Sorin had explained the situation to Jace.
"You're an idiot," Jace groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Chandra brought them both Earl Grey tea. She made herself Assam. Jace sipped her tea, and Sorin sipped his.
"But, do you have anything?" Sorin asked.
Jace closed his blue eyes, leaning back and thinking. Chandra looked between them. She didn't know Jace was a criminal. Okay, she knew Jace was once a professional hacker, but claimed he had worked on defensive software. She wondered what else he lied about. Finally, he opened his eyes and spoke.
"There's this overpriced jewelry store," he stated. "Do you remember Scale?"
"She's still around?" Sorin asked.
"Yes, and she's had her eyes on Sultai Jewelers for a while," Jace answered. "She still does the jewelry ends of the business, whereas we are, well, were, retired." He stood. "Let me get a few things and we will go scout the place." He looked to Chandra. "I hate to ask you this, but can you stay with Vesper?"
"Sure," Chandra answered.
"Thank you." Jace went and kissed her lips softly. He could just sense that there was a lot for them to talk about later. He went to get his laptop and some devices and followed Sorin to his car. Once inside, Jace groaned.
"We should have her work on the job," Sorin pointed out.
Jace looked at him like he had grown a second, eyes wide. "No! Hell no!"
"She's the best driver I've ever seen," Sorin told Jace, driving to Sultai Jewelers. "Went thirty, close to forty over the speed limit, ran several red lights, and made sharp turns almost perfectly. She's a great getaway driver. Do you even know what's she been doing as her 'job'? She's been repossessing cars. Illegally."
"I-." Jace sighed. "I know about her own illegal activities. But this…This is real with real risks, real dangers. And prison is unkind to people like us." He looked out the window. "I didn't say anything to the feds if you're wondering what went wrong ten years ago."
"I know," Sorin responded. "You were busy setting up your uncle."
Jace nodded. "He's getting out soon…" He pulled his knees to his chest and hid his face in them. "There's an order of protection so that he can't come near me or Kallist without getting in trouble but…"
"When has that ever stopped that sadistic fuck," Sorin finished. He looked at Jace. He had so many problems it wasn't funny. He suffered a cold, hard upbringing and life, all with half a stomach, insomnia, depression, and the knowledge he was the wrong gender, which led to bad anxiety. He was one of the smartest people Sorin knew, able to hack anything, anywhere and come out rich. Sorin, his wife Nahiri, Ugin, Kallist, and a handful of others had carried and supported Jace through his horrible teen years when he was at his worst, when he couldn't get what he needed because dear Uncle Tezzeret forbid it.
"H-how's Avacyn and Thalia?" Jace asked, trying hard not to cry. He had to change the subject before his drowned in his tears and despair.
"They're good," Sorin answered, wanting to change the subject also. He knew Jace well, and knew he was on the verge of tears. "They're both great students, they're on the fencing team, and Thalia thinks she knows what she wants to do. She wants to go into fashion and revive some old styles in a modern setting and maybe do a little modeling on the side. Considering how she's basically the fashionista of the family, I think she'll be brilliant. Avacyn on the other hand: She doesn't really know what she wants. It doesn't help she's acting out though. My therapist says it's because she misses her mother."
"You have shrink?" Jace giggled. "The great Sorin Markov has to see a shrink."
"What about you? I know transgenders have to see shrinks for mental evaluations," Sorin pointed out.
"Yes; it's how I met Chandra," Jace responded. "I was waiting for Alhammeret and she came out of his office-."
"Dr. Alhammeret?" Sorin asked.
"You have him too?" Jace responded.
"Yeah. But go on."
"Thank you; so Chandra came out of his office, thought I was the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen aside from a few of her guy friends, and started flirting with me. I quickly told her I was born a woman and then she told me she was born a guy. We exchanged numbers and went on a few dates, learned about each other. And I thought I had a shitty life. Chandra watched her father get murdered in front of her when she was 11, and then her mother went to prison for taking revenge on the murderer. I left out the part where I was a criminal when I told her I was a hacker. I can tell she's upset about the details I left out."
"You weren't ready to tell her; that's all," Sorin pointed out. "But she's a good woman. After spending a day with her, I can tell she doesn't take orders, but will do what needs to be done. Especially with the right incentive."
"Do I want to know?" Jace asked.
"She broke into my house, jacked my daughter's car, and I put a gun to her head," Sorin answered. "I swear, I had no idea she was your fiancé. She was surprisingly calm about the whole thing."
"Which is crazy, considering she's loud, wild, and does she wants," Jace laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I love her. We're just polar opposites, yet she encourages me to be more of an extrovert and I seem to inspire a calm in her. It's…Strange. I used to seldom leave the house except therapy and to pick up essentials, and even then Kallist was usually around to help me."
"Good," Sorin stated simply. "She's good for you. You need people to help you out of your shell."
"And I've gotten more supporters for being transgendered," Jace pointed out.
"The people who supported Chandra?" Sorin asked.
"Yeah! She's got an amazing family and amazing friends," Jace answered. They pulled up to the small, outdoor mall where Sultai Jewelers was located. Jace took out his laptop and brought up satellite images. "Let's see… Move around to the east side of the mall." Sorin did so and saw a construction site. An older building was being renovated and had a lot of access points to the roof. "Can you get onto the roof? Sultai Jewelers is at the north end, and I want a better view of their roof. I can see the ventilation access there, but I need to know if there any extra defenses for it." Sorin nodded and got out, taking his smart phone and a headset with him.
He entered the building and called out. No answer. So, he started making his way up to the roof. "So, how much is Scale paying?" he asked.
"Enough to pay off Rakdos and still have enough left over to pay everyone's fees," Jace answered. "Her services have gotten even better since the old days."
Sorin nodded, though Jace couldn't see. "Good. We need as much as we can get." He climbed a ladder, wincing in pain as his ribcage was jarred. He got onto the roof. "Fuck, getting too old for this." He went over to the roof of Sultai Jewelers and got a look at the vent. The vent was surrounded by a high wall and barbed wire. Sorin moved around it, taking pictures and sending them to Jace. "Hmm, this platform here…" Sorin muttered, climbing up and taking a picture of the vent from an elevated point. "A well-aimed throw of knock-out gas and everyone in the building would be out cold."
"Indeed. But I need to see the interior," Jace pointed out. "Okay, I got what I need of the roof. Come back in and I get you set up to examine the interior."
"Right," Sorin responded. He rejoined Jace, who gave him earbud and put a small pin on the collar of Sorin's shirt. Next came a pair of glasses with a discrete, wireless webcam. "Sheesh, you should be working for the government or the feds."
"I could," Jace muttered. "But I guess I like a little more risk instead. Now, let's get back to the north side. You'll go in and I'll take pictures via the webcam in your glasses. Also, talk to people. I need to know the goings on."
Sorin nodded and did so. He entered the Sultai Jewelers, which was richly decorated, letting people know just how wealthy the store's owner was. Jace was in the car, watching the live footage. Sorin looked at each display case, showing off the sparkling jewels. There was a lot of gold, platinum, and diamonds. A few colored gems like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires; birthstone jewelry, and some custom pieces. Finally, he went up to the front counter and started chatting with the saleswoman about birthstone bracelets for his daughters. While the woman was looking for bracelets, Sorin looked at the vent up on one wall, which was made to blend in with the décor. Next he spotted the safe. Jace zoomed in on it. No way to open it without heating up or damaging the merchandise. Next, Sorin looked at the security pad by the door. Jace got what he needed. After examining the bracelets, Sorin promised to consider them and left. He rejoined Jace in the car.
"Got what you needed?" he asked.
"Yep," Jace answered. "Take us to the old clothing warehouse on Tin Street. We can start planning the job there."
Sorin nodded and drove there. The place was basically abandoned with a lot of products left behind from when the warehouse was still in use. Sorin looked at the fabrics and old clothes, mannequins, sewing machines, thread, and easels. This was all stuff Thalia would like. Just dust some of it off and it would be usable. He saw Jace had gone up to the second floor and hurried after him. They entered a pretty large office. There was a bulletin board, a desk, and a sofa. Jace set up and printed some pictures. He pinned them to the bulletin board.
"Like doing thing the old fashioned way?" Sorin asked.
"Easier to get rid of the evidence," Jace replied. "Now, the way I see it, there's only one tried and true way to do this. We procure extermination gear: Masks, suits, and knock-out gas. We get someone on the roof to toss a canister of the gas into the ventilation system. Everyone inside Sultai Jewelers passes out. Someone will hack the security system to keep it from going off once you start busting those display cases. Sadly, we'll only have a limited time to bust the cases, grab the goods, and get the Hell out. I was thinking three people to go in, one to release the gas, and a hacker."
"Good; you hack," Sorin ordered.
"I'm too rusty and might not get you enough time," Jace pointed out. "No. I have another guy who can do it. Dack Fayden. Not too pricy, but he's good. "We can have guns, but we need people who are better drivers than gunmen."
"Chandra can do it," Sorin told him. "Put her on the roof with the knockout gas if you don't want her in the store, seeing as how that's where the heat will be."
Jace scratched his arm. He really didn't want to put Chandra in danger. At all.
"Besides, I'll be there and let nothing happen to her," Sorin assured.
Jace fidgeted. "Okay. I'll let her do this. But if she dies, I'll make your life Hell, Markov," he warned.
"Trust me, she's an amazing driver," Sorin promised. "And I think she's got a good arm."
"I expect she would since she played softball in high school," Jace muttered. "Okay, I need a semi and the extermination gear. We also need to get a driver for the semi, you I'm assuming, since I know you're a good driver yourself. And two more people. I had one person in mind who can provide three motorcycles."
"Okay, who are the guys?" Sorin asked.
Jace pulled out two files. One was for a Ral Zarek and the other for some nobody whose name Sorin wouldn't remember after this. Ral, on the other hand, would be somebody worth remembering. He had skill in both driving and gunmanship, but was also pretty cheap by his standards. Sorin liked the options. The second guy was cheap with low skill with a gun and a so-so driving skill. He would do.
"Okay, I like our options; cheap but decent to pretty skilled," Sorin told Jace.
"Like with Chandra, I am hesitant to use Ral for this," Jace admitted. "But he did say if I had any interesting and big work for him, to give him a call. He's also a part time mechanic and runs a science vlog on YouTube. Mostly techno babble, but at least he makes it interesting with his boyfriend."
"No kidding?" Sorin chuckled.
Jace smiled. "Yep. So, I'll give Chandra a call to go get a semi, you get the extermination gear, and I'll call the others to come. We'll do this Monday, as people are more tired then."
Chandra looked around the room. Three others, including Sorin and her friend Ral, wore dark blue coveralls like she did and had gas masks. Everything was in position for a big robbery. Chandra recognized Dack Fayden from high school, the Italian still gorgeous as ever. Jace walked in. "Okay," he started, getting everyone's attention.
"We're robbing Sultai Jewelers," he announced to everyone. He pointed to various pictures and pages on the bulletin board. "After you leave here, Sorin, you will drive the extermination van to the construction zone where Chandra will get onto the room with a can of knockout gas. Then you will meet back up outside the jewelry store. Sorin, Ral, and Leo, you'll enter the store once everyone is unconscious. Start busting the display cases. Fayden, how much time can you get us?"
"Thirty second min, forty-five max," Dack answered.
"Sounds like good time," Sorin said. "So we move our asses."
"The bikers were planted and are still there," Jace assured. "So, Chandra will take the extra bag Sorin has. Chandra, Ral, and Leo: You'll get on those motorcycles and get the fuck out. Sorin will take the van and get rid of it and meet you outside the tunnel where construction is being done. Then we meet up at Scale's warehouse. We get paid, we split up, go home, and celebrate the fact we're still alive."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Jace and Dack went straight to work and everyone else went to the van. Sorin and Chandra were up front, the others in the back. This allowed Sorin to talk to Chandra personally.
"So, how is everything?" he asked her, driving to the jewelry store.
"Complicated," Chandra answered. "It's still hard to believe that was…All of this. It's more overwhelming than anything."
Sorin nodded. "It sometimes seems that way," he told her. "But stay focused on your goal and you'll be fine. We do this right, we'll be richer. Who's babysitting?"
"Saheeli. She think Jace and I going out for a much needed date night," Chandra answered.
Sorin nodded again. "Good. Keep her thinking that."
"But for how long?"
"However long you want."
"Right."
They arrived at the building being worked out and Chandra got out with a bag containing a gas mask, a few cans of the knockout gas, and rope and harness to get down from the building quick. She took a deep breath and climbed onto the door. She attached the rope to a sturdy pole and put on her harness. She looked out over the side of the building and saw Sorin pulling up. The motorcycles were right where they needed to be. Sorin and the others hopped out and undid the chains holding the motorcycles to the bike rack. They got them in place to make a quick getaway. Chandra then got on her gasmask and gloves and got on the platform. She got the gas in on the second try. She turned on her headset.
"The place is getting gassed now," she reported. She hooked up to the rope and got down just in time to see everyone inside the jewelry store collapse. She and the group went inside.
They removed the jewelry from the salespeople and the customers. Sorin alerted Dack and Jace to turn off the alarms. They had forty-five seconds, and they made it count. They busted the display cases open and removed the contents. They made quick work of it and were out just as they ran out of time. There was a guy outside who was already calling the cops. Sorin grabbed his neck and slammed him against the wall.
"You best forget real quick that you saw us," Sorin told the man. The man nodded in fear and Sorin dropped him. He turned the others. "I'll see you all in a bit." He got into the van and drove off.
Ral took the lead, Leo behind him and Chandra behind him. They rode hard, and got police attention painfully quick. The alarms had gone off right after they left. And of course, the police fired at them! Ral was a damn good leader, knowing the city inside and out. He got them to the tunnels, but Leo crashed at the entrance. Chandra grabbed his bag and hurried up after Ral. He guided her through the tunnels. They got out onto the river where Sorin was with truck. Dack and Jace had managed to get the police completely thrown off, so the truck was waiting, ramp down and door open. Chandra and Ral loaded up. Sorin got them to the warehouse outside of town.
Jace and Dack were there, and woman with long black hair in a braid came out with them. Chandra's eyes widened at the sight of her. They were the same height and had the same hourglass figure, though the one Sorin and Jace called Scale was pale with almond-shaped eyes the color of amethysts. She wore a purple blouse and blue jeans, colorful shoes, and a silver dragon pendant clutching an orb of amethyst. Trailing behind her was a black lynx with blue eyes. Was it legal for someone to have a pet lynx?! And why was its tail long and fluffy?
"Wait, where's that Leo guy?" Sorin demanded.
"He crashed before we entered the tunnels," Ral answered. "Guy was a moron."
"His loot?" Scale asked, looking between them.
"Grabbed it," Chandra answered, producing both hers and Leo's bags.
Jace smiled, proud of his wife-to-be. Ral, Sorin, and Scale cheered, patting Chandra on the back. Dack grinned and congratulated Chandra on making the recovery. Jace came over and hugged and kissed Chandra. Everyone gave an "aww" at the happy, proud couple. They then pulled away.
"You're amazing," he told her. "You have every reason to be proud of yourself. I was scared something would hap-." He felt something warm, wet, and sticky on Chandra's shoulder.
Chandra gasped in pain and looked to her arm. The sleeve was torn and there was a graze, about quarter of an inch deep, on her arm. She grabbed the wound, and suddenly felt lightheaded as adrenaline started wearing off. How much blood did she lose? She finally realized the sleeve was soaked and blood had drizzled and soaked into her glove. She stumbled, people catching her. Her vision started getting fuzzy.
"KARR! CLEAR A TABLE AND GET THE FIRST AID KIT!" Scale shouted.
"Sorin, can you carry her inside?" Jace asked.
She suddenly felt light as she was lifted up and carried inside. She was placed on a hard surface, and a bright late was the last thing she saw before blacking out…
N…
Na-…ri?
"NAHIRI!" someone shouted.
As she opened her eyes, she was assaulted and blinded by a bright light. Her small hands went to her rectangular-shaped, silver eyes to guard them. How long had she slept? How drunk had she gotten? She felt whatever she had eaten in the last day start to come back up. She gagged and ran to the bathroom. She puked into the toilet, wincing in that oh-so-lovely helpless and despair. She brushed her wild, grey-white hair out of her pale face, flushed the toilet, and climbed into the shower. After freshening up and changing into a pair of lounge clothes consisting of yoga pants and a loose night shirt, she moved to the living room where she saw her siblings, both white-haired, silver-eyed, and pale like she. One was her brother Munda, who was holding their sister Akyli close, trying to keep her frayed mind calm. No wonder she was awake. It was her turn to give Akyli her medicine. With a sigh, Nahiri got their sister's medicine and injected it. The frazzled young woman soon calmed and slumped in her brother's hold. Munda moved her back to her room and rejoined Nahiri.
"You need to lay off the booze," he told his old sister as she turned on the television.
"How can I, knowing I'm a failure of a wife and parent?" Nahiri asked. "I let my husband die and my daughters are out there somewhere, wondering whether or not I'm dead…"
"Oh, for the love of-! That was ten years ago! Move on!" Munda chided.
"Breaking news! Sultai Jewelers was robbed earlier today!" the news anchor, a lovely woman named Linvala, announced. "Knockout gas rendered sales team, security guard, and customers unconscious before a crew of robbers disguised as exterminators entered Sultai Jewelers and robbed the vicinity. This man beside me, Mr. Noyan Dar, claims he saw what was happening and tried to alert authorities."
"One of the robbers came out, pinned me against the wall, and told me 'You best forget real quick that you saw us' before leaving," Noyan pointed out.
Nahiri dropped the cookie she was about to eat, eyes widening in shock. No, she thought in shock and horror. "Just…fucking…no."
"Nahiri?" Munda looked to her, seeing the look on his sister's face. She had gone sheet white, and that was what scared him.
Suddenly, Nahiri moved to action and wrote something down. She handed it to Munda. "Safe combination to access Akyli's medicine. Don't let her see it or she'll OD." Next she ran to the back of the three-bedroom trailer in Silmont's Crossing north of the city of Ravnica. It was a small community of 10,000 people, with farms and nice people. Nahiri lived in the little trailer park on the edge of town.
She threw off her lounge clothes and changed into something more suitable: Brown leather pants, a light, breezy, cream top; a brown, suede vest; brown leather boots, and her favorite gloves and red ribbon she wore on her upper arm. It was a tribal thing from her ancestors. She was a smith and ran a small, manufacturing business that made construction tools and weapon replicas. Half the time, she made real elegant pieces on commission. So, she made a good living with her take from the bank heist ten years ago. That's what the red ribbon on her arm meant.
Next, she brushed her hair and put on her favorite sunglasses. It would be a long, five-hour trip to Ravnica. She packed a backpack, putting only the essentials in it: A change of clothes, extra underwear, tampons, hairbrush, and her favorite, custom pistol. Munda was in the doorway, watching her as she then slipped her boat knives in each boot and equipped her pocket knife to her belt.
"How long will you be gone?" Munda asked.
"I don't know," Nahiri answered, moving to the bathroom to pack her toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Ravnica."
"Why?"
"Does it matter?"
"You go paler than a ghost over something on the TV and now you're off to Ravnica. I think it really does matter."
"Fine: My soon-to-be-very-dead husband is alive."
"Wait, seriously?!" Munda exclaimed.
"Yes, seriously!" Nahiri responded, now in the kitchen. She grabbed her purse and shoved it into her backpack. "Only that movie-loving, H.P. Lovecraft-worshipping, Dracula wannabe motherfucker would drop a shitty line!" She packed a couple things of junk food. "Fucker should be a damn author!" She stomped outside and went to the parking lot where her silver and white motorcycle was.
Munda followed her. "Do you think your daughters are with him?" he asked.
"They better be," Nahiri answered, mounting her bike. "If not, I'm going to kick his cigar-smoking ass." Then, she was off, heading for Ravnica…