Whatever Lola Wants (PM for invite)

[SweetAsSuga]

Role filled


Lola Connelly

Age: 27

Mysterious, charismatic, and alluring are just a few words that describe Lola. She is an enigma to everyone, revealing only what she chooses. A chameleon that is able to change her appearance and personality to fit a situation, you never know which side of Lola you will get at any given moment.






IC


Five. Two. Sixty. The numbers rolled through Lola’s mind. Five guards. Two possible exits. And sixty seconds to secure the target and reach one of the exits, all without any of the guards noticing. It was tricky, but it wasn’t anything Lola hadn’t done before. She had been pulling heists like this since she was seven and her dad took her to the Met in New York. Back then, though, she had been the distraction while her dad heisted the art. Her days as a diversion were long over, now it was her turn to pull the heists, something she’d been doing – successfully she might add – for a good five years.

Glancing at her watch, Lola waited until the second hand hit the four. Go time.

Across the room a little boy started screaming bloody murder, crying out for his mommy and asking everyone around him if they had seen her. Sympathetic women pulled their husbands towards the boy, trying to comfort him and help him find his mother. Three of the guards moved towards the crush of people surrounding the boy, speaking into their walkies as they did so. The remaining two guards stood on alert, their eyes scanning the crowd of people.

As all eyes were focused on the boy, Lola maneuvered her way through the crowd, slipping unseen through the crush of bodies. Just another face in the worried mass. It was within her reach, a glass case in the corner of the room. Inside the case a diamond necklace shone brightly beneath the little spotlight centered in the case. But it wasn’t the necklace that Lola was looking for. Reaching the case, she quickly picked the lock on the back and, keeping her back to the security cameras even though she knew the footage was on a continuous loop thanks to her tech guy, she slid the glass panel door open just enough to grab the pair of sapphire earrings that sat beside the necklace. They didn’t appear to be anything special, a simple pair of drop earrings; the sapphires cut into teardrops and surrounded by small diamonds. But Lola knew their true value.

Kneeling down, Lola deposited an earring into the hollowed out heels of her brown boots. Forty seconds down, twenty more to go. She moved back through the swell of people still frantically searching for the little boy’s mother, giving a subtle tug on the boy’s shirt sleeve. He wiped frantic tears from his eyes in response while continuing to plead for his mommy. The boy was good, Lola couldn’t have done better herself. But what else could she expect from her little brother.

With the exit a mere three feet away, Lola could pass through it in a few easy strides.

The alarm sounded just as she was about to pass through the doorway. Quick as lightening the guards sprang into action. Lola glanced over her shoulder at the commotion. It wouldn’t be long before the doors bolted shut, trapping her inside. Her mind moved swiftly, adrenaline coursing through her veins. A single bead of sweat slipped down her back. But she didn’t let the fear of getting caught stop her, she had learned to conquer that fear long ago. Before the bolts could lock on the door in front of her, Lola did a quick check to make sure the guards were otherwise engaged. People scrambled all around her, panicking as the alarms blared. The little boy who had lost his mother was completely forgotten. In the mayhem nobody was paying the slightest attention to the woman inching slowly towards one of the exits. And nobody noticed as she slipped out the door. And nobody saw her climb into the station wagon two blocks away and pull off the long, brown wig to reveal her own short, blonde curls. And not a single person cared to question her when she picked up the little boy from the police station an hour later.

 

[No_such_thing]

Sixty. A child started crying, people turning to see the disturbance, anxious women pulling exasperated husbands towards a young boy bawling his eyes out.

Fifty-five. The guards had taken notice of the disturbance, three moved towards the rapidly growing crowd around the inconsolable boy. The other guards had allowed themselves, amateurishly, to be distracted by the commotion, scanning the crowd instead of ignoring the obvious distraction.

Fifty. A young woman began to move in the opposite direction from the crowd, the guards didn't pick her out as unusual, but pair of admiring eyes followed her across the room.

Forty. The young woman reached the glass cabinet in the corner of the room and slipped a lockpick into the keyhole at the back.

Fifteen. The case stood alone now the earrings missing. Impressive, the lock had hardly taken her fifteen seconds and the earrings had vanished even more quickly.

Ten. She moved back through the crowd, moving past the young boy who wiped the tears from his cheeks with his sleeve, but continued to plead desperately for his mother.

One. She reached the door, as a siren sounded, brushing past the alarmed looking man in the doorway with one quick look back. His was longer though, and he smiled admiringly at her retreating figure through the grille that descended in reaction to the alarm.

-

James Edward Marks was thirty, tall, good looking in a dangerous sort of way, with short dark hair and a dark, infectious smile. He was slim, but he moved with the kind of ease that hinted at toned muscle beneath the jeans and shirt.

James was a thief, a cat-burglar, one of the best, but even he would hesitate at pulling off such a stunt in broad daylight. He chuckled to himself, she was exactly what he was looking for.

Just over an hour later he'd finished giving his statement, the police took his details - fake of course - and let him leave the station along with the droves of other people who'd been in the building when the earrings had vanished.

He turned his phone on, a cheap unregistered pay as you go phone, one of a pair he'd bought this morning. Dialing a number he put it to his ear. There was ringing at the other end, that was good, it meant Lola either hadn't noticed the cell he'd slipped into her pocket, or was curious as to why she'd found it there. The line clicked as someone at the other end picked up. His voice was deep, smooth the kind of voice you could lose yourself in if you weren't careful.

"Lola, I have a proposition for you."

 

[SweetAsSuga]

"Number of security cameras and guards?" Lola asked as she drove away from the police station, giving only a brief glance in her rear view mirror to make sure she wasn't being tailed.

"Six cameras, but the guards are a trick question. There were ten on the floor, and another five on break. Plus there were three who lived above the gallery who were on call for any emergencies." Luke Connelly quickly answered his sister's question. It was a game they liked to play, Lola would name a building or target which Luke then had to answer with the type of security they had in place. This game was how Connelly men and women had been teaching their children for the past five generations. It was the best way to ensure that the family name was still listed as the best among thieves.

"Good job." Lola reached over and ruffled her half-brother's dark hair. Luke had become her responsibility after their dad had died three years before. At the time, Lola was twenty-four and just making a name for herself. She'd been pulling off bigger and better heists, always trying to beat the best heists that her ancestors had pulled. There was no way that she wanted to be burdened with a, then, six-year-old Luke. He would only be a liability. But Luke had proven to be every bit a Connelly as Lola was.

"Okay...let's give you a hard one," she said, coming to a stop at a red light, "The Tate Museum in London."

"Which wing?" Luke quickly asked.

"Modern. Target is the Picasso of your choice."

Luke paused, contemplating what he had learned of the museum. The light turned green and Lola pulled out through the intersection. Taking a left, she headed out of the city.

"C'mon kiddo, times a wasting, too much longer and Interpol is locking you up for ten to twelve."

Luke's retort was cut off by the ringing of a cell phone.

"What was that?" Lola snapped, neither of them had a cell phone on them.

"I think it's coming from your pocket." Luke pointed at the pocket of Lola's forest green trench coat.

"What the hell?" Lola reached down and pulled the offending phone out. She and Luke exchanged a look. An inkling of fear was beginning to grow in Lola as she looked down at the phone, still ringing in her hand.

It was an obvious burn phone, one of those pay as you go type things that every thief worth their salt used. Lola had a strict rule regarding phones. Use them for two days then throw them. She had just thrown her phone out that morning before the heist.

"Um...I think you should answer it." Luke muttered, the tremors in his voice revealing his own fear. He knew Lola's policy.

Flipping the phone open as cautiously as if it were a bomb about to explode, Lola brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Lola, I have a proposition for you." The voice on the other end was deep and obviously male. Fear shot up Lola's spine. This was not a voice she recognized.

"Who the hell is this?" She snapped. "And how the fuck -"

"You said fuck." Luke laughed. Lola glared at him and he immediately quieted.

"How the fuck did you get this phone on me." Lola finished.

 

[No_such_thing]

He smiled, she obviously hadn't found the phone then, that was both disappointing and a little relieving. At least she hadn't found it and simply thrown it away, on the other hand, there were still holes in her guard and the tone of her reply made it clear that he'd hit a nerve. He was walking through crowds now, an occasional person glanced his way, but none would be listening, and he'd already been careful to check for tails.

"Lola, I'm surprised at you, using such language in front of your younger brother."

That was cruel, but he couldn't resist, he'd known her father briefly, and knew that she had a younger brother. When he'd seen her use him as a distraction, followed by the faint voice in the background of the phone call he'd put two and two together. It made sense, the Connelly's were almost a dynasty, their father had been a legend, about as close to thief royalty as you got.

"As to how I got it onto you. I'm surprised you didn't notice yourself, but with so many people in the gallery it must have been so hard to keep track of everything that was going on."

There was a hint of dark amusement in his voice, lending it a dangerous edge that was perhaps a little unfair. He really didn't mean her any harm, and he genuinely had a proposition for her, it might be more dangerous than the thefts she usually pulled off but he doubted that her father's spirit would let her turn her back on such a challenge.

He had been wandering through the crowds, with little apparent direction, sliding easily around people with the kind of grace commonly associated with dancers and Olympic athletes, careers he had never been particularly interested in, this one was far more fun. And it was certainly more lucrative.

He'd stopped outside a small cheap hotel while still talking, going inside and taking his key from the woman in the dingy, musty reception. He walked up to his room and let himself in. The room didn't look like it had been used at all, anyone looking at it would assume he'd arrived this morning without any baggage.

A thief would know better as he crossed to the window and ducked out, strolling down the fire escape like you would down the stairs outside your front door. As he reached the street again he'd finished talking, he'd been patronizing, but the thought that someone had been able to slip something into her pocket should keep her interested, at least long enough for him to capture her interest for good.

 

[SweetAsSuga]

"Lola, I'm surprised at you, using such language in front of your younger brother."

Lola glanced at Luke as the man spoke, trying desperately to hide her fear. There were men out there who would like nothing better than to see Lola, or anyone in her family for that matter, dead. People that the Connelly's had stolen from, powerful people who could easily make life a nightmare. Lola was afraid that this might be one of those men.

She pulled the car over to the side of the empty road. Her hands were steady as she put the car in park, but that was only from years of training her body to redirect its nervous energy.

"As to how I got it onto you. I'm surprised you didn't notice yourself, but with so many people in the gallery it must have been so hard to keep track of everything that was going on.

With each word it was evident that this man was taking pleasure in teasing Lola, in making her afraid for the reveal of who was on the line with her. He had been at the gallery, he had seen her take the earrings, so what now? Though she wanted to scream at him to just come out with it already, Lola held her tongue, not giving him the satisfaction of knowing that he was getting under her skin. But it seemed that he had said his piece, though not once did he mention the proposition he had stated he had for her. Unable to contain herself any longer, Lola took a deep, calming breath before speaking.

"Listen, I don't know who you are or what you want from me. But if you intend to keep me on this phone much longer you had better tell me. You've got five seconds to stop dicking around with me and say your piece before I hang up."

 

[No_such_thing]

He smiled, almost chuckled, she bites.

"No Lola, I am sorry, my name is James Marks, I, like you am a thief. You have nothing to fear from me. I'm not going to sell you to the police... or anyone else."

He stepped back onto the street, he was out of sight of the hotel, but if he'd had any tails they would have stopped at the hotel. He was very careful, he wouldn't have got far in his line of work without it.

"So Lola, tell me, have you heard of the Moonstone?"

The item was one of the most famous gems in existence, a huge, flawless diamond, it had disappeared nearly two hundred years ago in the siege of Seringapatam in India. The original owner, the Tipu Sultan had been found shot dead, his jewels, including the legendary Moonstone, missing. From there had started a long cycle of theft and murder. It was possibly the most valuable diamond on the planet and it rarely remained in one mans hands for long.

It had become the item all thieves dreamed about, it was no longer simply about greed, now it was about skill. Whomsoever stole the Moonstone from it's previous owner was recognised as the greatest thief, or thieves of their generation. Sometimes it would vanish for decades before the underground community discovered the 'line of succession.'

Add to that the fact that you didn't have to retain it to maintain that reputation and it took on a whole new light. An auction on the black market, in which items generally went for a fraction of their real value, would still fetch in excess of $300 million. You could retire very comfortably on the bounty of that diamond. Well, James had found out where it was, worse, he'd found out who currently possessed it, and that had given him pause...

 

[SweetAsSuga]

"No Lola, I am sorry, my name is James Marks, I, like you am a thief. You have nothing to fear from me. I'm not going to sell you to the police... or anyone else."

James Marks. Lola had heard that name before, but where?

"So Lola, tell me, have you heard of the Moonstone?"

Lola's mind instantly filtered through everything she knew of the Moonstone and its infamous disappearances. Only a year before he had died, Lola's father, Jack Connelly, had tried to track down the Moonstone, saying that it was the greatest thing any thief could hope to lay their hands on.

She had begged and pleaded with her father not to go after the illustrious diamond, knowing full well that his health was already starting to fade and there was no way he was up for such an overwhelming task. The Moonstone had been in Jack's possession once, long before Lola had ever been born, and he had sold it to the highest bidder. And, before he died, Jack had wanted to lay his hands on the beautiful jewel one last time.

The memories of her father sitting at the kitchen table, blue prints and schematics scattered all around him, came unbidden to Lola's mind. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she held them back, not wanting Luke to see.

"I've heard of it," she said, her voice unwavering. If this James Marks knew who she was, then he obviously knew who her father was, and thus he knew that Jack Connelly had once held the Moonstone. "And I also know that it's been off the grid for over ten years. Not even the best of the best know where it is. And, since I've never heard of you, that means you're not one of those best, which means you couldn't possibly know where the Moonstone is."

She settled back into her seat, a smirk crossing her lips as she felt that she him cornered.

 

[No_such_thing]

He chuckled, there was a hint of self-satisfaction in her voice and he could almost hear the smirk that was undoubtedly on her lips. There had certainly been a bite in her last comment and he almost winced in mock pain. But of course this was the phone, physical reactions had very little to do with it.

"Twelve and a half years, to be precise, ever since it was stolen by Gregory Thomas. That's when it dropped below the radar. From our dear friend Greg it fell into the hands of quite a famous and successful American businessman."

What he didn't mention is quite how it came into the hands of said businessman. Gregory had been murdered, it had been hushed up of course, but the top thieves had known what had happened. Not accurately, but Gregory had been left, gasping out his last breaths in a wet froth of blood, watching the briefcase containing the Moonstone vanish into the crowds. They'd never found out who had done it, but Jack Connelly had, he'd worked it out about two years before his death, he'd never told anyone, not even his daughter.

But now James had found it, he'd broken into a vault in Switzerland, imagine his surprise when the first box he'd broken open belonged to none other than Jack Connelly. The man had kept records of everything he'd planned for the Moonstone, almost obsessively. It hadn't simply been a heist for Gregory, it was a job, he'd been hired to steal the Moonstone. Worse, was the man who'd hired him, he was infamous among criminal circles for doing whatever he had to to get what he wanted, and for employing one or two nasty characters to get it. It was obvious what had happened. Either Gregory had figured he'd get more if he sold it on, or his employer had simply decided it would be cheaper to kill him and take the diamond.

Of course he didn't mention any of this, the death of the last man to have stolen it would only put her off, and he didn't want to throw his bargaining chip, the owner's name, into the ring just yet.

"No no, I imagine you haven't heard of me, I'm glad, in fact. But to establish my... credentials shall we say, have you heard of the Uffizi theft?"

He was referring to 'The Birth of Venus', one of the most famous paintings in the world, and it had vanished in 2009. Overnight, no alarms had been tripped, no doors forced, no indication of any intruder, regardless, the next day the canvas had disappeared. In it's place was a single, handwritten, note.

'An interesting outing. ShadowDancer.'

Just that note, nothing more, nothing less. The painting resurfaced two years later in the hands of a private collector whose assets had been frozen. Despite repeated questioning, he couldn't put a name or even a face to whoever had sold him the painting, nor could he understand exactly how his human smuggling business had been so comprehensively exposed. The man had gone to prison for a very, very long time.

 

[SweetAsSuga]

The Uffizi theft was legend, or as close to legend as something could be after four years. Nobody knew who had pulled it off and nobody could figure out how it had been done. Even the best in the field were clueless, including Lola and Jack Connelly.

"Okay, you have my attention." Lola said, having to admit to herself that if this guy really had been the one to pull the Uffizi, she had to give him some props. "But I don't want to do this over the phone, even if it is untraceable. Meet me at Intelligentsia in two hours." Lola said, naming a popular coffee shop in the downtown area. Most thieves believed meetings needed to occur in secluded places where there were few if no people around. But Lola had always been taught to go where you will blend in. The more people around you, the less someone is paying attention to you.

"If you're even ten seconds late, I'm walking." Lola added before hanging up. Luke opened his mouth, but Lola shot him a look and he instantly stopped whatever he was going to say. She pulled the car back onto the road, throwing the phone out the window as she drove off.

 

[No_such_thing]

He smiled, opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it ruefully at the obvious click of the phone being hung up. He didn't bother ringing back, she'd probably already discarded hers, and as he walked he deftly slid his own apart in his hands , depositing various parts in bins along the way. He knew the coffee shop, and appreciated her choice, blend in. But it also meant that if he wasn't to be trusted, there would also be plenty of witnesses around.

Exactly one hour fifty-nine minutes and 49 seconds later he walked into the cafe. He'd changed, he was wearing a dark blue suit, just another business man on a coffee break. He looked around, he knew of Lola, even if he'd never actually met her, and he knew of her penchant and ability for disguise, so he wasn't expecting to see anyone he recognised. She would have dropped off her brother somewhere, not wanting to get him involved no doubt, so there was no point looking for a young boy. He walked up to the counter, no doubt she would have seen him by now, she would make herself known.

 

[SweetAsSuga]

Having dropped Luke off at the apartment, Lola now sat on one of the sofas that made up the center section of the Intelligentsia. On the table next to her sat a half-empty mug of their Peruvian blend, now cold from having sat for just under an hour. Lola had arrived at the coffee shop fifty minutes early, staking out the perfect spot. With a battered copy of David Benioff's City of Thieves in her hands, Lola surveyed the patrons of the coffee shop. Her head itched beneath the new wig that she had donned, this one a dark black, stylish bob cut. She was dressed in a short floral skirt with a red belt cinched around her waist and a plain white t-shirt. She looked, for all intents and purposes, like any other woman in the place.

It was ten seconds until the two hour mark. Lola surveyed the room once again, waiting to see if he would show. A man walked into the shop, purpose in his every step. Dressed in a dark blue suit he looked like any other man on his usual coffee break from the office. He should have blended in easily to the crowd, at least to any casual observer. But Lola was no casual observer.

Bingo. She gestured to a barista that was cleaning at the table beside her.

"Excuse me, Miss, I'd like to order a Cafe Medici. And have it sent to the gentleman at the counter. Thank you."

Lola watched, waiting to see if he would catch the hidden meaning behind the drink she'd chosen.

The Medici had been one of her first solo jobs. It was a small, private collection in Italy owned by a man who claimed to be able to chart his ancestry all the way back to the Medici family.

Sipping her now cold coffee, Lola waited.

 

[No_such_thing]

He smiled as the server pushed the coffee across the counter. "One Cafe Medici sir, from the lady in the centre there."

The barista gestured to the centre of the coffee shop, there were a few tables and several customers, but only one table had only one occupant. He smiled at the thought of the coffee. Cafe Medici. The Medici job, he remembered that one, he'd made sure to look into it before he'd come looking for her, he knew about most of her documented jobs, even if the cops didn't but that was the one that had first caught his attention. She had exactly the kind of breathtaking audacity they were going to need to pull this one off.

He took the coffee and, still smiling, walked over to the chair opposite her, placing the coffee cup on the table and sitting down with a satisfied sigh. There was humour in his voice as he spoke, disguising them as a couple "You get here early honey? I'm sure I'm not late."

 

[SweetAsSuga]

Lola smiled up at him. "You know me, sweet heart, I'm always early. And don't worry, you're right on time."

She waited for him to take the seat beside her, using the time to study this mysterious man. Lola was certain she'd never seen him before. He was, Lola was fairly certain, a bit arrogant and he didn't bother with any form of disguise. Her eyes traveled over his body, taking in the fine cut of his suit and the way that it molded to his body to show off the toned muscles beneath.

Placing her book in her purse, which Lola kept strategically tucked between herself and the couch, she faced James Marks.

"Now, sweetie," she said, keeping up the pretense of a couple, "tell me all about your new merger." She leaned in, like an eager girlfriend waiting to hear her boyfriends news.

 

[No_such_thing]

"Have you heard of Nicholas Howard? He owns one of the most powerful energy companies in the world and has shares in anything else that makes money, a billionaire, without a doubt and a thoroughly obnoxious one by all accounts."

He leant back in the chair, arms resting against the back of it, confident, relaxed, very much in control of the situation. He'd already looked her over in much the same way that she had him, admiring the tone and curves of her body unashamedly. She was beautiful, undeniably, with the kind of figure that would turn heads wherever she was.

"We're planning to meet him soon, I've already set up an appointment with him as a matter of fact, I was wondering if you'd like to come along, you know how a pretty girl helps in business. We get this and we are the top of the game, same level as royalty really. What do you think honey?"

 

[SweetAsSuga]

Heard of him? Who hadn't heard of Nicholas Howard. The man was a legend in the party circuit for throwing the most elaborate bashes. This man didn't have any old wine and cheese party. No, he flew in the finest caviar, champagne, and hookers that money could buy. His party-boy ways were known the world over. Everyone who was anyone coveted an invite to one of his gatherings. And he wasn't half bad to look at either.

Of course Lola didn't say all of this to James. Instead, she merely nodded.

"We're planning to meet him soon, I've already set up an appointment with him as a matter of fact, I was wondering if you'd like to come along, you know how a pretty girl helps in business. We get this and we are the top of the game, same level as royalty really. What do you think honey?"

"Well, sweetheart, I think that's a fabulous idea." Lola smiled, placing a hand on James' arm. "Anything I can do to make your job easier I'm more than happy to do. When do we meet with Mr. Howard?"

While she waited for his reply, Lola prayed that James Marks wasn't playing with her or setting her up. Both were always a possibility in Lola's line of work. While she thought herself to be a good judge of a person's character, one could never know with other thieves, nor could one be too cautious.

 

[No_such_thing]

"Well I imagine we'll need a little time to get things together, but he's expecting to meet us on Friday, he's in Chicago and has invited us to dinner with him at Alinea. And you'd be surprised at the strings I had to pull to get even that."

The restaurant was the most expensive in the city, one of the most expensive in America with the bill typically coming to about $800 a meal. It was an extravagant gesture, and just the kind of place Howard would eat at every day, they said he had a Michelin Star chef in his mansion. The man was the kind who enjoyed flashing his cash.

James had been confident that she would be interested, it was hard to say no to something like this, the Moonstone, if they stole that they would be up there with the greatest thieves of all time. The opportunity was irresistible. All he had to hope was that now she knew more, she would take him up on the offer, it was unlikely that he'd be able to find another as good as she was, not with so little time left before he met with Howard.

 

[SweetAsSuga]

"Well I imagine we'll need a little time to get things together, but he's expecting to meet us on Friday, he's in Chicago and has invited us to dinner with him at Alinea. And you'd be surprised at the strings I had to pull to get even that."

Lola leaned back into the sofa, her eyes sweeping over James, measuring him. Having always prided herself on her ability to read people, Lola determined that, from this brief meeting, James was an okay guy and didn't mean her any harm. A barista dropped off a fresh cup of coffee, the steam rising in the air and the heavenly aroma calling out to Lola. She took a sip of the coffee and savored the full, rich blend.

"Friday sounds perfect," she replied. "I assume we'll have a lot of things we need to figure out before then." She paused, debating on her next move. "Why don't we go back to my place where we can have a little more...privacy."

 

[No_such_thing]

He smiled again, taking a gulp of the hot coffee, the Medici wasn't half bad at that and he savoured the hot rich blend as he listened to her reply. She was interested, he had her hooked and he was glad, she was one of the best, Howard was not going to be an easy target, but then no one who'd ever stolen the Moonstone had been, and one by one they'd had it taken from them.

She was right though, they would have a lot to work on between now and Friday, meeting Howard was just the beginning, James was banking on the meeting getting them an invitation to the man's next party. If they could get into the mansion and have a look at it what was going on in there then that would make the task a hell of a lot easier.

"Sounds good", he put the cup down as he stood, smoothing down his jacket, he smirked mischievously, bowing his head respectfully, gesturing towards the door with one hand. "Ladies first."

 

[SweetAsSuga]

Lola paused at the door to her apartment. It probably hadn't been wise to allow James to come to her apartment without blindfolding him or something, but Lola was choosing to believe that he was, slightly, trustworthy. And besides, it was almost time for Lola and Luke to move on. Another rule that she always followed: never stay in one place for too long.

Unlocking the door, Lola stepped into the spacious loft apartment. The decor was minimalistic. It didn't do to be tied down with too many possessions. Luke looked up from his seat on the couch where he'd been playing with the Wii Lola had gotten him for his birthday a few months ago. She cast a look to the wooden stairs that led to the upper portion of the loft. With a sigh, Luke paused his game and headed up the stairs. Once he was out of sight, Lola stepped aside and allowed James to enter the apartment.

"Make yourself comfortable." She said, heading for the kitchen area and grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge. "We're probably going to be here awhile." She handed him one of the bottles and settled onto the sofa, tucking one leg beneath her as she sat.

"Now, tell me everything you know about the job." She said, slipping the black wig off her head. While keeping her anonymity was always smart, the wigs really did make her head itch. She fluffed out her blonde curls and settled in for what was bound to be a long night of strategizing.

 

[No_such_thing]

He unscrewed the cap of the bottle, taking a long drink before he did anything else. The water was cool, refreshing, and he'd drained half the bottle before he set it down. "Yes, we probably will be here a while, we have a lot to talk about."

He settled down, moving on the settee until he was comfortable, and then despite all the fidgeting leaned forward to explain. "This is the issue, in terms of strategy, we have to get into his house first, he's managed to keep all of the blueprints of his mansion out of public hands, as far as I can find out, the only way we could get our hands on the blueprints would be to take them from the safe in his office. this obviously poses a problem."

"The first thing we need to do when we meet him, is get ourselves invited to his next party, once we can get inside we can map out the house, that's the first part."