Going Once, Going Twice, Going Never.

XXVI - Street Critters

15 days before the job

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"What number are you using to contact this person?" Blaise asks not even looking at me as she is gazing into her mobile phone, "Your call history is clean."

I snatch Blaise's phone, "They specifically asked me to keep it a secret."

"Is it Raul?" Alby asks, sipping her tea.

I shake my head and go back to staring at the door of the cafe, "Nope. He is with the Black Jacks right now, heard they were doing a job in Istanbul."

"What about that girl Giselle?" Elara asks, while stirring her own lemonade.

"She's way too much to handle, plus she's sloppy as hell," Minnie retorts.

I gaze at my watch, they are supposed to be here by now!

I open my phone to find an email at the spare email address of mine. From William.

I hope you had a safe journey.

What a sweetheart.

"No way, no fucking way!" Elara's enthusiastic comment distracts me. I turn towards her, then follow her vision to see the person we were expecting.

Blaise turns around in her seat to look at the person too, "Motherfu-"

"Come on now dear partner, must your greeting to me include a swear?" Zhong Jian appears in our field of view. A blazing six foot three, with short trimmed hair, pale fair skin and bright brown eyes stare at Blaise who seems to be letting out imaginary steam from her ears and nostrils.

"Oh these weeks are going to be entertaining," Alby decides to comment, looking at Jian with mischief in her eyes.

Why are they all reacting like this...? I thought I chose I good companion?

Minnie seems to mirror my confusion. As we both stare at the two hackers sitting opposite each other, sharing the most intense eye contact. Oh well Blaise looks like she is about to commit homicide.

Pandora would have liked to be invited to this.

I turn to Elara with questioning eyes, and she rolls her baby brown ones back at me, "You confused them again, didn't you?"

I tilt my head to the side, "What...?"

I feel cold slender fingers grab my arm and I turn towards Jian who is facing me now, "My twin sends his apologies. His flight got delayed in Mexico, he was heading over after the job in Cancun. He will be with us day after tomorrow," He says with a small smile and a thick Chinese accent. I return his pretty smile then face Elara again.

Elara sighs, "Leesh, Blaise gets along with his twin, Yuxian."

"Yeah... Sure... Use the word 'along'," Alby whispers into her cup, which only I am able to hear.

"And she supposedly 'hates' me," Jian winks at me.

Uh oh.

"My bad... ? " I try to explain myself, but I know there's going to be only a nickel left in my bank account in the next few minutes.

Jian smiles widely at Blaise, who is now a concerning shade of red, "We are going to have so much partner!"

Oh God Blaise is going to kill me.

****

"What a beautiful place," Jian stares at thr glittery chandeliers of Hotel Munir.

It truly is. The whole place is a marvel to look at. The front gates were covered with exotic flowers and as soon as we entered we were greeted with the most beautiful wall mural. The inside of the hotel was a flurry of glass and marble, with the comfiest looking couches scattered everywhere.