Chapter 2
MELANIE.
THE DOSSIER STILL LAY ON THE TABLE.
I hadn’t touched it since I’d dropped it there, choosing instead to pace until I was sure my feet had worn a path into the
Поог
There wasn’t much to think about, the dude in the cream shirt wasn’t bluffing when he mentioned that the person who sent him would come after me if I refused. That was the way he operated.
|_ He_Mr Cadell.”
The man who had single–handedly ruined my family. Or at least what was left of it.
My mother left before I was old enough to miss her.
My dad had tried his best to raise me on his own before losing his job as the Senior Account Manager for Cadell&Sons. 1 never noticed a change in our lifestyle except for his increased intake of alcohol and abrasiveness because he made sure to keep the things he thought I couldn’t handle.
It was after he ingested one too many bottles of alcohol and I stood at his graveside after the funeral that Mr. Cadell approached me, informing me of the desperation with which my father had begged for loans to keep me in school and keep a roof over our heads and preserve the lifestyle I was used to.
I was taking acting classes at the community college at the time and working at a convenience store to pay the bills.
I had no idea how I was supposed to come up with the amount of money he said my father owed.
He offered to sponsor the rest of my schooling so I could come work for him.
I’d asked him why he would do that and he said it was an investment. At the time I’d thought he was being generous due to his relationship with my father because he obviously had no use for a fledgling actress.
I was so wrong and realizing it changed nothing, my fate was sealed either way.
He insisted on me learning multiple languages, taught me art and culture and politics, training me to fit into any crowd. Honing what was to be a perfect weapon.
The first time I stole for him, he’d asked me to cross the street and tell a man sitting in a parked car in Dutch that I was the one he was waiting for and I’d been sent by one Lady Dumont. The man had handed me a package which I delivered to Mr. Cordell
Later that day, I was shocked to see a blurry CCTV image of me on the news with instructions to inform the police if I was ever spotted. Angry, I’d confronted him.
“Why did you make me do that?”
“Who better to do it than a naïve little girl?” he’d said with no hint of remorse on his face.
“Is that what you do? Steal from other people? You’re disgraceful. What if he hadn’t believed me?” my voice was thick with bitterness and unshed tears.
He’d shown me his true colors then, as he lost his temper. He’d held me by the throat, making sure I stared into his empty ice blue eyes.
“Why do you think I’d pour money into a stupid rugrat like you if I don’t get anything out of it? You and your miserable excuse for a father are indebted to me. I own you now. So you’ll be a good girl and steal for me until your debts are paid in
full. Understood?” he asked.
Inodded. He released me and walked behind his desk calmly while I shook like a leaf.
“You start weapons training tomorrow morning, 6 AM sharp. Don’t be late.”
Monaco AbuDhabi Amsterdam Turkey Greece India. Peru. Iran. Germany. Diamonds..Rubies Paintings…Scams. Rigg ed bets and so many more that I can’t count
Each heist was bigger and riskier than the last.
1 lost a piece of my soul each time.
Chapter 2
Variations of my description had circulated globally, and law enforcement was convinced they were looking for a
widespread cell of con artists. After my last job, when I was convinced I was done, I went underground, changed my name yet again and took a job as a clerk at the stock exchange.
I started a new life and now I was being dragged back.
Anger pulsed in time with my heartbeat.
“I will kill him. I swear, I will kill him“, I continuously chanted in my head.
I took a series of deep breaths, gaining control over my emotions and making way for cold, clear logic.
He’d be coming for me soon when he didn’t hear from me.
I had to be prepared to go under again at a moment’s notice. The time for revenge would come. Soon, but not now.
I’m nothing if not patient. I picked up the single document which contained a summarized calculation of all the money my. dad had borrowed and my eyes widened in disbelief.
Christ on a totem pole!
There was no way all of that still remained. I’d stolen diamonds for fuck sake. Cadell was a bastard..
A greedy bastard who had just earned himself a slow, excruciatingly painful death.
I look around my small apartment. I didn’t store much here; no self–respecting thief puts all their eggs in one basket. I could be ready to go in fifteen minutes or less.
For now, I headed to the kitchen to fix myself dinner. I grabbed the raven packets and the other ingredients I needed out of the small fridge and placed them on the counter just as an unbidden memory of my dad and I cooking together crossed my mind
“Remember, buttercup, you have to be really careful.”
“Like this?” I ask, attempting to flip the pancake over in the pan. It lands on the floor instead, making my dad chuckle. “Very close princess. But let’s try that again.
The memory faded and I found myself staring at the counter with a knife clutched tightly in my right hand. I smiled through the pain threatening to crush my chest, finished making my dinner and carried it over to the table.
I set my plate down next to the dossier and picked it up, glancing through it quickly and mentally marking areas that required deeper reading. I got my phone out and dialed the number provided on the first page of the file. It rang thrice before a familiar voice answered.
“Yes?”
“I’ll do it.”
“Excellent choice, rugrat.”
