by AJ Sherwood
“What are those?” she interrupted, paying rapt attention.
“When the alarm sounds, the bolt slams into the door and can only be manually reset. It has a thousand pounds of pressure on it. It’s not possible to cut, hack, or blast our way through without damaging what’s inside.”
“Worse, getting to the vault is a challenge in and of itself. The place is riddled with motion detectors, heat sensors, and ground sensors along the perimeter. All of this with a state-of-the-art security system to protect the area. And the cameras are dumb, they go straight to the server. I can’t hack any of it remotely.” K looked very put out about this, as if such a design was a personal affront.
Carter was actually dismayed by this litany of security. He’d known some of it, but not all, and that list was disheartening, to say the least. “How on earth did you get in last time?”
“I posed as a guest and went in to tour the art gallery on the top floors,” Ari answered. He had his head tilted back to stare thoughtfully at the ceiling. “What I was after ended up actually being on the owner himself. There wasn’t a need to go into the vault, thankfully.”
“Even then I had to slip in with him and create enough of a distraction for him to get out again,” Ivan pitched in. “And it took three tries to put in a signal booster thingy so that K could get into their systems.”
K gave him a pained look. “Wireless bridge is the term you’re looking for, Ivan. But good try.”
The Russian thief waved this off as unimportant.
“I’m sure they’ve upgraded their systems since we last tried this,” K added thoughtfully. “It’s a rule of thumb in the tech world. Anything running is obsolete. And the Knox family is obsessed about being cutting edge. I’d have to double check, but I’ll bet my eye teeth they’ve upgraded their hardware at the very least. The cameras were on the edge of being outclassed when we were in there.”
Carter interpreted this without any issues. “So you’re saying it’s gotten harder.”
K tipped his hand back and forth. “Maybe harder. Maybe easier. It depends. Most cameras these days work off a wireless signal. Even if it only has an ethernet port for network connectivity, and it’s hardwired via Cat-5 cables, it’ll have wireless capability. Maybe not in use, but it’ll be there. If we can tap into just one camera, I can access the rest, using it as an access point.”
Seeing the problem, Carter groaned. “But we have to find a way to access one?”
“And that won’t be easy. Especially as we’re not going to be going into the mansion this time. The mansion cameras and vault cameras run to separate servers. And both are under the same security system, and cracking it last time gave me a migraine. It was running a Brenner, last I was in there.”
“Brenner?” Carter had no idea what the hell that meant but it sounded problematic.
Remi, strangely enough, went “Ooooh” and winced. “That’s not good, Uncle K.”
“Tell me about it, princess.”
It felt a little strange, but Carter asked the eight-year-old seriously, “Brief me.”
“A Brenner is one of the toughest security systems,” she explained, face scrunched up in a perfectly adorable manner. “It’s smart and it learns from your mistakes. Uncle K said it’s got a heuristic algorithm.”
K pointed to Remi. “See? She remembers the right technical terms.”
Not bothered by this, Ivan returned blandly, “She’s also smarter than me.”
Grinning at her uncles, Remi continued, “Think of it like a really mean hunting dog. It will shut doors on you, herd you into a room, and trap you in it until the security team retrieves you. It’s not fun to hack. Uncle K has a dummy he let me try on.” Hard resolve flitted over her face. “I haven’t gotten through yet but I will.”
“You have to train up to Brenner level,” K said supportively. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it.”
“So you can get in?” Carter asked him hopefully.
“Eh…maybe. We’re assuming it still has a Brenner. It’s a bad/worse case scenario. It’s bad if they’ve replaced the security software with something else, something I’m not familiar with. It’s worse if they’ve kept it because the Brenner system learns from previous attempts to crack it. It’ll remember me, and my methods, is what I’m saying. I won’t be able to attack it the same way I did last time.”
Carter’s dismay must have been written all over his face as Ivan gave him a bracing pat on the back. “No worries, my friend. We got in last time, didn’t we? We just have to figure out how to do it again.”
“Yeah,” Carter responded faintly. “Piece of cake.”
10
Ari
The more Ari thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense to stay home. Sure, Remi had another two weeks of school left, but she was suspended for one of them. It was kinda a wash at this point. He ducked out of the house, leaving Remi with Ivan for a minute, and made another call to Kyou.
“Now what?”
“You sound a little irritated.”
“It’s because you guys keep calling me. I can’t focus and get crap done.” The sound of keys clattering told Ari he didn’t have Kyou’s full attention. It sounded like a herd of elephants stampeding.
“Last call for the day, promise,” Ari soothed. “It just occurred to me that it makes no sense to stay here and wait for you to arrive. We might as well get up to DC and start scoping the place out.”
The typing abruptly stopped. “Wait, I thought Remi had another two weeks of school.”
“She’s already suspended for one of them.”
“Oh. Ah, I see. No point in staying for that one week? Gotcha. Honestly, man, the timing on this is so tight, we need every day we can get on it. It’ll be better to move now. And it’s, what, a three-and-a-half-hour drive to DC from where you’re at?”
“In good traffic, yeah.”
“Which DC is not known for. Better to just get up there. Not waste a lot of time going back and forth on the road. I’ve found a safehouse for us in Mitchellville.”
Ari wasn’t as familiar with DC as Kyou, but he thought he knew where that was. “Isn’t that east of Capitol Hill?”
“By about twenty minutes or so. In good traffic. It’s a townhome, five bedrooms. I can get furniture moved into it in three days, so we should be set.”
With that location, the ability to scope out Knowles became that much easier. Knowles sat just north of Capitol Hill, enjoying both the prestige of its location and the social atmosphere. “I like it. Should we head in tonight, then?”
“If you want to play tourist, stay at a hotel, you can.”
“I think we will. The timing is just so tight. I don’t want to waste a day if I can help it.”
“I hear you. Talk it over with the other two, let me know.”
“Will do. Later.” Ari hung up, then stayed on the porch for a moment longer, thinking. He’d never promised Remi any sort of stability when it came to school. It wasn’t possible, not in his line of work. Still, he’d wanted her to have that experience of normality to start out with. A base of sorts. It bothered him they’d not managed it for more than four months. He couldn’t say why, it just did.
With a shake of his head, he went back in, not at all surprised to find Remi sitting on the couch with a combination lock in her hands, Ivan coaching her on how to unlock it. This one seemed to be more than a cheap combination lock, as it gave her trouble. Harrison was in the loveseat nearby, laptop on the coffee table, frowning at something on the screen. He glanced up as Ari came in, then straightened altogether, as if sensing Ari had something to say.
He really didn’t know quite what to do with Harrison. His possible danger to Remi aside, Ari found him rather attractive. It was hard to know which instinct to follow when it came to Harrison. For all that the man was a mercenary, there was something soothing about him. Calming. He didn’t rattle easily, he handled things serenely, and used politeness like a charm. Ari had a weakness for gentlemen, he knew
he did, but he found them impossible to approach because that type was horrified by his line of work. Was his libido taking an interest because it recognized Harrison was an interesting blend of gentleman-criminal?
Ari really didn’t have time for this. He gave himself a good mental shake and put himself back on task. “I think we need to go.”
Ivan immediately snapped around, his hand falling to Remi’s shoulder, prepared to move her in a second. “Why?”
“We need every minute we can get to crack Knowles. Another week of school for Remi isn’t worth it in the long run. K’s safehouse will be set up in three days. Let’s pack up, head in. Stay at a hotel, pretend we’re tourists, and start scoping the place out.”
Remi started bouncing, ponytail swinging, brown eyes bright with excitement. “Can I help on this one? Please, Daddy, please.”
“Of course you’re helping on this one,” he retorted, grinning at her. She was such an excellent little criminal in the making. “You’ll help with our cover of playing tourist, and I expect you to count guards. And street cameras. You know Uncle K’s going to quiz you later.”
A shark-like smile graced her features. “What do I get if I’m right?”
“I’ll raise your allowance by five dollars.”
Hopping off the couch, she came to him and extended her hand. “Shake on it.”
Biting back a smile, he solemnly shook on it, his hand engulfing hers. He caught the expression on Harrison’s face at this byplay. The man looked amused but also something else, something Ari couldn’t quite put a finger on. Perhaps he found it strange Ari would say something like this to Remi. Admittedly, it might seem odd, that they were training an eight-year-old. That they included her in all of the planning and prep for a heist. Ari didn’t know how to do anything else. He needed Remi to be alert, to know how to look for security cameras and guards, how to avoid them. He needed her to understand what the stakes were, how to go to ground. There was no one else he could trust her with except Ivan and Kyou, not without sending her to his brother, which…he didn’t really want to do. Luca might not give her back. And if something happened to him? Then Kyou and Ivan were likely with him.
Ari had rarely been caught in his career but it had happened. If something went sideways, Remi would likely be on her own, and that idea terrified him. He needed her to have the skills to fend for herself until he could get back to her. Fortunately, Remi was street savvy and smart as a whip. She picked up on things quickly. If he could just pound into her the basic skills necessary to survive, maybe he’d be able to sleep at night.
Also another thought for another time. “Alright, we all in agreement on this?”
Harrison closed the lid to the laptop with a soft snick. “I feel better about moving, personally. How much time do you need to pack?”
“An hour. I’ll meet you guys back here. Come on, Rems.”
Each man had their own vehicle, so it was something of a caravan driving into DC. Remi chose to ride with Ivan, as she wanted to catch up with him. They hadn’t seen each other in a week, and frankly, Ivan was more trustworthy when he had a small child to look after. Otherwise he got bored and sidetracked. Ari wasn’t sure which was more problematic to the safety of the world: nuclear weapons or a bored Ivan Azarov.
It made for a very quiet ride in, but Ari needed the quiet. He was still adjusting to his nightmare of someone in his profession learning about Remi. Even sleeping on it hadn’t helped much. Thank ever-loving Christ it was Harrison who’d found her. Ari wouldn’t be able to sleep at all if it had been someone of a more evil nature. Well, okay, he would have. Because the fucker would be six feet under with a bullet in his head.
His mind revisited the scene in the kitchen. Harrison had looked tense for a minute, as if he wasn’t sure which way Ari would jump. Had he really been that off? So fidgety the mercenary had picked up on it? His mental state was only partially because of Remi. Mostly, being near the man made Ari’s nerves dance a merry tune. Especially when he’d sat next to him at the table, leaning in so close without touching—that had really sent him for an emotional tailspin for a second. He’d felt like one live wire of sensation. If Harrison had touched him, even lightly, Ari would have embarrassed himself by coming right out of his skin.
And he really, really needed his instincts to settle one way or another. Flirting with Harrison seemed a bad idea all around, although his libido didn’t think so. Not that it ever made smart decisions, the traitorous bastard. Ari blamed his spotty track record for getting laid on his libido’s uppitiness. It was just so hard to relax his guard around other men that it was difficult to get into the mood. He hadn’t been mincing words with Remi about it being impossible for him to date. And it definitely predated her.
Dating aside, this was the first time he’d taken Remi into a job with him. It was the third job he’d done since adopting her—and she’d spent most of her time with Kyou—it was just that this was Knowles. Knowles was a whole different ballgame in many respects. Part of him felt like it was a bad idea, but he didn’t have many other options.
Well, to be honest, he had precisely one.
Unease sat on him like a lead blanket, and he pressed the bluetooth button on his steering wheel. “Call Luca.”
The phone rang three times before his brother’s voice came on. “Hey, Ari. Tell me this isn’t an emergency.”
“Not an emergency,” Ari promised faithfully. “Just a head’s up. I’m going on a job.”
Luca paused for a long moment. His response came very carefully worded. “Yeah? Where you heading, little brother?”
“DC. Remi’s with me. Look, I’m…with my friends too. So there’s not really anyone to watch her. She’ll be with her computer-loving uncle for the majority of the job, but if something goes wrong, I want her to be able to reach you. Keep your phone on you, yeah?”
“Shit, Ari. Don’t do this to me. I haven’t even had a chance to properly meet her, just talk to her over the phone. You know how much I hate that? I have a niece I haven’t even met face to face. A niece who might need me to help her if something happens to you.”
And that was definitely part of the problem. Guilt squirmed greasily in his gut. “It’s hard on you when we meet up, though.”
“For this, I’ll find a way to make it work. Remi needs at least one staying force in her life that isn’t…that.”
He blew out a breath, feeling relieved. It would be so much easier on them all if Luca at least met her once. If she knew she could go to her uncle. Even though it was hard for the brothers to share the same space for any amount of time, they’d manage for a day or two. For Remi. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. After this job. We’ll work out the logistics.”
“Any chance you can do it now?”
Ari hesitated strongly. Would it be safer? Yes. Undoubtedly. But… “I really don’t want to do that if I don’t have to. She’s so looking forward to being with everyone. You know that doesn’t happen often. And her computer-loving uncle wants to show her more of the ropes. She’s got real talent with computers. We’re hoping to encourage her to go that direction.”
For a long moment, Luca digested that. “It would be safer all around. And it would tie in well with normal life, if I can convince her away from the dark side.”
Ari gave that a heaping helping of not happening. But Luca could dream. “If it looks dicey, or if my gut starts throwing up signals, I’ll put her on a plane to you. Okay?”
“Alright. I’d rather you just send her to me now, but alright. You put a ticket and some cash on her, okay? And make sure her cell is charged, just in case.”
“Yeah. I mean, she has half that always on her anyway. She knows the exit protocol if it comes down to that.”
Not for the first time, Luca said in heavy exasperation, “Ari, why the hell did you adopt a little girl? I know you love her to pieces, but she really does complicate your life and it would be safer all around if I had her.”
“Not on your life are you getting my d
aughter.” Ari glared at the phone, wishing his brother was close enough to smack.
“You stubborn son of a bitch. I thought you didn’t want kids.”
“And I don’t want kids. I want Remi. That’s it.”
“I love how you feel those two things are separate.”
And this was why he and Luca didn’t do well in person. They inevitably ended up arguing. “Just stop it. I’ll have Remi call you if things go wrong. I don’t really expect them to, I’ve got pros with me, this is just a better-safe-than-sorry phone call.”
Luca’s voice turned soft and sad. “One day, brother, you’re going to call me not because I’m the last resort, but because you honestly miss me.”
That sent a sharp pain through his chest. He kept his eyes on the road, because the traffic rather demanded that of him, but his hands tightened around the wheel. “Who says I don’t miss you?”
“We see each other three times a year, Ari. Our birthday. Christmas. The anniversary of our mother’s death. You barely call or email me in between those days. If not for Remi, you wouldn’t be calling me even now. You’re worried about what will happen to her if you go down. You know what that does to me? That you could disappear on some fucking job, and I’d never know, not until my niece calls me. And that situation is an improvement because at least now I’ll get a fucking phone call telling me you’re in trouble. Before, no one even knew who I was.”
True. He’d kept silent about Luca for years before he trusted Ivan and Kyou enough to share. Even then, he hadn’t given them any last name or way to contact Luca. He didn’t realize how much that had hurt his twin up until this moment. “You know why.”
“To keep me safe,” Luca responded in a weary voice. “To supposedly keep you safe, so that I can’t be used against you. I know. I thought, I hoped, that Remi might change you. Might influence you to clean up your life entirely.”
“I’m in too deep for that.” Ari swallowed around the hard ball in his throat and wondered, not for the first time, why the two of them were so different. Twins were supposed to be alike, weren’t they? “I love you, brother. I just don’t know how to walk any other road than the one I’m on.”