Page 3 of Cozen

“No,” Ace assured, “but you’ll never see her actually doing it. This took her three months, according to the broker I talked to who approached her for this job. She integrated into the mark’s life, as she does, and then planned her heist according to his ways and rituals. I don’t have all the details of this particular heist, but as you can see, she clearly took her time to know the room, the cameras, and which way would be safe and clean for her to get it done. This is her style, and her signature. Exactly what you want.”

Ace let the video play through the end at a slightly faster speed before stopping at just the right point, saying, “There she is.”

The woman with the russet eyes glancing up at the camera as the guests finally noticed the painting was gone wore a ghost of a smile.

“They have this video, clearly,” Pearl said, hedging at something.

“They never even looked at her for this. The man who I talked to stated she stayed about two weeks after this, and then left quietly.”

Pearl tipped her head to the side. “Cozen, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Appropriate name.”

Ace smirked. “You could say that.”

“Does she always use that name?”

“Depends on the situation, or the mark.”

“And you are sure …”

Ace set the tablet aside. “Pearl, I will do a lot to get a deal done, but I promise you that Cozen is the thief you need for this. Let me approach her with the job.”

“Fourth isn’t going to like this,” Pearl muttered. “He thinks he can do this quicker.”

“I’m sure he could, but Cozen will be clean. Therein lies the difference.”

The Astor queen nodded once. “Fine, approach her.”

January 8th, 2013

“What is it, do you think, that keeps you coming back for more?”

Cozen Taylor shifted on her perch at the end of the reclining lounger, and passed her companion a look. “What, are you shrinking my head now, Ace?”

Zander “Ace” Everston laughed hard and loud. “No, but I’m always curious about thieves like you, Zen. Frankly, I’m curious about anyone in our world, and what keeps them going from one job to the next.”

“I get that.”

“So do tell, then. What keeps you coming back for more? The last one was the last one, right? That’s what you told me when I came to offer you the deal on this job. Yet, here you are taking it.”

Fair is fair.

“The last one was the last one.”

“And as I said, here you sit in South Beach waiting for the next call.”

Cozen smiled out at the tide starting to rush up the edges of the beach. The smell of the ocean clung in the air, and despite it being January, Miami was still warm enough that all she needed to wear was a thin shawl over her black, bodycon dress.

Sand touched her toes when she dug her ruby red stilettos further into the beach. Even the sand still had a warm quality to it, and the beige color matched some of the streaks lighting up the sky. Miami was a beautiful place to visit, or relax. She tended to stick to the other side of Florida, though. More tourists, she supposed. It was easier to blend in with the crowd.

“Does that mean you’re not going to answer me?” Ace asked.

“Are you ever going to tell me how you earned your nickname?”

Ace flashed her a grin.