Page 115 of Lost to Thievery
Liam pulled up to the front of the building in an old beat-up Corvette, wearing a food delivery outfit. Everyone perked up, murmurs floating through the room. We did not expect to see him. Grayson rarely brought other people into his heists, unless absolutely necessary. Liam pretended to yawn and stretch, all the while looking to Hunter, who gave an almost imperceptible nod, from the street café where he’d been stationed since the opening of the exhibit, just out of sight of any surveillance cameras in the area.
The nod was theokayLiam could proceed.
He pulled a large food bag from the backseat, while another car stopped in front of him. It was an unremarkable white Sedan, but the man getting out of the passenger seat, was anything but.
My heart thundered as Grayson straightened his sweater and pushed a pair of glasses back up his nose. Was this how he dressed when he was a professor?
Gemma came around the car with a similar look. Academics interested in Da Vinci’s collection.
“Show-time,” Owen whispered from beside me, signalling for the agents to get in position.
I stood too, but only to move closer to the small laptop screen. The Apparitions made their way to the museum’s entrance, walking with confidence and ease. Liam was the first to reach the door, but when he pushed the glass door open, Grayson stopped dead in his tracks. Gemma stopped too, and even Liam, who must have seen Grayson in the reflection of the glass, paused with the door half open.
Owen and I stopped breathing.
Grayson slowly swept his eyes over the surroundings.
What was he doing? What was he seeing? I know there was nothing that would alert him. We had worked tirelessly to ensure it.
But Grayson balled his hands into fists and shook his head, ever so slightly. Liam and Gemma retreated immediately, swinging around and hastily making their way back to the cars, their eyes pinging back and forth over the surroundings.
“Fuck!” Owen bellowed beside me, making me jump.
Hunter had also stood from his table, calmly, but quickly making his way to his motorcycle.
No fucking way.I couldn’t breathe. How the hell did they know?
It didn’t matter now. We were prepared for this.
“After them!” Owen blared over the comms, shoving agents out the door.
“Already on it!” came Marshall’s voice over the comms, and just as Grayson and Gemma pulled out of the parking, one of our unmarked SUV’s came skidding around the corner.
“You stay here!” Owen shouted at me, as he ran for the door, eager to join the chase.
I returned my gaze to the screen as Marshall gunned for Grayson and Gemma’s car. But Liam’s Corvette shot out of the parking, crashing into Marshall’s SUV from the side, sending the SUV crashing into a streetlamp on the sidewalk.
Shit!
Liam had the audacity to wave at Marshall, an enormous grin on his face as he sped past him. Marshall pulled out his gun and shot at Liam’s Corvette before it disappeared around the corner, another one of our cars chasing after it.
Come on, come on, come on!
Unmarked cars whirred past, chasing after the Apparitions. Marshall had flagged one down and rejoined the chase.
I stared, dumbfounded at the empty street, my heart beating in my throat, my mind at a standstill.
How the hell did this happen again? How are they getting awayagain?!
My whole body was shaking with anger and disbelief. I tried to concentrate on the chase happening over the comms, but it was hard keeping my mind from spiralling.
The Apparitions had split up as they raced through the city. Marshall and two other chase vehicles had almost cornered Liam, but he had no issue crashing through a makeshift barricade with his rusted Corvette. It seemed to be reinforced somehow. It only sustained surface dents while our cars were all but totalled. Emerie was chasing after Hunter on his motorcycle. It took four cars to keep track of him as he bounded through walkways and alleys. Owen had joined the chase after Grayson and Gemma. They made it out onto the freeway. Their car was unsuspectedly fast, but so was Owen’s. He kept on their tail, screaming commands over the comms to the other agents with him, hoping to box the car in.
It was complete chaos.
So much so, that I almost didn’t see the cameras in the viewing room going dark.
I gasped in surprise, startling the other two agents in the room with me. Grayson’s face appeared in the last camera, before it went dark.
