'It's so illicit, babe,
We shouldn't risk it, babe,
But it's so worth it'
*
'Absolutely not!' I answer, pushing Harry away from me and stepping back round the desk so I can get as far away from him as possible.
The Cullinan Diamond is the most famous diamond in the world. It's one of the Crown Jewels, held in the Tower of London under the strictest security one can imagine. To steal it is an impossible goal. You'd get shot before you even entered the building because the team charged with protecting those jewels would know. This was a suicide mission.
I watch as the team roll their eyes. Zayn pushes back against Babz's chair, his hands running through his hair. She's cursing below him, playing with the earring in her cartilage. Louis stands besides, them shaking his head, George just stares at Harry. They have a death wish if they truly think this is even an option.
Harry leans on his hands on the desk, watching as I pace in the corner opposite him. 'Why not?' he asks, as if the answer isn't obvious.
My eyes go wide, mouth agape. 'Are you fucking stupid? Are you all idiots?' I turn to them, waving my arms in the air.
Babz stands, her fists clenching before Zayn pulls her back. 'You want to say that again, little miss perfect?'
I furrow me eyebrows, shaking my head at the sheer incompetence of them. She doesn't scare me, none of them do. Especially not after it was revealed to me what they're wasting their days planning for. This isn't a simple theft; it could never be. I'm sure they've managed ones similar in the past; the Dresden Vault pops into my head as I ponder it. The reason why we never hear of attempted robberies on the Crown Jewels is because they never make it far enough to be reported. The fact that they had got this far without being caught was a miracle.
Harry is watching me as my chest heaves up and down. I'm angry. 'Why would this make us idiots, Atlas?'
I laugh, actually cackle at the stupid question. 'It's fucking impossible, that's why! You really think you can get away with stealing the most famous set of diamonds in the world without being caught? I thought you were smarter than this, Harry.' I turn around to watch the scenes below. Did they know how much of a risk this operation was? Were they selling themselves out with no real indication of what will happen to them? Surely, not.
I can hear the others bickering behind me. 'Well done, H!' Zayn calls, the chair in front of him now being thrown against the wall. 'If she doesn't help, she knows too much now, do you know how dangerous this makes it?'
I laugh to myself again, making sure they hear. As if I could make this any worse than it already is. I'm simply stating the cold hard truth. They'll never make it out alive is they attempt this, and if they do by some spark of luck manage to steal it, they certainly won't have it for long. Life in prison is likely. The royal family aren't ones to accept humiliation like this.
Harry ushers them out of the room, leaving just the two of us alone. I can feel him watching me as I lean my hands against the window. My eyes are closed as I try to steady my breathing. 'Atlas, just hear me out?' he begs, the sound of his footsteps towards me following.
I turn around, watching him over the desk. He's smiling. The smug bastard. 'There's nothing to explain, Harry. This is a stupid fucking idea, and you know it.' I begin to pace again, now on the same side of the desk as him, walking up and down the length of the room as I try to gather my thoughts. Zayn was right, I do know too much now. They wouldn't just let me go on with that kind of knowledge, even if I didn't know how they were planning on doing it. I knew their names, where they worked, some previous items they'd stolen. I was a threat; now I'm scared.
Harry is still stood in his place, watching as I lose my mind. 'You were fine with the idea of being a thief before, why have you changed your mind all of a sudden? You're no better than the rest of us,' he scoffs, venom in his voice, like he was trying to harm me with his words. A snake in disguise, coddling its prey until it attacks. That's why all those people down there are still here, they have no way out.
'Jesus Christ, Harry! I can't go to prison for something like this, I- I have obligations, a life. My dad is in a fucking care home with Alzheimer's and I'm the only person in his life. I can't leave him just so I can feel a bit of adrenaline for a few hours.' I've stopped pacing, now just facing him as I push the hair off my face. He doesn't say anything, just watches me like a I'm a spectacle, analysing my every move. 'You know what, you're right, I wasn't scared before. It's obvious you're all very capable at your jobs, but this is fucking impossible, and you cannot convince me otherwise.'
I walk over to my coat on the chair, having taken it off when I got in the room, ready to leave this mess behind and never see them again. I can't be involved in something like this, and I was just as stupid as them for even considering something like this. I'm not cut out for this life. I've lived the same, mundane existence my whole life, I'm probably a boring person, this isn't what God intended for me, if there even is a God up there. 'Thank you for the offer, but I'm leaving. You don't have to worry about me.'
I turn towards the door, seeing the shadows on the others outside it underneath the wood, the light from outside peaking it. But my coat is knocked out of my hands, and without any warning, Harry grabs my wrists, pinning me up against the wall next to it, his body pressed to mine as I stare back at him in shock. I try to struggle against his hold, but it's too strong. He has me trapped. 'You think you can just find out all this information and leave without another word? That's not how this works, Atlas,' he spits, his face so close to mine that I can feel his breath entering my own mouth as my jaw remains open. I stare up into his eyes, bouncing between the two in anger. He won't hurt me, I keep telling myself. He can't do that. 'I am done with playing nice now.'
'Let me remind you of something you once told me; I haven't told anyone yet. What makes you think I'm ready to run with this now?' I try to reason, my arms slightly aching. His grip only hurts slightly, but it's enough to send a chill down my spine the longer he keeps it up.
He laughs, his head falling back for a moment before he leans closer to my face, eyes trained on my own. The closer he gets the more goose bumps appear on my skin. 'Contrary to popular belief, I'm not an idiot,' he states, playing on my earlier words. He's enjoying this exchange too much, thriving off of the fact that I'm trapped by his hands and have no way out. What a sadistic man. 'You really expect me to believe that years down the line you won't get a sudden urge to just tell someone what you know? It's a lot to keep in that head of yours,' he says, removing one of his hands to run a finger along my temple.
I don't flinch or look away, not giving in to him. He can't win this battle. I won't let him see that right now I am terrified. His eyes briefly fall to my lips, before looking more intensely into my eyes. He's breathing heavily now, something I hadn't noticed before. Maybe this exchange was having more of an impact on him than he was letting on.
Slowly his head lowers and for a moment I think he's about to kiss me. My breath catches in my throat, watching as he is eye level with me before he goes closer to my neck, leaning into my ear. 'Haven't you ever wondered how thrilling life can be, Atlas?' he whispers, his stray arm now gently holding my shoulder. The more skin to skin contact happens between us, the more I lose trace of my thoughts. The tension between us is intoxicating. I'm only human to lose control. 'Say we can pull this off, wouldn't you like to say that you were involved in the greatest heist in history, that you played a crucial part in the most famous event of the 21st century? Think of how much you can gain from this.'
While he's not paying attention, I bring my knee up between his legs and knock him in the crotch. I know exactly what game he's playing; he can't flirt his way around this. As the impact hits him, he lets go of my wrists and grabs his crotch in pain. I push him back, creating distance between us as I move to the other side of the desk again, making sure I was close enough to the window in case I needed someone to witness what was happening.
'I'm not an idiot, I know what you're trying to do here. You can't seduce me into agreeing to something like this, what kind of woman do you take me for?' I yell, watching as he tries to compose himself, his hands raising in defence.
He chokes out a breath before responding. 'Oh, come on, I've seen the way you look at me, you can't keep your eyes off of me, you can't blame me for trying!' he jokes, as if this is a time for comedy.
I pick up the paper weight on his desk and throw it in his direction, hoping to knock some sense into him at that disgusting remark. 'Fuck you! You're the one that's been staring at my tits every time we're in the same room,' I clap back. If he wasn't looking at my lips, it was always my boobs. Men are predictable like that.
He picks the paper weight up off the floor, holding it tightly in his hand as he raises it, but not with the intent of throwing it. 'I'm human, Jesus! And do you know how much this thing cost, don't fucking throw it around like that,' he calls out, placing it down lightly on the book shelf to his right before stepping closer to me.
I scoff at the remark. 'As if you paid for it, you probably stole it from a John Lewis store.'
I hear laughing on the other side of the door, Babz yelling out a 'queen shit'. They were eavesdropping on the conversation, then. I wondered how much they had heard; did they hear him pin me against the wall?
Harry sucks in a sharp breath while pinching his nose. 'Just- fuck!' he shouts, slamming his hands down on the desk between us, the only thing blocking him from pushing me against the window. What a sight that would be for everyone downstairs. 'No, you know what, what about Joe?' My eyes go wide at the name. 'He proposed, you said no. I saw you in the carpark that day, before I put my car lights on. I was watching you. Why did you say no? What part of you told your conscious that you couldn't marry him, despite how good it was?'
He couldn't know this information, not just from that conversation. Part of me had been considering whether it was Harry in the car park that day, it made sense for him to be there considering he showed up again the day after. But this, he couldn't know if the relationship was good or not? 'You don't know, shit, Harry. Don't bring up Joe!' I turn around to face the window again.
He laughs behind me. 'I know plenty about you, Atlas. I know about your friends, your family, how long you've worked where you are, even where you live. I would be careful if I were you.'
My breathing picks up again. He's been stalking me this whole time, probably for months, for what? Just so I could be another one of his minions and carry out his crimes for him? 'Leave me alone!' I pace to the other side of the desk again, picking up my coat from the floor in hopes that I can make my exit this time. I don't know how I'd even leave. He drove me here, there's no phone signal, and no life for miles. I'm stuck whether I like it or not.
As expected, Harry grabs my arms, halting my movements, but not as aggressive as he did before. 'Think about how much money you could make from this? Your father would be set, he'd never have to worry about care home bills again, get all the treatment he needs. You could travel the world, leave this meaningless existence behind. You could own the diamonds that you're stuck selling. Doesn't that excite you?'
My eyes lower, looking ahead as his chest. There are some chains dangling from my neck, one a gold crucifix, the other a jade one. He didn't strike me as the religious type. They didn't seem awfully expensive by the looks of things, either. I close my eyes and swallow deeply, letting out a shaky breath. 'If God wanted that life for me he would have given it to me,' I state, referring to the crosses on him.
He looks down at them, one of his hands removing from my arm to fiddle with one of the necklaces. 'What if he is now?' he breathes out, eyes wandering back up to my face. They land on my lips first, and I watch as his tongue pokes out and glides across his bottom lip, taking it between his teeth after as he meets my gaze again.
My eyes are jumping back and forth between his, not knowing which one to focus on. My anxiety is sky high, body trembling at the thought of his proposition.
While Dad had saved up a lot of money over the years to pay for his medical care, he was running out of funds quickly. Alzheimer's care doesn't come cheap, even in a country that provides free health care. Living in one of those homes, a decent one at that, it's expensive at the best of times. His is a lot nicer than most, that was something he wanted to make sure of. He never wanted to be subjected to squalor, as he called it. Though my finances were secure, I knew that it would make life harder. All my savings would go towards caring for him, which I didn't mind, but paying rent would quickly become a problem after they dissolved. If I joined Harry, and this project turns out to be a success, I'd be rich enough to care for him, myself and generation after. I'd be safe, secure, and have the potential to live life the way I've always wanted to.
My lips tremble, wanting to ask more questions even though the thought of it is enough to send me into a frenzy. 'What would my role be?' I quiz, my eyes finally resting on his.
He sighs, letting go of my other arm but remaining in his place closely in front of me. 'I need you to research every diamond in the Cullinan set. Every detail, every crevice of them. We need to replicate them, put new ones in place that are exactly the same, without anyone realising.'
'That doesn't seem possible. Each diamond is unique, it's impossible to do that without seeing them in person, holding them in my own hands.' I could look at all the pictures in the world and I still wouldn't be able to do what he's asking.
He steps back, sighing lightly before responding. 'Well we can't do that, not yet anyway. But I believe you have the potential to do this. I know you can do it.'
I shake my head, not believing a word he's saying. I'm good at my job, that's clear, but what he's asking me is insane. 'I've never done something like this before, how can you be so sure that I won't completely wreck everything?'
Harry smiles lightly, eyes falling to the floor before the turn back to mine. 'Just because you haven't doesn't mean you can't, Atlas.' He steps forward so we're in close proximity again, his heights towering over me. 'Life without risks is boring, wouldn't you say?'
I swallow hard, letting gaze wander to the window behind him as I watch everyone working away on this one task. It's a huge operation, one that has probably taken months, if not years to plan. 'Why the Cullinan?' I ask. Of all the diamonds in the world, why did he have to choose this one?
Harry reaches out his hand to my face, waiting for a moment to see if I consent. I nod lightly, letting his brush a hair behind my ear, before leaving his hand on my cheek. 'You'll find that out if you join,' he speaks softly, the first time he has since this interaction began.
I have to believe that he has a solid plan, otherwise he wouldn't be going ahead with this. Even then, no sane person would set out to steal a Cullinan diamond. But if I agree, and this goes to plan, I will never have to settle again. I can live my life the way I've always wanted to, without ever worrying what others think, because I'll be rich enough to do it. I've always wanted excitement in my life, but I never imagined it would lead to this. I can't deny that even the prospect of being involved in something like this filled me with adrenaline, infecting every thought in my mind so it was all I thought about.
Maybe I'm stupid. Maybe I'm being bold. But right now, I know what my answer is, I suppose I've always known. I clear my throat, stepping closer so our chests are now touching. 'Fine. I'll do it.'
--------
A/N: Yummy yummy content