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.

We were greeted with a cup of Arabic coffee each.

And two security checks.

No way can we get in from the outside. We need to carry this out from the inside, it's our only option. Plus we can't escape immediately, we will have to stay undercover.

"Don't you think it's beautiful, partner," Jian shoves Blaise's arm a little. She just huffs and walks forward into the atrium. The receptionist greets us then calls for a waiter to take us to the bar of the hotel, where we had said we were having a business meeting.

I straighten Jian's blazer, smooth out my own blazer and then nod at Minnie to walk ahead of us.

"You really think you can pull this one off?" He leans down and whispers in my ear

I smile at him and don't move a muscle even if our faces are way too close, "Yes I am sure."

I swiftly turn my head and walk behind Minji, and then look over at Jian who has an amused smile on his face.

My eyes immediately begin to survey the walls and ceilings, looking for the cameras and scanners placed about.

There are way too many of those. This place is going to be hell to deal with. My eyes then follow a security guard disappearing through a door into a narrow hallway.

Perfect. I adjust the camera in my shirt pocket towards the door

I tap my bluetooth and whisper into it, "I might have found a way to the security room."

We enter the restaurant and head straight for the bar where the four of us take a seat each. Blaise has already ordered and used my card, very convenient.

I sit down in between the two hackers because I believe in a peaceful world.

Should've brought Dhara along.

I pinch Minji's side and she stands up with a yelp then gives me a look of understanding.

"I uh need to use the restroom," She says then turns to Blaise, "Can you come with me?"

And... I'm left with Jian again. I kinda get why Blaise doesn't like him. He seems arrogant and uptight.

Oh my God. Just like Blaise. He is just annoying with a smile on his face while Blaise keeps a full fledged frown.

"So... Is my partner seeing anyone?" Jian asks before taking a sip of his drink.

I cough on mine, "Blaise has the ability to be romantic with someone? I thought you were smarter than this."

He looks at his own drink with a grin, "I mean, why not?"

I narrow my eyes, "Why are you asking?"

He clears his throat, his eyes roaming around everywhere, "For my brother of course."

"Oh my... Is he interested in her?!" I say a little too loudly.

"Its a rumor, we don't really know," Jian counters, his smile has been replaced with a teeny tiny frown.

I am beyond excited. I might get to see Blaise display emotion!

"He's coming in tomorrow, right?" I bounce a little in my seat.

Jian has a weird expression on his face, "What? You have a crush on him as well?"

I am about to answer when my bluetooth vibrates a little in my ear, "Leesh! What's the status?" Monique asks on the line.

Ah shit I'm here on a fucking job.

"Switch to Minji's camera, she is scouting with Blaise. I'm at the bar with Zhong Jian, we'll let you know if we observe anything," I whisper.

"Ah got it. Try not to lose it with him," Oh wow he managed to annoy Monique, he's skilled.

I survey the room when the most important thing catches my eye. I furiously tap Jian's shoulder and for the first time he looks like the annoyed one.

"What?" He asks, wiping his arm as if I had used a dusting rag on his arm instead of my hand.

I point to the corner booth of the restaurant where a few men in business attire are sitting together.

"That's the owner of the restaurant!" We need to get closer!"

I search for a microphone in my pockets, but come up empty handed.

Jian holds one out in front of me.

I tap the bluetooth again, "Kai get your ass in here I need you to place a mic on someone!"

And within two minutes, my sweet sweet child appears into the restaurant in her white shirt and grey skirt, looking very uncomfortable but still walking confidently.

She sits next to me and I make sure the bartender is serving someone else away from us before I lean towards her.

I point at the table, "See the slightly older guy in that corner? Wearing a suit without the blazer? Plant it on him."

Kai nods slightly then starts gliding across the floor in her unique manner. She has the weirdest walk, always taking light soundless steps, as if she's walking on air, and there's always a slight skip, as if she's ready to make a run for it, yet she somehow keeps herself grounded to not lose balance.

She would make the most wonderful ballerina.

Though she would slit my neck if I ever relayed this suggestion to her.

I look like a penguin compared to her.

"I've never seen your thief at work," Jian has the amused smile on his face again.

Kai makes her way forward, turning side by side gracefully, avoiding tables and waiters and plants, in such fluid motion.

"She is the most impressive of us lot. Oh well, her and Pandora. Dora can replicate any look on any face," I whisper back to him.

"Yeah that one scares me," Jian nods and I hold back a laugh. Of course.

At the right moment, Kai pretends to bump into a waitress and fall right in front of the owner's chair.

"But, the owner wouldn't discuss the important stuff in a restaurant," Jian decides to comment.

"Well the microphone is not detected by lazers or X-rays so it might be useful to us as long as he's wearing his clothes."

The owner, just looks at Kai with a disgusted expression before a waitress comes to help her up.

"Monique is in huge demand among the gangs you know? The Black Jacks will take her in the minute she decides to leave you guys," Jian sips his drink again.

"Ha! My mom is never leaving me for those street critters," I say confidently.

Jian laughs loudly. Guess he's not that fond of them either.

"What's got him laughing?" I hear Minnie's voice from behind me as Blaise appears in front of me and takes a seat right next to her fellow hacker.

"Ah yes we need the closeness to develop a bond," He comments with a smirk. Blaise makes a very ungraceful gagging motion in reply and shift to the chair next to Minnie, far away from our Chinese friend.

Kai comes back swiftly towards us, "I placed it, let's go."

I hold up a hand and then turn to Minnie again, "You got what we needed?"

Minji shakes her head, "The security is way too tight, we're gonna have to make more trips. Bring the grifters next time."

I do a mental calculation of the time we have left.

I nod at Minji who is tying her straight black hair back into a ponytail, "You come here with Allie and Cassie tomorrow."

"Aw man I was hoping to come here with partner tomorrow," Jian playfully whines.

Kai tilts her head to the side, "Aren't you supposed to pick up the twin we actually like, tomorrow?"

Jian's smile disappears into a frown, but it looks like a serious one, "Your words hurt me, dear sister."

⚜️

Okay new love interest. Or maybe two????

Lemme know what you guys think. I wanted a different race then Americans and all I could think was Chinese or Korean.