Okay, wow. It's been a really long time since I last update. I'm not one for excuses, especially when I have a lot of chapters already written and the story planned out to the T.
Before I explain, I'd like to apologize for not only my absence, but not updating as much as I know y'all liked (and not as much as I like either). That being said, this past semester I have been hitting the ground running at college as it's my senior year and I had a lot to do before the end. I'm an English Education major so you can imagine the stress I was under. I barely had time to write at all which absolutely KILLS me.
However, because I have a majority of this story written and I feel terrible for the long absence, I'll be updating twice this week. Once today and again on Sunday, December 9th. So, make sure you're either following this story or myself to get notified about updates!
I haven't given up on this story and I don't plan to, so don't worry! Please enjoy this chapter and leave a review on how you felt! I accept all constructive criticism as I'm still growing and maturing as a writer. Also, please forgive any typos or mistakes here as it's been awhile since I last looked at this chapter. (If you see one, drop a review and let me know!)
~Delyth
Chapter Ten
Of Clashes and Brawls
Jazlyn stretched carefully in her perch on a nearby tree, hidden within the shrubbery and thick branches that provided the perfect camouflage for her lighter fur. She watched the three guards patrolling around a fountain stationed in front of a dilapidated, though, clearly functional security station that monitored cameras both in the ballroom and around the guest house. It was also the same place that communicated and controlled the security SUV armed with missiles and a chopper that had enough firepower to make anyone nervous. She pulled the binocucom Bentley had given her, which was outfitted with a camera, communication connected directly to the turtle's laptop, and served as binoculars.
She had to give the genius turtle credit for creating the gadget and told him so when he handed her a black one made specially for her. Theirs only had the camera and communication modifications, while hers not only had that but also the ability to set a waypoint for the guys to follow straight to her position. Bentley said she could point at any digital device and give him a direct scan of the computer system's "nervous system" before he'd have to dive into its hardware to hack. When she asked why hers had a few extra modifications, the brains of the outfit simply replied that she was probably the only one who could handle getting close to a computer, tag it, scan, and begin navigating the computer's system while Bentley guided her.
"In theory," he said when she raised an eyebrow.
Bentley had given her a job to do while Sly snatched the keys and replaced them with the decoys on the guards. She was to infiltrate Rajan's security headquarters for Bentley to hack the computers and gain access to the winch during the heist. Before the turtle would come to do his part, he needed the secret code to unlock the boardroom's doors where he and Murray would enter from. However, Sly needed to let the drawbridge down before they could come in and Murray needed to take down the chopper first. If they waited until the alarm was sent out from the headquarters that the computers had been hacked, the SUV and helicopter would be even more strict in their patrols.
"The minute the computers are hacked," Jazlyn told the Cooper gang in their safehouse as she explained the security regulations to them, "The helicopter will make a narrower patrol circuit which will make it difficult for Murray to gain access to the old turret you were telling us about, Bentley. He'll need to get rid of that chopper first, as it's the biggest threat."
Sly's brow furrowed in thought as he asked, "Why not take out both the chopper and SUV at the same time? If we get rid of the chopper, won't the SUV become harder to take down, too?"
She was already shaking her head before the last word exited his mouth. "The SUV serves as the tank for the ground forces. While it is true that with the destruction of the air security, the SUV's patrol will become more focused on unfamiliar presences. It'll have to concentrate on both the sky and ground at the same time, and since it's piloted by mammals who are bound to make mistakes, there's a higher chance of Bentley's plan to be successful."
The fact that Bentley had agreed with her at all was not only a new feeling of pride and happiness, but she liked helping the turtle form plans.
After he'd received the decoy keys from Bentley, Sly intercepted her just outside their safehouse as she headed toward her own job's starting point. His fingers brushed a strand away from her face and he cupped her cheek. "Try not to get caught out there, okay?"
She'd grinned at him before pecking him on the lips with a giggle. Before he could pull her back in his arms for retaliation, Jazlyn had darted toward the bustling stream to make her way to the security house.
Now, sitting in her perch, she narrowed her eyes as she counted the steps it took for each guard to make their rounds. This was her element—watching, observing, then infiltrating the target building with no one the wiser. She was the Ghost of Paris and Jazlyn lived by that moniker—reveling in the sense of completion because it represented not only the new Jazlyn, but it connected her to her heritage.
The snow leopardess took a deep breath, relaxing her muscles, and silencing her breathing to the point that she could barely hear it whispering pass her nose and lips. With a single jump, Jazlyn landed in the next tree closest to the fountain and the branch barely dipped from her silent landing. She leapt to another tree then another and another until she was right beneath the window Jazlyn would use as a way in. Subconsciously, she counted the steps of the guards as she began picking the lock on the window, her fingers steady and working quickly. The branch she was crouched on wasn't at all covered by leaves or other smaller branches, and the guards walking in circles by the fountain could easily spot her if she wasn't careful.
A soft click of the lock unlatching made her ears perk and she grinned as she lifted the window before sliding inside. She checked the immediate area for hostiles then closed the window and relocking it. Her feet whispered along the hardwood as she headed down a set of stairs leading to the guards' breakroom where Bentley said the secret code was.
She didn't dare speak until she was closer to possible cover points in case a guard headed her way. So far, there wasn't a single rhino, goat, or chimp insight, but the tension in her shoulders refused to leave as her ears swiveled along her head, listening intently to the dead silence. Her fur along the back of her neck and arms stood on end as she tiptoed in the dark. At the end of the long staircase, she could see a light from a torch in the archway and froze, tilting her head to the side for a peek. There wasn't anyone there and she let loose a small breath as she entered the surrounding light.
The break room Rajan's guards used looked like an old saloon with roughen, wooden tables and chairs spread across the entire length of the area. On one side there looked like what appeared to be a stage of some kind and several pieces of music equipment, which not only bemused the snow leopardess but made her curious as well. Who would've thought the bad guy's henchmen were musical lovers? She shrugged as she glanced to the right, taking note of the small pool that had a miniature waterfall of some kind and drained through a tunnel. Why they had a shallow pool in the break room dumbfounded Jazlyn, but she only shook her head and decided that it wasn't really any of her business.
In the center of the room there was a small, lasered-off section that held an iron safe and what appeared to be some sort of computer-generated security system for the boardroom. Intrigued and itching to unlock the safe in there, Jazlyn began checking underneath the tables for a code.
"Bentley?" She murmured, pulling herself back up after not finding the password from the first table.
"Yes, Jazlyn?" The turtle sounded a little distracted to say the least, but that was considered a given since there were three different jobs happening at once.
"How're the others doing?" More importantly, she needed to know that Sly was doing alright and while she knew it was ridiculous to worry—after all, the raccoon could take care of himself—she couldn't help but fret. It made her paranoid and Jazlyn was plenty paranoid by herself without being anxious about the master thief's safety. She just hoped that this budding relationship of theirs wouldn't get them all into trouble.
"Sly unlocked the drawbridge about ten minutes ago and Murray is in the middle of a gun-fight with the helicopter. I'm preparing a program that will scan the security computer's system for the boardroom at a faster rate than doing it manually. I take it you're in the guards' break room?"
She nodded despite that he couldn't see her as she searched another table without much result. "Yeah, searching for the code to punch into the laser barrier that's blocking me from the security system."
"I didn't realize that they would bother to secure the security system, but I surmise they most likely prepared ahead of time in case we decided to make things difficult."
"It's possible," she told the turtle, crawling under another table and beginning to grow a little frustrated at the number of tables she's looked under and finding squat. She still had at least fifteen more to check before resorting to look under the chairs. "Though, I doubt they just decided to implement these security measures. Considering that Rajan is extremely paranoid, I have a feeling he created this steep security regime long before Sly decided to wage war on the Klaww Gang."
"True." He paused, and she could vaguely hear the sounds of his fingers stopping their rhythmic typing. "You mentioned that before—war. Why do you insist in describing it that way?"
"Because believe it or not, Bentley, Sly decided to go after the Klaww Gang because they stole the Clockwerk parts. He's made a huge mess of Dimitri's counterfeit operation and halted the spread of spice in his club. Now, he's going after the spice lord who I think has a greater role than we initially thought. I don't know about you, but this sounds like war to me. Ya know, minus the thousands of dead bodies and gunfire and all that." Though, they were plenty close to having potential gunfire and explosions when it came to heists and avoiding the police. Bleh, close enough.
"I don't think of it that way. I see it as Sly preventing an evil creature from returning to the living and moving on with his life. Clockwerk's shadow has never really disappeared from Sly no matter what he's tried. If he can destroy the parts for good, I believe he'll be able to truly move on."
Jazlyn was silent at that, thinking. She never saw it that way since she was an outsider and hadn't spent nearly as much time with the Cooper gang to know that their first real series of heists had been so personal for Sly. She knew what Clockwerk did and understood that Sly felt obligated to take back his family's legacy, but she never thought about the aftermath. Never realized that the raccoon would have to find himself again after avenging his parents and taking back the Thievius Raccoonus. Then, having to learn that the parts of his clan's lifelong enemy had surfaced once again probably put him in a state of shock and determination to prevent the owl from returning. She only saw his fight with the Klaww Gang as a war—two sides fighting over a prize in this case—rather than seeing Sly protecting not only himself but the world from Clockwerk's evil from spreading again.
A heavy set of footsteps brought her back from her reverie with a jerk and she nearly cracked her head on the table to get a better look at the new occupant. She grimaced, taking in the large rhino and his sharp horn that stood proud on his snout as he surveyed the room. At his side, attached to his left hip, was a set of swords that dangled and clinked together as he moved. In his right hand was a torch that he used to search the room and Jazlyn ducked back under the table and held her breath. She couldn't believe her luck. Hiding under tables wasn't a big problem since it provided some cover, but the drawback was almost every suspicious enemy, or guard, checked under the tables for possible intruders.
There was no way she'd be able to take on a fully-grown male rhino, even if she was at full strength, and the only way to avoid a confrontation would be to stay hidden or find better cover while he did his search. She wondered if he was here because of Murray's success in destroying the 'copter. Either way, she'd have to be careful.
Then, she realized that the table she was hiding under had the access code she'd been looking for just as the guard started to pass her. She nearly yelled in triumph as she carefully shifted around until she procured a notepad and pen to write it down. Jazlyn didn't sigh in relief as the rhino continued to the other end without checking under any of the tables, and she waited until he was nearly out of the room again to leave her hiding spot.
"Bentley," she said, jogging over to the laser-blocked doorway and punching in the code to deactivate it. "I've got the code and I'm in the security base for the boardroom."
"Good, Sly should be heading over there to provide some backup and Murray just finished off the 'copter. Point your binocucom to the system and I'll send the program."
Jazlyn did what he asked and hoped that it worked as she pointed it in the direction of the computer. She blinked as it whirred to life and the screen turned green with a symbol that looked vaguely like Bentley's profile. "I think it's working."
"I knew it would work," he said, sounding almost smug about it. "I'm going to meet Murray at the drawbridge and we'll head in your direction as soon as we can."
"Roger," she replied, pocketing the binocucom and turning her attention to the safe that was clearly bolted down to the floor. Her fingers drummed at her side as she debated with herself—to pick or not to pick the lock? That was the question. In the end, curiosity got the best of her and she pulled out her lockpicking kit.
Before she could start, the fur on the back of her neck stood to attention, and Jazlyn whirled around, claws fully extended, and nearly clawed Sly's face off. Luckily for him, his reflexes were well on par as he caught her wrist with ease and smirked. He wasn't at all fazed by the fact that she could've torn his face to shreds or at her hostile response. Granted, he shouldn't be sneaking up on her when she was in the middle of enemy territory anyway!
She sheathed her claws and frowned, both exasperated and angry at him for startling her. However, before she could say a word, Sly's lips crashed against hers with such force and passion that she completely forgot that she was mad at him. His fingers curled around the end of her braid and tugged at it while his other hand cupped her face. She refused to be putty in his paws though and met his tongue bravely as it entered her mouth. She tugged the appendage closer to her moist cavern, warring for dominance while her hands pulled and kneaded at his shirt because damn it, she wanted to feel the lean muscles hidden beneath it.
His chuckle rumbled in her mouth as she fumbled to pull the damn fabric out from his pants but to no avail. Frustrated, Jazlyn pulled away and nearly ripped the shirt in half only for the raccoon himself to divert her attention away once again. Despite her indignation at him for starting that passionate kiss in the first place and then ending it, she was very pleased with herself when his voice came out a little huskier and breathy. "Can't keep your hands to yourself, huh, Spots?"
Jazlyn was only confused for a second at his drastic change in topic but realized with a rather sheepish smile that he was talking about the safe behind her. She turned her back slightly to him and picked up her lockpicks she'd dropped in favor of protecting herself from a possible assailant. "Don't you want to know what's inside there? 'Cuz I sure do."
Sly eyed the safe with the same amount of curiosity as her but shook his head. "Job first then we can loot the safe."
"I'm surprised you'd focus on the job first instead of cracking the safe open." She didn't bother to hide the incredulity in her voice or her amusement.
"Ha-ha," he rolled his eyes. "I don't know about you, Spots, but we have to change sceneries."
Jazlyn raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless shrugged as she placed her lockpicks back in their pouch attached to her thigh. She glanced up at the open ceiling—the rafters a perfect stepping stone for the two thieves to climb up and reach the boardroom where the security computers were in. Without another word, she hopped on top of the safe and leapt to the nearest rafter where she pulled herself up with a grunt. Jazlyn frowned, she was going to have to build up strength again in her arms if it was hard to climb up without some assistance from her legs.
"Everything alright?" Sly called from below and she nearly turned around to snap at him for practically yelling when there were guards just outside the break room. Instead, she gave him a thumbs-up and hopped her way across until she reached the ledge of the security area.
As she climbed over the stone guard rail, the door to the far right slammed open, making her wince, and both Murray and Bentley entered. Shaking her head in fond exasperation, Jazlyn tried to stop from laughing as Murray started to get pumped at the nearing fight—after all, Bentley said, once he started hacking the mainframe, guards would start showing up. Sly had just made it to the platform when Bentley began hacking the password encrypted computers.
Her body tensed, this was going to be the difficult part. Murray, Sly, and Jazlyn were in charge of protecting the green turtle while he hacked both computers. They couldn't allow one single enemy through their line of defense, and the snow leopardess already knew the fight was going to be tough since she hadn't reached her full stamina yet.
She took a deep breath.
Bentley's fingers began flying over the keyboards behind them as they formed a semi-circle around him.
Her ears twitched—running footsteps hurrying toward them. "At least five guards are coming."
"Only five," Murray snorted, "That's no problem for The Murray."
"I doubt it'll just be them, big guy," Sly said, chuckling as he flipped his cane in his hand in anticipation.
Jazlyn sighed despite the smile twitching at her lips as she pulled both fu tao swordsfrom their sheaths. She slid into her ready stance, legs shoulder-width apart and bent slightly and one arm held above her head while the other was thrusted out in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as the entrance to the security room slammed opened from the kick of a goat who was wielding a pair of daggers. Behind him, three monkeys carrying various weapons and another goat with black fur rushed after their leader.
Murray, unable to stay still, rushed forward to meet them while Sly and Jazlyn moved to cover the empty space in their defense. Her ears twitched to the left and without hesitation, her body twirled to dodge the wooden staff that had been aimed at her head and slammed her swords down on the monkey's skull. Yelping, he fell back, completely disoriented from the hit, but before Jazlyn could knock him out, another guard quickly took his place.
Armed with a pole that was lit with fire and holding a jug of some kind of liquid, Jazlyn didn't realize the immediate danger until searing heat aimed at her face made her eyes water. She jumped to the side, felt the fire singe the fur on her left side, and snarled as she rushed him. If he had to take a swig of the accelerant in order to breath fire, then his weakness was close range combat. Her eyes glowed in the torch's flickering light as she lowered her body to dodge his swipe of the burning staff, and when his side was open, Jazlyn planted her right foot and jabbed the hilt guard into his stomach. His air left him in a whoosh and she smirked as she swiped his legs out from under him, knocking him out with a hard hit near his temple.
Around her, the sounds of fighting continued. Grunts and yelps from Murray literally pummeling his opponents like a heavy-weight boxer; and the echoing thumps and cracks of a golden-tipped cane smashing into skulls, soft spots, and the occasional clashing of metal against metal. Jazlyn didn't have time to check on her companions as a goat with twin daggers tried to slash her face open—like she was ever going to experience that kind of pain again. She already got the T-shirt for that one.
She met his daggers with her fu tao, the hook at the tip of the sword catching them and holding them into place, much to the stocky brown goat's chagrin. Jazlyn used her free sword to hook the goat's leg and jerked hard until he had no choice but to fall toward her. His grip on his daggers loosened as he desperately tried to regain his balance, and she used this opportunity to return the favor of his near face slash by swiping the sharp edge of the crescent hilt guard down on the male's cheek. Howling, he grabbed at his face to stop the bleeding, but Jazlyn was already moving again as she wedged her foot in-between them and shoved him away and into a group of guards heading her way.
At the comical domino effect, the snow leopardess laughed. Behind her and clearly not as amused as she was by the spectacle, Bentley said, "Try to keep your mind focused on the task at hand, Jaz—Ghost."
She spared a glance over her shoulder, shrugging at the turtle who was still concentrating on the computer screen in front of him. "You worry about hacking the terminals and let me deal with the goon squad."
He didn't say anything at that, but she heard him mumble, "Just three more levels and we're clear."
Jazlyn shrugged again and rejoined the fray. Instinctively, her left arm came up to block a blow to the head and without pausing in her forward momentum, she slashed the lanky monkey against the side hard enough that she heard a few ribs give. Her opponent wheezed as his grip on the staff loosened and he stumbled backwards, clutching his side as he tried to catch his breath. She didn't have a single ounce of pity to give as she kicked him in the head to knock him out and moved on to the next enemy.
She'd found her rhythm despite her quivering arms from blocking powerful blows and holding her fu taos for so long. Her endurance wasn't the same after spending so long on bedrest and she was definitely going to be sore tomorrow. Despite the swarm of Rajan's henchmen, Jazlyn was having the time of her life—her blood pumped erratically throughout her entire body as she whirled, deflected, and struck like a coiled snake. Her limbs moved smoothly from one kata to the next—ever moving, never pausing. She was dancing to the beat of her heartbeat, her eyes glimmering with glee and mischief as she weaved between two goats aiming for her jugular at the same time. They crashed into each other, their limbs tangling and the daggers clinking to the ground and spinning out of their collective reach.
Dimly, she could hear Bentley telling them that he was in the last terminal as she laughed at Murray picking a chimpanzee by the collar and using him as a bowling ball to knock down the reinforcements who were entering the room. His triumphant grin was contagious as Sly slapped high-fives and turned to look over his shoulder to give her a wink. Jazlyn didn't bother to hide her teeth as she flashed them in a pearly white smile.
"I'm unstoppable! I've got complete access to the winch!" By the time the green turtle had finished hacking into the final system, Jazlyn gave the last evil henchman a concussion from a jab in the back of the head. He was aiming for Bentley's exposed back and just as the chimp raised an arm to give a vertical swipe from his staff, Jazlyn's crescent guard was already connecting with his skull.
Startled by the heavy weight of the chimp, Bentley yelped away from the unconscious body and gawked at her standing over him with a teasing smile. "Unstoppable, huh?"
He shook his head, his eyes unwavering from the chimp's comatose form. Stuttering, the turtle said, "T-t-thank you."
Jazlyn placed her beloved fu tao swords back in their sheaths and wiped her hands clean of invisible dust. "No problem. D'you get what we need?"
He nodded as Sly and Murray came to a stop on either side of her. Murray seemed quite pleased with himself as he beamed at the amount of bodies lying around in piles from their handiwork. Jazlyn shared a mirthful glance with the raccoon, who made it a point to brush his arm against hers.
"Right, now that we have access to the winch," Bentley began, clearing his throat. "Murray, we should get out of here while the coast is clear and set up the remote access to the winch at the safehouse."
The hippo grinned, "You got it, pal! Let's get going!"
Both Bentley and Murray turned to head out the door while Jazlyn and Sly stayed behind. She met his heated stare and winked. Before he could make a grab for her, she leapt out of the way with a taunting laugh and jogged toward the hippo and turtle. Like Hell was he not going to pay for riling her up earlier only to stop at the last second. She could hear his pout as he followed lazily behind them, but Jazlyn glanced over her shoulder to smirk as she purposefully sashayed her hips a little more.
~o~
"You need what?" Jazlyn gawked at the green turtle who stood unyieldingly at her incredulous stare as he explained their next move. She tried to keep herself from rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things as the picture of Rajan's prized elephants covered the projector screen. They were the biggest elephants Jazlyn had ever seen in her life—how could anything be that huge?
Unfazed, Bentley simply repeated his statement as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "We need to make a sawblade durable and sharp enough to cut the Clockwerk wings from the statue. The jewels in Rajan's prized elephants' headdresses will be perfect."
She turned to Murray in the hopes for a voice of reason, but the hippo was already excited by the prospects of taking on an elephant than what Bentley suggested as ludicrous and crazy. Still hoping there was at least someone else besides her who saw this, Jazlyn turned to Sly who held his chin in the palm of his paw. He met her gaze with cool indifference and smirked cockily at her. Her blood boiled as the raccoon said, "So, if we need these jewels to make the saw, how do we get them off the headdress?"
Cool as a cucumber who went along with whatever Bentley said when it came to plans because the turtle was a genius at strategy. Jazlyn threw her hands up in the air and stood from her chair to grab the security plans. If they were going to go along with this reckless idea, then she was going to at least keep them from dying because of it.
She rubbed her right temple while her other hand shifted through papers, searching for the one that discussed housing and protection of the Bengal tiger's elephants. Bentley waited without complaint while she grabbed the security protocols and allowed her to explain instead. Pinching the bridge of her snout, Jazlyn looked at the three crazy masterminds of dozens of heists that had plenty of theatrics involved and knew she shouldn't have bothered to question Bentley's plan.
"Alright," the snow leopardess began with a defeated sigh, "The elephants are housed in a special stall that is near the drawbridge entrance. They are able to roam freely within the stall so getting them out should be simple enough—if you don't mind crawling underneath the wooden floorboards." Sly raised an eyebrow, beckoning for her to continue with a hand. She pulled out another sheet of paper that had the schematics for the elephants' luxury barn for all three mammals to see. "There's a crawlspace between the floorboards and the actual ground. I don't understand the reasoning behind that idea, so don't bother asking. Sly should be able to crawl under there and cause enough ruckus that it'll spook the elephants into breaking down the door."
"Are there any guards outside?" Bentley asked, crossing his arms.
Jazlyn shook her head. "They'll be patrolling around the area, but they're not stationed outside."
Sly smirked, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed at the ankles. "Piece of cake."
She snorted, "Yeah, until said elephants decide to smash you into smithereens if you annoy them enough, Cooper. These elephants are aggressive and easily provoked. If you're going to be aiming at the crown jewels on their heads, you'll need to be mindful of their trunks."
"Don't worry, Spots." He pulled at her arm until she stumbled into his lap, much to her astonishment and mortification. Neither one had mentioned to Murray or Bentley that their friendship blossomed into something more, and she didn't like being placed on the spot like this. Especially since she didn't know how either one would react to such an announcement.
Bentley's eyebrows rose to the brim of his safari hat and Murray only laughed at the look on her face, completely carefree and oblivious. She was sitting ramrod straight in Sly's lap, and the raccoon couldn't have cared less by the display of affection as he wrapped both arms around her waist to pull her further into his chest. Heart sputtering to life and heat flushing her cheeks, Jazlyn cleared her throat and tried to redirect the turtle's attention elsewhere.
"S-so, um, you were saying about the next set of plans, Bentley? After we get the materials for the sawblade, you'll take the RC chopper and take out the SUV?"
Slowly, Bentley nodded, still eying Sly and Jazlyn as he returned his focus to the projector. "After Sly completes his job, I'll head out to get rid of the SUV with my trusty RC chopper. If what you've learned about the ground security holds up, the SUV will have to divide its attention to both ground and air activity. This will distract it enough for me to take it out without much trouble. What worries me is Rajan's men finding my location while I'm dealing with the SUV."
Sly hummed thoughtfully, resting his chin on her shoulder and sending shivers down her spine. "You'll need to get to high ground to prevent the foot patrol from finding you. There was a large light tower near the guest villa that should do."
Jazlyn elbowed the raccoon in the ribs, which made him move his head away from her shoulder long enough for her to think coherently, but it gave him the excuse to massage her left hip instead. She huffed and ignored her cheeks as they began to ache from all the blushing. "The security house won't be able to have access with the kind of tech to zoom in on your position completely, Bentley. Your main concern should be on taking down that SUV tank and getting back safely." She tilted her head, a sudden thought coming to the forefront. "Actually, Sly should gather those jewels tonight while there's still chaos. Most of the patrolmen will be at the main security HQ trying to figure out where we are instead doing patrol. If the elephants were to break out of their pens, it'll add to the chaos—"
"—And give us the upper hand in the final heist," Bentley finished. "Good thinking, Jazlyn. Sly, you should head out now before the sun rises in the next four hours."
Jazlyn tried not to show how happy she was to be out of his lap as he released his hold. She maneuvered easily to lean against the table without appearing too flustered and prided in herself for not gaping like an idiot when Sly pecked her on the cheek before exiting the safehouse. Her entire neck, face, and ears felt like they'd been lit on fire as Bentley watched the interaction with a calculated stare. Murray wasn't dubious anymore as he looked between the snow leopardess and the retreating form of his raccoon buddy.
She wanted to disappear into the floor and never come out again.
But before she did that, Jazlyn was going to slaughter that devious raccoon when he got back.
Murray spoke first, his voice soft. "Are you and Sly…?"
"We just kissed last night," she whispered, slumping against the table and feeling like she was about to be interrogated—again. Great.
"Oh," the hippo said, and she couldn't see his face without turning around, but she could hear his confusion. "So, do you like Sly?"
Bentley remained silent throughout their conversation, willing to let his much bigger friend take the lead while Jazlyn sweated it out. She did like Sly but revealing something private and personal like that was difficult. Hell, the Cooper gang didn't even know the full extent of her past other than small tidbits here and there. And she really did like all of them—they'd become a family of sorts in the weeks she'd spent with them, but she didn't want to get hurt again or hurt them by doing anything that might harm their friend.
She rubbed her head. There she goes again—off in circles once more. After several minutes, Jazlyn shifted until she could make eye contact with both males. "Yeah…I like him."
"Does he know?" Bentley spoke up then. His eyes laser-like as they studied her face.
"Maybe? I don't really know, but last night…after that whole interaction with Neyla—it just kinda happened?"
"You don't plan to hurt him, do you?" He asked bluntly, adjusting his square-rimmed glasses.
Jazlyn laughed humorlessly, her green eyes showing the hidden pain from past "relationships" briefly for the turtle to see. "I'm more afraid of myself getting hurt than the other way around. If it'll make you feel better: No, I don't ever wanna hurt him anymore than the two of you." Her lips quirked up into a half-smile. "You've kinda grown on me."
Murray suddenly pulled her into a bone-crushing hug and all the air left her body in a single forced exhale. "Aw, don't worry, Jaz! Sly wouldn't do anythin' to hurt ya!"
Ever the optimistic no matter what the situation, she thought with a smile. Just like a child.
"Thanks, Murray," Jazlyn choked out with what little air she had left.
Bentley chuckled and headed for the table for his laptop and headset to talk with Sly. "Murray. Air."
Without further ado, the giant pink hippo released Jazlyn and her lungs could finally inflate again. Her legs collapsed under her, but before she could hit the floor, Murray grabbed her by the shoulders to place her in a chair gently. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, apologizing for nearly crushing her to death. "I forget to hold back my strength. I didn't bother any of your injuries, did I?"
She patted his arm. "No, no. If anything, you popped a few vertebrae that needed it—my back's been rather tense lately. Thanks, Murray."
He grinned back. Jazlyn and the pink hippo tried to see over Bentley's shoulders to watch what was going on the screen while Sly did his job. The turtle rolled his eyes at them as he directed Sly to the crawlspace hidden under a porch.
"That should be it, Sly. What do you see? Anything that might draw out the—" Before Bentley could finish his sentence, there were a series of loud stomping and trumpeting through the speakers. Startled, Jazlyn latched onto the table and prayed that the floorboards didn't collapse under a pair of stampeding elephants.
"Well," Sly's bemused voice greeted them from Bentley's laptop speakers. "That's one way to draw out elephants."
"Are you alright, Sly?" Bentley asked for the three of them since neither Jazlyn nor Murray had a mic for the raccoon to hear their response.
"Yeah, just scared a bunch of mice into crawling through the cracks of the crawlspace. They did most of the work." Jazlyn rolled her eyes at his chuckle.
"Okay, good work. Now, the jewels have been welded down to the headdresses. You'll need to dislodge them by hitting them repeatedly," Bentley explained as he pulled up information on the headdresses.
Jazlyn grabbed the headset despite the turtle's loud protests and reminded the ringtail, "Try not to get swatted off like a fly, Sly. I doubt any of us want to deal with another set of bruised and possible cracked ribs right now."
"Roger that, Spots." Before she could make another comment, he ended the transmission. She huffed and handed the headset back to Bentley who grumbled under his breath incoherently. Now, they just had to wait, and Jazlyn prayed the raccoon just came back in one piece.
So, she could slaughter him for throwing her under the bus like that.
