“Yeah. Trying to steal it from his mansion would be suicide, even for you.”
“Then we just need to get him on the move with it.”
Peyton nodded. “Sounds good, but how?”
“By offering to buy it.”
“Yeah, about that… he wants 100 million dollars for it. You’re a bit short.”
Shay grinned. “Sure, I am, but he doesn’t know that.” She pointed to Peyton. “You can help me fake being richer for long enough to get this to work.”
Peyton’s face mirrored hers. “Yeah, I think I can.”
“Then we have a plan.”
Shay stared into her compact in her hand. Between the colored contacts, make-up, and red wig, she looked like a totally different person, which was probably a good thing considering she was now back in New York.
Complained so much to Peyton about not drawing the eye of the wolf, but I’m about to attract a lot of attention to myself.
She took in a deep breath and sipped her coffee. The café’s front bay windows provided a nice view of the shop where Patino was supposed to deliver the metal. On the outside, it looked like any other jeweler in New York, but the place served as neutral ground for the local criminals.
Shay’s plan would net her the metal, while stirring up the entire NYC underworld and risking exposure. A fun time all around.
“I’ve got a visual on the delivery car, nice Lexus.” Peyton’s voice sounded in her ear through a clear earpiece. Up close it was visible, but it resembled a hearing aid more than anything else and didn’t draw undue attention.
Multiple drones patrolled the sky, all under the man’s control. Shay might be unused to having someone working direct backup for her, but she couldn’t doubt the utility of not having to monitor surveillance feeds herself.
She tossed a few bills on the table and headed toward the exit. The key to the operation would be hitting the target hard and fast. If they lingered, NYPD might show up, SWAT or even an Anti-Enhanced Threat team, and then she’d be screwed.
Shay emerged from the café and spoke into the throat mic concealed underneath her high-necked shirt. “Any change?”
“Nope. Still on his way, he’s still got a couple of blocks.”
Shay reached into her handbag to confirm its contents, including a gun and a few other surprises. She patted underneath her jacket for her knives.
“Son of a bitch.”
“What’s wrong?” A hint of panic entered Peyton’s voice.
“The damn temporary knives disappeared. Fucking gnome.”
“Well, that’s all the more reason for you to complete this job.”
Shay snorted. “True enough.”
Shay made her way down the street. If she wasn’t in position for the attack, the whole thing would be a waste. She wondered if they should have spent more than a day coming up with a plan.
“About sixty seconds out,” Peyton said.
“Thirty seconds from the corner.” Shay blended in with the flow of foot traffic as she made her way to the intersection. “In position.”
“Target is 25 seconds out. Moving drone.”
Shay looked up. The stream of drones in the skies of New York City wouldn’t be of special note to anyone, nor would it look odd that a single drone broke off and dropped altitude. Everyone would assume it was nothing more than a delivery drone.
Peyton cleared his throat. “Ten seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four…”
A silver drone zoomed down on an intercept course with a black Lexus.
“Three… two… one.”
The drone buzzed and collapsed right on top of the Lexus. The car died and the stream of vehicles behind him slammed on the brakes. A few minor collisions happened up the line followed by a loud blare of horns.
The doors to the car flew open and Patino, a stocky, balding man rushed out, a suitcase handcuffed to his wrist. Three large men in suits emerged from the car, guns drawn.
Shay whipped her pistol out of her float print handbag and put a round into each of the guards.
People screamed and rushed away from the battle. There was no way the police wouldn’t be there soon.
Shay rushed right toward the wide-eyed Patino and pointed her gun at his head. “Give me the briefcase in five seconds, or you’re dead.”
“You have no idea who you’re fucking with.”
“Three… two…”
“All right. All right.” Patino sucked in air through his teeth. He placed his thumb on a small plate on the case and winced, a DNA sampler.
Peyton hissed. “There’s a bunch of other vehicles coming up fast. I didn’t see where they came from.”
Shay didn’t respond for a moment, instead keeping her attention on Patino.
The handcuffs around his wrist clicked open, and Shay snatched the briefcase away and sprinted toward her next target at a subway station. Several people screamed and leapt out of the way as three more Lexuses adopted a straightforward strategy for avoiding the traffic blockage and drove up the sidewalk.
“Fuck.”
Shay bound down the stairs leading to the subway station. The heavy footsteps of ten men followed her. She turned the corner as three suited goons opened up with their pistols.
The New Yorkers in the subway station screamed and scattered. Shay leapt over a turnstile and spun around to put a bullet into the first two men to hit the bottom of the stairs. The loud report of the shot echoed in the station.
Shay rolled behind a pillar as several other men hit the bottom of the stairs and opened fire. The bullets pelted the metal pillars, bouncing off with sparks. She returned fire and nailed another man.
The plan hadn’t anticipated so many reinforcements, but she wasn’t worried. She grinned.
Kind of like fighting the Harriken. Taking something from an asshole who shouldn’t have it and taking down some underworld scum. Not exactly weeping here.
Shay chanced a quick look at the clock. One more minute. She sprinted for another pillar and laid down more downstream lead at her scattered pursuers. Two more dropped.
Thirty seconds.
The remaining five men
