• • •
I watched the monitor screens on pins and needles praying that no one fell. They made climbing the slippery glass look effortless, but that did little to calm my nerves. Seven looked crazy typing the air which was really a digital keyboard displaying coordinates on the floating monitors. I was amazed at the touchscreen hologram computers she had set up in the van. She was only too glad to let me know that her baby, as she called it, wasn’t even on the market. Her hands swiped and moved things around all while closely paying strict attention to what was going on at the museum. Her magic was something I didn’t mind watching her perform because she was good at what she did. I could see why Jordan admired her; she had sex and savvy technical skills to offer. Watching her made me wonder what other talent I had besides lying on my back and being the eye candy that could prove useful to my man. Well, I am one hell of an event planner and maybe those proficiencies will come in handy one day, I thought to myself.
• • •
Meanwhile, Easter watched through his high-powered, heat-seeking binoculars as his very own assembled team climbed their way up the slippery slope to make him a very wealthy man. He didn’t quite know how he would overthrow them, but he had his ways. His hands were sweating in anticipation to make contact with the treasures that would be in his possession shortly.
“Baby?”
“Yes, my love.” Giovanna looked over at Easter with a false look of admiration plastered on her exquisite face.
“I was going to make it a surprise, but you know that chalet that you couldn’t get enough of?”
“You didn’t!” she squealed.
“I did. The sale will be finalized by the end of the week, paid in full. I want nothing but the best for you. I know you’re able to buy whatever you want, but after this, you won’t have to. I’ll have more money than The Collector himself, and I plan to be the one to spoil you rotten.” He reached over and kissed her longingly.
• • •
“You make me so happy, my beautiful and handsome love.” She tilted her head, coquettishly smiling at Easter and making him get an instant hard-on. If the task at hand wasn’t so vital, he would’ve taken her right there and then, but after this, he would have plenty of time to satisfy his loins.
• • •
They were almost at the point of entry. Jordan used the piton-like bolts one last time as the electromagnetic force stuck to the steel to support his weight. After the bolt was pulled up by the cords to its last intended position, he clicked a button to release the magnetic charge. Remarkably strong and agile, Jordan scaled the rest of the way with fluid precision. Once there, he helped Delilah up. Snake, Kirk and Novikov soon followed. Now at the rendezvous point, they slithered their way in undetected. No sooner than the moment they hit the floor that they took out their compasses already set for the destination of the pieces they were to take. They synchronized their watches and deftly, but carefully, made their way through the museum.
• • •
Delilah was the first to make contact with her assigned piece, La Belle, the portrait of an unknown woman. Just as she reached out to touch it, she heard the guards in the nearby vicinity. She gathered that from the nearness of their voices, that they were closer than she first assumed. She ducked behind the shadow of a glass casing that was close by. She sized the men up to see if she would be able to take them if need be.
“I’m telling you, bloke, I could’ve shagged her if I wanted. She was hot for me,” the muscular one said.
“The way to a girl’s key to unlock her chastity belt is in the approach.” The heavier one demonstrated by doing a smooth dance move.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” His coworker doubled over, laughing and pointing. “With moves like that, you’ll never get shagged.”
Delilah thought they were going to keep it moving, but the muscular one had something to prove and he was going to do just that. Glancing at her watch, she knew she didn’t have time for their tomfoolery. Hitting a few keystrokes on her iPhone, she was able to get a message to Seven. Within mere seconds, a crashing sound got their attention immediately.
“Bloody hell! You hear that, bloke?”
“You bet your ass I did!” the muscular one answered.
“Holy crap! What are we supposed to do? I’m not ready for this. You said this was an easy, no-hands-on type of job,” the fat one complained as he looked about nervously.
“Shut your blubbering pothole, why don’t cha.” The muscular one tried to act as though he wasn’t scared shitless by whatever it was. “Come on. Let’s go check it out.” They both ran in the direction of the sound.
Delilah breathed a sigh of relief and went about her mission.
• • •
Jordan heard running in his direction. Thinking quickly, he threw out a device on the floor to the farthest end from where from he was. Once the device landed, he hit a button and instantly, an armed, muscular man who stood at least six feet seven inches, dressed in black, appeared. The guards stopped dead in their tracks.
“Get on de floor. Now!” a voice with a thick accent demanded. Both guards took one look at the heavy artillery the man had and then at their own flimsy pieces and immediately dropped without hesitation. The man then started pacing back and forth every now and again saying something to them. Once Jordan saw that they were occupied out of fear, he went about his business.
• • •
A softly lit area housed what Novikov was looking for. It was like the heavens themselves had opened up and started to sing HALLELUJAH! when he feasted his eyes upon Louis XVI in his coronation costume. He took out the photograph to make sure it was the right one before doing a sweep to make sure there were no silent alarms or otherwise. With the speed of lightning, he took the piece out of its frame with meticulousness. As soon as he made a move, he felt a hard object pointed in his back.
“Make one bloody—arrgh!”
In one swift move, Novikov flipped the assailant over his shoulder and subdued him with the sleep hold. His partner, an older man with winded breath, tried to go for his gun, but was taken down just as swiftly.
Novikov looked at the men, wishing he could’ve gotten the painting in peace. Time was wasting and he had to work quickly in order to meet the others back at the exit point. He did a quick sweep on the perimeter of the painting. Not detecting anything, he took out what appeared to be an ink pen, clicked it and produced a red gleaming light. Sticking a balancer on the frame, another green light outlined it to guarantee a perfect cut. Just before he made contact, Novikov wondered about the amount of the painting cloth that would be left behind the frame once cut from the front. Even though it would mean time, Novikov put the brandishing laser down and hurriedly removed the painting from the wall which was a task within itself. After seeing it, he was glad he’d followed his first mind.
“Oooh . . .” One of the dazed guards regaining consciousness prompted Novikov to get a move-on. He removed the painting from its frame and loosely rolled it in foam and left the groaning men to themselves.
As Jordan was making his way back to the exit point, he caught sight of Snake who nearly collided into him.
“Did you run into any problems?”
“No. Like Novikov said, it was like taking candy from a baby.”
“Hey, guys, let’s get the hell out of here. I nearly got caught,” Delilah murmured.
They saw Novikov making his way toward them. “No time!” he said, letting the others know that something had taken place.
Kirk soon caught up. “Let’s bounce!”
They quickly secured the paintings and then put their electromagnetic gloves back. Jordan fired a shot that rigged an electromagnetic suction-mounted harness to the steel casing above the opening that was the entry point. Pulleys, metal carabiner clips and Kevlar ropes pulled him up safely. The others followed Jordan superbly as if they’d done it countless of times before.
Easter watched in awe with his high-powered, heat-seeking binoculars as th
ey were scaling down the Louvre using the huge suction cups pressed to the surface of the glass. His palms twitched with anticipation, longing to feel the millions that would soon be gracing them.
Chapter 41
“What happened back there?” Jordan asked Novikov as they ran through the thick marsh. The darkness and fog was blinding, but with night-vision goggles, it was if they were running in the daylight. Novikov let them know what had taken place, and from the way he was talking, one would’ve thought that he was walking instead of running. His breathing was even as was the rest of the crew. They’d all trained extensively, running for miles and holding water in their mouths. Over time, their lung capacity had expanded, making it possible to endure long treks such as this one.
• • •
Looking on the hologram monitors with Seven, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw them making their way back.
“Thank God, no one fell.”
Seven’s eyes stayed fixed on the monitor that had Easter’s van in view.
“So what do we do now?” I asked.
“We wait. The fireworks are about to begin shortly,” Seven answered, never taking her eyes off from what she was doing. Her hands fluttered over the images as if she were putting things into a queue. The images flipped back and forth as she slapped them around.
My eyes went back to the image that had Jordan and crew on it. I saw that they’d stopped, and instead of five, there were two extra men. “Oh my God.” I gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Seven suddenly stopped what she was doing and gave me her undivided attention.
I pointed to the screen and the tension drained off of Seven’s face immediately.
“That’s Kirk and Stephan making the switch with Jordan and Jim.” She blew out an exasperated breath as though I were getting on her nerves.
• • •
Meanwhile, back at the vans, Easter got out when he saw the crew reemerging. His rapacious hands couldn’t wait to have the paintings in his possession. He made contact with his well-hidden pistol and signaled for Tony and Johnny, who begrudgingly got out of their car nearby. The three men stood as Snake and the chosen four were within talking distance.
“It’s only going to be a matter of time before the two guards that Novikov took out come too, and the others to realize that they’ve been duped. The guards shot with the darts should also be coming around shortly,” Snake shouted as they made their way back to their van.
“Not so fast, Snake.” Easter stopped them in their tracks and held out his hand. “I need those paintings.”
Snake glared at the little man. “Didn’t you just hear what I said?”
Easter signaled with his hand again for Snake to hand over what was to be his, while keeping his finger close to the trigger of his hidden gun.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit unceremonious of you being that we need to get the hell out of here, Easter?” Snake stood firm not giving in to Easter’s demand to hand over the paintings.
Easter produced his gun into view while wearing a devious smirk on his face. “No, I don’t. In fact, until I get those paintings in my hands, we’re not going anywhere. You don’t think I’ve been this successful by trusting a snake, do you? Now, hand them over or I won’t hesitate.”
Snake looked defeated as he took in Easter and the gun. “I should’ve known you would pull something like this.”
“I was surprised you took the I’m innocent, my friend act after Bangkok. What a fool you must feel?” Easter admonished his guilt without flinching. “Now, I’m not going to ask you again—”
“Kirk!” Snake called out over his shoulder. “Give him the paintings.”
Kirk reluctantly handed over the bounty.
“I don’t see you laughing now, punk,” Easter mocked as he snatched the oblong bag containing the precious works. Upon contact, he felt giddy inside. “Like Napoleon, so many years ago, looks like I’ve conquered here tonight, gentlemen. Oh, and you too, Delilah.”
• • •
Back in our van, listening to the conversation unfold, Seven let the fireworks fly when she saw Easter brandishing his gun. The projection portals she’d dropped along the way earlier were activated with sirens being heard from the distance.
Upon hearing the sirens, everyone became fidgety. “Easter, what good is all of this if we get caught?” Snake was seething on the outside, but laughing out loud on the inside.
“We?” Easter threw his head back as he chuckled. “I’m only concerned about me,” Easter threw back at Snake.
“You have the paintings. Do something worthwhile in your miserable little life and let us have a chance to get out of here!” Delilah screamed.
“I’ve been waiting to shut that pothole in your face since the day I met you. You dare talk to me with such disdain when I’m the one who’s holding a gun, you dumb bitch!” Easter pointed the gun at Delilah with his finger steadily easing back the trigger. Thinking quickly, Snake pushed her out of the way and went for Easter.
As they struggled, the sirens were getting louder and headlights were now thrown into the mix. The gun shot into the night air twice before Snake collapsed to the ground holding his stomach. Crimson liquid spilled between his fingers at a rapid pace. Still in control of the gun, Easter pointed it at the remaining party as he backed slowly toward his van. When he called out for Johnny and Tony, they were nowhere to be found. Neither was Giovanna once he made it back into the safety of his vehicle.
Easter looked around frantically for his love, but time wouldn’t allow him to dwell on her whereabouts. He put the van in drive and drove as fast as he could through the muddy, wet mess. He wondered if Giovanna had been kidnapped by his supposed hired guns. They knew what he stood to gain from this job and if he were in their position, he would’ve done the same thing. His worries dissipated once he realized what he had in his possession.
“I did it! I got the paintings! . . . I got the fucking paintings!” Loud cackling vibrated throughout the van as he drove to his destination to collect his largest payout ever in his career from The Collector. With no one to split it with, he was about to become a very wealthy man beyond anything that he ever could have imagined. He laughed himself to tears as he drove down the wet streets of Paris.
Chapter 42
All Be Damned
The more popular streets of Paris were ruthless, regardless the time of night with crowds of tourists looking for that Parisian experience while on vacation. Even though Easter knew the route to the meet-up spot at the Père Lachaise Cemetery, he was lost. With his mind being a mess of convoluted thoughts, concentration was out the window. He couldn’t believe he was really perplexed after having driven the planned route to the cemetery countless times over the past year. He couldn’t seem to focus on anything but shooting Snake and wishing it were The Tarantula, instead. Giovanna’s disappearance. His hired guns’ obvious betrayal. All of these things afflicted his mind like the Plague, but could be dealt with later. His first and foremost priority was making the trade with The Collector. He would hire the best snipers that money could buy to seek out those who’d betrayed him and then pay extra to have Jordan taken out. Once he set those dogs loose on his foes, he would scour the earth looking for his beloved Giovanna. They had a life of privilege waiting for them, and he couldn’t see experiencing it with anyone but her.
“No! No! No! No! Not this shit. Not right now!” Easter was thrown out of his plotting abruptly after having to come to a complete stop. As luck would have it, it was right before he finally remembered the name of the street for his destination, Boulevard de Ménilmontant! A crowd had gathered in the middle of the road to watch a flash mob of women in wedding dresses for an unknown designer trying to make his mark.
“Fuck!” Easter slammed his hands down repeatedly on the steering wheel causing people to look his way because of the blaring horn.
• • •
Seven jumped in the driver’s seat and took off driving as fast as the muddy conditio
n would allow upon seeing Snake go down.
“Oh no! Please, God. Not like this,” she cried at the realization of the devastating news that could be awaiting her.
I was too numb to speak. Everything was beyond real at this point. Someone had been shot and that someone was Snake. Snake, I considered to be a . . . a friend. My eyes misted as the van hit every bump, lump, log and pothole as Seven drove frantically to get to her man.
• • •
Agent Garza stopped the recording. “Here’s a tissue.” For the first time today, I’d seen a hint of compassion in his eyes if only fleeting, but it was there.
Aliyah sat stone-faced, mechanically drumming her clear nails with a hint of pink lacquer on the laptop’s keyboard as I was being made a fuss over. Everyone was hovering over me offering condolences for what I must’ve been going through being thrust into Jordan’s world. It was at this point that I made a brazen move that went undetected by all except the one it was meant for. Our eyes locked briefly as he straightened his tie and walked away, concealing the note I’d given him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect that to make me so emotional. I mean, I hardly knew him, but he was a good man who didn’t deserve what he got.” I peered over at Aliyah before clearing my throat and continuing with the story.
• • •
Not wanting to chance the marsh, Seven stopped just short of where the other Sprinter van was parked and jumped out, leaving me to my own vices. I sat a second longer before taking that as my cue to either stay put or come with her. I decided the latter. I caught up quickly to Seven as we made it in record time.
Jordan met Seven before she could make it anywhere near Snake’s slain body.
“No!” she cried as if she already knew the answer to her unasked question.
Jordan tried to comfort her, but she wasn’t having it. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he repeated.
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