EXTRACT FOR
Ember's Punishment
(Fiaine Cluiun)
Ember 'Red' McDonald paused and lifted her head to inhale the cool night air. Maybe she'd been a fool to take on this job, but the obvious pain in her client's words, the way they'd tried every other option in an attempt to regain their property, had broken through the shell she'd erected around her heart. After hearing the story, all the pain and suffering wrapped around the piece she'd been hired to recover, what would anyone with a heart do, except agree to try and complete the task?
Pro-Bono work wasn't normal for her, or anyone in her line of work. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd taken on a job for free. She wasn't a charity worker, she had bills to pay, things she had to take care of, yet here she was breaking many of the rules she'd put in place for herself, for her work. Now she was ready use her well-honed skills to do something she'd have scoffed at if another professional had said they were about to do this.
Her boot clad feet crunched softly on the gravel path leading up the series of trails. She paused once she knew she'd reached a point where she couldn't be seen. Oh, she'd been careful, painstakingly so, in plotting out her route. Where she currently stood remained part of public land, areas where she knew the mark hadn't been able to set up security cameras and allowed herself a moment to take in the sounds, smells, the small vibrations worked through the night.
He wasn't a fool, the one she was trying to steal from, but neither was he able to extend his security this far. Not in the way he wanted. Oh, he'd tried, and she'd been able to find the small attempts. The occasional motion sensor - that had been rendered useless by the number of small animals approaching the location. A single camera she'd avoided, and the patrols who weren't as slick as they believed themselves to be.
Ember slipped through into the shadows of trees and overgrown bushes. Only the occasional deer trail offered a way through the area, and using it took time. But she'd planned for that, had taken care to practice the route a dozen times at different parts of the day and night over the last two weeks.
Every piece of her pre-work, her preparation, had been painstaking. Being paid for the job or not didn't change the amount of caution involved, and the richer, and more powerful the target, the more careful she had to be. Not because they were smarter, they often weren't, but the danger they offered if she was caught. Cross someone with enough connections and you'd never see the light of day again.
Not a fate that appealed to her.
It took over an hour to reach the metal fences with their intricate sensors surrounding the sprawling estate, her breath misting in the cool night air. Ember lifted her specialized scope and her gaze swept over the high walls that loomed like sentinels, the moonlight casting them in stark relief against the dark sky. She could see the flickering of security lights and the occasional silhouette of a patrolling guard. All the research she'd collected had prepared her for this, but the amount of time and money involved in keeping the estate safe was enough to send the majority of the retrievers she knew heading for the hills with the declaration that only a fool would attempt this.
Yet here she was.
Maybe I'm an idiot.
Or perhaps she just didn't like the idea that the bastard behind these walls thought he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, with no one to say otherwise. Men like him, with power and wealth, sometimes deserved a short, sharp shock and as the piece didn't legally belong to him in the first place it reduced the amount of potential retribution her clients would face.
Especially as she wasn't returning the piece directly to them. That had been a part of the plan. Nothing done that might draw his attention directly to them, even though they'd be the immediate suspects. Not one member of that family had the skills or, to his knowledge, the connections to attempt such a thing, but they would still have to be careful.
They couldn't show the piece, or even announce they had it, for several years. The longer the better.
She tugged the black leather of her outfit knowing how it hugged her form, a second skin that was both armor and provocation. You couldn't risk anything catching when you were working. A scrap of material might be just enough proof to end your career. Ember adjusted the tightness of her gloves, the material stretching with a satisfying snap against her wrists. She felt it then -- the familiar thrumming in her veins, the adrenaline surging through her body, setting her skin tingling. This wasn't just about the heist; it was about control, dominance over the fortress before her.
It wasn't going to beat her.
She hadn't failed an assignment in years, not since her first few years in the job, and she wasn't going to this time. It didn't matter how powerful the mark believed himself to be, he was still just another rich sod who needed a reminder that no one was untouchable.
"Let's see how well you keep your secrets," she murmured, inching closer to the perimeter fence. The metal links were formidable, topped with spirals of barbed wire designed to tear and deter anyone who didn't know how to handle them. Yet, to Ember, they simply marked the boundary between the uninitiated and her playground of shadows.
She'd studied the pattern of the guards in the days leading up to this moment and did so again, their steps rhythmic and predictable. Too predictable. With a fluid motion, she retrieved a compact set of specialized bolt cutters from her belt. These weren't like the ones anyone could buy at a hardware store, no, something like that wouldn't have been able to break through the challenge in front of her. These were state of the art with a coating on the cutters that made it possible to break through without needing the strength of a giant. The cold metal gleaming briefly before she cloaked it once again in the darkness. She layered a small piece of cloth around the blades, cloaking the area she was working on. Delicate and dull, it muffled the noise down to nothing but a tiny click that didn't carry beyond the cloth. Yet her heart pounded with each snip, the sound deafening in her ears despite its actual faintness.
"Almost there..." Ember's mind raced as she carved an opening, large enough for her lithe body to slip through but small enough to escape immediate notice. It would be easy enough to hide by pulling the cut edges back into place behind her and leave her a means of escape. Only a careful, inch by inch inspection of the fence would reveal what she'd done. And that wasn't going to happen tonight. Oh, tomorrow would be another matter entirely. They'd be forced to inspect the entire estate but by then it would be far too late.
She ducked low, the scent of damp earth filling her nostrils as she maneuvered through her makeshift entrance. The fence gave a slight quiver, a whisper of protest, as she emerged on the other side, but it was done - she was in.
A soft tremble worked through her body as Ember allowed herself a moment to relish the sweet taste of anticipation on her tongue. The mansion stood before her, its walls fortified and impenetrable, or so they believed. A sly smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "You're not ready for me," she breathed out, the words a near silent vow.
I've taken on better than you, laddie buck.
Maybe she had, maybe she hadn't, it didn't truly matter. She wouldn't have a full understanding of how dangerous or challenging this job had been until it was done. Until she had time to sit back and take in exactly what she'd done and how she'd managed it.
With each step toward the grand facade, her confidence continued to swell and with it the soft tingle of sexual arousal. There was nothing like it, and the closest she could come to explaining how she felt was it felt like dominating the mark, breaking through their defenses until they opened up, like a submissive, vulnerable to her touch, begging for more until they finally surrendered all of their secrets.
She smiled at the idea and the images it created, then paused to let the guards complete their current circuit. They were just pawns in a game they didn't even know they were playing. She glided with the silent grace of a specter across the manicured lawn, the soft rustle of her movements drowned by the symphony of the night. They'd never be able to track the full path she'd taken through the estate, not even when they found the hole she'd made in the fence.
Ember didn't need to check the time to know it took her three minutes to reach the outside of the main building. She'd mentally timed the trip, each step of it, pacing it out long before she'd ever crossed the boundary between public land and privately owned. She paused, her back pressed against the cold stone of the mansion's outer wall. The thrill of it all surged within her, sending tingles of pleasure through her body, teasing her nipples into hardened peaks. She knew what she was here, a predator poised to strike. Her pulse echoed in her ears, a drumbeat urging her onward. She was close now, the painting almost within reach, and nothing would stand in her way.
Nothing except her own stupidity if she forgot the basics.
Her first potential point of access had been too obvious and now she was close enough to see it, it was impossible for her to ignore the traps set up. A lesser thief - retrieval agent- would have fallen for it. Alright, so the traps weren't entirely obvious even if you knew what to look for but they stood out to her. The secondary option was equally as dangerous but not because the alarms there stood out, but because they didn't.
Ember didn't touch the window, or the frame, but came close, drawing back a hair's breadth before she would have made the mistake. There, just out of sight, the flicker of light was enough to warn her this wasn't the right place. Still, she had three other options, and it was the fourth that finally granted her access.
Always have multiple back up plans.
It was the only way to survive in her line of work, that and being ready to accept when it was time to walk away. Something she'd only had to do a handful of times in her career.
This wasn't going to be one of them.
Ember slipped from shadow to shadow, blending with her surroundings, her heart racing, every inch of her skin alive, catching the changes of air, scent, pressure, even sound. She'd had all of this drummed into her by her mentors, then partners, long before she'd stepped out on her own.
She slid along the corridor, never quite touching the ornate wallpaper as she catfooted through the mansion's interior, her ears tuned to the quiet hum of high-end security systems. The second floor loomed above her, a labyrinth designed to ensnare the unwary. In this she was a huntress in a forest of steel and wire, one attuned to her world and the dangers it offered.
Come out, come out, wherever you are. The thought flickered through her mind as her eyes caught the soft glow of an infrared sensor. Her tongue flicked across her lips, tasting the electric tang of danger in the air. She knew how to deal with this and swiftly disabled it long enough to make her way past the trap.
Each door she encountered tried to seduce her with promises of secrets behind them. Had she been a normal thief that temptation would have worked, but she had one thing to do, and one only.
The stairs were another challenge but the pattern that would prevent the alarm being raised was one she'd practiced to the point where she could do it in her sleep and she made it to the second floor without the alarm being raised. Two corridors, three traps and four doors later down the final corridor, she found the door she was looking for.
Almost there.
Ember's black glove covered fingers danced over the keypad of a secured entry, her touch gentle as a lover's caress. Foolish. If this had been her place there would have been biometrics involved at this step, but no, the owner was overconfident. Maybe he believed no one would make it this far? Well, after tonight he wouldn't make that mistake again.
The lock gave a soft click, yielding to her seductive prowess. She could almost hear the security system's sigh of defeat as she entered the chamber beyond.
Patience, no rushing it now. She disabled yet another alarm with a deft touch, taking a moment to check for any other traps. She was close now, so very close. The thrill of the hunt surged through her veins, dark and heady as the finest wine. In this game of cat and mouse, she was both predator and seductress.
What she'd need after this was a good, hard fuck.
She flushed at the thought, something that happened all too easily with her often far too pale skin. She didn't tan easily, and her flame red hair was braided and wrapped into a tight bun covered with a near skintight covering that would reduce the chances of her leaving even a single strand behind as a clue to who had been hired for the job. Yet it did nothing to hide her pale skin or how she now blushed with the knowledge of what she'd hunt for once the prize was safely tucked away.
There was one final barrier standing in her way: a door, more formidable than the rest, guarding the painting. Ember's heartbeat quickened; her breath hitched with the anticipation of conquest. Foolish, this one didn't even have any of the electronics or high-end security pieces she'd have used. Just a normal lock. Oh, it wasn't basic, but it was a physical lock. Maybe he'd kept to this because not everyone was trained in how to pick mechanical locks anymore? Few places used them, and this was the first time she'd had to pick a lock in over five years - well, at least as part of a job.
She produced a slim pick from her belt, working it into the lock with expert precision. Tension coiled within her, nerves alive, her muscles ready to move if she had to spring away and turn to deal with a threat.
Any threat.
Even through the gloves, which had been specially made for her so she could feel every small change within the lock, she worked without hesitation. Her entire focus, though she knew it was dangerous, remained fixed on the lock as she continued to work. Ah, there you are, she breathed as the tumblers fell into place and the door swung open without the slightest sound.
Ember rose, taking a moment to check behind her for any sign that her presence had been discovered.
Nothing.
With an easy grace she slipped into the room, pulling the door behind her without allowing it to fully close. Just enough so anyone checking wouldn't be able to tell it was unlocked without touching it.
She'd done it.
Not yet. Almost though, but not yet.
In front of her hung the painting she'd been hired to collect, illuminated by a solitary shaft of moonlight that seemed to caress the landscape's curves. Ember approached, her steps reverent, her eyes drinking in every stroke of the brush. It was beautiful, transcendent-a siren call to her dark soul. It was beautiful, there was no other way of describing it. The piece was easily four hundred years old according to current documentation. On the open market it was worth well over two hundred million, but that was partially because it had never been placed on sale.
No, this was a piece that had been painted and presented as a gift and until it had been stolen had remained in the hands of the same family for four centuries. How the mark had managed to steal it was still a mystery, one the family it belonged to might never get to the bottom of, but she'd be able to return it to them before the end of the night.
Finally. she reached out one hand to trace the frame's edge, her fingertips grazing the canvas. You're going home, beauty. Away from this place back to those who love you for who you are, not the wealth and prestige you represent.
Despite the risks Ember allowed herself a moment to bask in the glory of the moment. She knew she should be moving, taking the painting down and making her way out of here. Getting in was only half the job, getting out without being caught should be easy now she had the route confirmed, but the danger of being caught remained all too real. Still as she stood there, taking in the painting, she couldn't help but allow herself the moment of triumph. The man and his security had bowed to her greater skills.
He didn't even know it yet, didn't know she'd broken into his home, but he would soon enough, and she couldn't risk being here when he discovered the truth. When he found out she'd defeated him. Even if he never found out who it was who'd broken into his home, he'd know that there was someone out there who was his superior when it came to security, stealth, and perhaps even intelligence.
That's enough, I've wasted too much time already. Tonight, she had proved herself the mistress of shadows, bending the world to her desires without mercy or remorse. It's time to go home.