“Yes, it’s fascinating, and I tried a few approaches so I could find your bank’s weaknesses.
There were a lot, but thankfully that’s why you hired us,” she said.
“We work with the best companies in the business. I personally know the head of security at Merveille De L’art Museum, so all our partnerships are made through his connections.
By the time we’re done today, you’ll have one of the most fortified banks in the area. ”
“I’ve heard of that soldier,” Baxter said. “He’s impressive. Security has never been better at The Merveille De L’art.”
“It hasn’t.” Sable couldn’t stop the blush. A year later, and just the mention of Cash turned her into a puddle. “So, I take it you would like to have our consultation now instead of next week?”
“You really stole this from our safe deposit boxes?” Baxter picked up the diamond necklace as if it might shatter in his hands.
“Peter will play the proof for you now,” Sable said.
“Then yes.” The manager placed the jewelry down with a sick expression. “I definitely think we should have this meeting now before someone else steals something because, unlike you, they won’t give it back.”