Chapter 1
The Demon.
I am so tired of recon. I need to see some action. The need to not be sitting on my ass and watching a building is weighing on me. I need the adrenaline.
The grey walls of the museum are lit up for the night casting shadows all over. Perfect for hiding. I see security guards wander the property like ants milling about their lives.
I'm tracking the security so the heist tomorrow will go off without a hitch. Tomorrow is a gala for something or other. I don't care what it's for. I know where and when and how much security and my target's specs. That's all I need to know.
The rooftop where I am is the perfect spot to learn all those things. The museum is just about to close. I see the last person leave and lock up. She waves to one of the guards and flirts a bit then leaves. I watch as the tiny woman looks over her shoulder at the guards and smiles.
I'm about to turn back to watch the building when I see her glance up at my blind fix her glasses and smile even bigger. Shit. Did this little thing catch me? No. She would have told the guards. I watch as she turns away and walks to her car a silver little hatchback. I take a picture of the license plate just in case. No loose ends.
I turn back to the building and settle in for a long night.
***
It's the evening of the gala, and I am dressed for the occasion. Not too flashy but not too shabby. I need to blend in. I have my dark hair cut short on the sides and long on the top like every other man my age at this event. I am a big guy so that's a bit of an identifying marker but there's nothing I can do about that. No piercings or tattoos like some guys in my line of business. I arrive in a town car driven by a guy who owes me and knows what's at stake if he rats.
I make my way into the party I grab a drink, so I look like I belong but don't drink it. I scan the room my gaze passing by the exit I will need later. Seeing where the guards are stationed and how many there are.
I move my way through the crowd towards the food like any good guest. My eyes snag on the tiny knockout talking to a guard. She's stunning in a long black dress that hugs every curve but remains classy. Elegant. Her brown hair is in an updo with some decorative do-dads that women like to wear. She is chatting with the guard using her gloved hands to gesture. Her red lips moving as she talks are captivating. She turns away from me and towards the guard and I see that her dress is backless. My mouth goes dry as I take in all the visible skin. Damn, she is phenomenal.
I decide to be a bit reckless and ask her to dance before I have to get to work. I walk over to the bombshell.
"I'm sorry, may I interrupt?" I ask the guard.
"Of course I'm sorry sir." He says in a gruff voice. I turn to the lady in question. It's the woman from last night.
"Would you join me for a dance?" I ask extending my hand.
"Oh. Um... Sure." Awe she's nervous. I lead her to the dance floor and begin swaying with this lovely vixen in my arms. I still do my sweep but she is distracting.
"I'm Damon," I say with a smile.
"Izzy." She says with a warm smile.
"And what do you do Izzy?"
"I actually work here. I'm still in my first two weeks here. So hopefully they keep me on." She says nervously. So cute when she babbles. "What do you do?"
"I am a broker," I say. Most people leave it at that because who knows what brokers do? No one gives a fuck. I don't think even brokers know what they do. Izzy laughs though.
"I think I've met more brokers tonight than I have in my whole life."
"Ya, we tend to arrive in droves to fancy parties." I joke wanting to make her laugh again. It works. I need to get going soon but I don't want to leave her. A look crosses her face.
"Do you want to get out of here?" She asks. Motioning to the stairwell that is my planned exit with her eyes. I am turned the fuck on.
"Yes," I say without hesitation. We weave our way through the crowd and into the stairwell we go up a flight and stop at the landing.
She turns and reaches her hands around my neck and lifts her lips to mine. I run my hands down her bare back and onto her hips pulling her against me roughly. I bite at her bottom lip, and she moans but pulls back instead of opening her mouth to let me in. I open my eyes but notice everything is getting blurry. Shit. Was something in the food? I was so distracted by her I missed a drug? What a rookie move.
"Sorry sweet thing but you are too damn observant for me to let you stay awake. It will wear off in about an hour. Come find me when you wake up." She says and licks a line up my neck as I slump against a wall. Hot damn. She pulls a flask out of her clutch and places it next to me. And rumples up my hair and my shirt. She admires me, her handiwork and pulls out a knife from her inner thigh and goes over to the breaker that I didn't even notice on the wall. My eyes are getting heavy as I see her start cutting wires. I'm in love I think as I fall into oblivion.
***
I wake up and find myself alone in the dark in a puddle of booze. Great. Then I remember how I got here and the siren who bested me. She was an absolute goddess she even gave me a way out after whatever she was doing. I take a swig from the flask and spit it out. Which is a shame she gave me some good shit. I need to play drunk not be drunk and I need to find my siren. I hear one of the stairwell doors slam open and I hear a bunch of feet. Too many feet. Shit. Cops. I remain in my position just a passed out drunk nothing to see here.
I feel them get closer and someone kicks at my foot.
"Hey. You alive?" A man asks.
"Huh?" I mumble sounding groggy.
"You need to get out of here sir. There's a fire in another part of the museum. We're evacuating everyone." Did she set fire to the museum?
"Whaa??" I slur.
"Fuck. Someone get his drunk ass out of here." Wow! a police escort out of a building that I was hired to rob. And I'm not even under arrest. Go me! I can't wait to find my girl.
I'm brought out to the front lawn and sat down in the grass. Might be safer for the drunk not to fall on his face. Across the lawn I see my girl getting yelled at by an older lady. She is playing the part well. She looks like she's about to cry. Even my cold heart starts to feel bad for her. As if proving my point three guards come to her aid. Three! She has the security on her team. She is incredible.
She makes her way over with two of the guards and leans back against the truck to my right. Wiping the tears from her face. The guards look at me for a minute but I must look drunk enough that I'm not a threat.
"I just don't understand why! It's not like I can keep track of everyone!" She says sounding like a damsel in distress. It looks like each of these guards wants to be her prince charming.
"I don't know Izzy. Mary can be a bitch sometimes. Especially at such a big event like this. I bet she'll call you tomorrow and apologize." One assures her.
"You think so?" She says with those big innocent-looking doe eyes. I can hear them getting hard-ons for her vulnerable act.
"Absolutely, Izzy. You're the best." Wow. She does good work. "I mean how are you expected to know about that creep smoking in the offices? No one was allowed up there. You've only been here a little while. You can't know everything and it's not like anyone was hurt. I'm sure everything will turn out fine." He puts his arm around her. She gives him a watery smile.
"I think it may just be time for me to call it a night. I'll hit the job boards tomorrow. Thanks for everything guys. I'll try to keep in touch ok?" She says heading to her car. She taps her thigh once and curls her finger discreetly at me. Oh, yeah. I wait a few seconds and head after her swaying and stumbling as I walk.
She gets in her silver hatchback and unlocks the door. I get in, and we head out of the parking lot.
"Where do you want me to drop you?" Her voice has changed from sweet and pleading to hard and sexy.
"Your place will be fine," I say without looking at her. She laughs a musical laugh with an edge to it.
"I'm still working sweetheart. Maybe I'll come to find you later though." She says turning into a parking garage she presses a button on her phone. Someone answers but doesn't say anything.
"I have a guest. Take care of the cameras please." She presses the button again. Parking her car she gets out and heads to the trunk of her car. Removes a duffle bag and takes a sticker off her license plate.
"Come on sweetie let's get you home." She puts on her sweet voice and puts her finger to her lips and then points to her ear. Audio recording. Got it.
We make it to a dark blue minivan and I get into the front passenger seat, and she gets in the back and starts getting changed. She has her jeans on before I know it and a wrinkled t-shirt that says "keep calm and mom on" takes down her hair and puts it up in a messy bun. Stuffing her dress in the duffle bag she starts arranging weapons on her, so they aren't visible. May I say again.? Hot damn. She wipes a cloth across her face to get rid of her makeup. Still, the sexiest woman alive. She puts on flip-flops and is in the driver's seat within five minutes.
She looks like a frazzled mom now. She looks at me and frowns, pulls my tie off and motions for me to take my jacket off. I do it because I want to see what she can do. She rolls my sleeves up to my forearms and unbuttons the top two buttons of my dress shirt. She gets close and runs her hands through my hair and rubs under my eyes. She looks at me nods and kisses my nose. I smile at her, as she turns and pulls out of the garage and into the night.
We get stopped by the police three minutes later.
"Hello, ma'am where are you headed tonight?" The officer asks.
"Good evening officer. We're just headed home from a friend's house." She says in her sweet voice but she sounds tired.
"Any drinking tonight?"
"My husband had a few but not me. I have to get the kids to bed." The officer chuckles.
"Kids aren't in bed yet?"
"Probably not they have too much fun with the sitter." She laughs. "Good help is hard to find you know?"
"I hear ya. I have two at home and I don't know how my wife does it."
"Awe she's lucky to have you." She says with a smile.
"Thanks. Well,l you get on home to those kids ok? Have a good night." He taps the bottom of the window and heads back to his car. She keeps a bland smile on her face until we park at a house in the suburbs. She grabs her duffle bag.
"Sit there and look pretty ok?" She says and I chuckle at her sass but I do as I'm told. She goes up to the door where a woman in her forties answers the door hugs her and then Izzy trades bags with her.
As soon as she's back in the car she hands me a ring.
"Put it on. We're married now. Are you hungry?" She says no-nonsense. I like it.
"Starved," I say trying to calm my cock down.
"Fix your hair." She says as she pulls out of the suburb. She pulls her shirt off exposing a tank top that cradles her tits perfectly. And she lets down her hair and now she looks like a biker goddess. I tidy my hair as we stop at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The Pit. I've been to this place. It's not for good people. It's for thieves and murderers and low lives. Like me. Maybe like her too. She grabs her new duffle bag and we go inside.
"Find us a seat?" She asks.
"Sure thing," I say grabbing us a booth at the back, so we can see everyone and everything. I sit and monitor. I can't see her anywhere.