Chapter 24

TWENTY-FOUR

T ruman had never been good at waiting around for the bad guys to enact their evil plans. Trying to outthink someone like Ian, who’d had years to perfect his craft, was a losing proposition.

Instead of walking into his trap and trying to force him to make a mistake, Truman was going to take the trap apart piece by piece.

The first part of the new plan was already in the works—Michael Stone talking to Special Agent in Charge Pearson and handing over the circumstantial evidence Truman had thrown together.

The second was making sure Pearson found the diamonds in Bastian's possession. Exposing a hiding place in Bastian’s condo wasn’t enough—the man could say they were planted. They needed to be on his person when Pearson arrested him, and Truman wanted a confession from Ian’s mouth to make sure the slippery bastard couldn't talk his way out of the charges.

Dolan and Del were in charge of the first prong of that piece; he was in charge of the second.

“I’ve hacked into the unit’s security system,” Del announced. “According to the log and live feed, he’s been in and out several times today, but he’s home now.”

Unlike Gani's rundown apartment, the condo had a host of amenities—security monitors, an in-unit laundry setup, and a full fire suppression system. While there were no cameras inside, the exterior ones gave them visual confirmation that it was Bastian and nobody else entering and leaving the building.

Truman checked an item on his list. “And the smoke detectors?”

Del hit a few keys. “Working on that now.”

Rescuing Charlie Grant was the third part of his plan. Julia and Spence were helping with that angle and Spence had headed out twenty minutes ago.

He was onsite across from the used car lot in a cargo van equipped with everything they needed. “Heist Zero, this is Charlie Rescue One. No movement inside Murphy Motors,” he told them. “The sign says they’re closed today.”

Ian had made sure of that so he could prep his trap. “And the Vorpal Sword?” Truman asked. “Any sign of him?”

“No visual, and there are cameras on the building, so it’s being monitored. I can't go up and get a look in the windows without alerting him. Doing a thermal imaging scan now. How soon will you be here?”

He checked his phone. "Less than an hour. Make sure that when he shows, you get him on video. He'll probably be…" Truman smiled at the thought of Bastian, scrambling to figure out his next move. "Flustered."

Everyone had their assignments. Everyone except Emma. "What about me?" she asked. "What am I supposed to do?"

"You're going to stay with me," Brigit volunteered. "This is Command Central with Del and Conrad."

“You'll be helping us coordinate things from here," Truman told her, reaching for words that sounded important but hid the fact that he was keeping her as far away from Bastian and the action as possible. He checked another thing off his list and handed her the paper and pencil. “You need to make sure all of us are on track."

She wasn't fooled. “Oh my God. Not this again. You're leaving me?" She knew exactly what he was doing, and she was not happy about it. “Fat chance, mister. He's expecting me at the appointed time, not anyone else."

"We're not waiting until then, Em,” he said gently. "Part of our strategy is to take the trap to him. To turn things around on him. Doing the unexpected puts him on the defensive and makes him have to regroup. That's when he'll make mistakes."

"And we’ll nail him," Zara said with a gleam in her eye. She sat on the edge of the bar, one leg crossed over the other. Her short skirt showed off her toned legs which ended in biker boots. Bastian knew Emma never wore anything but jeans and yoga pants, so when Zara put on a wig and pretended to be Emma, she'd have to wear something else.

He would mention that to her in a moment. Emma and Zara would made a good pair, both of them overly confident and determined to take Bastian down. “You're one of the most important keys to his success." This wasn't a lie or flowery language to try and get her buy-in. This was the truth.

"I am?” She gave him an uneasy stare. “I thought his end goal was taking you out."

"Doing that covers his tracks," Truman agreed. "Because I went rogue with you, he’s assuming I’m now his enemy, and he can’t have me figuring out he's the Mastermind. But the biggest reason he needs to eliminate you is because you have a vendetta against him over what he's done to your family. If he lets you live, he knows you'll come after him."

“Well, he’s right,” she said. “I’m not sure how I’d take him on alone, but one way or the other, I’d do it."

"We've got thermal imaging," Del announced.

They circled his table, peering at the screen. The building was concrete blocks, which limited the scanner’s ability to register heat from so far away, but there it was—a fuzzy outline of yellow and red against a blue and green background.

“Is that him?” Emma said. “Is that Dad?”

Impossible to tell for sure, but he squeezed her shoulder. “Probably.”

"Can't Spence just go in and get him? What if he's hurt? We need to get him out of there."

"Bastian is certainly watching the place, and if we make a move on it, he'll take the diamonds and bolt." He gave her another squeeze. "I know it's tough to wait, but we have to do this step-by-step. Just like with any good heist, there's an order to things."

She scrubbed a hand over her face. "I know. I'm just… "

"Hang in there," Julia said. She turned to Zara. "Let's get dressed."

While Emma continued to watch the thermal imaging screen, Truman caught up to them as they were heading into the locker room to mention to Zara that she needed to tone down her clothes.

"I know what I'm doing, Brit,” she said. “Relax."

Julia winked at him, and the two disappeared inside.

Relax. Right. If he was honest with himself, he was. He was going to bring down Ian Bastian and have a tad of fun doing it. As long as Emma stayed here, safe, this operation was going to be as satisfying as any he'd ever been on.

Ten minutes later, he'd reviewed everyone's assignments and was heading out the door. First, he pulled a worried Emma aside. “No matter what happens, I will make sure we get your pa back. He's my priority, after you.”

She glanced toward Zara. "Bastian will never believe that's me."

"He'll only see her from a distance as she enters the abandoned movie rental place. I’ll keep him occupied in the other building.”

"If he even shows up," she countered.

He drew her in close, forcing her to tip her head to look at him. "He will, and if he doesn't, we have a Plan B."

She sighed. “Be careful. "

Dolan called to him from the doorway. "Get a move on."

Truman kissed her, lingering for half a second. "Regardless of what happens, I want you to know…"

She pressed a finger to his mouth. “I already do. Now, go get this bastard.”

He grinned, kissing her fingertips. “You owe me a ‘please.’”

“Make sure you come back and get it," she said.

He winked and then headed for the door. “Light ’em up, Del," he said to the hacker. He wished he could see Ian’s face when his fire alarm started blaring and the sprinkler system came on, flooding his condo. The first thing the man would do would be to grab the diamonds and flee. “Operation Heist is a go."