A Man of Fortune

2: Once a Thief

 I hadn't worn high heels in so long that I was scared I was going to fall in them. Sam and Nate had already set off to the Rossi Estate to stake out the place whilst I waited for none other than Victor Sullivan to pick me up.

A large, posh white car parked directly in front of me, and out stepped the familiar man dressed in one of his many tuxedo's. "(y/n) (l/n), you always know how to dress," he said smoothly and I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's good to see you Sully," I said with a beaming smile, us hugging tightly.

"Your chariot awaits," he opened the door for me and I sat, trying to keep my fancy dress from wrinkling. "So... I must admit, I was not expecting this," he said, referring to the mission.

"Neither was I," I admitted.

"Sam Drake, still alive," he muttered and I nodded.

"I've known he's been alive for a two weeks yet I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," I said somewhat sadly.

"There's nothing you coulda done, kid," Sully said, apparently able to read my mind. I let out a deep sigh, trying to believe that but the thought of me trying a little harder to find out if he was alive kept haunting me.

"Yeah," I said.

"I know it hit you hard when we thought he died," Sully said, referring to the breakdown I had. I just nodded, him having guessed my old feelings for Sam. "Let's just focus on the mission now, alright? Let's get this cross... tell me, what is it again?"

"It's a cross of St Dismas, one of the thief's who was bound to the cross next to Jesus. We think it holds a clue to finding Henry Avery's Gunsway Heist... 400 million dollars worth of gold," I explained.

"Okay, but why is this cross significant?" Sully asked.

"Fifteen years ago we found a letter written by Joseph Burnes, who worked on Avery's ship. It led us to the Panamanian prison where Nate found a St Dismas cross, exactly the same as the one going up for auction today only the one they found was already broken into, it's content missing," I explained.

"So whatever wasn't inside the cross in that prison should be inside this cross," Sully concluded.

"That's what we suspect, yeah. And then hopefully that'll take us one step closer to finding the treasure," I said, feeling the nerves kicking in as we approached the Rossi estate.

"Calm down kid, you'll be fine," Sully tried to comfort me. I smiled and nodded, a worker of the estate opening the car door for me. I faced the large mansion, having difficulty comprehending the fact that someone actually lived here. An arm wrapped around my waist and I looked up to see Sully who was wearing a comforting smile. "C'mon," he whispered and I nodded, the two of us approaching the grand entrance.

Sully worked his magic, smooching his way in whilst I stood beside him innocently, my role being to look as though I was his young date for the evening. Watching Sully work was almost an honour, as he got us passed the entrance and beyond, us finally entering the grand ballroom where hundreds of people were milling. Upon the stage to the right there were several artefacts on show, undoubtedly obtained illegally.

We walked through the crowd to some stairs on the left, heading up to the balcony above that looked over the hall. Sully led the way to a door at the end, apparently knowing his way around the place. We went through the door and I found myself in a large study with posh bookshelves lining the walls and old looking books upon them.

It didn't take long for Sully to pull out a cigar and light it, this only making me chuckle. He settled himself down on one of the regal sofas in the room whilst I unlocked the window the brothers were due to come in through. "I'm gonna wait outside, keep an eye on the auction," I said.