Firm Girls

Chapter 6

The current owner of the painting was some wealthy socialite, the only daughter of a modern oil baron. The type of girl who has never held a job but owns a Georges Braque original painting, stolen from someone else. I doubt the twenty year-old knew where the painting came from. Or even the importance of the artist.

Jess had designed her hacker program well. Cass's team didn't find it. And they did use the computers for real work, not just busy work. She uncovered their strategy for the painting heist. Blueprints for the building (saving us several hours of work). Security guard schedule.

"We have to go tonight," I said over breakfast, as Jess showed Brielle schematics of the elevator shaft.

Kyra paused mid-bite of cereal. "Really?"

I nodded. "Cass will do it tonight or tomorrow."

"You'll potentially go at the same time as him?" Bri asked.

"You sure about this?" Kyra said, more of a statement than a question.

"I can handle him," I said, more confidently than I really felt. I wasn't sure who had won in the end the night before at his apartment, or who would win this next round. I didn't have a choice, though. I had to play the game to win. The risk of loss was better than the certainty of it.

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"Where is she?" Kyra hissed at Brielle, who stared down at the computer screen before her.

"She's under the elevator, exactly where she's supposed to be."

"So then why isn't it moving?" I asked, stress gripping my upper shoulders like two strong hands holding me down.

"I can't... my override isn't working." Brielle was on the verge of tears. "I don't know how. It was working thirty minutes ago!" 

We stared in silence at the screen for ten seconds.

I heard a burst of something from Brielle's earpiece.

"Just hang on," she whispered. "I'm trying!"

"It's them," Kyra said, her voice low and furious.

I glanced at her, one eyebrow raised.

"The boys. They did something."

How had I not thought of that? I covered my face and counted to three, trying to ignore the panic building in my gut. My career wasn't over yet. It couldn't end this way. I couldn't lose the girls, lose New York. Not if I had any tiny hope left.

I grabbed the extra earpiece off the table beside Brielle.

"How long until the owner arrives?" I asked Bri.

"At least an hour. Why?" she muttered without glancing up, hunching over the computer with full concentration.

"I'm going in."

"What?" Kyra snapped. "How?"

I shrugged. "Front door."

Brielle turned and stared at me, eyes wide. "Isn't that what Cass will expect you to do?"

"Maybe. But we're breaking all the rules, right? As long as I can get the painting out of the building, I don't care how little style this job has. We just need it to work."

The glint in Kyra's eye sharpened. "We're doing a job on the fly? How very un-Firm. I like it."

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I bounced on the balls of my feet in front of the Braque. The oil painting was less than two feet tall and would easily fit in the tube on my back. I just needed to be sure not to damage the work.