by Zoe Blake
“Speaking of the coup, how the fuck did you manage to vanish out of the country like that? The airports were still closed and the military had the whole city on lock down.
Mirage gave him a sly look. “There is a reason why they call me Mirage…because I got skills.”
“I’ll show you skills,” growled Paine playfully as he tossed the egg roll she was eating over his shoulder and leaned in for a kiss.
* * *
Much later, they were no longer able to avoid the world outside. They had to discuss their current predicament with The Syndicate and the kill contract that loomed over each of their heads.
“I have an idea but I warn you, you’re going to hate it,” said Mirage.
“Maybe not. Everyone knows no one beats you when it comes to a good, well-thought out plan,” responded Paine with only the barest hint of a sarcastic reference to her well-laid plan of revenge against him.
Mirage told him of her idea to break into The Syndicate’s headquarters and steal enough evidence against them to blackmail them into leaving her and Paine alone.
Chapter Eleven
“I hate it,” declared Paine.
“I knew you would,” sighed Mirage.
“You’re god damn right I would. I’m not letting you put yourself in that amount of danger. There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t.”
“I can protect you, you know that,” said Paine as he cupped her jaw, his eyes sincere.
“But for how long? The Syndicate won’t stop until we are dead. This is the only way.”
Paine dropped his hands and turned away.
“You know I’m right,” said Mirage.
“That doesn’t make this any easier,” ground out Paine.
At that moment, she knew she had won him over. They would begin to plan the most dangerous heist of either of their careers…with the highest of stakes.
* * *
“Tight as a nun’s ass,” quipped Paine.
“I know.”
“That’s what John Gotti said when someone proposed robbing the vaults of the Diamond District…tight as a nun’s ass.”
“I know,” repeated Mirage.
After returning to London to grab clothes, supplies, stashed fake I.D.s, and cash, Paine and Mirage borrowed a car and drove across the channel into France. From there, they made their way up the coast to Antwerp, Belgium. Flying would have been faster, but neither wanted to risk getting nabbed by Heathrow’s facial recognition software, which they were certain The Syndicate had access to and was probably monitoring.
They had been alternating between planning the heist and arguing about the heist the entire way.
The Syndicate’s headquarters were located in the Diamond District of Antwerp, in what was called the Diamond Square Mile. It was the most secure three blocks in the world. The three main streets, Schupstraat, Hoveniersstraat and Rijfstraat were all closed to traffic and protected by armed guards and fourteen, knee-high, ram-proof, steel cylinders which rose out of the ground to block any car trying to enter. Not that bringing a car into the narrow, antiquated streets would do you much good in a heist, but it also meant whatever equipment they needed would have to be carried on their back in an inauspicious backpack.
“They have a LIPS vault,” stated Paine.
Mirage dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand. “At least it’s not a Fichet!”
The Dutch safe manufacturer LIPS created some of the most secure vaults in the world. They were good, but not as good as the British manufacturer, Fichet. The fact that it was a LIPS made the heist difficult but not impossible.
From her wine-soaked, loose-lipped operative back in Italy a few years ago, Mirage had learned not only the location of The Syndicate’s base of operation but also the name of their shadow company. After that, it was just a matter of a little computer hacking to learn where that company was insured. All companies located in the Diamond Center, a group of business offices and vaults in the center of the Diamond District, with massive amounts of wealth that required vaults and extensive security, had to have an insurance inspection and a detailed security plan. Fortunately for Mirage, that detailed plan was in the shadow company’s file with their insurer. They knew how many guards to expect, the type of vault and all about the motion and laser detectors as well as the video-cameras.
“The School of Turin took two years to plan their heist, and we’re trying to plan ours in two weeks,” said Paine.
The School of Turin was a group of thieves who had robbed the Diamond Center about a decade ago. It was the same building they would be targeting. The Syndicate was smart. They were hiding all their wealth and criminal activities in plain sight among some of the most heavily secured, legitimate companies in the world. It was brilliant really. In any other city, even New York, it might raise an eyebrow to see an armored BMW pull up with a trunk full of gold bars, but in Antwerp’s Diamond District, that was just a Tuesday morning.
“The School of Turin needed to make off with a truckload of jewels and cash. We don’t,” reasoned Mirage.
Conversing and slowly building trust with one another over the last two weeks, they had learned they had both been smart with their criminal earnings. Paine had about fifteen million stashed away in various countries and Mirage had about twenty million, a fact she liked to repeatedly remind Paine. “Does this mean I would be your sugar mama?” she would tease.
This wasn’t about grabbing more wealth. It was about securing enough damning information to make The Syndicate back off.
“So you think once we have shit on them, The Syndicate will just walk away instead of doubling their efforts to kill us?” asked Paine.
Mirage shrugged her shoulders. “It would only take a few seconds to launch that information into the world via social media and they know we could make arrangements for that to be done the moment someone pulls a trigger. It would be safer to just keep us alive and monitor us.”
“I agree. Hey, didn’t you do a job in Antwerp not too long ago?”
Mirage peeked at him through her eyelashes, “Allegedly…but if I did it, it was one of the smaller diamond businesses just outside the Diamond Square Mile.”
* * *
“Repeat it back to me,” ordered Paine.
“We’ve been over this. I got it.”
Paine tucked a dark curl behind her ear before cupping her face with his hands. “I’m not taking any chances, baby. Now repeat it back to me.”
“If we get caught, you are going to tell the police I’m an employee of one of the offices and your hostage. I’m then to contact Stephen in England and let him know what happened so he can put a plan in place to get you out of prison.”
“Good girl.”
“But we’re not going to get caught.”
“Do you know how many times I have been sent into a country to retrieve an operative for The Syndicate who thought the same damn thing? No one expects to get caught, Mira.” He placed a quick kiss on her lips. “Let’s go.”
Grabbing their backpacks, Paine and Mirage headed out into the dark still night. They had rented an apartment just a few blocks away. The type that took cash and didn’t ask a lot of questions, so it was only a ten-minute walk to the Diamond District. Paine had his arm around Mirage and they chatted animatedly so if they passed any police, they would look like a couple out on a date.
“You know. We haven’t even been on a date and you are already talking about the future,” observed Mirage.
“As soon as the blood-thirsty criminal masterminds who want us dead are brought to heel, I will take you out for dinner and a movie. How does that sound?” Paine took a playful bite at her ear.
Mirage felt a warm glow in her chest. She knew he was probably teasing, but the thought of going out like a normal couple on a normal date appealed to her.
There were cameras and security kiosks monitoring all the entrances. Lucky for them, the C Block building where The Syndicate’s vault was located had a ga
rage door that was not in the security guard’s line of sight. After a bit of reconnaissance earlier, they had captured a photo of the type of garage door opener that was used. After that, it was just a matter of using an electronic scanner to figure out which one of the possible one thousand twenty-four radio frequencies the garage door opener used to make their own remote. Paine hit the garage remote button as they approached. Looking to the right and left of the silent street to make sure they weren’t observed, they quickly slipped into the garage.
Paine knelt before the first locked door. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out an L-shaped torque wrench and inserted it into the bottom of the keyhole. He then took a thin pick with small teeth and inserted it into the keyhole as well. Carefully dragging the pick back and forth, he waited for the pins of the lock to set.
“Are you setting up a picnic?” whispered Mirage.
“Patience.”
Mirage crossed her arms. Finally, after a few more seconds, there was a barely perceptible metallic click. Paine turned the knob and motioned for Mirage to enter. She pointed to her watch. “Hmmm…nine seconds. I could have done it in six.”
Paine gave her a playful swat on the ass.
“All right, your turn. And I’m timing you,” said Paine as he prepared to set the stopwatch on his wrist.
Mirage knelt before the second door. This small, empty guards’ room contained the key for the vault. A LIPS vault was a one-foot thick door of iron and steel protected by a four digit, combo code, a magnetic lock and a key. The key was just over a foot long so it was too cumbersome to be kept anywhere but near the vault. Giving Paine a wink to start the clock, she quickly inserted her own torque wrench and pick.
Five seconds later the door sprang open.
“Show off,” whispered Paine.
Mirage stuck her tongue out at him.
After a quick search, they found the key and made their way down the narrow hallway. Mirage reached into Paine’s backpack for the can of silly string. As soon as they were within view of the vault, she handed the can to him. Pressing their backs against the wall, they crept to just below the first motion camera, attached to the ceiling. Using the silly string, Paine disabled the camera. He then took out the next two and the three video cameras. They took slow and careful steps towards the vault. Just because the motion detectors were covered didn’t mean they wouldn’t react to quick and large movements.
They both knelt before the massive iron door. After pushing the key in place, Paine pulled out a drill and some fiber optic cable while Mirage worked on the magnetic alarm. It was a simple contraption. There was a magnetic plate on the door and one on the jam. When they connected, they completed a circuit and a simple alarm was set. Mirage carefully placed a heavy metal bar over both magnetic plates. She made eye contact with Paine as a signal she was about to go. If all went well, the metal bar would pull the magnetic plates off the door and bypass the alarm. The trick was both plates had to stay connected and dislodge from the door at the same time. If the plates disconnected even slightly, the alarm would trip.
Mirage held her breath. Paine gave her a reassuring nod. Counting to two, she pulled on the metal bar. The magnetic plates came off the door with a soft popping sound.
They both waited.
No alarm.
Mirage smiled.
Now it was Paine’s turn. Handing pair of plastic goggles to Mirage, he put his own on and started to drill. It was the loudest part of their whole operation so it needed to be done as quickly as possible. Drilling through the keyhole would give them access to a narrow shaft through the one-foot iron door. The key plate gave way. Paine threaded the fiber-optic cable through the keyhole and turned on the camera. Mirage’s hand was at the ready over the combination pad. As soon as the camera was in place, Paine would be able to read the combination off the back of the locking mechanism on the inside of the vault door.
He read off the numbers. Mirage typed them in.
The sound of several heavy bolts sliding on greased rails greeted their efforts. Turning the large metal wheel, the vault door slowly slid open.
The inside of the vault was protected with light sensors. They both put on their headlamps and turned them on. The usual white light was covered with a red lens. Red was the closest color on the visible light spectrum to infrared and could be used to trick the security system if you were careful with your movements.
Paine gave Mirage an assessing look as her features were bathed in crimson red light. “That reminds me. Where is that red lipstick I bought you?”
“I still have it. Why?”
Usually she always wore red lipstick. It was her signature look and the only real makeup she used, but the last two weeks they’d been trying to blend in more, so bright red lips were out.
“I just thought about how I wanted to celebrate when this is over.”
Mirage had a sudden vision of her on her knees sucking Paine’s cock as she left lipstick marks up the shaft. The thought made her bite her lip in anticipation.
“Will you focus please?” she remonstrated.
They found themselves in a large room. Each wall was covered with brushed metal, safety-deposit boxes of varying sizes. In the center was a long, polished wood conference table with seats. Since boxes required both a key and a combination, it was easier to just break the deadbolt on each one.
With each of them taking a side, they began to systematically pop the boxes open.
“Remember, make sure to grab any silver flash drive with the letter M etched on it. That’s more than likely one of my jobs, and I stole a lot from foreign governments for them,” said Mirage.
“Got it,” responded Paine.
They couldn’t possibly know anything specific to look for. They would just grab as much information and whatever looked incriminating enough. As they emptied the contents of each box onto the floor, the room became littered with priceless jewels, gold coins, uncut diamonds, salacious photographs and documents.
“Don’t be afraid to grab anything sparkly that catches your eye,” quipped Paine.
Mirage pulled another box free and dumped it onto the floor. Bending down to rifle through the contents, she looked up. “Hey, that reminds me. I want my Raj Pink diamond back!”
“You mean my Raj Pink diamond?” asked Paine with feigned innocence.
Mirage narrowed her eyes at him. “How about we compromise…our Raj Pink diamond?”
Paine gave her a seductive wink. “Deal.”
Mirage was still having a hard time believing the strange turn of events. She now accepted that she was head over heels truly in love with Paine. Not the idea of Paine or some silly fantasy about what a relationship should be, but the real deal. Never in a million years had she thought she could so easily fall into step with someone. Her relationship with Dev hadn’t even come close. Even this heist, you would have thought it was their hundredth not their first, they worked so well together. To think that she would relish having a partner in crime. Literally. She still got scared. Every now and then, there would be this cold pit in her stomach. She would worry about having to return to those solitary days where her life was a controlled vacuum devoid of any real feeling or passion instead of the beautiful chaos which surrounded her and Paine, but then he would grab her by the hips and say something outrageously arrogant and possessive and warn her as he always did…that she was never getting rid of him.
“We should start to wrap this up, kitten. There’s got to be something in all these flash drives we can use,” said Paine as he held open his backpack. It was filled with at least a hundred flash drives, many of them silver. “Look at all those silver drives. You were a very busy, very naughty girl.”
Mirage flashed him a smile as she caught the seductive turn of his thoughts. “Yes. I was a very bad girl.”
Paine took a step toward her. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her close. Leaning in, his lips brushed hers. “Looks like I’m going to have to punish you.”
Mi
rage’s inner thighs clenched. Between the adrenaline rush of the heist, the threat of getting caught and Paine’s masculine presence, her blood was already running high and hot.
“You’ll have to catch me first!”
Mirage bolted out of the vault. The sudden movement set off the alarm.
Paine laughed as he gave chase.
It was part of their plan to set the alarm off. They wanted The Syndicate to know of the theft as soon as possible. The sooner they knew they were comprised, the sooner they would be willing to call off the hit and negotiate with Paine and Mirage.
* * *
They didn’t even return to the small apartment. Hopping in a car they had staged a few blocks away just outside the Diamond District, they were already making their way through the labyrinth of old streets before they even heard the first police siren. Hours later when they were far outside of the city on a dark country road, Paine pulled the car over.
“Why are we stopping?” asked Mirage as she turned to look out the back window for any sign of trouble before turning back to Paine.
He held up a tube of crimson red lipstick. “We did it, baby. Time to celebrate.”
Giving him a seductive laugh, Mirage whipped off her t-shirt before leaning in to kiss him.
Chapter Twelve
Istanbul, Turkey - three months later
Walking from the cool interior of the villa into the bright sunshine, Mirage lowered her sunglasses over her eyes and scanned the pool area for Paine. The cedar wood patio felt warm beneath her feet as she made her way to the northern corner which was shaded by the dark green leaves of several hazelnut trees.
“Coffee.” Mirage handed him a warm mug before settling onto the thick cushions of the lounge chair next to him.
“Thanks, love.”
Turning her head to the side, she glimpsed at the laptop open on the small table between them.
“Still reviewing the Turkish coup files?”
