So Good To Be Bad [Donatello]

Chapter 3

"Breaking News this morning. A priceless gem has been stolen from Bijou. It was just recently put on display three weeks ago by associates who claim the gem was not up for sale, but were hoping to soon gain potential buyers when the time presented itself. It was shipped from the Southern Brazil region where amethyst is commonly found. There has been no word from the owner who sold it to the store, or from his representatives at this time regarding the matter.

"The security guard on site the night of the incident wasn't aware of the break in due to a delay in the security system. Police have no comment at this time. We will continue to keep you informed of the situation as the story progresses."

Momo absentmindedly tapped at the cup of tea. The steam wafted up into her face. There was no information about the vent left open, but police would probably be excluding that information until they checked the whole crime scene. Maybe luck would be on her side and they would find something in regards to the group that tried to ruin her job. That would take the pressure off her even if there was no reason to worry. Momo was thorough. There were no fingerprints or other traces of DNA to lead them to believe she had even been there. Still, the young woman wished she could have seen who was in the room with her. It could have helped with this mystery. A heavy sigh escaped her.

She didn't have time to think about that at the moment. Finishing off the drink, Momo grabbed a coat and pulled it on. The familiar bump of the gem rested against a side in the hidden pocket it occupied. The closer to her the better in case someone tried to snatch the purse. Or if anyone in the city tried to get close to her in a threatening manner, she didn't have a separate item to worry about needing to defend herself. Though the thief lived in a good neighborhood, there were still thieves out there that would chance criminal activity in broad daylight.

Locking up the townhouse, Momo made her way to the subway. Taking the metro into Chinatown the streets were packed due to a market closing off a few main roads. There were patrons and vendors covering nearly every inch of the sidewalks and spilling into the vacant roads. For Momo, she slipped through the crowds using the small space between street vendors and the shops, finally making it to the other side and coming upon a high rise. Pushing the button on the intercom the dial tone sounded for a few seconds before the line picked up,

"Package for Zihao."

A bell rang to allow Momo to open the gate. But instead of making her way towards the main entrance she ducked around the side towards the back. Out of sight sat a locked maintenance door, which was honestly just for show. Her knuckles rapped against the surface four times. It swung open moments later for the thief to enter and walk down a set of stairs. There was another door open at the bottom, one laced with more intricate technology to be sure that no unwanted visitors could get in. This one was already wide open as the young woman stepped inside.

"Welcome back, Momo."

The man stood on the far side of the room watching the news on television. Zihao was the landlord and owner of the building, which was all just smoke and mirrors to hide his real dealings. The entire basement area acted as his domain to inspect and ship out items to buyers and sellers. With a secret elevator leading up to his penthouse on the top floor of the building no one in the condos were even aware this place existed. It wasn't on any blueprints so no one would go snooping, and if anything needed a fix, he had a team of private employees to be sure they got the job done without questions.

As a businessman, he prized himself on his looks. Pressed suit pants, a buttoned-up dress shirt, with rolled up cuffs just below the elbows was his choice of style. A pair of dress shoes always complimented it. He'd slicked back the dark hair, but a few stray strands fell on his forehead. The man had a strong jaw bone and a dazzling smile, features that came in handy to close business deals and likely attract women without issues. If only they knew how ruthless he could be. Something new Momo noticed on his person today was a silver Rolex watch circling a wrist. An expensive model too.

He was one of Momo's top clients that gave her consistent work and would even recommend her to other partners throughout the city. But Zihao didn't like to share his talent all the time. After all, why risk giving up a good thing? It was all business to him.

"You've made the news," he stated.

"Big jobs like this always end up there," Momo answered.

He hummed in agreement and as she removed the gem it gained Zihao's attention. A grin spread across his lips, taking the item.

"Stunning, isn't it?"

The young woman couldn't help but agree. Sitting down at a table he began to inspect the gem under an eye scope. Momo continued to watch the news to see if there had been any other developments. Finally, she couldn't help but ask,

"Did you have another team on this job?"

"You know I don't hire out for the same job," Zihao said. "Too expensive and risky."

Which was true. Thieves that were suddenly paired together almost never worked out well. Heads always butted for power and to work out less shares among help, greed could play a part. Stealing already proved to be a tough way of life and lonely, but it was steady if having the right clientele.

"Do you know if any of your acquaintances were interested in the gem?"

The man snorted. "Who isn't? This thing is worth a fortune and on the Black Market it will have a greater price tag. But none are bold enough to attempt to go after it because they don't know you."

While Momo should have been flattered, she wasn't here for compliments. The job nearly went south because there had been another party involved. One she wasn't aware of.

"I want extra from this job." He laughed at the statement, continuing to observe the gem in hand. "I'm serious, Zihao. I wasn't the only one in that place."

"I didn't realize a few night guards would scare you, Momo."

"They weren't night guards. A group of guys snuck in after I grabbed the item and were not happy to find it missing. I had to find another way out since they took my escape route."

He paused for a moment, still looking at the gem and asked, "Are you sure you weren't seeing things in the dark?"

Momo huffed, "I'm not a child. They were pretty adamant about getting this thing from me. Talking about their boss, Shredder, or something."

Zihao's head snapped up, face growing pale. The look made the young woman's brows pinch.

"What?"

"Did you say Shredder?" Zihao questioned.

"Yeah."

Immediately he stood, coming around the table to shove the gem back into her hands. She fumbled with the item for a moment not expecting the action. And then without pause he began pushing her towards the stairs and out the door saying, "I'm sorry, Momo, I changed my mind. I don't want it. Put it back."

"What are you saying? It took me two weeks to scope this out and then I nearly got caught by that group." Catching the doorframe at the top of the stairs she pushed against his struggles, looking over a shoulder at the man. "Take it and give me my money."

Hand reaching into a pocket he jammed a wad of cash into her jacket pocket. "Here's half of it, now go! If you put it back, I'll give you the rest and the bonus you asked for."

With one last shove Momo stumbled out barely managing to catch herself before face planting the ground. The door slammed shut behind her and she turned to glare at the surface, marching towards it.

Angrily, the young woman kicked the door causing it to tremble from the force, hoping it scared Zihao enough that he tripped and fell down the stairs.

"Zihao!" she shouted.

But he did not come back. Looking down at the gem in hand her grip tightened around it before shoving the item inside the jacket and zipped up the hidden pocket. Then she counted the money. It indeed came to only half and the young woman groaned. She needed the rest of that payment, but with those men out on the streets looking for her it wasn't safe to make an appearance for a few days at best. Even if Zihao only said it in the heat of the moment, the thief would collect that extra money, demand it. So much for another simple mission.