How to Shield an Assassin (Unholy Trifecta Book 1)

by AJ Sherwood

  “I’m breathing.” Carter was also promising himself he’d make better backup plans than this. Granted, they’d been beyond rushed with this job, with no real time to plan every detail out. But still. This flying by the seat of their pants was not fun.

  Ari slid into the passenger seat and closed the door with a soft whump. He practically radiated satisfaction although his eyes still stared hard at the two mangled cars, the police car, the ambulance, and the spectators. “Come on, tow truck, come on.”

  A policeman came up to speak with the guards, then returned to the truck’s driver. The man looked like a gardener or landscaper, and the truck had the logo of some company on the driver’s side door. The driver nodded, gestured a few times, then shrugged. Between cop and driver, they wrestled the bumper completely off with some hard tugs, then threw it into the back bed.

  Carter straightened up slowly. Was the policeman trying to clear enough space they could at least get out? Or was he trying to buy some room for the tow truck? Both, perhaps?

  They sat tensely and watched it play out. The truck slowly drove off, merging with traffic, and the cop waved them forward.

  “Yes,” Carter and Ari hissed at once in triumph.

  “What, what?” Kyou demanded.

  “They’re letting us out,” Ari reported even as the big black gates swung inwards.

  Carter gave it a respectable distance before driving slowly through. He waved at the cop in thanks, smile unfeigned. The cop nodded back, already turning away to deal with the traffic and the sedan still sitting there. He carefully merged with traffic as well, using all the right signals and speed to not draw anyone’s attention.

  Three blocks away, Ari punched a fist into the air. “YES! God, I can’t believe we did it.”

  “I know we had a lot of issues, but good work guys! Seriously, I can’t believe we tackled that place with such little planning and pulled it off.”

  “It’s because we’re that good,” Ivan interjected smugly. There was a bit of background noise accompanying his voice, no doubt because he was driving back to the townhouse.

  Carter knew the next part of the plan was losing the van and uniforms, and quickly. They couldn’t be caught with any of this, as they were no longer employees. They’d leave the van behind to be boosted. K had already arranged for someone to pick the vehicle up, wipe it clean, and re-sell it.

  Ari was already unbuttoning his shirt and getting ready to lose it. “What’s our ETA on getting out of the townhouse? We still aiming for two o’clock?”

  “I think that’s still doable. Widow’s already shut down all non-essential processes and she’s packing stuff up for me. Don’t worry about the furniture, it was all rented, and I’ve got the company scheduled to come and pick it up tomorrow.”

  It was actually impressive how quickly Kyou had set this up and could take it down again. It made Carter wonder how many times he’d done so. Carter wasn’t actually accustomed to long-term heists. His sort of jobs usually involved quick turn arounds and bullets. He had to admit, even though parts of it were nerve-wracking in the extreme, he’d rather enjoyed this better. Or was that because of the team of men he was working with?

  “Daddy, I’m packed. Should I pack you?”

  “That would be awesome, gattina. Did you sweep the bathroom too?”

  Remi let out an aggravated gasp. “No, I forgot.”

  “Do that for me and you, okay? But it’s okay if you forget something, I’ll do a sweep as soon as I’m in.”

  “Okay.”

  Kyou gave a grunt of satisfaction. “Your employee records with Assurance are scrubbed. You officially don’t exist. How close are you to parking?”

  “Parking now.” Carter pulled into the narrow alley and wasted no time exiting the van.

  “I’m five minutes out from the house,” Ivan reported.

  Ari hauled the portfolio out and they left the vehicle unlocked, keys inside. Their boosters would be here to collect it in the next fifteen minutes. They shifted the portfolio and tools over to the SUV and shucked the employee shirts, which they tossed into the back of the van. Ari slid into the driver’s seat and pulled steadily out of the alleyway, joining the crazy DC traffic. He caught Ari’s eye as they waited for the red light, and they broke out into irrepressible smiles. They weren’t home free yet, but it was so close they could taste it.

  “K,” Ari requested, still grinning at Carter, “Tell me something good.”

  “They have no idea that the swap’s been made. We’re good. I still want out of town in the next two hours to make sure that we don’t invite bad luck on our heads. Smiley.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Finally got a reply from our client. He’s okay with us taking the painting directly to him, and he’s anticipating us tonight. Said he’ll wait for us, as he’s pretty anxious to get his hands on the Monet. Actually…I know we talked about you going to turn in the painting alone to the client, but I’m not really good with that option anymore.”

  Carter sensed that this had nothing to do with him. “Why?”

  “Because the director’s anxious. This guy isn’t a hardened criminal, I could practically hear him sweating. Just in case he does something stupid, I think you shouldn’t go in alone.”

  Frowning, Carter considered this. “Okay, that’s a good point.”

  Ari’s smile morphed into a thoughtful frown. “In that case, he’s definitely not going alone. I’ll follow him in. Eidolon, K, you two play backup.”

  “I’m good with that,” Carter agreed.

  “Good. I’ll start breaking down.”

  It meant that Kyou wouldn’t have eyes on them the rest of the way, but that was fine. He hardly needed to. They still had their earbuds in, they could tell each other if something went wrong.

  He and Ari slid through traffic, which fortunately wasn’t crowded at this time of the day. They remained alert to their surroundings the whole trip, not wanting to let their guards down at the last second. Carter frankly wouldn’t really relax until he had the painting delivered and money in his account. Still, his free hand slid into Ari’s, and they held hands the entire trip.

  When they entered the front door, they were met with a round of applause. Carter laughed and kicked the door shut. “Anyone want a good look at it before we take off? Probably your only chance outside of a museum.”

  “Later,” Kyou admonished.

  “Da,” Ivan instantly agreed, already heading for the portfolio.

  Kyou threw his hands up and went back to packing his computer carefully into the various crates and boxes.

  Carter handed it off to the thief as he didn’t really have time to admire it. He needed to pack the rest of his personal belongings and throw them into his car. As he moved, he asked Kyou, “So do I tell Emura the job is finished or not?”

  “I think we should skip him altogether. We can still pay him the fee, just so he can’t scream about being cheated later. We don’t need that kind of tarnish on our records. But the site will boot him soon and really make sure he can’t do business again. It was embarrassing enough he snuck back in once—they’ll double down on security measures to prevent another black eye.”

  Sometimes reputation was the only saving grace in this business. Carter agreed with that. “I’m fine with all of that, but are we seriously going to just walk through the Met’s front doors with a stolen painting?”

  “Why?” Ivan queried. “It’s supposed to be in the museum, isn’t it? Let’s just put it back.”

  Put it back…? As in… “Wait, you want to break into the Met yourself and switch them out? Seriously?”

  Ivan cackled.

  He was joking. Wasn’t he?

  Ivan did not win the argument about switching the painting out, fortunately. Ari didn’t even have to break in and mediate the argument, which made Carter think Ivan had been yanking Kyou’s chain all along. They drove the four and a half hours to New York caravan style with no issues. While Carter and Ari headed into th
e Met, the other three waited across the street at a coffee shop, on hand just in case things went south. The director of the Met greeted them at the door and escorted them in. Security never even got a chance to look at the painting nestled in the portfolio.

  The director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art didn’t look very distinguished, despite the suit he wore. Thinning brown hair on top, average build, a sort of everyman look to him. What did stand out were his nerves, as he kept glancing behind him, tracking that they were still with him, and wiping sweat from his forehead.

  It was an impressive building, to be sure. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was built of light grey stone, looking as impressive as any Grecian structure with its tall columns near the doors and the high, domed ceilings overhead. The tiled floor echoed every footstep from the visitors, and the art wasn’t cluttered together. It was all spaced out by several feet to give people the ability to really look at it individually and appreciate each sculpture, each painting, on its own. Each area also had its own designation for countries, the architecture reflecting the country of origin. Carter had spent a few hours here once, just enjoying the art and culture.

  They passed by the information desk, going up the stairs and to the third story, then on towards the back of the building where the staff offices were. Carter had the painting in hand, his gate loose and easy. Ari strode like a shadow at his side, taking in absolutely everything. Nothing looked out of place to him, but he hadn’t lived this long without looking for a double-cross. He was sure whatever he missed, Ari would spot.

  The director opened his office door and stepped through. A woman waited inside with an open authenticating kit on his desk. Ari closed the door behind them and then leaned casually against it. No one was coming in or out without moving him first.

  Director Lofland gave him a leery glance before clearing his throat, smoothing down his brilliantly red tie as he did so. “Gentlemen. You’ll understand if I want to check the painting first.”

  “Of course,” Carter assured him. “Here, please take it. We can wait until you’re satisfied.”

  “Yes, thank you.” Lofland deflated a little when he didn’t get an argument and quickly unzipped the portfolio so his colleague could get to work. The woman pulled free the tools she needed and bent immediately over the painting.

  As the director hovered, Carter came to stand at Ari’s side and watched for a minute.

  “Nothing looks suspicious from out here,” Kyou threw in. “I’ve tapped into the director’s and the museum’s phones, and he hasn’t alerted anyone. Bank account is ready for him to transfer the money to.”

  “All clear out here as well,” Ivan reported, sounding bored.

  The authenticator knew her business. She ran three tests and then sat back with a relieved smile and nodded to Lofland. “It’s genuine.”

  Lofland’s unease died an immediate death and he beamed at Carter. “Mr. Harrison. Thank you so much. When you took the job, you didn’t think it would be possible, but you pulled through beautifully.”

  “I fortunately found the right team for the job,” Carter replied modestly. “If you could, transfer the payment to this account.”

  Lofland took the card with the printed account and routing number but frowned uneasily at it. “What about Mr. Emura?”

  “You can send his share directly to him.”

  “He stipulated I was to pay through him, and he would divide the funds…” Lofland paused, dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Your colleague explained to me that Emura was not trustworthy, but you’ve experienced this for yourself, Mr. Harrison?”

  “He’s apparently done this trick before. Don’t use him in the future, Director. I’ll leave you my contact info. You can just directly hire me.”

  “Ah. I’ll gladly take it, but I’m sure you’ll understand if I say I hope I never have to hire you again.”

  Carter returned that smile with a soft chuckle. “Understandable.”

  “Here, let me transfer the payment.” Lofland pulled out his phone and tapped for a while into it, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as he concentrated.

  “Aaaand it’s transferred. We’re good. I’m divvying it out to everyone else’s account now.”

  “Thank you, Director.” Carter shook hands with the man and then they were free. As he walked out of the museum, he took the first full breath for what felt like eons. It was definitely months. He caught Ari’s eye and couldn’t help but think that if not for this wild, crazy job that he’d taken on, he’d never have met the man. Or Remi. Or Ivan. Or Kyou. He’d considered himself insane for taking it on, but…maybe his insanity had worked out for the better.

  Remi’s hopeful voice piped up in his ear. “Disneyland?”

  “Yeah, gattina,” Ari responded, and the expression he had on his face was utter contentment. “Next stop is Disneyland.”

  Epilogue

  Ari

  Ari had his hands full as he juggled his bag, Remi’s, and tried to open Ivan’s door at the same time. They’d had fun at Disneyland for a full week. They’d even squeezed in having dinner with Luca twice, which had gone rather well. Carter had been his usual charming self. Luca had been very obviously delighted to see Remi face to face and curious about his brother’s new boyfriend.

  In between amusement rides, Ari and Carter had discussed how to move forward. It wasn’t easy, in their line of work, to have any sense of permanency. But they wanted to stay together and really give this relationship thing a try. Carter was adamant that he didn’t want he and Ari to take jobs alone anymore, too.

  To that end, Carter had set up this meeting. Ivan had a house in California, so they went there to crash for the night. Well, in theory. Carter had every intention of pressing his agenda.

  The door opened under Ari’s hand, and Ivan stepped back to let them through. “There you are. Carter got here a half hour ago.”

  “Yeah, well, he was on the road faster than we were.” His boyfriend(?) had left early to swing by and pick up a few things from one of his safehouses nearby. Carter, it seemed, had just as many places to crash as Kyou. Or Ivan.

  “Solnishko,” Ivan crooned, holding out his hands for a hug. “How was Disneyland?”

  “Dreamy,” she sighed happily, closing in around his legs and hugging him tightly. “I want to do it again.”

  “Next birthday,” Ari promised her, swinging the bags to a stop, tucked out of the way from the main path. He’d not actually been in Ivan’s house before. It had a very modern, Santa Fe look going for it, what with the stucco and red tiles and the open concept floorplan. Even the floors were a polished cement. Ivan went for white walls and bold furniture colors, the sofa and chairs red or black. It didn’t actually look like something the man had decorated himself. Ivan’s taste was a little different than this. It made Ari think the man had bought it and then hired an interior decorator to finish the house off.

  Remi excitedly started telling Ivan every detail and Ari left her to it, hunting for his sexy man who was supposedly in here somewhere. He found him in a back bedroom, where he was offloading a truly interesting collection of guns, knives, and was that a new drone? The box didn’t even look opened.

  “There you are,” Carter greeted, straightening. He skirted around the bed and greeted Ari with a kiss that was meant to be quick but Ari drew him back in, lingering. They’d not had a proper kiss this morning what with an eight-year-old pleading to stay a day longer, and the general chaos of trying to get packed up and out the door. Carter hummed approval even as he kissed back, hand gliding up to catch the back of Ari’s head.

  “Why hello,” Carter purred at him, eyes twinkling. “Is that a promise for later?”

  “Yes,” Ari promised in a growl. “Ivan can distract her.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  “You two stop kissy-kissy!” Ivan called from the main room. “Kyou’s ready to talk!”

  Ari wasn’t actually sure on this point: Was Ivan the bigger cockblock or Remi
? Some days, it really was a flip of the coin either direction. Sighing, he pulled back. “We’re coming!”

  Apparently able to read the look on his face, Carter gave him a reassuring nod. “It’s fine. I think they’ll agree.”

  “I’m not sure if this will work out the way you think it will,” Ari warned him. Again. He’d said this at least three times already. “We’re all pretty independent.”

  “I think you’ve been independent because you didn’t really think you had another option. Let’s at least put it out there for them to consider, yeah?”

  Ari still harbored his doubts, but he followed Carter into the living room. The big screen had Kyou’s figure on it, the hacker swathed in a worn-in sweatshirt, a cup of some steaming liquid in both hands. He looked more than a little worked over, as if he’d been on a work binge ever since the last job completed. Which, knowing Kyou, wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. Remi and Ivan were stretched out on the couch as if anticipating movie time. All they were missing was the popcorn.

  “Alright, we’re all here,” Kyou stated, his voice scratchy. It could have been exhaustion or disuse. When he got into a hacking binge, he didn’t go outside or speak to people for sometimes weeks at a time. “What’s this about, Carter?”

  Carter came to stand so he could face all four of them, his arms crossed over his chest and a stubborn tilt to his jaw. “I want a team. I want you to be my team.”

  Letting out a low whistle, Ivan stared at him and, for once, the charming thief wasn’t anywhere present. He was closed off entirely, hiding his true thoughts. Kyou didn’t look all that surprised, more a mix of pensive resignation.

  “Carter, I think I said this before,” Kyou said slowly, carefully non-confrontational. “But our jobs don’t always overlap with the others’ skillset.”

  “They do often enough, though. Ari’s told me how many jobs the three of you have tackled together in the last five years. More than half of them, you did together. The other half, it was a mix of either working with just one of you as a partner, or going solo. Even solo, you sometimes pulled the others in halfway through the job. Look, I know the three of you think you need to be independent, I get that. I’m not suggesting we’re hobbled together at the ankles. It’s just, wouldn’t you like for this to be official? To not need to question if the other two will have your back, but to know they will?”