Chapter Thirteen Safety First
West
Nice, France
I blame Hollywood for a lot of things. Unrealistic beauty standards for both men and women, unhealthy celebrity worship, the fact that studios would rather throw their money at sequels and IP remakes rather than try to give us anything fresh.
But tonight, my main gripe with Hollywood is the fact that heist films make heists seem a million times more thrilling than they really are. The hard cuts, the big explosions, the car chases, the breathtaking soundtracks…I’d take all of it over this.
Adelina and I have been cooped up in the rental car for five hours now, parked atop a hill a good distance away from the seaside villa in question.
I have a hard time believing someone actually lives in there.
It looks more like a franchised resort than a home, what with its beautiful cream walls, sunburnt-orange tiled roofs and gorgeous archway accents.
There’s even a crystalline infinity pool in the back, which makes no sense to me considering the ocean is right there, but I guess I’m not filthy rich enough to understand.
Adelina is in the passenger seat of our rented black Renault Clio, her feet up on the dashboard.
She’s got her laptop balanced on her knees, an HDMI cable running from its side to the DSLR camera in my hands.
I’m in the driver’s seat, a massive lens stuck out the window.
Every picture I snap is automatically transferred to her computer for analysis—though I’m really starting to worry about storage.
“Did you need to take a picture of that guard’s butt?” she asks dryly.
“I was trying to get a closer look at his ID,” I reply, mildly distracted as I hold the viewfinder up to my eye. The shutter goes off again, and this time I get the photo I’m looking for. I should be able to print off a convincing fake if we need one. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.
We’ve counted a patrol team consisting of roughly fifteen men so far.
All armed, all twice my size. They conduct their rounds at regular intervals, and they have to present their ID badges for scanning regardless of whether they’re entering or exiting the premises.
Berruci has at least twenty different cameras placed strategically around the perimeter of the property, leaving virtually no blind spots, and there’s only going to be more inside.
This place is more of a fortress than a home. Getting in and out unseen won’t be simple.
“Do you think you’d be able to access them remotely?” I ask her.
“They’re probably closed-circuit. Same as Berruci’s computer. Someone would have to let me in from the inside.”
“Do you see anything that you can tap into remotely? Anything we can use to our advantage?”
Adelina hums, deep in thought, observing the villa from afar. “His cars, maybe?”
“You can do that?”
She shrugs. “Cars are just computers on wheels attached to a motor. I can piggyback off the cellular connection needed for its entertainment system. If I wanted to, I could take control of the vehicle’s transmission, steering and brakes.
Everything, really. I don’t know how you’d incorporate it into your plan, but the option’s there. ”
I stare at her, caught between awe and horror. “There’s no way.”
Adelina smirks, opening the command prompt on her laptop. She types hastily, lines upon lines of code branching out across the screen. When she hits Enter—
Our car engine rumbles to life. She presses the button again and turns it off. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Holy shit,” I say, utterly amazed. “Good thing you’re on my team.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
“Uh-oh,” I mumble under my breath.
Adelina sits up, instantly alert. “What’s wrong? Did someone see us?”
“Nothing. My camera battery just died.”
She throws her head back and sighs. “Don’t scare me like that. I thought we’d been made.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Made? What is this—a 1940s old-timey gangster movie?” I bring my fingers up to my lips like I’m holding an invisible cigar, pantomiming a puff.
“See here, little lady,” I say in my best impression of a transatlantic accent.
“We gotta handle this here sitch real smooth-like. I’ve got me a damn good crew, so you can bet your bottom dollar we’ll be countin’ those clams in no time, see? ”
What she does next surprises me. Her shoulders start to shake as she fights a giggle, and then gives way to outright laughter. It’s a bright sound, so light and sweet that I almost can’t believe my own ears.
But most bewildering is her smile. Carefree and warm and…pretty. She looks like an entirely different person. And I know this is ironic, since she has an identical twin and all, but the sentiment stands.
What happened to her that made her so dour?
And while we’re at it, how did she come to find herself in this line of work?
She clearly has an impressive skill set.
Why isn’t she working for some big tech company?
Hell, after her stunt with the car, I’m sure the military sector would be right up her alley.
How does someone so amazing end up playing Robin Hood instead?
I know I’ve been staring too long when Adelina’s laughter fades back into silence. She glances at me, no doubt taking note of my quizzical expression.
“What?” she asks.
I clear my throat, returning my attention to the villa. I need to focus. There’s too much on the line to be sidetracked. “Nothing.”
“Why are your ears all red?”
“It’s warm in here.”
“Oh,” she says slowly, watching me with far too much amusement. “Did I catch you off guard?”
I don’t understand why I take it as a challenge, but now I’m curious to see if I can make her smile again. Adelina might be allergic to fun, but she’s already proven that she isn’t immune to it.
“I’m a man, not a robot. Beautiful women happen to be a weakness of mine.”
Her cheeks turn pink, but I’m pretty sure I can turn them crimson. “You’re shameless.”
I turn in my seat to get a better look at her, setting my camera aside on the dash. “What’s wrong, Ms. Choi? Feeling warm?”
She opens a new browser tab only to close it again. She’s cute when she’s flustered. “I don’t think it’s appropriate,” she says firmly.
“What is?”
“Your…Your flirting.”
“Because we’re colleagues?”
Adelina scoffs. “Like hell we are.”
“Friends?”
“Friends don’t blackmail each other.”
“You’ve got me there.”
“Look, are we done here? I want to head back to the hotel.”
I gasp as if scandalized. “You’re so forward, Ms. Choi. At least buy me dinner first.”
“I’m going to strangle you.”
“Please be gentle. My safe word is ‘umbrella.’ ”
She drags her hands over her face. “Jesus Christ.”
“My name’s West, actually.”
“It’s inappropriate because you have a partner!”
I still at this. I’m fairly certain my jaw would hit the car floor if it could. “What?”
“I heard you on the train.” Adelina shifts in her seat. “You were talking to them on the phone when I found you.”
“Oh, that wasn’t—” Out of the corner of my eye, movement. “Shut up,” I snap hastily.
Adelina frowns deeply. “Excuse me?”
Tilting my chin toward the windshield, I draw her line of sight to the large black SUV pulling up at the villa’s front gates.
It’s an entire procession, in fact, a line of ants on their way to do some very important business.
The guards we’ve been watching for the past couple of hours flit around with an almost frantic energy, as if caught unprepared for the fleet’s arrival.
“Who is it?” she asks.
Before I have a chance to answer, someone steps out of the vehicle closest to the gate.
A man in his late fifties, dressed in a pair of white linen pants, a pale-yellow polo shirt and wicker sandals.
His greasy black hair is thinning on top, but out of sheer stubbornness, he’s elected for a comb-over rather than shaving his head outright.
We’re too far away to hear what he’s saying, but his body language is plenty loud.
He gesticulates angrily, pointing at the closed gates while yelling at the guard in the adjacent control booth.
His aggression makes my pulse race. I haven’t seen him in years, but I’d know that man anywhere.
Valentino Berruci.
Things escalate with alarming speed. I can see the guard struggling with what I assume is the control panel inside the booth. When the gate still doesn’t open, Berruci roughly grabs the smaller man by the front of his shirt and winds his arm back.
I move instantaneously, reaching across the center console to press my hand over Adelina’s eyes.
I don’t know why I do it. It’s instinctive.
She’s her own woman and I’m sure she can handle herself, but…
I know what Berruci is capable of. I’ve seen his cruelty firsthand.
If I can spare her from seeing what’s about to happen, I’ll gladly do it.
“Don’t look,” I order.
“What—”
“Trust me, Adelina. Please.”
Her breathing thins, but she doesn’t push me away. She nods slowly, her clenched hands resting on her lap.
It’s not a pretty picture. The guard doesn’t fight back.
He can’t. If he raises a hand to Berruci, he’s as good as dead.
All he can do is defend himself against Berruci’s unjustified anger.
It’s over within a few seconds, but it feels like an eternity has passed.
Someone finally gets the gate open and Berruci stuffs himself back into his vehicle.
The guard is on the ground, curled up in a ball.
I’m thankful there’s so much distance between us because I don’t know that I’d be able to handle seeing his injuries up close.
When one of his buddies goes to check on him, I decide I’ve seen more than enough.
“I’m going to drive us out of here,” I whisper. The air inside the car is unbelievably still. “But I need you to keep your eyes closed.”
“Why?” she asks. “Oh, God. Please tell me that guy’s still alive.”
“He is, but…” I take a deep breath. “Just promise me you won’t look until I say it’s okay, alright? You don’t want to see this.”
“O-okay,” she replies with a shiver.
I slowly remove my hand from over her eyes and pause—just to make sure she’s being true to her word—before I reach for the keys. The engine rumbles to life. Air rushes over the hood of the vehicle and past the windows, eventually mingling with the sound of traffic as we return to the city center.
I knew Berruci was dangerous, but now my belly is especially queasy.
If he’s willing to punish his own employees over something as uncontrollable as a faulty gate, what horrendous things is he willing to do to his enemies?
There’s a reason why his own family wanted him out of the picture.
Such vile, erratic and unhinged behavior…
I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near it either.
The car comes to a full stop. I kill the engine.
“Okay,” I murmur, my voice suddenly too loud in the quiet that surrounds us.
Adelina opens her eyes slowly and looks around. We’re parked on the side of the road near a long stretch of beach. There are still a lot of people out despite the late hour. My grip on the steering wheel is punishing, the leather creaking in protest beneath my hands.
“West?” Adelina whispers, reaching out slowly to place a hand on my forearm.
“I’m fine.” I don’t think she believes me, but I do my best to keep my voice level. “Has Diana texted us the hotel address yet?”
She checks her burner phone. “Yeah. Looks like she found one twenty minutes away. Berruci apparently has eyes on all the big chains by the waterfront. Joseph’s back with the blueprints you asked for too.”
“Good. That’s good. We should meet up with them and—”
“I think you should let me drive.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“West, you’re shaking.”
It’s hard to think past the blood rushing through my ears and the adrenaline coursing through my veins, but I finally manage to release the steering wheel. I can feel it now, the slight tremor of my hands and shoulders. I didn’t realize how badly I’d been affected.
It all comes rushing back to me. How our Paris heist went up in smoke. There’s even more on the line this time. I couldn’t protect Michael, but I have to protect Jack. No matter what happens, I can’t let Berruci win.
“You don’t know the area,” I mumble.
“Then give me directions.”
Even if I wanted to argue, she’s already slipping out through the passenger-side door.
Maybe she’s right. It’s probably safer for everyone if she drives.
Once we’ve changed spots, Adelina hands me her laptop for safekeeping.
She pulls into traffic without issue. At some point, she rolls down the windows, allowing the warm ocean breeze to wash over us.
The ride is silent, for the most part, save for the occasional direction.
We arrive in front of the hotel—a smaller three-star chain—and pull into an empty stall in the adjacent parking lot.
Even though she turns the engine off, Adelina doesn’t exit the vehicle right away.
Instead, she turns to me, her dark eyes questioning.
“I want you to tell me the truth,” she says, her tone surprisingly gentle. “This is clearly about more than just money for you. That man scares you. Why do you want to go after him so badly? Why risk turning against him?”
I take a slow, deep breath in through my nose. Adelina’s too sharp. She was bound to ask sooner or later—but can I trust her? If I tell her about Jack, will she use that information to help me or hurt me? I don’t think she realizes just how dangerous she is.
“My niece,” I reply after some thought. “I’m doing this for my niece.”