en pier wood met the street, feeling foolish and exposed. He wasn't a criminal mastermind; he was a disgraced professional making a bad choice. His good s

gum color that stood out against the night, a weird beacon under a weak yellow lamp. Elias wanted revenge on

etallic. He reminded himself to focus. His brilliant mind was hi

silent, rolled up twenty feet away. The side

Her expression was calm and judging, like a doctor inspecting a problem. She was in her late thirties, her dark hair pulled back tight, highlighting the sharp

toward him with clean, exact steps. She stopped t

. "You look exactly like a man who lost two hundred and fifty million dollars worth

r eyes. He knew this meeting was about c

"You sound exactly like a woman who figures out the risks of a hostile takeover before ordering her m

all smile. It wasn't warm; it was the satis

g water. "The worth is exactly two hundred fifty million dollars, mostly uncut diamonds. Hard to trace, easy to sell. Your enemy, Arth

bout the museum's flaws. I know them. I need to know why I should take your project.

rd. It was true, but he could

e job. "I didn't try to steal the Collection before, but I know exactly how someone could do it. Sloane frame

Museum's vault. I know the titanium, the soundproofing, the cameras, and the heat sensors. The vault's weakne

anium box built to survive a tank. Impressive. But why do I need you, Vance? I can hire

e is his security. His vault has many backup systems, but the most important securit

ain t

details about the original construction. It's an error in the code that Sloane's current team missed because the blueprints

interest. Elias had given her the professional puzzle she wa

ood name. You plan to betray your own w

e money, her focus i

The reward must match that risk. I will take one half of the cut

ves sixty percent of the total for the eight people we must hire. A straight divi

ng an eyebrow. "You must trul

rrected. "And I trust that you wil

lk was over. They had set the terms: Elias Vance was the intelligence, the blueprint, and

. "We have a deal. I need the complete Guardian schematics and your notes on Sloane's

sked, relieved to be done with t

to face contact. You will get an encrypted location and time. Bring only the schematics. I will bring the first draft of t

ance. It was unnecessary. It was a test of your willingness to follow absurd instructions. I'm

cond later, it drove away quickly,

of worry in his chest eased, replaced by the cool, surgical focus of a scientist ready to solve a massive problem. He tossed the gn

. The real architecture of