Barely any hiccups.
A text pings on my phone in the group chat with the guys. It's Eli checking to see if I made it and everything's all clear. I haven't double-checked the footage yet, but I snap them a pic of their message on the wall and send it, following up with a text telling him I'll send an update ASAP and to get some sleep.
I was able to review some camera footage from outside Aurora's apartment from the laptop I brought, but I'm prepared to settle in and go through it all from the moment we left until now. Just in case. Ambrose has already upped his presence from one vehicle to two. From watching to also listening.
If he gets paranoid enough, the next step is watching her where he can't see. Listening when she's in places that can't be reached by a parabolic microphone used from a car outside. Butthat would require them to enter her apartment. And after a sped-up scan of the footage, I am confident he hasn't gone so far.
With any luck, he won't.
Even this, the watching and listening, is a bit more than I expected right off the bat, but we had no idea what to expect when that test came back positive. Now, we know.
And it's good he's taking this—her—seriously.
I catch sight of something in the camera outside, not on the monitor where I'm clicking through motion detections, watching clips, but on the other monitor, the one that shows a live feed from the front of the building.
"What are you doing here?" I ask aloud as I watch Aurora walk Ellie into the front of the building and push away from the desk, turning around to stand as she enters the office.
"Oh, good, it's you," she says. The four most unexpected words that could possibly come out of her mouth.
Ellie freaks out when she sees me, pulling mercilessly on her lead until Aurora lets her go and she scrabbles across the office, coming not to jump on me, but to sit prettily, wagging her tail, patiently waiting for pets like I taught her.
I smile and bend, giving her a good scratch as she nuzzles in close for her version of a hug, tucking her icy wet nose into the crook of my arm. Fuck, I missed her.
"Such a good girl, Eleven."
I press a kiss to the top of her head before I even realize I've done it, and blame the endorphins still flooding my system from the Matisse.
I clear my throat, and peer behind me to see if she had company on her travels in the exterior camera feed.
"We weren't supposed to meet until tomorrow."
Aurora shivers, tugging her hat off as she leans against the wall, red-cheeked and bright-eyed from the cold outside. "Iwalked the whole way. They don't follow anymore when I take Ellie out, remember?"
"You're sure?"
She nods. "I wasn't followed. Check if you want."
So I do, with one hand still buried in Eleven's fur, I tap a few keys to bring up the street view outside Aurora's apartment and see the two dark SUVs still parked there.
"Good," I grunt. "But you should get back quick. This is a long walk. They'll be suspicious."
"At least let a girl warm up first," she scoffs, rubbing some warmth back into her arms through her black jacket. Is she being weird? Did she just laugh a little? Smile at me?
What is this?
I frown and pull out the new bone I got for Ellie last week and give it to her, rising back to my feet as she trots around the room to find a spot to lay down and gnaw on it. She eyes the cot and then me.
"Go on then," I say, knowing I'll regret it later when there's dirt and wet spots all over the covers, but I can't be bothered to care right now.
I cross my arms over my chest once she's settled. "Want to tell me why you're here?"
It's got to be for something she needs that the other guys can't give her, since she was glad it was me here tonight. Maybe there's something wrong with her silencer? Or maybe there's something she's worried about and doesn't want to tell the others?
The options are slim, but my mind races through them anyway because I don't want to be disappointed when she inevitably says thisisn'twhat I want it to be.
"Oh, I wanted to give these back," she says, digging in her pocket for the bugs, pinhole camera, and tracer I forced on her as part of the deal with agreeing to go on the heist.
Right. She wanted to make sure she handed them backto medirectly. Reinforcing her stubbornness about my protection protocols.
