"Nothing should ever happen at six in the morning," Melissa groaned as we walked up to the front entrance of the tall building.
I had stayed up late with thought, analyzing what could possibly go wrong today. Not only were we breaking into this man's house, but we were doing so in broad daylight.
Chapman was already waiting at the door for us, coffee mug in hand. "Morning."
We all groaned in unison.
We followed him through the front lobby and to the spacious elevator we were all familiar with. Then we made our way up to the floor where his office was. Eventually we neared our destination and Chapman let us in through the door.
He stood near his desk as I assessed the four individual outfits that were laid out on his couch. One pair was obviously for me and Melissa, which consisted of two light pink polos and khaki pants. The shirts were embroidered with the name Day Maids, which I recognized as a local cleaning company. Derik and Willi's outfits weren't so clean cut. Derik lifted up his hanger which held a white T-shirt and overalls. I couldn't help but giggle.
"He has a maid and lawn service scheduled every week at seven," Chapman stated. "Derik and Willi will be the eyes at the front and Alexa and Melissa will be in charge of getting what we need inside. Are you prepared to do so?"
Derik stepped forward, holding out a small device to me. "Vic gave me this," he paused, "Plug it in and it'll automatically decrypt the security feature on the laptop. Once you're in plug in the external storage drive."
Derik must've gone to Victoria's last night. The first and last time I had seen Victoria had been when I was about to accompany Derik on my first bank heist. He had wanted me to meet her before then, but I hadn't seen her since.
"It's a very simple job," Chapman announced, "So please don't screw it up."
His eyes landed on me, which then made it feel like an attack. I tried not to let it bother me. Everything seemed simple when you watered down the plan. But as soon as you threw in the "if's" and "buts" then things got tricky.
"Go change and meet me in the parking lot," Chapman ordered.
We made it to the bathrooms and began stripping out of our day clothes. I tried my best to keep my eyes trained on the ground and not on Melissa. But when I slipped my shirt over my head I felt her gaze on me anyway.
Melissa joked, "Pink looks good on you."
I stared at her through the mirror while putting my hair into a tight pony tail. "Can't say the same," I joked back, "Makes you look kinda pasty."
Her mouth hung open as she laughed, "Sorry. Not all of us are blessed with a natural tan."
It didn't take us long to finish up and head out of the bathroom, meeting up with Derik and Willi at the elevator. I couldn't help but think Willi looked like a farmer with his overalls and untrimmed beard.
"What are you smiling at?" Willi asked me.
"You," I answered.
Melissa laughed, "I think we look great."
"Very working class," I responded.
Chapman was waiting for us in the parking lot like he had said. He handed out the usual earpieces and mics, and then a set of car keys to me and Derik. "I'll be listening from across the street," he informed, "Let me know if anything goes wrong."
We just agreed before we all climbed into our designated vehicles and followed Chapman out of the parking lot.
The car ride was quiet other than the light indie rock that played through the radio. I focused, trying to stay level headed before we made it to our destination. Melissa was also silent, probably due to her being deep in thought.
Then we pulled up a street and Chapman threw his car into park. This was our stop.
"You'll have to page in through the gate," Chapman ordered.
I watched Derik do as he said, the gate to the house sliding open for us to enter. The driveway was a curve that led straight up to a two-story Spanish Colonial. One similar to Derik's. There were no cars in the driveway, which meant he wasn't home right now.
"Alexa, the equipment you need is in your cleaning cart," Chapman said.
"Got it," I replied, shutting off the vehicle and grabbing my cart out the backseat.
Melissa followed me up to the front door, my hands shook at my sides. I knocked and waited patiently.
An older woman answered. "New hires?"
My heart leapt, "Uh, yea. The girls who usually come fell behind schedule."
Her beady eyes were surrounded by plenty of wrinkles. She studied me and Melissa for a good ten seconds before she finally let us into the house. I looked back and gave Derik and Willi a thumbs up.
A staircase that lead to the second floor stood near the front entrance. The house already looked pristine. We passed a painting and I ran my finger along the edge. Not a hint of dust. What exactly were we expected to clean?
"Dust first, then vacuum. The windows need to be sprayed and cleaned. And the kitchen is a mess. I'll be upstairs doing the bedrooms," the woman muttered. Then we passed a closed door. "His office is off limits. Any questions?"
We just stood there, too dumbfounded to even say anything. We shook our heads, which caused the lady to leave us alone downstairs.
"She's scarier than anyone I've ever met," Melissa stated.
I smiled, "So you're dusting?"
She returned my smile with an eye roll before twisting the door's knob. It was locked. "I'll have to unlock it, but once I do I'll head to the kitchen."
I gave a quick nod as I hauled my stuff to where I could keep an eye on the old lady. I decided to start with the windows. It would allow me not only to monitor the housekeeper, but also watch Melissa do her thing.
Melissa quickly worked her magic as I sprayed the windows and wiped. Derik and Willi were currently fighting with a weed-eater which caused me to giggle to myself. At least we weren't outside in the California heat. I would thank Chapman later.
Then I heard the door open, Melissa signaling me over.
"Be fast," she ordered.
I let myself into the room and closed the door, locking it behind me. The laptop sat on his dark wooden desk as a single lamp illuminated the room. I opened the computer up and got to work.
"How long will copying his drive take?" I asked Chapman.
"It depends," he answered, "But I'll estimate about ten minutes."
My heart dropped at the information. I couldn't sit here for ten minutes...
Instead of thinking too much I plugged in the device Victoria had lent us. I watched the command prompt on the computer pop up, a million letters and numbers flew by. I crossed my fingers under the desk and hoped for the best.
The lock screen disappeared, my heart screaming with joy. Removing Vic's device, I plugged in Chapman's external storage and turned it on. It automatically began downloading every file off of the hard drive. A small countdown screen popped up. Ten minutes until completion.
I spoke out, "Melissa?"
"Yea?" she answered.
"Is it clear to come out?"
"Clear."
I exited the office, setting a timer on my phone as I joined her in the kitchen. In ten minutes I would sneak back into the office, retrieve the external drive, and get the hell out of this house.
She was in the kitchen just like she said she would be, scrubbing away on the counter tops. Her pony-tail hung around her face but didn't cover her angular features. Then she looked up, distaste in her eyes at her current situation.
"This is bullshit," she stated.
I couldn't help but laugh. "Ten minutes until the drive is copied. Then we can go."
We occupied ourselves by cleaning at least the kitchen, which was a mess. Every so often we would check in with Derik and Willi to make sure everything was alright outside. So far everything was going great, and when I checked my phone we only had about two minutes left.
Then Derik's urgent voice spoke in my ear, "Alexa, someone's driving up."
Melissa's panicked gaze found mine. I remained calm for the both of us.
"Chapman?" I asked.
"It's the owner," he answered.
"Shit," I mumbled. "Derik can you distract him?"
"I can try, but I'm not guaranteeing a lot of time," he agreed.
Melissa grabbed my arm, "Go to the office and wait for the drive to finish. I'll make sure he doesn't go to the office when he comes inside."
I hesitated, the fear of being betrayed again rose in my stomach. I knew she had seen the mistrust in my eyes, even if it was only for a moment. Why couldn't she go? I could watch the door and distract the man.
"Alexa," she coaxed, "We don't have a lot of time."
I just nodded, but my feet were nailed to the floor.
"I'm not gonna leave you." Her eyes stayed locked with mine, "Trust me."
I had to trust her. She was right. There wasn't a lot of time and I needed to go. My heart pounded as I turned away from her. I headed back into the office.
I could hear Derik in my earpiece calling out to the man that had driven up. He got a response out of him. Instead of focusing on their conversation I just stared at the countdown. Forty more seconds.
The conversation between the man and Derik ended as I heard the front door open. God, Melissa better be there...
I whispered to myself, "Come on..."
I looked around for hiding places just in case. There weren't many. If I got stuck in here no telling how long I would have to wait it out. A sick feeling bubbled deep in my stomach. What if he walked in on me?
Then I heard Melissa greet him, "Sir, I just want to say you have a magnificent house!"
I breathed with relief.
"Well thanks... but who are you?" he asked.
"Your usual girls fell behind this morning so they sent us instead. I hope you don't mind..." she began to flirt.
My foot was tapping against the floor as my hand gripped the edge of his desk. Just a little bit more time... it was nearly finished.
The man responded, "I don't mind at all..."
I rolled my eyes at the tone of his voice. It made me nauseous. Instead of dwelling on it I focused on my task at hand. The final seconds counting down.
It was finally done as I unplugged the drive and closed the office up. I made sure everything was the way it was before I got in here before sneaking out the door and locking it back.
I found my cleaning cart and hid the devices, readying myself to find Melissa and get the hell out of here.
I rounded the corner, me and the owner locking gazes. His eyes studied me, and it felt as if he was memorizing every feature. I felt a chill run up my spine as I stopped next to Melissa.
He smiled, "Your friend is just as beautiful as you. Maybe I'll request you two instead of the others."
I forced the bile back down my throat while Melissa smiled. "I think we're done for the day." She picked up her own cart, "It was nice meeting you."
"Likewise," he answered, continuing to study us as we walked past.
When we made it outside Derik and Willi glanced up, sighing in relief that we hadn't been caught.
"About time," Willi groaned, "I was about to faint from heat exposure."
I threw my stuff into the back of the car and left the house, knowing we needed to get as far away from the house as possible. If the old woman noticed we were gone I was sure our cover would be blown. But we had succeeded without something going extremely wrong.
I removed my mic and earpiece as I tried to slow my heart rate down. How had we gotten out of there without being caught? It had been such a close call.
"Told you I wouldn't leave you," Melissa claimed from the passenger seat.
I looked over to her, "You were a little too good at acting like you were interested in him."
She just smirked, "Don't act like you haven't pointlessly flirted with a man to get what you wanted."
I shook my head, realizing if I continued on the road I was going I would sound jealous. She would notice, and I didn't want that to happen. What the hell was I jealous of anyway?
We drove up into the parking lot and I turned off the car. I met with the Derik and Willi where Chapman was, who looked pleased as I handed him the external storage.
He nodded, "Good job."
"I believe you have something for us as well," Derik jumped in.
"You're right," Chapman pulled the duffel bag out of his trunk. He handed Derik our prize, "One hundred thousand, just like I promised."
"This is the end of the road," Derik spat. Where had this come from? What was his problem?
Chapman seemed to know what he was referring to. He stood tall as he stared at Derik, and then looked at me briefly. "The case isn't closed."
Derik stepped closer. "It doesn't matter. We're done. We got what you needed." Then he turned to me, his eyes screamed a million unspoken words. I didn't understand what was going on. "You're not involving yourself anymore. Understand?"
The atmosphere had morphed into something so thick I could hardly breathe. Why was he being like this? And who the hell did he think he was ordering me around like a kid?
"You can't tell me what to do," I answered. My voice barely above a whisper.
His glare made me quiver, but I was tired of him treating me like this in front of everyone. He wasn't in charge of my life or how I chose to live it. Derik wasn't making decisions for me anymore.
He shook his head, "Is this what you want? To lie to your family? To Anna?"
"That's my choice, Derik. Not yours," I replied.
"And if you get killed... What would happen to Anna? What would I tell her?"
It felt as if my heart had been sliced open. Pain oozed and dripped throughout my entire body. Once again Derik was right, and I could no longer argue with him. If I died, Anna would be alone and all of this would eventually be for nothing.
Chapman interrupted our argument. "Just so you know," he paused, "Your freedom isn't guaranteed after this. Neither is Victoria's."
All of a sudden Derik was moving in for Chapman, but Willi held him back. Was he nuts? It was like Derik was suddenly a deranged animal that had no control over his temper.
"You said we were good! You promised, Chapman!" Derik shouted.
"And your records are clean. At least with the NIA. Who's to say the GIB hasn't already detected your presence and collected information on you? I know they already have it on Victoria." He waved the external drive in Derik's face, "Don't you wanna stick around and see if it's true?"
No one said a thing. Was Chapman blackmailing us? We were stupid to believe we would ever find real freedom.
"This is never gonna be over, is it?" Derik asked.
Chapman just sighed, "Help me close this case and we'll talk."
Derik didn't want to. There was a look of hopelessness in his eyes but what other choice did he have? Chapman was right. He had the upper hand. And if he was right about the GIB having information on us then we needed to know. The only way to find out would be to see what was on that drive, and to do that we had to stay on Chapman's good side.
Derik threatened him, "If this doesn't end soon, I'll find you."
"I won't be hiding," Chapman stated.
Then we left.
I didn't like the ways things were turning out, and I didn't like the effect it had on Derik. He was turning into someone I didn't know. Someone who was... scared. But what was he so afraid of? Did he have something to hide?
The thought made me nervous. It would make sense if that was the case, because ever since the first day of working with Chapman he had acted weird. But was it possible that Derik had done something he didn't want us to know about? It was scary, but I didn't want to assume.
We made it back home and I hoped Anna was still sleeping. I didn't really want to explain to her what I had been up to.
Derik remained in the car as we all got out.
"You okay?" I asked.
He just nodded, "I'm bringing Victoria back her stuff. We need to talk anyway."
And with that he backed out of the drive way.
I looked at Willi, "Do you know what his problem is?"
Willi's expression remained passive as he watched Derik's car drive away. "He just doesn't like the government."
It was such a horrible lie that I no longer wanted to converse with any of them. Everything was changing. A shift was happening between me and my group and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. The trust I had was vanishing. It had been ever since we started working with Chapman.
But we should've been celebrating. Not on the brink of a fight. It made no sense, but the deeper we got into this case the fuzzier things got.
And I was afraid that when the smoke finally cleared,the truth would rip my team apart for good.