UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask

by Heather Carnassale

  Weston carefully slipped on the gloves then opened up the small-protected packages of swabs. “Ready?” he asked Liam, who had shoved his nervous thoughts out his mind and replaced them with Remi. Thinking of her had a calming effect on him. Weston asked again, “Are you ready?”

  Liam opened his mouth, wide. Weston stuck the swab into his mouth and swiped the inside of his cheek. He repeated the action with the second swab, and once the swabs were in the protective tubes, he had them sent off to the lab. DeGrazerio watched it all unfold and though glad to finally get the sample he was more suspicious than ever. Liam refrained from speaking until they were out of the room and back inside the lobby. Liam asked how long it would take for the sample to be ready. “Depends on how backed up the lab is, but if I had to guess, I’d say three to four days.”

  Liam shook Weston’s hand while slipping the detective a handwritten note. He waited for Liam to exit before reading it:

  Meet me at JFK Plaza – by the LOVE sign on Sunday at 9:00 am. Come alone.

  With his curiosity more than piqued, Weston stuck the note into his pocket and decided not to say anything to anyone else, especially his current investigative partner. Liam kept it low key for a reason, Weston just had to bide his time until Sunday morning to find out why exactly.

  Liam ran to his truck, hoping to get away from the police station as fast as he could. When he got inside, he breathed in and out and tried to gather his composure. A part of him wondered if he hadn’t just made a huge mistake. He was spent but had no time to reflect on it, because next up was the meeting with Charles.

  Remi felt sick to her stomach at the thought of Liam voluntarily giving his DNA. All she could do was pray that the investigators didn’t have any good reason for wanting it and they were just bluffing. She wanted so badly to believe that. In an attempt to not think about what Liam was or wasn’t doing at the moment, she continued to focus on her job. A task easier said than done when she realized that instead of thinking about what Liam was currently doing, she privately reminisced about Liam crawling into bed, and holding her. She then closed her eyes and sighed. Her daydreaming session ended when Olivia stopped by to ask if Remi had done any brainstorming in regards to the website. For a split second, Remi thought about lying but changed her mind. “No, I didn’t, sorry.”

  “That’s okay, I was just asking,” she said. “I didn’t expect you to while on your trip,” she added. “I promise I won’t let you down; I’m back now and completely focused,” Remi said, lying somewhat. Olivia was glad to hear that then disappeared into her office, and Remi felt like crap for being dishonest, yet again. Olivia was an absolute joy to work for, and it upset Remi to hide so much from her. The one thing she could do to rectify that would be to do a great job on retooling the website, if only she could put all of her energy into it, instead of worrying about Liam. Another task easier said than done. At that very same time, Liam pulled up to a gentlemen’s club that Charles chose for the meeting. The moment Liam walked into the windowless establishment, he immediately felt as if he’d catch a disease just by setting foot into the place. Charles waved him over to a table near the main stage, where three women, dressed only in black G-strings, danced around poles. A pretty young redhead, adorned in a purple thong and pasties to match, brought Charles a martini then asked Liam if there was anything she could get him. Of course, she wasn’t just referring to a drink. “No thanks,” he said. She gave him a little wink and a sexy shimmy for his benefit, as she strutted to the bar. Liam side-eyed the stage, where the dancers were swarming his way. Charles just laughed. “What?” asked Liam.

  “Women look at you like you’re a god, and you can’t be bothered.”

  “Unlike you, I don’t need to buy a woman’s attention.”

  “Oh that’s right, you just prefer holding them hostage first.”

  Not wanting to go down that road, Liam quickly changed the subject, “Can we hurry this up?”

  That condescending smirk Charles was famous for arrived right on cue. “What’s the rush?”

  Liam glanced around, trying to keep his cool. He then reluctantly announced, “I’m going to do the job; I just want to know all the details, especially after what happened at the last one.”

  Charles laughed. “The one that you botched.”

  Liam balked, “Lots of things went wrong with that job, it was a group effort.”

  Charles couldn’t deny the mistakes, but to him, Liam keeping the diamonds along with saving Remi was the catalyst for its shitty outcome. “You seemed to forget that you were the one in charge of the vault, so the fact that it had a glitch and you weren’t aware of that was all on you,” declared Liam. Charles had no response to that. “I never did ask you,” said Liam. “Why didn’t you just have the bank manager open the vault?”

  Charles slowly sipped his martini then sighed. “We tried that, but she kept punching in the wrong code,” he said. “She had been roughed up pretty bad then ended up passing out.”

  “Why didn’t you just look for the code?” asked Liam.

  “We did—for hours,” he said. “We searched high and low; it wasn’t until she came to that we were able to get you out.”

  Liam shook his head in disgust, but Charles called him out on it. “Oh, don’t play the victim here, had you not been locked inside with Remi, you wouldn’t be playing house with her now.”

  There was an obvious truth to that fact, one that Liam couldn’t dispute.

  “She became your weakness the moment you chose to save her life,” Charles said then added, “You were forever changed, and not in a good way.”

  Highly agitated, Liam barked, “You and I are never going to be on the same page when it comes to that job, let’s move the fuck on!”

  Charles slid a manila folder across the table. “Everything you need to know is in here.”

  Liam stared at it for a moment, realizing that the contents were a means to an end but a dangerous one at that. Charles watched Liam’s sullen expression, and commented, “After this job for Denton, why don’t you and I get a crew together.”

  Somewhere deep inside of Liam, he did miss that lifestyle and missed that elusive rush. And the greedy man instantly sensed it. It didn’t matter that Liam had kept his nose clean there will always be that part of him that will crave the dark side. A side he feared would resurface some day, despite Remi’s positive influence. Charles goaded him. “Admit it.”

  “Admit what?” countered Liam.

  “That if the right opportunity came along, you’d be tempted.”

  A forlorn sigh escaped from Liam’s mouth, as Charles scoffed, “I never thought you’d throw it all away for a woman.”

  Liam quickly argued, “Guess you didn’t know me as well as you thought.”

  “Let’s see how you feel after we pull off this job,” he said. “Maybe you just need a dose of reality.”

  Liam stayed quiet while he stood up and declared, “I’ll be in touch.”

  He waited for Charles to go into a back room with a stripper then he grabbed the folder and headed out. When he got into his truck, he tossed the folder onto the passenger seat and texted Remi to find out if she wanted a ride home from work. With the possibility of Denton still watching or following her, he hated her being out somewhere alone, because Liam tended not to give her credit for taking care of herself. He couldn’t help the overprotectiveness. She replied that she was working a little late so she would take the train and not to worry. He laughed at her ‘not to worry’ statement because that had become a regular thing with him. But this time, even though what he wanted to do was just go to her work and wait for her, he’d listen and not overstep.

  It was almost 6:30 when Remi walked through Liam’s front door. The second she saw him she ran into his arms and tightly latched on to him. Holding on for dear life, while relishing the much-needed embrace, she melded into him as he laced his arms around her body. “Are you okay?” he whispered while resting his chin on the top of her head. She nodde
d then asked, “Are you?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” he replied, as she stepped out of his arms. “How was work?” he asked, pushing away a stray piece of her hair that had fallen onto the side of her face. “It was long, I had to catch up plus I’m going in tomorrow for a few hours in the morning,” she replied. He kissed her on the forehead then led her into the living room, where he told her to have a seat on the couch. That pesky feeling of dread quickly reared its ugly head, as she prepared herself for the bad news, which he didn’t delay as he blurted, “The police now have my DNA.”

  Though she expected to hear that, it still felt like a kick in the gut.

  “And that is from Charles,” he said, pointing towards the manila folder lying on the coffee table. “Great,” she spouted with zero enthusiasm. “Two things that will potentially sink you,” she mumbled under her breath. Liam just nodded as he clearly heard her.

  “Are you going to tell me about the job?” she asked.

  He replied with a sharp no.

  “Please don’t shut me out,” she begged.

  “I’m not, it’s just I don’t want you anywhere near this.”

  She refused to give up and continued to plead. “After all that has happened, can you please not keep me in the dark?”

  He sighed as he just stared at the folder. Her eyes fixated on it as well, while Liam explained about the contents. However, all he told her was that inside contained the details about the heist, he didn’t disclose what those details were exactly. “You know, six months ago I wouldn’t have hesitated one tiny bit about doing this job,” he said.

  “And now?” she asked, watching him lean back.

  “And now, things are different.”

  “Because you gained a conscience,” she surmised.

  He grinned. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

  Remi returned the grin while Liam outstretched his arm, motioning for her to lean into him. She didn’t have to think twice as she dipped her head against his shoulder and draped her arm across his body. As Liam held her tightly, she asked, “Are you scared?”

  He thought for a second then replied, “A little, I guess.”

  For him to admit that was huge, but it also sent Remi’s fears into overdrive. Imagining Liam afraid of anything or anyone was something she couldn’t fathom, so it was difficult for her to process, especially while trying to settle her anxieties. “Do you have any idea how worried I am about you?” she asked. “I do,” he said, giving her a little squeeze. “But you needn’t spend the time nor energy.”

  She laughed, “Oh, that’s easy for you to say.”

  “Everything that’s going to happen, there are reasons why they need to be done.”

  “You lost me,” she said, moving her head so she could see his face.

  “That’s good, cause it’s much better for you if you aren’t privy to the plan.”

  “You’re talking in code,” she said, sounding mildly frustrated. Liam skimmed his hand along her cheek then gently pulled her face towards his. “I asked you to do this before,” he said. Remi’s eyes narrowed while he spoke. “Trust that I know what I’m doing.”

  He then pressed his lips against hers, softly and sweet. “Why do I get the sneaky feeling you are trying to distract me?” she questioned as he kissed her again. “Is it working?” he countered before kissing along her delicate jawline. She uttered no, but he knew she was lying the moment she closed her eyes and smiled. “Are you staying here tonight?” he asked in between kisses. “Do you want me to?” she mischievously tossed back. He didn’t answer. Instead, he laid her flat on her back then hovered above her while removing his shirt. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she playfully stated. He began kissing her neck, to which Remi remarked, “But don’t think this gets you off the hook.”

  “Duly noted,” he said grinning while slipping his hand underneath her shirt. Remi released an excited sigh, but their impromptu lovemaking session was abruptly cut short when the intercom buzzed. Liam lifted his head and unhappily uttered, “Seriously!”

  Remi giggled at his blatant disdain for the interruption. “This better be good,” he gruffly mumbled as he climbed off of her and stumbled to find out who was there. To his dismay, it was Charles. The moment Remi heard that raspy voice she cringed with a chill running down her spine. “What’s he doing here?” she whispered. Liam just shrugged. Remi jumped off the couch while Liam spoke into the intercom. “I’ll be right down.”

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice filled with worry. Liam threw his shirt back on then said, “I don’t want him up here, so I’ll see what he wants.”

  She stayed quiet while he put on his shoes, but the second he moved towards the door, she shouted, “Wait!”

  Liam turned to face her. “Remi, this is not going to get any easier, you know that, right?”

  She nodded with trepidation. When he opened the door, she told him to be careful. He gave her a half-nod just for acknowledgment, but his lack of placating was frightening. Without knowing what the full plan was, she was concerned that Liam could simply slip on the black ski mask and fall back into thief mode, tossing his newfound conscience out the window. “Dammit!” she cried out.

  As soon as Liam exited the lobby, he asked, “Didn’t we just have a meeting a couple of hours ago?”

  “Did you read over the specifics?” the Englishman asked. Liam replied, “Somewhat.”

  Charles suggested they go for a drive. Liam knew this is where he would go into full detail without fear of anyone overhearing. However, they said nothing until they reached the shipyard. Under different circumstances, Liam would have thoroughly enjoyed strolling the docks on such a gorgeous, clear night, but instead, he was stuck with Charles. Liam shot Remi a quick text, just to let her know who he was with but not to worry. The two men walked a little before stopping, where Liam studied a docked navy ship. Unable to curb the snark, Charles commented, “You are being wasted in this environment.”

  Liam just shook his head, but instead of feeding right into Charles’ lame mind games, he decided to turn the tables. “Why are you doing this?”

  Charles didn’t respond so Liam added, “With Denton?”

  “You of all people know how enticing certain jobs can be and this one, in particular, was too tempting to pass up.”

  Quick to refute that, Liam pointed out, “Other than the Bank of Philadelphia, all of our heists were our own doing.”

  Charles reluctantly nodded as Liam continued. “We had complete control, so I find it very hard to believe you are allowing Denton to pull strings here.”

  Charles was about to speak, but Liam interrupted, “Especially after the other job he put together went awry.”

  “Speaking of the job that went awry, I got nothing out of that except grief,” Charles snapped. “No diamonds, no money, no nothing; I need this.”

  Liam balked. “Let me get this straight because you can’t manage your finances; I’m getting royally fucked over by being forced to do another heist!”

  “Five months ago, you wouldn’t have looked at it as being forced.”

  “Yeah, well things change.”

  “Things used to be good, don’t you miss that?” argued Charles.

  Liam sighed then admitted, “I do, but I’m in a different place now, I’m not even sure I’m capable of pulling this off.”

  “That’s just your disillusioned heart talking, you never lose the skills or abilities; it’s like riding a bike.”

  “You can do this job just fine without me.”

  “It’s not up to me,” he said, finally confessing his true role. Liam threw his hands up in the air, and snapped, “So, basically Denton is just pissed off that I gave the diamonds back to his ex-wife.”

  Charles didn’t confirm nor deny it.

  “You know according to Remi, Olivia suspected Mitchell all along, so in actuality, my keeping the diamonds kept his ass from getting arrested.”

  Charles stayed tight-lipped as he listened to
Liam ramble. “Had Denton gotten his hands on the diamonds, there wasn’t much he could have done with them anyway,” said Liam. “They were reported missing and presumed stolen, Denton wasn’t smart enough to unload them anywhere that wouldn’t have been traced back.”

  Charles agreed, but it was still a moot point. “It doesn’t matter, Denton is hell-bent on payback.”

  “And you aren’t?”

  “Liam my dear boy, I’d much rather have you on my team than as my adversary,” he said. “However, I’m broke and need money.”

  “Why threaten to expose Remi then?” he asked. “She never asked for any of this shit; she just got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Charles smirked, “Oh but look what she got in return—a fabulous job and you.”

  Wanting to get off the subject of Remi, Liam asked, “What happens afterward, are you staying in the U.S. or going back to the U.K.?”

  “Don’t know yet, depends on how large a windfall this heist provides.”

  “You trust Denton that much, huh?”

  “If I go down, he’s going with me,” remarked Charles.

  Liam just stared out at the river, and his mind instantly flashbacked to one month before the Bank of Philadelphia, more specifically a conversation he had with Charles, about Denton:

  “How much do you trust Mitchell?”

  Charles was looking at two blueprint layouts of the bank, while he pondered his answer. To which he then simply replied, “I don’t.”

  “Then why are we doing this job?”

  “Because it’s too good to pass up,” said Charles, handing me the layouts. “You are the architectural engineer, do you think the tunnel underneath still exists?”

  I shrugged. “The original layout from 1925 shows the tunnel while the revised one, done in 1985 does not.”

  Charles surmised, “So, it’s possible that part of the tunnel was closed up.”

  He then added, “If that’s the case, then it’s on to plan B.”

  “Which is?”

  “Go in the front door,” said Charles.

  “Tomorrow, I’ll take Chris and John down into the sewer system and we’ll check it out.”