“Pretty much, yes. Still time to pull out.”
Annabelle grins, the spark of mischief in her eyes as she whispers, “Never.”
“Wait until you hear what we need you to do,” I mutter, taking another bite of a dumpling.
“Oh, yeah? Then spill, Blondie.”
“Like I said,” I start, putting down my container. “We want to send a message that appears as though it’s from Veronica to make them attend. For that, we need access to their phones, which means we’re going to find them and act as a wire mob to pull it off.”
Nicholas raises an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused. “What’s a wire mob?”
“The oldest trick there is.” I shrug.
Ezra snorts, leaning forward. “That’s not called a trick. It’s called a felony.”
Levi fusses with Pebble, still perched on his shoulder. “Don’t be dramatic, Ezy.”
“It’s not dramatic.” Ezra crosses his arms. “It’s the law.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Levi waves him off. “Please, Ric, continue. Ignore our resident buzzkill.”
“All right.” Everyone’s eyes settle on me, which makes my skin crawl, but I ignore it, or at least try to. “Here’s how a wire mob works. It’s old-school, but it’s efficient.” I hold up a finger. “First, you’ve gotThe Steer.They scout the mark and figure out what we’re after.” I raise another finger. “Next isThe Stick.Their job is to hold the mark in place. Usually, they ask for directions or start a casual conversation.” I raise a third finger. “Then comesThe Shade.They block the mark’s eyeline to make the actual steal invisible, creating a cover.”
Nova nods knowingly. “Distraction and misdirection.”
“Now we get toThe Mechanic.”Finger number four goes up. “They’re the one who does the dip, the actual steal. When they’ve got what they were after,The Dukecomes in.” The last finger raises. “They take the stolen item and disappear immediately. If the authorities catch on, nobody left in the crew has the goods.”
“Damn.” Annabelle whistles low under her breath. “And here I thought pickpocketing was just… y’know, quick hands.”
“It’s an art form, babe.” Nova chuckles. “And Ace is practically the Picasso of pickpocketing.”
“It’s an art form when done right. You’ll be the Stick, our distraction, Annabelle. Nova will act as the Shade and Mechanic in one, tossing the phone to me. I’ll get it to Sylus, who will do his magic. Then I’ll bring it back to Nova, who has to plant it again while you’re still keeping the mark busy.”
“That’ll work.” Levi leans back, a lazy smirk on his face. “As if those guys could look anywhere but where these two beauties are standing right in front of them.”
“It could work with Foster and Blackwood, but this will never work with Belmont.” Nova lets out a breath. “I’ve already fucked that up.”
Sylus shakes his head, flashing her a reassuring grin. “That’s fine, baby. Thanks to you, I’ve got his private number, and I can do some different magic with that one.”
“So,” I continue. “We only need Foster and Blackwood. Now we just need to figure out where they’ll be at a specific time.”
Nicholas straightens. “Well, that’s easy.”
All eyes snap to him, and I raise an eyebrow. “You think so?”
“They play poker with Veronica on Tuesday nights. But I know for a fact that they always hang out in the casino beforehand while waiting for her. You’ll have at least an hour in The Heights with them.”
My eyes dart to Koen, who’s already smirking, clearly onboard. “It’s worth a try.”
“Risky as fuck,” I counter.We’d be in the lion’s den.
Koen shrugs. “Isn’t all of it?”
Well fuck, if that ain’t true.
Nicholas cleans his hands on a napkin. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we all helped?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,Harrington.” Sylus snorts, crossing his arms.
