The Heist (8 page)

“Your father betrayed me,” Lee said in an icy tone. “I don’t give a fuck what he’d think.”

Michelle sighed. “You are just what I thought you were. A thug in an expensive suit. There
is
no honor among thieves. No matter what you and the men you serve want us to believe.”

“If there are men that I serve, and I’m not saying there are, it’s not wise to thumb your nose at them after you’ve just lifted the rarest gems in the world.” Lee made a tent with his fingers. She could read the truth in his face:
it was a test
. Now they’d try to pull her back in. The invisible ones that Pops once referred to as
The Order
. Old panic surfaced, with the wild urge to fight or take flight. To run and keep running, to never stop running, while she and Sasha could. But she was Pop’s daughter. Running wasn’t an option.

“Fine. You have what you want, Lee. You won. Now I want you out of our lives. That was the deal.”

Lee rose from behind his desk. Michelle sighed. She dreaded his approach. This cat and mouse game of his was just delaying her escape, and she wanted to get home to Sasha, to get away from him. Seeing Lee again this way, doing a job with him, the adrenaline rush at beating the police—all of it ripped at barely healed wounds. She didn’t know how much she could stand.

“You’re hurt?” he said in her ear. “I was worried.”

“What?” She blinked out of her warring inner conscious. The pains and aches in her body surfaced, more acutely in her arm. “Oh.”

“How bad is it, beautiful?” he asked, touching her wound lightly. Michelle swallowed. She couldn’t focus on the pain. Her adrenaline and anger concealed most of it. The bullet had grazed her, searing her skin. Lee stopped in front of her, forcing her to gaze upon his concerned face.

“I’m…I’m fine,” she stammered. “Can I go?”

“Mmm…yes, you are, Michelle, and oh so talented. Remember Milan? That night in my hotel room? What were you? Sixteen? You emptied my pockets—a little girl after my own heart.”

She smiled. “You let me smoke my first cigar.”

“You were a spunky kid. I was impressed. Very loyal to your father, your baby sister. I respect loyalty. Always have.”

“So?” She sighed.

“Remember my place in Prague? You were nineteen, I think. The Klausen Synagogue. You and Pops worked as a team, so smooth, so precise. Remember what you said when you handed over the Judaic spear?”

Michelle’s gaze dropped from his. He
would
mention the night of her humiliation. The night he rejected her. He
would
throw that in her face.

Lee chuckled. “You said, ‘Who cared about some funky knife, anyway?’. That heirloom was returned to Israel because of you. Millions cared.”

“So you’re some kind of hero now?” She scoffed. “How much did the Israelis pay you for the snatch and grab? My guess is it was twenty times what you paid us.”

“Don’t knock the hustle, baby,” Lee said softly.

He ran his hand over her ass, and she bit back the desire brewing like a storm in her heart. That old desire, fueled by a crush she was to never act on. Yes, he
would
scrape at those old wounds.

Lee withdrew his hand. “No, I’m no hero. But you are legendary,
Chocolat
, to those Israelis, to the council of men that have watched you grow and bloom, and to me.”

“Can I go now?” She clenched her teeth.

“Pops was good, Michelle, but only because of you. You were always his center. Now I know why.”

“You hated Pops. He betrayed you, remember?”

“He was once a loyal friend.”

“Right.”

“Tonight, you proved you’re even better than him.”

“So you were watching me?” She eased out of his space. He was too close. His nearness was affecting her judgment. Already, she felt some of her anger slipping.

“I had to be sure of my investment.”

Michelle shrugged. “It’s a one-time deal.”

Lee touched her chin and turned her face back to his. “Pops was the one that nicknamed you
Chocolat
. Tell me what it means. Your skin isn’t as dark as your sister’s. Why the name, beautiful?”

“It’s personal, and so is this conversation. Stop it, Lee. We aren’t friends, partners, long lost mates. I did the job and it’s done.”

The corner of his mouth revealed his sly thoughts. His gaze lowered to her lips. The heat burning through his stare forced her to draw her bottom lip in. Nonetheless, when she was sixteen and smoking her first cigar across from him, she fell in love. He was so different than her father. He treated her like a kid, but he respected her. They played poker until the sun came up, and she was able to talk about anything. That was the side of Lee few ever saw. But she’d seen it more than once. Whatever happened between him and Pops in the end made the ruthless thug emerge. She would be wise to remember that, instead.

“I hear now you aspire to be a doctor or dentist?” Lee chuckled again. “Medical school, right?”

“We’re done.” She tried to pass, but Lee took her hand. Michelle paused. He began to rub his thumb in the center of her palm. “We’re done when I say we are.”

Dropping her hand, he circled her. She felt him come up behind her. He didn’t touch her, but she could feel him standing close. Michelle fought the urge to turn around. She didn’t like keeping her back to him. She didn’t want to let her guard down for a second. She should release the knife in her boot heel and grind it into his groin for hurting her sister. It wouldn’t work. Her best defense was a strong offense, and growing up with Pops, she had learned many.

***

Michelle Dixon was a woman now. When did that happen? The Dixon sisters had bloomed and he’d been too busy to notice. Now, he couldn’t stop noticing. Pops used to joke about the role reversal that was their relationship. He feared his daughter more than he’d fear a wife or mother. How many times had Pops gambled it all down the drain? But Pops had been a man of honor, once. He had given Lee his break, raised him up to a seat with The Order. And Lee had been loyal, despite Pops’ vices. That was, until Pops had knifed him in the heart, and betrayed everything sacred between them. Now he could give a fuck.

Lee watched Michelle closely. Even after all she had been through, she still smelled enticingly sweet. Wisps of her hair had loosened from her ponytail and hung around her face. The bodysuit fit like a second layer of skin, revealing more than she intended.
Such a tease
. He was no fool. He had heard how wild she could be if cornered. And right now, he knew she felt cornered. So he restrained himself from running his hand over her heart-shaped ass. Instead, he brought his face over her left shoulder so he could speak his intentions clearly into the delicate shell of her ear. “Your father’s debt with me is still unpaid. But maybe we can work something out.”

“My father’s dead, Lee.”

“Aah…that’s not my problem, now is it?”

“So this is your game? You used Sasha to get me here.”

“Among other things, yes.”

Her voice tightened with anger. “You made a mistake using my sister against me.”

“I made a choice, now I’m giving you one,” he whispered back.

***

What was he doing? Why was he doing it? Michelle tensed, scrambling in her brain to name his motive. Lee always dismissed her as a kid whenever she was in his presence. Now, he saw more. Not in his words or his actions. His actions since taking Sasha had been loathsome. It was just the feeling she got with his nearness. It unnerved and weakened her resolve.

This was Pops’ curse. She never ran from temptation; on the contrary, all her life she ran toward it. Now Lee, of all people, was on to her. She turned and faced him. “There’s no way in hell you’ll control me like you control those brainless idiots and whores that work for you. I don’t belong to anyone, you got that, Lee?”

He moistened his lips. The act sent a ripple of excitement coursing through her. Michelle shook it off.

“Let’s say I believe you aren’t in the game anymore. Let’s say I believe that all you want is to be a doctor, and to protect your kid sister.”

“I don’t care what you believe.”

“Come now, Michelle. We both know that’s not true.” He ran a finger under the line of her jaw. “Let’s say I believe you want to be done with this life. It changes nothing. We are still left with Pops’ treachery between us. And you know me,
Chocolat
, all debts must be paid.”

“I had nothing to do with Pops the last year of his life. I don’t know anything about what he owes you. What he may have done to you.”

“Shhhhh,” he commanded. “You know more than you think.”

“I got you priceless stones, heirlooms! When unloaded, those diamonds will make you wealthy. What else do you want?”

“Soon it will be clear.”

Michelle stumbled back. “Wait. Do you think this...this will happen again? You can’t possibly….”

“Pops ever tell you a bedtime story?”

“Huh?”

“Fathers tell daughters stories. This one you’d remember. It’s about a Golden Chalice, as old as time itself, a relic that has been coveted by kingdoms and governments from century to century. Then, lost forever. Did he?”

Lee’s stare never wavered.

“I don’t know anything about a chalice, except the fables greedy jewel thieves spin.”

“Right. Fine, then here’s your choice. Work with me. Another job, something more worthy of your talents?”

“Lee, no!”

“How about securing a future for Sasha so she doesn’t follow the life your father led?”

“Sasha’s a grown woman. She’ll be twenty-one soon. Her future is hers to secure.”

Lee shook his head.

“Stop it! This is ridiculous. We had a deal.”

“I make the deals, so I break the deals. Consider it broken. There’s another on the table. You’d be wise to not dismiss it.”

“I’m leaving.”

Lee stepped when she did and she drew back. “I know how you fought to keep Sasha off the streets. She ended up here, Michelle. Where will she go next?”

Michelle laughed in his face. “You better hope she doesn’t go to the police.”

“After what you stole tonight, I think that is your worry as well as mine.”

Michelle’s smile faded from her lips. “Don’t force me into this, Lee. It would be a big mistake to think that you could.”

“A deal, Beautiful. Pops has a debt and you know the code.”

Michelle put her fingers to her brow. She steadied her nerves. “The Chalice doesn’t exist, remember? It’s a myth. And if it did exist, Pops would have told me.” She lowered her hand. He was unmoved. “I don’t know what happened between you two, it has nothing to do with me.”

“You’re hurt. You need to change, shower. You can’t go out in the streets like this. One thing at a time, beautiful.”

“I want to check on my sister.”

“Sasha’s safe. You can call her if you like.” Lee stepped back and gestured to another door. “Feel free…to use my place. Afterwards, we can talk about what it is I
do
want.”

Michelle turned to walk away; he captured her uninjured arm and drew her back. “We’re not done, Michelle, that’s my promise to you. Lee never breaks a promise.” She snatched her arm away and headed in the other direction, feeling his eyes on her.

Chapter Seven

Michelle wiped her hand across the condensation glistening on the mirror. The shower had soothed her pain. She felt better—physically. Emotionally, she was one pulsating nerve. She had to deal with Lee.
Now
.

Pulling her band from her hair, she released her thick tresses and controlled the urge to cry. Pops told her tears were a wasted emotion. He taught her to channel that energy and direct it instead toward the source of the pain or torment. He taught her to get justice. But Pops was a liar and thief. Where was justice in being born into that? She picked up the washcloth and wiped her face. She could remember a time when Lee’s bedroom was the place she wanted to be.

***

May 13, 2001—Milan, Italy

“A straight? Well, I’ll be damned.” Lee dropped back in his chair.

Michelle tucked the cigar into her jaw with her tongue. “Care to put that pinky ring on the table?” she asked, dragging over her winnings. Lee chuckled.

She loved his laugh. It was smooth as Pop’s favorite brand of Johnny Walker, with a deep baritone of authority. He was cool, too. Everything about Leith Sullivan was cool. She didn’t know much about him though. He asked the questions and she mostly did the talking. It felt good to talk to someone other than Sasha, who was still too young to understand much. And the few times she could get into a routine of friends at school, she could never tell them the truth about her dad, about her skills. So, yeah, talking to Lee about everything she wanted to was kind of a thrill. She felt in control.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime, kid?” he asked, checking the sparkly diamond watch on his wrist.

The question stung. Michelle removed the cigar. “I’m sixteen!”

Lee’s brow lifted. “Yes, and you’ve already smoked my best cigar and beat me out of my cash. C’mon, you need to call it a night. The sun will be up soon.”

Michelle opened her mouth to object when Abahti stepped forward. “Boss, we have a problem.”

Michelle’s heart began to race. Pops did the job without her. Lee was patient and Pops’ friend, but he was still ruthless. If Pops was in trouble, he needed her. Damn it, she should have gone, too. The moment she found Pops’ flask, she knew. Michelle watched with her breath held; she tried to read Lee’s face as the Nigerian whispered into his ear.

Lee gave his second-in-command a nod. His eyes returned to her. “Go to bed. Good night,” he said and rose.

“No! What about Pops? It’s him, isn’t it? Tell me what’s going on. I can help. Just tell me what you need.” She leapt from her chair and went after Lee. The Nigerian caught her. She slapped him, frantic to help.

“Let her go,” Lee said.

Michelle shoved Abahti off. She stormed over to Lee. “Where is Pops?”

“I’ll handle it. Bring him to you in an hour. That’s my promise to you. Lee never breaks a promise.” He gave her a wink then turned and walked out. Michelle knew by the look of the thugs who followed that Lee would deliver on his promise. All she could do was wait.