Title: The Thief
A/N:
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Chapter Two:
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When they enter the room where the auction would be held, the officials have already started the biddings. Bids are being called out over a small crowd of people in formal attire as bid paddles are being waved in the air.
"Looks like we're just on time." Gwen whispers softly to Morgana.
A security guard stops them, asking for their names as he holds up a clipboard with a list of names on it.
"Odette Marguerite Sinclair." Gwen says in a fluent French accent.
Morgana bites the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh at the name Gwen chose for Lancelot (their tech guy) to put on the list.
The security guard checks his list, nods a moment later, making a slight bow towards Gwen before pulling the red rope out of her way and gesturing for her to continue.
He turns back, looking at Morgana with a blank expression. "And your name, Madame?"
"Katerina Alessandra O'Connor".
The security takes a few moments, scanning his list before nodding. "Welcome, Miss O'Connor." He pulls the rope away, bowing as Morgana walks past him to join Gwen on the other side.
"Looks like a snooze fest." Morgana whispers to Gwen, who nods immediately.
"It's all old people."
Biting the groan that she wants so desperately to let out, Morgana pulls her friend towards the crowd. "Lets get to work."
A painting is placed at the front of the room, and one of the only young men in the room goes to the podium and smiles at the crowd. "The next item up for auction, is a rare 16th century, Antwerp painting, by Sir Peter Paul Rubens of Siegen. This masterpiece is called, "The Massacre Of The Innocents"... it is the subject of two paintings by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, this one being the first, depicting the episode of the biblical massacre of the innocents of Bethlehem as related in the gospel of Matthew. This particular painting was believed to be lost when it was mistakenly catalogued as a Franciscus de Neve II, in 1767 and wasn't discovered until George Gordon of Sotheby's noticed the similarities between this one and another painting also made by Sir Ruben..." The history of the painting continues for a while, but the 2 girls have already stopped listening.
Morgana rolls her eyes and glances at Gwen, "We could've gone on with our lives without knowing all of that."
"Looks like we're not the only ones who find this absolutely boring." Gwen replies, nodding her head a little at the far left corner of the back row in the crowd.
Morgana turns, seeing a young blonde man, looking at his phone instead of at the front where the auction is taking place. "He looks like he needs some company, and I," she pauses, smiling at her friend. "Could use a drink." With a wink, Morgana turns, heading towards the open bar on the other side of the room and leaving Gwen to figure out that she's just been left there to approach the blonde man.
Gwen huffs softly and turns to look at the blonde man. From where she's standing, she can see he's extremely handsome, which she's thankful for. Handsome rich men usually smell good. With a deep breath, she walks towards the man, and takes a seat beside him. She bites back the urge to smile when he immediately turns to look at her, and if she's not mistaken, checks her out.
...
Morgana orders a Dirty Martini and waits patiently for her order. Twirling around in her stool, she watches the auction bids continue for "The Massacre Of The Innocents" painting with interest. According to Morgause, this was the painting that their target would be bidding for. So far, she sees only rich old men bidding for it, and she makes a mental note of all of them.
"I have £46.5 million. Is there another bid?" The announcer asks, there's a long silent pause as Morgana's eyes narrow at the old man who'd just made the last bid. "Going once, going twice..."
Morgana takes her purse and slips it over her shoulder. That must be him if no one else is going to-
"Forty-Nine million." A voice stops her. The unmistakable Irish accent, and the low, calm baritones of a powerful man. The way the words 'Forty-nine million' rolled off his tongue, raised the flag that Morgana was looking for... except, she doesn't know which one had uttered those words.
The announcer squints over the crowd, apparently having the same dilemma Morgana is having. "Who was that?"
"Merlin Emrys of North Ireland..." a tall, thin man stands up in the middle of the crowd and looks directly at the announcer. "and I bid forty-nine million on that painting." Murmurs and whispers echo throughout the room after that as Morgana's eyes narrow towards her target. Interesting.
A look of recognition crosses over the announcers features upon seeing the bidder, and he swallows hard, looking around. "Do I hear a counter bid?" The announcer calls, waiting but a second before continuing. "Going once, going twice, sold!" He slams the little hammer in his hand on to the podium as declaration of the official closing bid on the painting.
Morgana quirks an eyebrow at the announcers obvious discomfort. It seems, if she's not mistaken, that Merlin Emrys is very well known around here. She studies him for a moment, thoroughly surprised.
He was definitely not what she expected. He was a lot younger than she expected as well. On top of that, he's actually good looking unlike her previous targets. And the accent is a double bonus. Smiling to herself, she shrugs on her purse again, downs the rest of her drink, and walks towards the crowd, swaying her hips daintily.
She thinks she's going to have fun with this guy. After all, young men tend to be a lot less observant and more immature than older men.
She sees Gwen make a beeline for her, giving her the look. Morgana nods back in affirmation that she's heard the name of their target and they both move closer to him.
"You ready?" Gwen whispers.
Morgana looks at their target and nods. He's currently occupied, whispering to a guard who nods and rushes away towards a backroom. Merlin himself, turns and goes straight to the bar.
"Was the blonde guy any useful?" Morgana asks curiously, trying not to look suspicious while whispering to her friend.
Gwen snorts, "I can't really say. It's not like I came out straight and asked him for any info he might be able to offer on Mr. Emrys." Gwen rolls her eyes and then glances back at the blonde man. "But I do believe he just asked me out on a date on Friday night, so yes. He's been most helpful."
Morgana laughs softly, shaking her head. "Of course he did... okay, I'm going in."
"Be careful." Gwen whispers before turning away to look for someone to make small talk with.
Morgana turns towards the bar again, smiling when she sees that her target is currently sitting in the chair beside the one she had recently left. Formulating a conversation in her head, she raises a hand, pulling out the single clip that was keeping her hair up. Shaking out her curls, she stores the small clip away in her purse as she approaches the bar and slides into the seat beside her target.
The bartender approaches the counter holding a glass of what Morgana assumes is Scotch and places it in front of the man beside her. Then the bartender looks over at her, asking "Another dirty martini, madame?"
"Oui." Morgana smiles innocently.
From her peripherals, she can see her target taking a sip of his drink as he stares at his phone, not paying a single mind to her. It both surprises and annoys her. She thought for sure he would notice her the moment she sat down beside him, but it seems, he has something more important to look at on his phone.
She turns her head in his direction a little, hoping he'd notice her movement. He doesn't. Instead, he puts hit phone up to his ear and turns away from her. This further irritates her and she resists the urge to slap him in the back of the head. She listens carefully to him as he begins speaking.
"I got the painting."- "Yes."- "I'll be there in about an hour or so."- "Okay, be ready to move when we land."- "Good." Morgana looks at her fingernails as he turns back, and he thankfully puts his cellphone away in his jacket.
The bartender comes back with her drink, placing it in front of her before turning away and heading back to wiping down his counter. Taking a sip of her drink, she leans forward, mindful of her breasts on the verge of popping out of her dress. Again, her target doesn't notice and continues sipping his drink in silence as he stares ahead.
Seriously, what the bloody hell is wrong with this guy? It quickly becomes clear to her that he's not going to make the first move, so she does, not keen on wasting more time just sitting there. "Quite the bid you made back there." She begins, her voice calm, and her tone casual.
He finally turns his head, looking at her for a long moment. "It's a very valuable painting."
"So I've heard." She smiles, looking at him. She realizes that this would be the first time she's actually really looked at him, and she's pleasantly surprised to find boyish features on a man's face, striking blue eyes, pointed nose, full lips, strong jawline, and cheekbones that could cut through a block of butter. He was absolutely beautiful. "Still," she continues after snapping out of her thoughts. "You bid a two and a half million difference."
He nods, taking another sip of his drink. "Uther Pendragon." He utters a moment later.
"Pardon?"
"Uther Pendragon. He's the one who bought the painting. And his price, was £49 million. No more, no less. I'm just making the bid since he's not here."
Morgana tries not to look so surprised at the fact that these people really do have more money than they need. This Uther guy basically threw away two and a half million dollars! "I see." She really doesn't see a bloody thing, but she has to act like she does. "And this Uther Pendragon is your boss or something?"
He shrugs, "Or something." He turns again in his chair and points across the room.
Morgana is forced to turn as well, looking where he's pointing.
"See the blonde man over there?"
Morgana instantly sees the blonde man Gwen was talking to earlier and nods.
"That's Uther's son, and my partner and best friend."
Morgana's eyebrows practically shoot up her forehead as she turns her head to look at the man beside her. "Your partner?" She emphasizes heavily on 'partner', which earns her an eye roll from the man beside her.
"Business partner, Miss.." he looks expectantly at her for her name.
She doesn't know why, but she feels utter relief flood her system at the assurance that this man isn't "partners" with another man. Not that she has anything against gay couples. It's just kind of hard to get invited into the home of someone who is attracted to the same sex. "M- Miss O'Connor." She grits her teeth in disbelief about the fact that she had almost given up her real name, and forces out a realistic smile.
He nods, smiling back as he holds out a hand. "Merlin Emrys." She offers her hand, which he takes, and she has to ignore the way her skin explodes with gooseflesh as he turns her hand and kisses the top of it. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss O'Connor". His blue eyes blink slowly, and Morgana resists the urge to squirm; its like he could see right through her.
He finally lets go of her hand and sits up straight. They both turn their seats back towards the bar and sit in an oddly comfortable silence.
"I don't think I've seen you here before." Merlin says, giving her a curious look.
Without missing a beat, she answers with a sweet, innocent smile. "That's because I've just moved here."
"Oh?" His interest is evident then, and Morgana smiles even wider.
"Two years in New York." She confirms, for once, not lying. She had actually spent 2 years there when Morgause decided for the both of them that they should move to the U.S when their team had almost been caught in one of their heists.
"If you don't mind me asking," Merlin says slowly. "What is someone like you doing in an auction for antiques?"
"Someone like me?"
"Young, and beautiful."
Morgana almost rejoices because is he finally flirting? "I could ask you the same thing." She flirts back.
He chuckles then, his radiant blue eyes sparkling with interest. "I've always had a love of antiques and such. Arthur is much the same, although, he does enjoy the interests of this generation as well."
"Arthur?" Morgana asks confusedly.
"That would be the blonde friend of mine I showed you."
"Right... Your partner." She smiles teasingly, to which he rolls his eyes again. They fall into yet another few moments of silence before Morgana decides to break it, feeling like she needed to justify her reason for being there.
"I've always had an eye for the arts."
"Really?" He sounds skeptical, which she doesn't blame him for. After all, she's kind of fibbing. Yes, she has an eye for the arts, but more for the 18th century and after, like Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Degas, and such. Anything before that, she's never actually looked in to.
"I took up a few art classes at Newcastle before moving to the U.S... my parents wanted a change of scenery and wanted me to go with them. I only agreed because my father insisted." The part about Newcastle was true, but the moving with her parents bit is a lie. Her parents died in a car crash when she was just 6 years old and Morgause was 14.
"You're an only child?"
Morgana looks at him, wondering if she should tell him. Ultimately, she decides to lie. It's not like she's going to be seeing him after she gets what she needs from him. "Yes."
"And where are your parents now?"
She shrugs, "Still in New York." Lying is second nature to her now, but she can't help the unease she feels at lying to Merlin. It's like she's lying to a friend and not a stranger. Maybe it's just that he's actually holding a conversation with her and not trying to grope her like her previous targets did.
"So what are you doing now?"
She shrugs again, wondering when he's going to ask her to go home with him. Usually, the target would've asked her right after she's told them her false name. But this one seems genuinely interested in her life and not her cleavage. "I'm looking for a place to setup an art studio."
"Really?"
"Yes." She nods. That wasn't totally a lie. She does want to open up an art studio, but obviously, her "job" won't allow her such luxury. She would probably have to move again after this heist, but like she's told Morgause, after this job, she's done with that life. All of it. She wants to settle down and start a new life. A new story. She smiles a little at the thought of finally being free of all this. "It's been my dream for a while now." She says out loud.
He nods, staring curiously at her. And just as he's about to say something, his phone begins blaring Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". (Oh the irony!) "Sorry, I have to take this." He gets up, pushing the call button on his phone and pressing the device to his ear as he walks away.
Morgana is left sitting there, stunned by the fact that this man actually just left a beautiful woman for a bloody phone call. Sighing heavily, she downs the rest of her drink, pulls her own phone from her purse and dialing Morgause's number.
"Fail." She says as soon as Morgause picks up.
There's a growl of frustration followed by a sigh, "How?"
"He just walked off."
"And you let him?!"
"What was I supposed to do? Force him to take me home with him?!" Morgana whispers furiously.
Morgause pauses, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "You've never failed before. What happened?"
"Nothing. He just wasn't like our other targets."
"How so?"
"I don't know... there's something different about him. He didn't even try to touch me, and he never once looked at my chest. His eyes were trained directly on my face. Like he knew what I was trying to do... almost as if he knew-" She nearly jumps out of her skin when she hears someone, him, speak from behind her.
"As if who knew what?"
Whirling around, Morgana plasters a smile on her face. "Errr, give me one second." She tells him, holding up a finger and speaking politely into her phone. "Mother, I'll have to call you back. Send my love to father." Ignoring Morgause's confused protests, she ends the call and puts her phone back inside her purse. "Sorry about that." She laughs humorlessly.
Merlin gives her a lopsided grin that makes her stomach flip. "S'no problem... I actually wanted to apologize for running off like that. Business was calling."
"Oh, that's fine. I understand."
He nods, slipping his hands into the pockets of his pants. "I actually came back for another reason as well."
Morgana's heart races in anticipation and she raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him. "Oh? And what might that be?" For the first time she sees him look shyly at her, his cheeks turning a cute pink.
"I was wondering if you'd be interested in having dinner with me in two weeks."
This was a first. Not the getting invited to have dinner with someone, but the 2 weeks wait. "Two weeks?"
He grins, nodding at her. "Ah, I have a few conferences with some business associates in Italy for two weeks, and I'm flying out there tonight."
Oh, well that changes things. His home would be unoccupied, except, she's sure he'll have security guards posted everywhere, watching his home. Also, that would mean his security system would be raised. She sees no way to get into his home without getting caught. She needs the password to his security system, his vault, probably a password to his bloody bathroom. Improvising quickly in her head, she slips out of her seat, her hand going to gently grasp at his Armani-clad arm as she gives him a perfected seductive look. He swallows hard and looks at her hand.
She resists the urge to grin triumphantly. So he's not entirely unaffected by her. "It's a shame." She says with practiced disappointment in her tone.
"A shame?" He asks curiously.
Morgana nods, her lips turning into a fake frown. She has him exactly where she needs him. "Two weeks is a long time... I might not even be here when you get back." She pouts a little, just enough to make it believable. "I received an offer for a studio in Edinburgh. I mean I love London, but if there's nothing here for me, I can't really stay. The offer from Edinburgh is pretty good."
Merlin's eyes flash with a hint of panic and Morgana almost smiles. She holds it for another long minute, knowing it's not time to celebrate just yet. "I'm sure there are much better places here. Plus I have some really great contacts. I could get it to you when I get back."
"Oh, but what am I supposed to do for two weeks then?"
Another flash is evident in Merlin's eyes, this one, a flash of realization and excitement. "You could come with me."
Bingo. Morgana feigns confusion and blinks at him. "Where?"
"To Italy... I mean, that is, if you want to." He shrugs, looking down at his shoes for a brief moment before glancing back up at her through his long, dark lashes.
She thinks he looks absolutely angelic in that moment, and her insides clench in regret about what she's doing. "What about your conferences?" She asks curiously.
He shrugs, "I'll still go. I'm only staying for two weeks because the conferences are spaced out over the span of 2 weeks. And they're about 2 to 3 hours long."
Morgana nods slowly, biting her lip and pretending to think. "Will I get to spend time with you?" She asks innocently, although her eyes and the tiny smile playing on her lips say otherwise.
Merlin's smile is wide and adorable as he nods. "Of course... I'll only have 3 conferences for 2 to 3 hours at a time... the rest of the time there, I'm all yours."
She doesn't know why, but the sound of that sends a shiver of excitement and delight through her. "Then I would love to come with you."
Honestly, she thinks this will be the first time she actually wants to go with a target somewhere. Or anywhere for that matter. Smiling widely, she takes his arm as he offers it to her. "We'll just pick Arthur up from where he's currently dying of boredom and we'll go."
Morgana's eyes widen in realization. She had totally forgotten about Gwen.
...
A/N: So whadaya think? Let me know? Thank you for reading and please leave a review!
-McDiggin'It