Chapter Five: Deals with the Devil
"Last time you called me late at night you were naked and chained to your shower curtain rod. I hope this isn't going to be dissappointing." -Ranger, Janet Evanovich's 'High Five'
Ulrich took a deep, relaxing breath and looked around. How to get out of a locked bank? Yumi had obviously disabled the security system because cutting open the syklight would have triggered it otherwise. Still, better to prevent any more property damage, so breaking another window was out of the question unless he got real desperate.
To his left were the tellar's booths with a window behind them for a drive-through. There was also a doorway that led to the vault area. Behind him was the main entrance, a set of glass doors. To his right was a waiting area with a coffe table and tacky furniture. Directly in front of him was an entryway leading into several offices, the restrooms, and a drinking fountain.
Deciding he didn't want to look at the dead guy by the vault Ulrich headed for the office area. The first door was locked, but the second was open. Ulrich tsked inwardly at sloppy management, but was relieved to find an open door.
He entered the room and found what he'd been hoping for, long curtains. Ulrich took them down carefully so as not to rip them, and grabbed a marble paperweight off the desk.
The bounty hunter re-entered the main room and gazed up at the skylight. He tied the paperweight into a knot at the end of one curtain, and attached that curtain to the other. Feeling very Indiana Jones-ish, Ulirch spun his makeshift grappling hook and tossed it upward toward the hole in the glass. It soared through and landed with a thunk. Ulrich tugged on the curtin to test it. It stuck, so he tried hanging his weight off it. It stil held, so he made sure he bag was securely on his shoulder and climbed back up.
Ulrich emerged into the night sky, peering around. Yumi was long gone, but he hadn't really expected her to stick around and wait for him. Ulrich glanced over the egde of the building. A lone dumpster was all the alley had to offer. It was open, but at least it was something. Ulrich positioned himself over it and lowered his body down slowly. Once he was streched out completely he let himself drop into the dumpster.
It smelled. Bad. Like something had crawled in there and died. Ulrich scrambled out of it, holding his nose in protest and using the other hand to try to wave away the smell. He fled the scene quickly.
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Ulrich returned to his apartment. He had enough sense to re-lock the door and secure the chain after entering at least, but he was suddenly very tired. The day had caught up with him. Not bothering to change out of his clothes he slumped into bed and promptly fell asleep.
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Ulrich awoke to a sense that something was out of place. The clock read three in the morning, indicating that he hadn't been asleep very long. He got up and moved silently to the doorway of his bedroom. A light shone down the hall from the living room.
The bounty hunter instincts kicked in and Ulrich went into stealth mode, slinking down the hall in his socks ready to pounce on the intruder. He paused at the doorway and looked in.
Yumi Ishiyama sat poised on his couch. She was picking at her nails in a bored fashion. "Not used to all-nighters I take it?" This was said without her even glancing up at him. Ulrich was dumbfounded at her knowledge of his whereabouts. She was better than he had anticipated.
Ulrich stepped into the room. "Aren't you risking getting caught by coming to my apartment? And how do you know where I live anyway?"
"One, you can't catch me unless I want to be caught. Two, that's my secret. Three, what is that awful stench? It smells like something died in here!"
Ulrich looked down at his dumpster-stained clothes sheepishly. He grabbed at his shirt and sniffed it. Yup, it was definately him. "Perhaps I should change," he admitted. He wasn't comfortable with the feelings she was making him experience. The first one was the feeling of embarrassment, a feeling he had never been comfortable with. The other was an emotion he had come to grips with; his feelings for her. For a moment she looked at him smugly, as though enjoying watching him sqirm.
"Perhaps you should shower," she amended for him. "After that we can talk."
Ulrich was going to ask what about, but decided to shower instead.
----
Twenty minutes later he emerged wearing a white t-shirt and cargo pants. The idea of Yumi being in his apartment had still not fully sunk into Ulrich's brain, so he was almost surprised when she was still on his couch when he came back out. It was like a dream, or a nightmare depending upon how you looked at it.
"Much better," Yumi approved, looking up and down his body. Ulrich couldn't tell if it was a platonic gesture or a once-over.
"You still haven't said why you're here," he prompted, taking a seat in the chair across from the couch to put the coffee table between them.
"What, no 'nice to see you after ten years?'," she said in a voice verging on sarcastic.
"Well, since I just saw you not two hours ago, that would be inappropriate," Ulrich countered evenly.
This earned him a smile. "True. Let's get to the point then."
"Please do."
"We are both after that ruby, correct?" When Ulrich nodded Yumi continued. "Then would it not make more sense to work together to find it?"
"Are you admitting that you can't find it on your own?" She stiffened at the question and Ulrich felt a small surge of pride at having struck a nerve. "I mean, a great thief like you must surely be able to steal a jewel from another thief..."
"Taking it back isn't the problem," Yumi snapped. "I need to know who took it to get it back!"
"That's where I come in then," Ulrich concluded and Yumi nodded.
"I need your connection to track the jerk who took my ruby," she confirmed.
"Your ruby?"
"It will be mine," she informed him primly.
"It's probably just under there," Ulrich told her.
Yumi looked confused. "Under where?" Ulrich grinned impishly and Yumi thought over what he had said. She blushed and glared at him. "You haven't changed one bit," she snapped angerly, flushing in mortification of his trick.
Now it was Ulrich's turn to look smug. Checkmate. "We should get going then," he said, moving to grab a jacket.
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