To Have and to Heist(81)

I walked up and down the hallway, checking out the ultra-posh bedrooms, library, and sitting room. A small stairway at the end of the hall led down behind the kitchen to a side exit. An idea cut through the noise in my anxiety-riddled brain and I raced back to the bedroom.

“I know how we’ll help Bella escape!”

Before I could share my idea, my phone dinged with a message from Rose. “They’ve finished eating,” I told the crew. “Mr. Angelini is getting antsy to leave. Rose says he’s in the hallway on his phone. I’ve told her to do something to keep them entertained.”

“One hundred eleven numbers to go,” Anil said. “It could be any one now.”

“One hundred eleven?” My body vibrated with tension. Jack turned the dial. My phone dinged again.

“Chloe says someone is walking outside the van,” I reported. “The guards aren’t supposed to be there for at least ten more minutes. Do you think Angelini called them about the glitch?”

Ding.

“Rose is going to give a speech celebrating the marriage.”

Ding.

“They didn’t want to hear her speech. She’s going to try singing a song from West Side Story. She was Maria’s second understudy in the 1980 Broadway revival.”

Ding.

“Chloe hears two sets of footsteps near the van. She says she’s got her gun ready.” My breath caught in my throat. “Wait. What gun? Where did she get a gun?”

“I gave it to her,” Gage said. “I couldn’t leave her alone in the van unprotected.”

I stared at him aghast. “How many guns did you bring?”

By way of answer, Gage just grinned.

“One hundred three combinations left to try,” Anil said. “Or we could get lucky, and it might be the next one.”

Ding.

“They didn’t seem to like show tunes so now she’s going to sing Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop.’？” My fingers flew over my screen. “How does she know the words to that song? It’s not appropriate for a rehearsal dinner.”

Ding.

“Chloe says the two guards are talking beside the van. They didn’t get a message, but one of them is having marital problems. His wife caught him cheating and wants a divorce.”

Ding.

“Rose is going to sing 112’s ‘Anywhere.’ Why is she singing these songs? She’s eighty years old. Did someone give her a list of the raunchiest songs of all time?”

Ding.

“There’s a pole in the restaurant. She’s going to sing and pole dance like in the video. Someone shoot me now. Gage . . .”

Ding.

“Chloe said the guard’s wife was cheating with the other guard. He says he loves her and the other guy can’t give her what she needs.”

Ding.

“Rose’s arthritis is acting up so she couldn’t finish the pole dance. She’s going to sing The Weeknd’s ‘What You Need’ instead. Just what they don’t need to hear. A dirty song about infidelity right before the wedding.”

Ding.

“The guards are fighting right beside the van. One of them slammed the other into the door. The dogs are there. They’re sniffing at the van.”

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

“Someone do something,” I pleaded. “My brain is going to explode.”

“Got it!” Jack grabbed the handle of the safe and we all rushed over as he pulled open the door.

“It’s empty.” My heart sank in my chest. “Why is it empty? Who has an empty safe in their bedroom? Is there a false bottom?” I ran my hand over the carpeted shelf. “Is it an illusion? What about their passports? Mrs. Angelini was wearing a diamond necklace the other day and a diamond tennis bracelet. Where are they?” I ran over to the dresser and pulled open a drawer. “Did we miss something?”

“I already checked the drawers,” Gage said from his chair. “Also, the nightstands when you were marathon training in the hallway. Three vibrators on her side. No wonder she needed a ‘life coach.’？”

“There must be another safe,” Anil said. “This one must be a diversion in case the police or FBI show up. That’s why it was so easy to find.”

“Are you kidding me?” My voice rose in pitch. “We don’t have time to look for another safe. Rose is planning to sing 50 Cent’s ‘Candy Shop’ next and then Salt-n-Pepa’s ‘Push It.’ She’ll get thrown out of the restaurant and we’ll be going to jail for nothing.”

“If she can buy us ten minutes with another trivia game, we can get Chloe to shut down the system again,” Jack said. “She has to do it anyway for us to get out. It just means a longer delay before the system goes back on. At the very least, we should be able to locate the real safe, and then we can make a new plan.”

His calm demeanor set my teeth on edge. This was a total disaster. There was a serious risk Chloe might go to jail. If ever there was a time for screaming and shouting and pounding fists on the walls, this was it.

“I can’t make a new plan,” I snapped. “The wedding is in two days. Do you know how much work I have to do? I wasn’t planning to sleep, and that was before we botched this heist.”