Chapter 5 - The Grand Casino HeistThe kiss was a explosion of fire and gasoline, fueled by years of pent-up adrenaline, pain, and an undeniable attraction that neither of us could deny any longer. He tasted like whiskey and smoke, his hands sliding down to press me flush against his hard frame.
When he finally pulled back, both of us were breathing heavily.
"We do this tonight," Julian said, his eyes glowing with dark resolve. "Vane is hosting his annual high-rollers gala at the Obsidian Casino. He keeps the drive in his personal vault on the top floor."
Four hours later, we were ready.
The transformation was absolute. Gone was Emma the humble maid, and gone was Evelyn the broken agent.
I stood in front of the mirror wearing a floor-length, backless crimson silk gown with a slit that ran up to my mid-thigh. A hidden holster containing a suppressed 9mm pistol was strapped to my inner thigh. My dark hair was styled in Hollywood waves, and diamond earrings sparkled under the chandelier light.
The adjoining door opened. Julian walked in, breathtaking in a sleek black tuxedo. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes scanning every inch of the crimson dress, settling on the bare skin of my back where the scars were hidden by professional makeup.
"You are... dangerous," Julian whispered, coming up behind me in the mirror. He clipped a diamond necklace around my neck, his cold fingers lingering against my collarbone.
"Let's go steal a dragon's hoard," I replied, meeting his gaze in the glass.
The Obsidian Casino was a fortress of gold, marble, and neon. Hundreds of billionaires, politicians, and underworld bosses moved across the floor under the watchful eyes of armed security.
Julian led me through the crowd, his hand firmly resting on the small of my back.
"Marcus Vane is at the VIP baccarat table," Julian murmured in my ear, his breath sending shivers down my neck. "I’ll draw his attention and drag him into a high-stakes game. You have twenty minutes to bypass the biometric security on the 50th floor, grab the drive, and meet me at the helipad."
"Twenty minutes is luxury," I smiled faintly.
As Julian walked toward the VIP tables, causing an immediate stir among Vane’s guards, I slipped away toward the private elevators.
I pulled a small electronic bypass device from my clutch. Using a stolen keycard I had lifted from a security guard on my way in, I boarded the private elevator and jammed the panel, overriding the security lock.
The doors chimed as I reached the 50th floor.
The penthouse hallway was silent, lined with ancient art and guarded by two heavily armed Vane enforcers.
Before they could even raise their submachine guns, I moved like a phantom. I dropped low, sweeping the legs of the first guard, pulling his knife from his belt, and driving the handle into the neck of the second. Within six seconds, both guards were unconscious on the floor.
I sprinted to the end of the hall where a massive titanium vault door stood embedded in the wall.
"Alright, Evelyn," I whispered to myself, attaching the bypass device to the digital keypad. "Work your magic."
The screen flickered. Decrypting... 10%... 45%... 88%...
ACCESS GRANTED.
The heavy steel bolts hissed as the vault door swung open. Inside lay piles of gold bullion, stacks of offshore currency, and in the center of a glass pedestal—the silver hard drive containing the evidence that would clear my team and destroy Marcus Vane.
I reached out and grabbed the drive.
Suddenly, the red emergency lights flashed, and an alarm blared through the penthouse.
The glass doors behind me slammed shut, locking automatically.
From the speaker system above, a harsh, raspy voice echoed through the vault.
"Did you really think it would be that easy, Agent Vance?"
My blood ran cold. It was Marcus Vane.
"I knew Julian brought a little mole to my party," Vane laughed maniacally over the intercom. "Did you really think Julian Moretti was trying to help you? Look at the screen on the wall, darling."
I whipped around to face a television monitor mounted on the vault wall.
The feed showed the VIP gaming floor below.
Julian was standing next to Marcus Vane. They weren't fighting. They weren't playing cards.
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Julian was smiling, accepting a glass of champagne from Marcus Vane, while my picture from my FBI file was displayed on the giant casino screen above them.
"Julian traded you to me in exchange for his family's full immunity," Vane’s voice mocked. "He walked you right into my trap, Evelyn. You were just a bargaining chip to him all along."
