Chapter 1
Nell
Three seconds to kill the alarm, four to cross the room, ninety to crack the safe. And a lifetime behind bars if we screw up even once. The Harrington family will make sure of that.
People like me don't usually step foot in mansions like this one. Maybe to scrub their toilets, but that's about it. Typically, we just watch them on those TV shows where we gawk at how the top one percent lives. But here I am, sliding through a third-floor window with the grace of someone who's turned breaking and entering into a damn art form.
Tonight, those diamonds are mine. A necklace worth more than most people earn in their entire lives. Jewels bought with the suffering and exploitation of thousands of people just like me, people who weren't lucky enough to be born wealthy.
“Nell, you've got four minutes before the security guard makes his next round.” Colt's voice crackles in my earpiece.
I land on a plush carpet. Hideously ugly. The room reeks of old money, the kind that passes from generation to generation and never runs out, just grows. Leather-bound books and that distinct smell of furniture nobody uses, pieces that just sit there as decoration or to impress visitors.
“Got it,” I whisper. My pupils have already adjusted to the darkness. “Cherie, how are the cameras?”
“On a loop for the next five minutes. You're invisible, babe.” Her voice carries that confidence that's pulled us through a dozen difficult jobs.
I roll my eyes as I scan the master bedroom. It looks like something out of another era. A massive bed with carved wooden posts, paintings that should be in a museum where everyone can enjoy them, and... bingo. A safe partially hidden behind one of the pieces of furniture, exactly where our informant told us it would be.
“Amateurs,” I mutter, pulling the tools from the small pouch at my waist.
“You say something?” Chad's voice cuts in. He's tense, like always.
“Nothing,” I grunt.
I press my ear against the cold metal, and my fingers work with precision. I know this safe model well. I just hope they haven't modified it. I don't have time for puzzles.
When it opens, the blue velvet pouch is exactly where the informant said it would be. Shit, this is going way too easy.
“Merchandise secured. Beginning extraction.”
Suddenly, Seth's voice cuts through the comm.
“Wait, I think I saw something near the west window.”
“Is it security?”
“I don't...” He stammers.
“Hold positions,” I order, freezing like a statue. Something's off. The air in the room changes. I can feel it on my skin as I hold my breath.
“False alarm,” my teammate announces, letting out a slight sigh. “Just a branch moving in the wind.”
“Shit, Seth. You nearly gave me a heart attack,” I protest.
The moment I step into the hallway to leave, my teammate appears at the opposite end. He grins and gives me a thumbs up as he heads toward the window we came through.
“Stop, idiot!” I hiss, but he's already almost there.
I lunge toward him and tackle him. We crash against the wall with a dull thud that sounds thunderous in the mansion's silence. Loud enough to set the dogs barking.
“What the hell are you doing? It's a pressure panel,” I point with my index finger at the floor. “You almost stepped on it, for fuck's sake.”
His face goes pale.
“Shit, I forgot,” he sighs, bringing a hand to his forehead.
“You forgot? We need to get out of here. Now! Chad, tell Colt to start the car; this is about to get real ugly real fast,” I order harshly.
