Hers to Take

by Talia Ellison

  “And they’ll shoot her, you idiot!” Jason yelled.

  “Jason.” My father shot him a warning look. “Tony, you mentioned a rooftop. Can anyone else reach it?”

  “No. None of the other buildings are close enough and jumping onto it from the air will be detected. Octavia could get in there.” Tony looked at me. “I’m confident. And if they see her, I don’t think they’ll shoot immediately. The Viteris might have killed a lot of people, but they don’t need to deal with unnecessary deaths if they don’t see her as a serious threat.”

  “No,” my father simply said. “Octavia’s the only one who managed to stay out of all of this and it should stay that way.”

  “But Dad!” I felt like a five-year-old who was begging her father to allow her to eat more chocolate before dinner. If my mom were here and not on a vacation in France, there would be no talk about me doing this at all, but my dad... It should be easier to convince him. He could rarely say no to me. “I can do this. And I can defend myself. I don’t need a gun or any weapon to take out a few guards.” Okay, maybe I was overestimating a bit the fighting skills that my brothers had taught me, but I believed I could handle this.

  “You only trained with people in here,” my father said. “And it’s one thing to do something in a room with people who you know won’t really hurt you and quite another to actually do it.”

  “I know, but I can at least try. If the guards aren’t careful enough because they don’t think anything will happen, maybe I can sneak inside and get out before anyone realizes anything.” I gave him a pleading look. “I want to try this. I’m not a child anymore. If you trust my brothers to do things, then why can’t you do the same with me?”

  “Princess, I...” My father sighed. “I know you’re just as capable as your brothers to do these things, but... I prefer you don’t get involved in this. You have a life and you’re doing great in college. It would be a shame to ruin that. If someone catches you or sees you... Even if you walk out of there alive... you wouldn’t be able to go back to your life and your friends... The Viteris wouldn’t come only after you, but after your friend, too, and I know you’d never forgive yourself for that.”

  “Right.” I rubbed my arms, pulling away from him. “But Katya... She needs our help, and if the rumors about that new drug are true, then we could be facing a war. And then what?” My eyes searched his. “We could all end up dead if the Viteris take over our area and your associates side with them. We can’t just hole up in here or try to run somewhere they can’t find us.” Not to mention my father’s pride would never allow him to run anywhere. I didn’t want to lose my family.

  “We’ll deal with that when it comes,” my father said, but his forehead wrinkled. “Find another way,” he said to my brothers, and strolled out of the room. As I watched him disappear down the hallway, his shoulders drooping, his gait becoming stiff, I knew that even he didn’t believe we’d find another way.

  Chapter 2

  I leaned into the soft blue pillows on my bed, my laptop on my lap. An image of Aaron Viteri was on the screen, and I kept staring at it. He was way too handsome for a monster, with piercing blue eyes, messy black hair, and a lean body. I was trying to figure out why none of the people my brothers had sent to seduce him had caught his attention. If it was too risky for me to try to get into his apartment, maybe I could achieve what the spies couldn’t.

  The idea of having to sleep with a killer who’d done who knows what and could do whatever he wanted to me wasn’t appealing in the least, but maybe I could pretend long enough for him to take me to his apartment, and then I’d have to hit him over the head with something or find a way to get what I needed without having to sleep with him. I sighed. Yeah, I was sure those were nice fantasies, but Aaron wouldn’t be so easy to take down or trick. I was fooling myself. I’d be dead before I could even twitch a finger.

  The video I’d started on the screen only confirmed that. Aaron stepped forward, a gun raised in his hand, and without blinking, he shot two men who were kneeling on the floor straight in the head. Then he simply turned around and walked away. I didn’t know who the men were, but Tony had left a note indicating those were some guys who’d worked for Aaron and who’d betrayed him. Still, Aaron’s calm and cold behavior made me certain I didn’t want to be face to face with him, especially if I intended to steal his files.

  A knock sounded on my door just as I began watching another video, which showed a dark figure sitting alone at the bar, a glass in hand. A woman came to sit next to him and leaned into him, but he completely ignored her. He didn’t pay any attention to a man who’d come in the next scene and tried to strike a conversation with him.

  “Come in,” I said, not lifting my eyes off the screen.

  “Hey, O. What are you doing?” Tony poked his head inside.

  I quickly pushed the laptop away from me and sat up, offering him a smile. “Just watching some shows.”

  His eyebrows shot upward as he made his way toward me. “Aaron Viteri’s life is a TV show. Huh. I didn’t know that.”

  I scowled. “How did you...?”

  “Oh, come on. I always know who accesses our information.” He winked. “Are you still willing to try and sneak into his apartment?”

  “Um, maybe. He looks kind of... intimidating. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near him. But if he’s not there...”

  “Then I have some good news.” His eyes were sparkling when he took a seat in front of me and reached for my hand. “I was reviewing what little info we have on the building’s security systems to figure out if we could take out the cameras, and I noticed something I hadn’t before.”

  I leaned forward. “Tell me.”

  “They have periodic maintenance of the systems, but it always seemed random and without any pattern, but when I examined everything more carefully, I realized there actually is a pattern. The next maintenance should be in a few days and last for one hour. During that hour, some of the systems will be down, which means that if you can get inside unseen, you wouldn’t have to worry about triggering any alarms inside the apartment itself or any cameras.”

  “Um, okay. But wouldn’t they up the security or just lock down everything while they do that?”

  “The system is still set to block any attacks from the outside and the building is monitored for suspicious people, but I think you could get in and out of that apartment before anyone notices. I don’t know if you can get what we need or even if it’s there, but the chance of you getting caught is minimal.”

  “Are you sure about that? What guarantee do the Viteris have that someone won’t pay a load of money to one of the tenants or their already screened visitors to break inside? Surely they’d have protection against that.”

  “They don’t expect anyone would go through all that trouble to get inside the apartment that’s supposed to be just one of many Aaron has in the city. The security is probably better when he’s there because they don’t want anyone to bother him, and that’s probably why they upped it. They don’t want us or anyone to get inside easily and kill him while he’s resting. Besides, no one’s stupid enough to cross the Viteris. People know all the money in the world wouldn’t help them if they pissed off a Viteri. Believe me. We contacted a bunch of people and spies, and most weren’t even interested, despite the fact that we offered them a huge sum of money and documents for a new identity in case something went wrong. Only a few of our loyal friends agreed to try to seduce Aaron and get the files if they were able to, but they failed.”

  I glanced back at the laptop screen, which showed Aaron still at the bar, and this time he’d let a girl come close to him and even seemed to kiss her neck, but then he simply downed his drink, got to his feet, and left her there. “If I went to that bar...”

  “Hell no. His bodyguard is in that room and might get an idea to check anyone who comes near. Aaron would probably take you someplace else even if he was interested in you. Although, I doubt he’d do it. The Viteris are monst
ers. They go out to pick girls they like and then they have them kidnapped and brought to them by force because they just can’t be bothered to act like normal human beings.” My brother’s lips twisted with anger. “Someone must have thought Katya was Roberto’s or Aaron’s type, so they just took her. The only thing we can hope for is that they won’t kill her before we find her. Do you have any idea how many women were found dead in the alleys, apparently all dead from a drug overdose, their bodies full of bruises and cuts, and we knew the Viteris had done that, but there was no proof? Even when there was some, our anonymous tips were ignored and the evidence always magically disappeared. And we can’t use our connections because the Viteris would find out, retaliate in some manner, and figure out a new way to get rid of the girls.”

  I gritted my teeth. The Viteris had to be stopped. My family might have killed, too, but never in cold blood. “So if I get those files, we might be able to save Katya, stop them from overtaking the market, and... Is there a chance we could take them down once and for all?”

  “I don’t know. If we can get our hands on that new drug and it’s something we can sell... we could do what they planned to... Take over and destroy them.”

  “Good. Then I want to try.” I lifted my head and met his eyes. “But only if you’re sure Aaron won’t be there and that I won’t get caught, because you know I’d kill that son of a bitch or die trying.”

  “I know, sis.” He squeezed my hand. “But we can’t tell anyone else about this. Dad will be furious. Jason, too.”

  “Doesn’t matter. They’ll forgive me. They always do.” I flashed him a smile. “Besides, if we get what we need... they’ll be grateful.”

  “We’ll get it. I wouldn’t be sending you on a suicide mission if I wasn’t a hundred percent sure you could get out of there.”

  I nodded. “But in case something goes wrong...” I held his gaze. “Promise me that if you don’t find my body dumped in some ditch, you won’t reveal my identity or go to an open war with the Viteris over me if I’m taken. You have to trust me to find my own way out. Of course, please still look for me because...”

  “You won’t get caught.” My brother looked me directly in the eye. “Don’t even say something like that.”

  “Yeah, but still... promise me. If they find out who I am, they’ll do far worse than just kill me, and we’re not ready for a war, especially if you’re grieving, so...”

  “I promise,” he said, swallowing hard. “But I can’t promise Dad won’t burn down the whole city to find you...”

  “If the Viteris find out who I really am, they’ll let you know, but if they don’t... I could find a way to escape because they’d think I’m just one of those girls who got into trouble without really knowing what was going on. You said no one would be stupid enough to go into that apartment, so I could be someone who simply got paid to break in without knowing whose it was or anything like that.”

  “I know, but the thought of the Viteris placing their filthy fingers on you...” Tony ground his teeth together and clenched his fingers into a fist. “I’d kill them all.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet of you,” I teased, bumping him lightly in the shoulder. “Just don’t forget that I chose to do this and I’m perfectly aware of the risks, so don’t you dare blame yourself if something goes wrong.”

  “You know I can’t make that promise.” His brow furrowed. “Maybe you shouldn’t do this. I’m going to look for another way. I...”

  “Whoa, wait. I said I was doing this, but only if I can make it look inconspicuous. I’m not going to rush into danger just like that and I don’t want something to happen to Pauline because of me. I happen to like being alive, even with my messed up life.”

  The corners of his lips quirked up. “Okay. Just be very, very careful. And if you change your mind about doing it, it doesn’t matter. Just come back to us safely.”

  “Sure. I think I can manage that.”

  “Good.” Tony stretched out his arms. “I’m going to recheck everything once again to make sure I’m not wrong about this.”

  “You do that.”

  With a smile, he got to his feet and headed for the door, and I grabbed my laptop again.

  Chapter 3

  It hadn’t been hard to convince Pauline to invite me to her apartment at the exact time I wanted. Actually, I’d made it all seem like it had been her idea all along, and I’d called her landline number, so anyone who was listening in—and I was sure someone was—wouldn’t see anything suspicious about two friends wanting to see each other.

  Since I wasn’t supposed to know what exactly Pauline’s boyfriend was doing for a living, and Pauline didn’t like to go out much, probably because she was afraid her boyfriend’s business partners could get her in trouble, everything seemed perfectly normal about my little visit. Usually we’d chat for two hours or so, but this time I had to come up with an excuse and leave earlier so I could have time to sneak into Aaron’s apartment and get out in time so that nothing would seem suspicious.

  I placed the coffee mug on the glass table in front of me and took a quick glance at my phone. “Shit. I’m going to be late.”

  “Late for what?” Pauline’s green eyes widened as she played with a curly strand of her blonde hair. “You just got here.”

  “Um, no, I didn’t.” I waved the phone in front of her face so she could see the big clock on the screen. Time usually seemed to fly when I was with her because we could talk about books, TV shows, and random stuff for ages, but this time things were different.

  “Is it seven already?” She gaped at me. “Can’t you just stay for a few minutes? What’s so important that you can’t...”

  I batted my eyelashes at her. “I have a date.”

  “A date? And you didn’t remember to mention that earlier?” Her hand flew to her chest. “What the hell? What are you even doing with me here then? Go!”

  I let out a laugh. “I still have an hour to get ready, so you know... when you said you wanted to see me and that your lousy boyfriend left you on your own again... I couldn’t really say no.”

  “Hey, he didn’t leave me. He’s just working late.” Her face went serious, but there was something in her eyes that made me think she was getting tired of her boyfriend’s job.

  “He’s always working.” I frowned. “And you’re stuck in here. Maybe you could come out with me. I know you hate big parties, but we could go for a nice little dinner or something. I mean, your apartment is nice and all, but it’s not going to go anywhere.”

  “I’m too lazy for that.” She grinned, getting to her feet, and I knew she couldn’t tell me the truth. “You should go. And then you can tell me all about the lucky guy tomorrow. I want a full report.”

  I got up too and grabbed my purse. If I managed to do this without getting caught, I’d find a way to convince her to go out with me sometime. “Well, I’ll give you more like a summary, because I doubt I’ll have time left to write up a full report.” I winked at her, and we both burst out laughing.

  “Ah, Cass, you always make my day. Thank you for that.” She came over to me and pulled me into a hug. As I rubbed her back, I questioned my decision to proceed with my plan. Pauline was a nice girl and if I got caught, she might get in trouble too. My throat constricted at the sole thought of being responsible for something happening to her. I squeezed her tighter to me, but I couldn’t exactly tell her to be ready to run as far as possible from here. She’d report me. She had no clue who I really was, and considering her boyfriend worked for the Viteris, in her shock and panic, she’d probably choose him over me.

  Unfortunately, too many lives were at stake. I’d have to risk mine and Pauline’s to try to stop an impeding war and maybe save Katya too. No, I couldn’t stop now. I had to do what I came here for. When I finally let go of Pauline and headed for the door, I stopped to look back at her and flashed her another smile. If anyone was listening in on our conversation through some devices Pauline didn’t even know were in her
home, I couldn’t give any clues that I was about to do something very stupid, so I just waved at her.

  “See you,” I said as I always did, and walked out of there. When the door was firmly shut behind me, I briefly searched the walls for any cameras. There was only one in the corner, so I headed down the hallway toward the elevator, but just as I was about to pass the door that led to the stairwell, I swayed on my feet.

  I stopped, leaning against the wall and placing my hand over my forehead, faking I was feeling faint. I stood there for a few moments, then stumbled toward the door to the stairwell, intent on making everyone believe I just needed some air in case the cameras were still on. Slipping through the door, I made my way up the poorly-lit stairwell, gripping the rail as if it were the only thing keeping me up.

  As I made it to the top, I slowly pushed the door open and found myself on the rooftop. There wasn’t anyone in sight, and Aaron’s part of the terrace was supposed to be just behind one of the walls. I inched closer to it and peered around the corner. There was a camera not far from me, but I hoped it was off. The door that was supposed to lead to Aaron’s part was closed and there was no way for me to see through it.

  Taking out my phone, I strode over the rooftop and pretended I was searching for a signal, but I kept my head down. My brother had calculated the exact time the guards were supposed to be on the other side of the terrace, which wasn’t exactly foolproof since they could change their usual pattern or come to check if anything out of the ordinary happened. Besides, someone could’ve seen me on the camera if it was on and was monitoring me, so I needed to wait a bit because I was sure someone would immediately come to prevent me from going farther.