Sienna's POV
Inside the bank.Lisa was with Mario on bagging duty. Carlos and his twin were standing guard. They had everyone in a separate room locked up with their phones at the front desk.
I looked down at my watch. 6 minutes left. I split into the eastwing.
Carlos and his twin were doing a good job preventing chaos. There weren't any kids or pregnant women which made it easier for them.
I took out my laptop and started up the program. The drive was in a vault that required a biometric scan of the owner of the bank or second in charge.
Luckily I had a way to open it. I learned how to do it back in Russia from Santos. The only problem with it was it needed to be kept open constantly making it a two man job. The program could keep the door open for 1 minute which was why I needed to hurry.
The door clicked open and I beelined for 3177. The safe with the drive. I grabbed my hair pin and worked at the lock. I grabbed the bag and started looking for the drive. I could see the door slowly closing from the corner of my eye.
I finally get the drive and throw myself out of the room.
I went back to the team and there was 4 minutes on the clock but everyone looked ready to leave. I scanned the room one more time and froze.
Boris. The Russian's second in command. The loyal dog who'd never bite his master. He was gripping his gun ready to jump at any of us if needed. He was tense, an image of him I'd never seen before. Which means He must be here.
Tsar. I followed his eyes to the other side of the room. He wasn't hard to spot. His hair was white which complimented his blue suit. He wore a smirk at Boris who didn't look amused. I pull out a coin from my pocket and spin it to him. A code among them for good bye.
He caught the coin and looked up his expression neutral. I blew him a kiss and followed everyone out.
"We need to leave, I can hear sirens" Carlos whispered beside me.
Without hesitation, we broke into a sprint, slipping out the back the way we came. Soon we could hear the sirens. We sneaked in and behind buildings. We finally got to the garage and the boys started taking apart the back of the car to hide the money.
I changed into jeans, a hoodie and a cap. The rest of the crew followed suit. We got in the car and started changing.
The van roared and we all laid back and joined the road. There were police sirens everywhere. I felt my heart skip a beat. Even though in my past life they weren't caught I couldn't shake the fear of being caught.
We were stopped once but they found nothing so they had to let us go.
—
Once we got home I didn't bother to report first. I let the team handle it. I locked my room and sat on the bed and quickly opened my laptop.
My laptop turned pitch black.
I plugged in my antivirus drive and a blank white tab popped up. I started codding. The security wasn't to protect the files it was destroying my laptop, itself and trying to send out a signal.
I felt my fingers cramp up. I finished the code and fell back into my bed. The stars were glowing in the pattern of a heart. Initially I wanted hearts but Veronica said they wouldn't be as cool.
The files were slow at first, but then the progress bar moved. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.
"Almost"
I skimmed through the files. They were well organised. I clicked on Italy skipping the politicians and started sharing the mafia's files into my laptop. I started transferring the information to my laptop and started looking through which local politicians were the easiest to blackmail.
Suddenly, the screen flickered. The progress stopped. My stomach sank. I stared at the frozen display.
I was about to start coding when the screen turned pitch black. A tab popped up and I felt a lump in my throat.
[Found you маленькая мышь]
"No way"
I pull out the drive.
"Fuck"
[Not to fast]
I keep typing, ignoring the messages on the window. I was fucked if the found out who exactly I was.
My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I froze, feeling the grip of dread tighten in my chest.
"How the fuck did they find me"
The room seemed to close in around me as a faint, sinister laugh echoed in my mind. I used the back door trying to get them out. Then I saw it. A signature. It was Santos the man who taught me how to code.
[Found you,] the message repeated, louder this time.
There was no way I could out code Santos in any lifetime. He was beyond the term genius. I remember how the name Santos made grown men run. He was the owner of the drive that held the secrets of the world.
I unplugged everything and shut off my laptop. If it is was Santos then he definitely knows exactly who and where I am.
Chapter 5
Aleksander's POV
"We need to attack now," Boris barked, his voice too loud for my liking, breaking the tense silence in the room.
I shot him a cold look, twisting the coin between my fingers, a habit I've started finding a bit addictive. That coin, worn from years of use, was now my talisman. I stared at it, a face slowly coming to mind. Sienna Vertorva.
The robbery was a week ago but I still couldn't get the matryoshka mask out of my mind, layers upon layers of mystery. To make matters worse she wore my favourite piece that I'd stolen from Paris when I was 15.
"And say what?" Santos , leaning casually against the desk, eyes still locked on his laptop.
"We got attacked by Italians in Italy. Clearly, they were just robbing the bank. Plus, I found myself a new friend," he added with a calm smirk.
I rolled the coin between my fingers, the action calming me. Sienna Vertorva. Her face haunted my thoughts. I hadn't had a night without that mask on my mind. She had an aura about herself, something dangerous, enticing.I was just beginning to realize how much power she had over me.
"What the hell are you on about?" Boris growled. "She could have a spy on our side—she threw the coin at Alek deliberately. She's probably got eyes everywhere."
"Enough," I snapped, voice low and commanding. I pushed myself off the chair, my mind racing. "Did you get into her laptop?"
Santos shrugged, a little too nonchalant. "Nope. She locked me out of her dad's too. I could get in, but she's most likely wiped everything—photos, messages, plans. Whatever we could get is already gone."
I leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together my thoughts. I had never lost a fight like this, especially not to a damn Italian. The thought rankled deep inside my gut. I flicked my eyes to a recent picture on my phone taken at her sister's party. She dressed nothing like her family. No designer labels, no flashy jewelry. Just indecent comfortably that had men like me staring for a minute longer at her than we had to.
I wanted her to stay out of my head but couldn't. I kept thinking of what we could achieve together. The idea of my marrying an Italian, an enemy, would be enough to give my uncles a heart attack, but I knew she would be worth it. Every layer of that mask, every secret she kept, drew me in further.
Finally, I made up my mind. The plan was set. My jaw clenched tighter.
"Santos," I said sharply, "make sure she doesn't get into that drive. I want to know everything about her and I want her to be unable to optimise that drive until I get to her. Boris, get me a meeting with her father tonight. No excuses."
I pulled out my phone, the screen lighting up on my face. My fingers moved swiftly, dialing and texting my squad.
"Are you serious right now? An Italian?" Boris' voice was laced with disbelief.
"That's an order," I said firmly.
"No questions. Just do it."
I turned on my heel and strode out of the room. Santo was keeping Sienna busy so the squad was going to be in charge of digging dirt on the Italians. If I was going to marry an Italian I might as well get as much as I can out of it.
I headed to my room, closing the door behind me. I stripped out of my clothes, stepping into a shower to wash away the tension. The hot water ran over my skin. I threw on sweatpants and a plain shirt.
Back in the living room, the living room was in chaos. There were computers, monitors and coffee everywhere. I approached the printer, eyes narrowing at the information already assembled. Files labeled "Embezzlement," "Bribery"—nothing too deep, nothing that couldn't be spun as a slap on the wrist. This was just the obvious ones given enough time they would give me enough information to get him to give me his daughter.
I looked at the printout, my jaw tightening. Sienna, what a lovely name for my future wife. I wonder what she'll look like in white.