Diego Navarro’s house is pretty fucking nice. I have to hand it to the cartel bastard. He’s got good taste.


    It’s a multi-million-dor townhouse on the opposite side of the harbor, almost right up against the water. It looks a lot like mine, only even bigger, with gaudy columns in the front. The fucker clearly doesn’t care about being subtle.


    “I’ve been watching this ce ever since the meeting a few days ago,” Eric says, peering through a pair of small binocrs. “Navarro’s got some pretty set habits. Like, for example, he goes for a run every morning right at six. Then he’s back and inside for a couple of hours, but then he goes out again around eight for coffee at a shop nearby. He’s there for like a half hour beforeing back.”


    “You sure he does this all the time?”


    “I’d have to watch him more to make sure, but yeah, I think so. They seem like pretty well-established routines anyway.”


    “What about work?”


    “He’s on hiswork the whole time. Most of what he’s doing is via encrypted channels, but it’s not particrly good. William and Daron both think they can break it, given enough time.”


    “No need for that.” I purse my lips, thinking. “I don’t care what business he’s conducting. That’s not so important. But if we can tap into hismunications, that’s a bonus.”


    “I’ll see what the guys think.”


    “What else did you learn?”


    Eric seems excited to keep talking. I appreciate his enthusiasm. “Honestly, the ce isn’t that well-guarded. He’s got some guys thate by once in a while, but otherwise it’s just him in there. His security system is off the shelf too, nothing special about it. We could take it out with our eyes closed. I doubt he’s got anything important in there, though. He’s been around long enough to know that you don’t keep the real shit at home. Still, we could easily get in there and take whatever he’s got.”


    I listen to him describe details of the house and itsyout, my mind spinning. Ideas start to form in my brain, and something snags. “Do you remember a story Daron told?” I ask suddenly, interrupting him.


    Eric hesitates. “He tells a lot.”


    “He called it the perfect hack. Remember that one?”


    “Sure, it was basically a guy that pinned a crime on an ex-girlfriend or some shit like that, right?”


    “Exactly.” I stare at Navarro’s house for a little bit longer as the idea snaps into ce. “Let’s head back to the bar. I want to talk to the group.”


    Eric starts the car and drives. I close my eyes and let the details of the n begin to take shape. I’m thinking about Riley too, about her moans, about her wanting to get pregnant, about our life together, the future we’re going to have.


    If I can pull this off.


    Daron and William are waiting at the Pomegranate House. They’re sitting at the bar watching an Orioles game and making bets on their phones. I sit down next to Daron and Eric sits on the other side of William, and all three guys turn in my direction.


    “I have a job for us,” I say to them. I feel a strange pang of eagerness flit into my stomach. “But I want you all to understand the full scope before we get started.”


    “We know it’s Los Sombras,” William says with a shrug. “It’s no big deal.”


    “Not just Los Sombras. This is going to include ck Mantis as well.”


    William and Eric both look surprised. But Daron only sighs and takes a long drink of his beer.


    “Exin,” Daron says.


    “I don’t have the details yet, but it’s going to be a big score. If we pull it off, Mantis is going to pay us good money, and it’s going to deal with Los Sombras and get them off my brother-inw’s back. You three will split the full take from Mantis. My payment is keeping my family safe.”


    Daron grunts and seems to soften a bit. “That’s generous. How much we talking?”


    “Twice my usual fee. That’ll be a solid win for you three.”


    “All we have to do is go up against two of the more violent gangs in the region,” Daron says with a sigh. “Yeah, sure, why the fuck not?”


    “I already said I’m in.” William raises his ss. “To our first job as a crew.”


    “Here’s to that,” Eric chimes in.


    I sit back and study the three men. Theyugh together, and Daron starts telling a story about the time he hacked into a heavily guarded bank system as a teenager and nearly got caught. It’s probably bullshit, but it gets everyoneughing.


    I can feel it then. Everythinging together. The light at the end of the tunnel. The only way this is going to work out. I need all my skill and a whole lot of luck, but this is possible.


    Probably, at least.<hr>


    “You’re fucking insane,” Riley says, pacing back and forth across the basement. She’s got paint swatches,mps, bits of carpet, and thrift store paintings scattered all over the ce as she tries to figure out what she wants to do with the area.


    “It makes sense though, doesn’t it?”


    “To a crazy person, sure.”


    “Come on. Think about it. We need to get Los Sombras off your brother’s back, and we need to find a way to get rid of the damn watch without Mantis killing us. What better way than to pin it all on Diego Navarro and kill two birds with one stone?”


    Rileyughs and gestures in the air. “How in the hell do you n on pulling that off?”


    “Easy. I’ll break into Navarro’s house, nt the watch in his safe, and create a fake trail of chatter on his homework. I’ll build up just enough proof that Mantis will buy it, all while making sure they won’t believe Navarro when he denies everything.”


    “And how will that help Brenden?”


    “Mantis will kill Navarro. Los Sombras will go to war with the ck Mantis, and at that point, they won’t give a shit about your brother anymore. Mantis will dismantle those fuckers.” I spread my arms, grinning like a lunatic. “The enemy of my enemy and all that.”


    She rubs her face with both hands and groans. “It’s crazy. There are so many ways that can go wrong.”


    “Yeah, you’re probably right, but if I pull this off, it’ll be the perfect hack.”


    “The perfect what now?”


    “Nothing, never mind.” I go to her and pull her into my arms. “Trust me, baby. This can work. It’s going to work.”


    She sags into me. “I just don’t like it, that’s all. Just feels like too much can go wrong. You could get hurt, or Brenden could get targeted, and I just don’t know what I’ll do if it blows up in our face.”


    “I won’t let that happen.”


    She leans back and a little smile slips onto her face. “Does this mean you need me to pick some locks?”


    “Absolutely fucking <i ss="calibre4">not</i>.”


    She pouts and pulls back. “Why? Come on, I did greatst time. You said yourself, you’re the one that screwed up.”


    “Riley, there’s no way I’m letting you get anywhere near this job.”


    “What, you’re going to pull it off? Theputer nerd?”


    “I can do a lot more than break into securityworks.”


    “Can you pick a lock?”


    I hesitate, then re at her. “Can’t be that hard.”


    “God, you’re clueless.” She chews a thumbnail like she’s thinking. “Fine, you convinced me. I’ll teach you.”


    “What now?”


    “You need my help, right? I can teach you.”


    “I never said I needed your help.”


    “Sure you do.” She waves a hand and starts pacing again. “You don’t want me going near that house, right? Well, I can ept that, so long as you let me contribute in other ways.”


    “That’s almost like real growth.”


    “I know, right? I’m really amazed with myself. I’m not impulsively running off to break a window!”


    “It’s incredible. I’m so proud. But you’re not teaching me anything.”


    “Don’t be such a big baby.” She pats my cheek, beaming. “It’ll be fun. I promise.”


    She walks off, already making ns for how she’s going to torture me, and I am very sure that it’s going to be anything but fun.


    Only the n’s taking shape, and maybe it’s not perfect and there’s a lot that could go wrong, but it’s a genuine path forward.


    I just have to hope that Mantis is as bloodthirsty as I think they are.