“Which one do you like?”Alan asks.
“I don’t know.There are so many.”I chuckle, cheeks warming.
“You can try them on to see which one you prefer.Do you know your ring size?”With her gloves on, she takes out a small box of ring sizers, then carefully measures my finger and selects a few designs for me to try.
Moments later, we move from rings to entire jewelry sets: necklaces, bracelets, earrings.Boxes open, glass displays unlocked, all just for me to try.We laugh and joke as I try them on.They’re all stunning.The cuts, the clarity, the shine—I could stare at these diamonds for hours.
Wait.What am I doing?I’ve drifted way off mission.Damn it.Focus, Fenella.
Alan’s card is back in his wallet.The only way to get the info I need is when he pays.I’ll distract him, grab the card myself, get a good look at the card so Laird can record the details.The sooner, the better.
“I’ll take this one.”I point to a rose-gold ring with a massive 24K diamond in the center.It’s only to fasten the payment, so I pick one at random.
“You sure you want that one?”Alan beams.
“Yes, I love the design.And they come as a set, right?”
“Yes, miss.This is our newest signature design,” Linda says with an eager nod.
“It’s okay, right?”I ask Alan.
“Sure.”He smiles, pulling the card from his wallet again.“Anything for you.”He holds up the black card right in front of my eyes.I smile back, my eyes wide, though for reasons completely different from his.I lift my hand to block his.
“Um… sweetheart,” the way I say it makes Alan blink, “please, can I… tap the card to pay?”My eyes go even wider, and this time it’s real pleading.
Alan chuckles, and Linda does too.It’s embarrassing, but they seem to get it.This really is a wild feeling, holding that black card and actually using it.
“Sure, darling.”He hands the card to me.
* * *
“Woohoo!Awesome!”
Matthew cheers in the living room.He rubs his palms together, eyes burning with excitement.He bites his lower lip and waits for the next instruction.
Laird, Matthew, and I sit around my laptop, connected to Dave through an online meeting.Meanwhile, Matthew’s laptop is open to an online gambling site, the sound of slot machines clinking nonstop, breaking our focus.
“Calm down, buddy.I still need to break through one more defense on your favorite site,” Dave mumbles from New York, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
“Come on, I can’t wait to try it,” Matthew groans, tapping his fingers against his laptop.
“Patience, dude.Let him work,” Laird says firmly.
I sit quietly, praying Alan doesn’t find out about any of this.My mission to steal his credit card data already succeeded, but now we have to cover our tracks before the transaction gets traced back to us.
This is serious criminal activity.Laird says we’re doing the right thing; my stomach doesn’t agree.We need to make the transaction look like it’s coming from Alan himself so the feds can openly investigate all his accounts.
“Done!”
Dave signals that the card is now safe to use.No notifications will be sent to Alan’s phone or email, no PIN requests, and our location is blurred.
“Showtime.”Matthew cracks his knuckles with a wicked grin.“Let’s see…” He clicks through gambling tickets, lotteries, and dark web listings.In fifteen minutes, he burns through almost two hundred grand.
“Is this safe?Aren’t we gonna get caught by the FBI?”I ask, heart pounding as I stare at Matthew’s screen.
“If Dave says it’s safe, then it’s safe.Besides, the money on that card is dirty anyway.What goes around comes around,” Laird says, trying to calm me down.
“Will this trigger the reaction we need from Golden?”I ask.
