Most people didn’t bother to secure the doors and windows above the first two floors of their homes and offices, but Stuart Mosley and the other folks at First Trust were far more cautious than most. They had to be, given all the millions in cash, jewelry, bonds, and more stored inside. Normally, the two security cameras mounted over the access door would have been swiveling around in constant circles, covering every single part of the roof, and a faint hum would have been emanating from the door itself, since it was electrified.
But the cameras were frozen in place, with no red lights flashing on them, and the only sound was the wind continually gusting across the roof. So I made a ball of slushy Ice and threw it at the door. When no sparks flew, I went over to the door and peered at the high-end lock embedded in the metal. I also rattled the knob, just in case someone had left it unlocked, but of course, my luck could never be that good.
“Um, Gin?” Bria asked. “Do you see those security cameras pointed right at you?”
“Yep.”
She frowned. “And you’re not worried that Deirdre’s spotted us already on the feed?”
“If you were taking over a bank and planning to pick it clean, what’s the first thing you would do after you got inside?”
She thought about it. “Disable the security system and erase all the footage.”
I shot my thumb and forefinger at her. “Bingo. Deirdre doesn’t want any record that she was ever here, and she doesn’t want to accidentally trip any alarms getting into the cash cages or the basement vault. That’s why the cameras are down, along with the rest of the security system. She doesn’t realize it, but she’s made it a whole lot easier for us to get inside.”
I looked at the lock again. I didn’t want to waste precious time picking it, so I reached for my Ice magic, ready to freeze and shatter the lock—
And that’s when the dead bolt clicked free, and the door started opening.
Bria dashed around the corner and out of sight, but I didn’t have time to do that, so I ended up darting behind the door and hoping that whoever was opening it wouldn’t think to look behind it.
A giant dressed in a gray bank guard’s uniform strode through the door and took several steps out onto the roof. I held my hands up, catching the door before it slammed into my face, then peered around the edge of it. The guard looked around, his hand dropping to his black leather utility belt, as if he were going for the gun holstered there. I palmed a knife and tensed, ready to move. But instead of reaching for his weapon, the giant grabbed the walkie-talkie off his belt, hit a button on the side, and brought the device up to his lips.
“The roof is secure. You want me to hang out up here or come back down and help the other guys with the cash cages while you work on the vault?” the guy asked, then let go of the button and waited for a response.
Static crackled out of the walkie-talkie. “I’ve got the vault covered, and Ralph and the others are cutting through the cages right now. Stay up there. I don’t want anyone trying to get in here from any angle, not even the roof.”
That was Santos’s voice. So he had men working in the lobby, but he was down in the basement vault. That’s where Deirdre would be too, and most likely Finn.
The guy sighed and pressed the button on the walkie-talkie again. “Roger that. Call me when you need me.”
“Roger that,” Santos replied.
The guy sighed again, louder and deeper, disappointed that he wasn’t in on the action down in the lobby. He holstered his walkie-talkie and turned to close the access door behind him.
Right where I was waiting.
His eyes bulged, but he didn’t even have time to scream before I stepped up and sliced my knife across his throat. The giant clutched both hands to the vicious wound, trying to put pressure on the gaping hole, even as his legs slid out from under him and he toppled to the ground.
“I’ll take that,” I said, bending down and plucking the walkie-talkie off his belt.
The guy coughed, but that was the only noise he made as he bled out. I turned the walkie-talkie back on, hoping to hear some chatter from Santos and his crew, but the device remained silent. They were probably too busy breaking into the vault and the cash cages to talk right now. Good. That meant that no one would miss this guard for several minutes, if not longer. I turned off the walkie and slid it into one of the pockets on my vest.
Bria stepped out from behind the corner, gun in hand. “What now?”
“Now we go down into the belly of the beast.” I held my hand out, gesturing at the dark corridor that led into the bank. “Ladies first.”
She nodded, raised her weapon, and stepped through the door into the shadows.
Bloody knife in hand, I followed her.
We were in.
25
First Trust bank was housed in an old prewar building, so it wasn’t nearly as tall as the modern skyscrapers that made up the downtown skyline. But it took up the entire block, which meant that there was a lot of ground to cover.