2. I'm breaking in
The thrill of it.
A/N I admit my knowledge of ships is alas limited to ferries and harbours (as it happens I've never been aboard a cargo ship), so if I made any glaring mistake do please point them out so I can correct them (or any other mistake for that part, of course). :)
Two loud knocks resounded through her apartment and Nori stirred from the half-slumber she had descended into after texting Ricky that morning. She had told him to call off the job, offering no explanation. She had been raw and her stomach had been horribly unsettled, so she had pressed her cheek on the armrest of the sofa in her living room and fallen asleep. Nori rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, yawning her way to the front door and leaning towards the peep-hole. Predictably enough, her long-term business associate was standing on her doorstep, light jacket thrown over a shoulder while he scratched the back of his mousy-haired head, throwing inconspicuous looks over his shoulder. It was an ingrained habit – to be on the lookout for the cops – when they were out on the open and Nori smirked, unlocking the door before she yanked it open. She stepped behind it while Ricky walked into her hallway.
He opened his mouth to greet her but a heartbeat later his eyes clocked on her cheek. And his jaw snapped closed. Ah, yes, the bruise - Nori suddenly recalled.
"What happened to you?" he demanded in a serious voice, closing the door behind himself. The shift in Ricky's posture and mood was almost palpable and Nori scowled.
"We're not taking that job." Nori told him in lieu of an answer, turning her back to him and walking towards the kitchen with the sound of Ricky's footsteps following her.
She turned the kettle on, glancing behind her shoulder to look at the balding man. The grim line of his chapped lips told her he had understood her meaning. Ricky may have been foolish in his behaviour more often than not, but he was not stupid. It was an assumption many had wrongly made and it had always come with a high price and the infinite satisfaction of both Ricky and herself.
"'Twas him, yes?" he asked, dragging her from her thought and she took notice of the anger that dripped from the evenness of his voice.
A voice that took a very dangerous edge when he said
"Did he..."
"No." she said tersely "Or you know there would be no one to inform we're not doing their job, now would there?"
The bottoms of the two mugs she had extracted from the cupboard clicked hollowly on the kitchen counter. She opened another cupboard, taking out the jar of coffee.
"But he tried." Ricky observed, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes, tried being the operative word here." she replied "And he now happens to have fewer teeth. Isn't it strange?"
Her mouth twisted in a lopsided grin that was no doubt as shark-like as the satisfaction that swarmed through her when she recalled the exact moment her foot had connected with his mouth. Last night there had been too much adrenaline coursing through her to make any sense of it - her mind had been reduced to lizard-brain assessment and sense of survival. But now, in the small half-sunlit kitchen with the freshly formed scabs on her forearms tugging at her skin whenever she flexed her elbow, Nori could perfectly recall the cry that had escaped the man's lips when her heartfelt kick had landed - just like she could hear the wet snap of breaking teeth - and a dark satisfaction coursed viciously through her.
Ricky fished a cigarette from her pack which was lying atop the kitchen table and sat himself down, leaning his elbows on the chair's back while he lit the fag. His stubble-covered cheeks hollowed as he inhaled the first smoke and she turned her back to him, taking care of the coffee. He didn't say anything, but Nori didn't need him too – his face spoke volumes.
He was pissed off beyond measure. His hands twitched and Nori knew he would have been more than happy to beat that man to a bloody pulp just for the thought, let alone having actually tried to have his way with her without her consent.
And watching the coffee drip off the filter Nori felt something uncoil inside her. It wasn't surprise. No, there was nothing unexpected about Ricky's reaction – and it was beside the point that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself like Nori had always been – but the notion that someone cared enough to have murder in their eyes still evoked an array of emotions under her breastbone which Nori had always associated uniquely with Dori and Ori. Ricky cared too, though – she knew that, they had been up to mischief together for over a decade, but she tended to forget it sometimes.
She felt the corner of her lips tug upwards in the ghost of a smile as she poured the coffee in the mugs and put one in front of Ricky. This strange man of dubious morality and even lesser taste in, well, everything, was truly the closest thing she had to a friend, and it made her happy to know she was not completely alone. Her smile lingered on her lips as she leaned the edge of the mug to her lips and took a sip of her coffee, only to abruptly disappear in grimace as she nearly spat the coffee back in the mug with a grimace It was awful.
"What are you doin', Maggie?" Ricky asked confused when she emptied the contents of her mug in the sink.
"Tastes awful." she explained, still feeling the sour after-taste of it in her mouth.
"Seems fine to me." Ricky retorted, taking another gulp "Nothin' wrong with it."
"Sorry if I trust my own mouth better." she replied, filling a glass with water and washing away the taste "I've seen you drink stuff that should have melted your stomach inside out."
"'Tis true." he said, baring his crooked teeth in a large smile, before adding "But I still like your coffee. Shouldn't have thrown it away."
Nori looked at him, shaking her head with a sigh. A strange man, indeed.
A fortnight later Nori and Ricky were sitting in the basement of Jimmy's terrace house, perched on the old threadbare couch which had no doubt belonged to the infamous grandmother Jimmy had inherited the house from. Nori had been still a teenage girl making her way in their milieu when her namesake had died but she remembered the stories that had been circulating back in the day about the old Mrs. Corr who had been rumoured to have aided the IRA during the Troubles, hiding weapons and people in the very basement Nori was currently sitting. Maggie Corr was a bit of a legend amongst many people she knew and Jimmy had exploited the connection like only he was capable of doing, securing jobs with people who would have never worked with Ricky and her otherwise.
The man in question was standing with his pudgy hands on the backrest of a chair, looking at them intently and Nori leaned forward, hearing the springs under her buttocks creak under her she as flicked the ash from her cigarette on the ashtray.
"You know I don't like it." she told him leaning back on the hard backrest where the sponge lining it had crumbled from the years of usage "I don't work where I live."
Her tone left no room for argument and the short man heaved a sigh, pushing his glasses up the ridge of his sweaty nose before he spoke in his customary soft voice.
"Maggie, this is a big hit." Jimmy said with a tinge of exasperation "The Russian needs people of your skill for this job. And Ricky's. Not to mention he'll pay handsomely."
"Look, I don't care what the Russian needs." she drawled taking a drag of smoke just as Ricky asked
"How handsomely?"
Nori shot him an incredulous look – he had always agreed on her policy, saying it made sense and admiring her for having nothing worse than an ASBO after a successful decade of working in their branch, what in bloody Mahal 's name... Ah. Of course, she thought, noticing the way he kept fidgeting his hands. He was gambling again. She should have seen it sooner, though - she mused. He had been drinking fewer pints of beer and generally spending less than she was used seeing him spend during the past week. So he either lost most of his money or -worse – he owed someone. Splendid.
She shook her head in disapproval – Ricky had many virtues, but dealing with money had never been one. And pursed her lips when Jimmy, who had sensed an opening, began speaking in earnest. He gave them a detailed account of the job they were being hired to do – the job they would refuse to do if Nori had any say in it. It was a challenging bit of burglary – stealing a yet nondescript something from a still nameless ship harboured in Belfast's Port from a crime syndicate that apparently dealt in smuggling and had therefore the ship rather heavily guarded – and Nori would have been lying to herself if she didn't admit it perked her interest.
She loved the thrill of it, the rush of adrenaline that would come when she walked the thin line between safety and danger, the swell of satisfaction when she completed a job, besting all security. But at the same time Nori didn't want to burgle in Belfast. Especially when the stakes would be so high. Jimmy's contact – the Russian as he called him – was likely mob, if Nori knew anything about the criminal milieu, and the smugglers they would be stealing from were certainly mob. The least disastrous way in which this job could go wrong would be getting arrested.
No, she didn't like it. She snuffed out the cigarette, scowling as Jimmy finished his exposition and Ricky looked at her expectantly.
"I still don't like it." she said, but she noticed to her chagrin the bite in her voice was gone.
Both her business associates seemed to notice too, because Ricky grinned and Jimmy sat down on the chair, crossing his legs with all the patience of the world. His expression was neutral but she knew he knew she would eventually yield. And her scowl deepened - Nori had grown predictable and that was not good. But at the same time it was difficult to pretend her limbs weren't humming in anticipation at the thought of having to get aboard a ship, dodge the watch – and most likely armed guards - disable security systems, steal a briefcase from an officer's cabin and make their way back to shore without being seen. It was delicious.
It was also too close to home and much, much too risky.
"I bloody hate you." she said without sentiment lighting another cigarette even though her mouth felt still parched from the last one and her stomach protested.
"No, you don't." Jimmy replied, with a smile that was as soft as it could be dangerous.
And Jimmy was a dangerous man, in spite of his appearance. He was excellent in meeting demand with offer and he had little scruples. But they had been working together for very long and she trusted him as implicitly as she trusted Ricky even though she knew they were hardly the only people Jimmy worked with.
"Fine." she said at last, casting him a filthy look "But I'm only doing it because Ricky here hasn't learned yet how to count cards."
"Wha.."Ricky spluttered and she grinned, winking.
The summer night was nippier than usual, the wind cold on the few inches of exposed skin her balaclava did not cover. Nori inhaled the salty air, crouching in the shadow of a cargo container while she waited for the watch to pass by. The metallic sound of the ship-to-shore cranes mingled with the thud of the booted feet on the deck. She held her breath, waiting for the sound to grow fainter and then she sprung to her feet, nodding to Ricky who had hidden nearby.
They had managed to get aboard the ship without much trouble, but they had quite a way to make from the prow to the stern - where the superstructure which held the bridge and the crew and officers' accommodations loomed white under the halogen lamps. And Ricky and Nori had so far encountered far more armed guards then they had been led to expect.
Nori moved silently, feeling rather than hearing Ricky follow her as she zigzagged through the cargo containers, following a path that aimed to avoid any encounters. It wasn't difficult per se, all she had to do was listen - the guards did not bother to be stealthy in their movements.
They had nearly reached the superstructure when they heard the sound of an approaching crew member and dodged behind a container just a moment before a man in a jumpsuit strolled down the passage, whistling under his breath. An engineer most likely, she reasoned, taking it his appearance while he passed them by, oblivious to their presence.
A moment later Ricky tapped her elbow and Nori nodded, getting her feet back into motion. They reached the tall metal structure and began ascending the stairs, trying to keep their footsteps as silent as humanly possible and sticking to the shadows. The climbed three flights of metal stairs before they reached the door they had been instructed to find. Ricky pressed his ear on the glossy paint of the door, making sure the coast was clear before he pushed it open. He strode quickly inside and Nori followed, walking towards the Chief mate's cabin. Ricky stood guard while she did quick work of the lock and with a dull click the door opened.
The room was small, and very neat. The bed was made, the desk was empty but for a closed laptop and half-empty bottle of water. There were no belongings laying around the room and Nori began her search in earnest, crouching down to look under the bed while she heard Ricky open the wardrobe. A moment later he was tapping her shoulder to get her attention and she lifted herself from the floor looking at the insides of the wardrobe.
There were clothes neatly folded and stacked in equally neat piles, socks rolled and placed in a heap, several towels and amongst it all, a safe. It was a standard model she had seen more than once, not the strongest but still with certain resistance against mechanical and electrical tools. She sighed, it would them several minutes to make a hole in the metal. Ricky took the backpack off, deftly extracting the necessary tools to drill a hole large enough for a borescope to fit. Nori kept her eyes fixed on the cabin door while her colleague worked his way through the steel surface.
Jimmy had mentioned the briefcase would be under a heavier security then they were used and she was glad Ricky had anticipated the possibility of a safe. It had been a while since they had had to crack one, but Ricky's hands worked with ease. She watched him pull the drill out and place it on the floor. A moment later he was inserting the borescope inside the circular hole in the metal of the safe and throwing her a look that said
"You'll do the honours?" without uttering a single word - it was too risky to speak, stealth was their greatest asset – and Nori nodded, crouching by his side and looking at the inside of the lock mechanism as Ricky began to try the combination.
It took them roughly fifteen minutes to open the safe and once they heard the click of the lock opening they both shot up to their feet, Ricky putting away their tools while Nori looked at the insides of the safe, clocking on a small leather briefcase that looked exactly like the one Jimmy had described. She was curious at its contents, but Jimmy had told them the Russian wanted discretion, and her curiosity wasn't worth the bullet in the forehead she might earn if the man caught wind of her hypothetical snooping, so she merely took the briefcase in one hand while she closed the safe and rearranged the contents of the wardrobe so at first glance the burglary wouldn't be obvious.
She closed the wardrobe door and followed Ricky out in the hallway.
Her boots hit the tarmac and she ran towards the base of the crane, hiding in the shadow of the structure, while she waited for Ricky to join her. A moment later he was sprinting toward her and she peeled her back off the sturdy steel moving forward. They had secured the briefcase to Ricky's backpack while they climbed down the cargo ship and now they only needed to get out of the Port without being seen. She felt her nostrils flare in determination, while her whole body thrummed in anticipation. It was her favourite part, the hardest leg of their job dealt with but not yet finished. There were countless things that could go wrong at this stage and the implicit danger sent a jolt of adrenaline through her which made her lips twist into a feral grin under the wool of her balaclava.
They made their way through the maze of containers piled one atop the other, running when they had no shades to cover them and tiptoeing when they heard sound nearby. Soon enough they were leaving the Port's premises and Nori took her balaclava off, shaking her head to free her long braid from the garment. Ricky followed suit, making his gait far less suspicious in spite of his attire being less than ordinary. They were both dressed in dark garments that hugged their bodies close enough not to get in the way but not so that they would hinder their movements.
They heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the road and Ricky unzipped his jacket, revealing a garish T-shirt that would hopefully be enough to fool whomever they were about to pass by while they made their way to Ricky's car. Nori hastily followed his lead, taking her jacket off and throwing it over her shoulder while she hooked her arm to Ricky's leaning into him with a wobbly enough gait that would make her seem sloshed. It was their usual disguise and in the past decade it had worked splendidly, so well in fact the police itself had overlooked their presence in the relative proximity of a crime scene more than once.
The footsteps grew closer and a moment later three figures stepped under the orange light of a street-lamp. Nori giggled into Ricky's shoulder and he murmured some nonsense, seemingly paying no attention to the men ahead. They were not moving and their stance made the hairs at the back of her neck rise, but she kept purposefully misstepping while they got nearer and nearer.
And then Ricky's stance shifted, just as her eyes took in the face of one of the three men. Shit.
Ricky took a half step ahead, effectively standing between Nori and the man who had attacked her a weeks before, and the two men who flanked him.
"Ken, fancy seeing you here." Ricky said a cheerful voice that had no cheer in it and was all but a snarl "A fine night to take a stroll."
"Piss off, mate. This has nothing to do with you." the large man slurred through his missing front teeth, fingers curled into fists and broad shoulders squared aggressively "This is between that bitch and I."
He pointed a meaty finger in Nori's direction and she gritted her teeth not to snarl something back. They were outnumbered, with three large men against Ricky and her. It wasn't worth the risk to provoke them. And besides, they had a job to conclude. Nori moved her left hand towards her pocket, feeling the cold surface of her switchblade under her fingers and she gripped it tight.
"Now, a bit of politeness won't kill you." Ricky retorted with an unspoken threat that Ken picked on.
"Are you threatening me, huh?" he spat, puffing his chest while his two men gave their best impression of brawny and dangerous.
"I'm just sayin' you don't get to speak about Maggie like that." Ricky said with a calm voice that belied his seething anger and Nori nearly elbowed him – had he taken leave of his senses?
While she appreciated his rightful anger, Nori had no need for knights in shining armour, thank you very much, and especially not foolish ones that were going to get them both knifed in five minutes give or take unless someone calmed the situation before it escalated.
"Ricky..." she said warningly, trying to convey the whole reasoning with two syllables.
"Yes, Ricky." the bearlike thug said stepping towards them menacingly, with his two men following suit "Listen to the filthy bitch here. And piss off, will ya?"
"I don't think so." Risky replied, then turning his head to her he hissed "Maggie, go!"
"I'm not going anywhere." she hissed back while the three men began closing on them.
"The deal." he said "Remember, you promised."
"It's not the same!" she protested, glaring at him while he squared his shoulders and cracked his neck left and right, readying himself for a brawl.
"It is. Go." he said, not looking at her and Nori bit back a colourful curse.
She bloody well hated him in that moment.
The three man were close and they were fanning out, to trap the two of them in their midst. Nori took a deep breath, channelling all her frustration in her muscles and readied herself. Ready. She hated him. Hated him. But she had promised. Ricky's fingers flexed, his knuckles white. Set. The man were almost upon them. Go. Ricky leapt with a growl, throwing a punch in the face of the nearest of the three. The man staggered and it was all Nori needed.
She took off in a sprint.
Chapter title taken from "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons.