Uncovering the Heist

Damon's hands gripped the wheel more tightly than normal as he drove, the night air heavy with anxiety.  As I sat next to him, my mind was racing.  Marcus's former home.  Lena had found herself there despite the fact that it had been deserted for years.

And one of my favorite paintings, the one we had stolen, was still nowhere to be found.

I sensed the strong, electric energy emanating from Damon, who hadn't spoken anything since Jax's call.  He was already making plans and preparing 10 steps in advance.

I took a deep breath.  "What if it's not just the painting, Damon?"

He clenched his jaw.  "It isn't."

I gave him my entire attention.  "So what is it?"

Eyes fixed on the road, he let out a breath.  In power, Marcus established an empire.  That remained after his death.  There was just a power void remaining.  Someone is now attempting to remind us that his influence is still there.

A shiver ran down my back.

We parked the vehicle in the shade of the overgrown trees as we approached the estate's edge.  I knew better than to believe appearances, but the house loomed ahead, dark and empty.

Jax had a somber expression on his face as he waited for us near the side entrance.  "Lena is inside."  She is not alone, but she is alive.

Damon's gaze grew strained.  "Who owns her?"

Jax paused.  A former name reappeared.  Gabriel Kade.

I gasped.  "Kade?  After Marcus fell, he vanished.

"Not far enough, apparently."  Jax pointed to the residence.  We're running out of time.  Kade is complicit in the heist if he has her.

Damon's expression was inscrutable as we exchanged glances. He went on his way without a word, vanishing into the night so effortlessly that I started to wonder how much of his history he had really left behind.

I followed, my heart thumping loudly in my ears.

Jax led the way as we made our way through the rear door of the mansion in silence. The home was a holdover from a period I want to forget; it smelled of dust and death.

Then I heard voices.

We listened while leaning against the wall beside an open doorway.

"Lena, you have no other option," a man's silky but foreboding voice murmured. "You're making this messy when you were only supposed to do a basic job."

Lena's tone faltered. "I had no idea they would discover it so quickly. I had the thought—

"You were mistaken," Kade cut in, his voice becoming gloomy. "You are now a liability."

I balled my fists.

Damon looked at me and grabbed the hidden handgun at his belt. "At my target," he muttered.

I nodded.

Jax used his fingers to softly count down.

Three.

Two.

One.

First to move, Damon dashed through the door like a shadow escaping the shadows.

Damon had Kade wedged against the desk with one arm bent behind his back before he could even react. Damon growled, "If I were you, I wouldn't move."

Lena groaned in relief as I rushed forward, holding on to her. "Emma..."

"You're with us," I whispered.

Jax shut the door behind us, rifle ready in case anybody else approached.

Kade laughed, even under Damon’s clutches.  “Well, well.  The incomparable Damon Wolfe, back in his element.  Does it feel good?  Reliving the old days?”

Damon's pressure on his arm increased.  "Tell me the location of the painting."

Kade grinned.  "Do you believe it remains here?"

Damon's eyes became gloomy.  "Speak up."

Kade cocked his head, obviously having fun in spite of the circumstances.  "It's too late."

I moved in closer.  "What is it too late for?"

He grinned more broadly.  "The painting has already disappeared."

I felt sick to my stomach.

Damon did not recoil.  "Where?"

Kade gave a low, mocking chuckle.  "You're not playing the right game, Wolfe, no matter how much you threaten me.  This has nothing to do with any stolen artwork.

Damon pressed him more firmly against the desk.  "So, what's the matter?"

Leaning closer, Kade whispered something that only Damon could hear.

He said something that made Damon freeze.

Something unusual and deadly flickered in his eyes, and I saw it.

Kade smiled.  "Do you see now?"

Damon took a step back, clenching his jaw.

"Damon?"  My chest tightened as I asked.

He seemed uncertain for the first time in a long time.

Kade brushed himself clean without concern.  "All OK.  Go after the artwork.  However, what is the true masterpiece?  His eyes sparkled.  "That hasn't happened yet."

I took hold of Damon's arm.  "What is he discussing?"

Damon let out a loud sigh.  "We must relocate.  Right now.

After giving Kade a last scowl, Jax pushed past him and opened the door.

Lena held fast to my arm as we hurried out of the estate.  "I didn't mean for any of this, Emma—"

I made myself pay attention and said, "We'll talk later."

The chilly air slapped me from outside.

Damon looked over at Jax.  "Take Lena to a secure location.  And discover the fate of that picture.

Jax gave her a nod and ushered her out.

I took hold of Damon's hand.  "Explain the situation to me."

His fingers clenched around mine, but his face was inscrutable.  "The true target was not the painting."

I scowled.  "So what was it?"

He paused.

Then, quietly, "You."

It sent a chill through me.  "Me?"

Gazing back at the shadowy mansion, he let out a breath.  "Someone wishes to remind us that the game still involves us."

My heart was racing.

Something unsaid and primal filled Damon's eyes as he gazed at me.  "And they have only just begun."

Like a chill mist, the weight of Damon's words descended upon me.  I was the target of someone.  However, why?

I took a deep breath.  Do you believe that this was all a set-up?  Was it just bait, the picture, Lena, Kade?

Damon clenched his jaw.  "That's how it's beginning to appear."

My heart pounding, I looked back to the dilapidated home.  We had walked straight into a trap if this was one.  There were so many options in my head.  Who would do such a thing?  Who had the strength, the means, and the audacity to attack us in this manner?

Jax came back with a tight look.  "I just looked over Lena's vehicle.  It has been destroyed, with tires cut and windows broken.  Nobody wanted her to go so easily.

Still trembling, Lena trembled next to him.  "I promise, I had no idea.  I believed that all I was doing was providing the artwork.

Damon let out a loud sigh.  So why were you and Kade meeting?  What made him refer to you as a liability?

Lena avoided looking at him and bit her lip.  "Because...  I heard something that I shouldn't have.

Jax and I looked at each other.  Both Damon's and my patience were becoming low.

"What did you hear exactly?"  Damon insisted.

After a moment of hesitation, Lena said, "A name."

The atmosphere became more tense.

Damon took a step forward.  "Whose name is it?"

Lena's apprehension was evident as her eyes flitted to mine.  Then she responded, just above a whisper.

"Alec Stanton."

The earth appeared to move under me.

"No," I murmured.  "That isn't feasible."

Stanton Alec.  The guy who attempted to dominate my career at one point.  The guy who, unlike anybody else, had threatened me.  After his business empire collapsed due to controversy, he vanished years ago.

Damon's face became serious.  "Are you certain?"

Lena gave a brief nod.  "Kade brought him up.  Said he was ‘back in play.’”

I felt a shiver go through me.

Damon looked over at Jax.  "Lena needs to go.  Right now.

With a nod, Jax led her to his vehicle.  "I'll transport her to a secure location."

Lena's face was clouded by dread and shame as she looked back at me.  "This is not what I intended to happen."

I nodded firmly, but my thoughts were already far away.

Damon took a strong hold of my hand.  "We must leave."

I hardly realized that I was moving, much alone that Damon was guiding me to our vehicle.  One question filled my mind.

Why would Alec Stanton return at this time?

The night was dark and ominous as we drove away from the estate.

Damon gripped the steering wheel more tightly.  "Emma, we're dealing with more than just stolen art anymore."

My chest tightened as I turned to face him.  "So what are we up against?"

He let out a deep breath while keeping his eyes on the road.

"A conflict."