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And even though it’s probably a bad idea, I want to know every fucking thing about her.
* * *
The driveto Philadelphia feels long, but it probably goes by a lot faster than most people’s road trips.
Victor and Malice take turns behind the wheel. They’re both control freaks in their own ways, each of them wanting to drive as much as possible. So I let them, spending my time plotting out how we’re going to steal the file X wants and then burn down the warehouse when we’re done.
It should be a pretty simple job. Vic managed to find blueprints from the company that built the warehouse, so we’ve got a decent idea of where things will be located, ideal entry and exit points, and those kinds of things. What wedon’tknow is what kind of security the warehouse has, and that will be the biggest sticking point. If it’s heavily guarded, we’ll have to modify our plans.
Luckily, Vic loaded up the trunk with pretty much anything we could possibly need for this job, so even if we end up having to improvise a bit, we won’t be left scrambling.
I’m no idiot, and neither is Malice, but Vic is definitely the smartest of the three of us. Always has been. His mind works in a way that most people’s don’t, constantly gathering data and analyzing and calculating.
Our dad saw that too, and that was what fucked Vic over in the end. Dad had some bullshit idea that he would become a major player in the criminal underground, so he tried to turn Victor into his perfect soldier. He tortured my older brother and put him through hell to try to “toughen him up” and turn him into a warrior.
By the time Dad finally decided none of us were worth his time and left us behind to try to build up his empire alone, the damage was already done.
All that shit left a permanent mark on Vic, fucking him up in the head.
He has a hard time relating to people, and I think Malice and I are the only two people he’s ever felt truly comfortable with, besides our mom. That’s why I was so fucking glad when Mal got out of prison, despite the fact that it left us indebted to a man who will probably hold it over us forever. Vic wasn’t the same when Mal was gone. Those were a rough few years, and although we leaned on each other when we needed to, it felt like we were a three-legged stool that was missing a leg.
VicneedsMalice, in a way that not even I do. They’re twins, and that’s a heavy bond. It’s like something connects the two of them, some intangible force that binds them together.
By the time we get to our destination, we’re all a little tired of being crammed inside the car, and we’re ready to get this shit done so we can get back home.
But rushing through a job would be bad, so we’re as careful and thorough as we always are. I don’t think any of us want to find out what would happen if X decided he wasn’t happy with our work one of these days.
On top of that, these jobs aren’t even for our benefit. They’re for X, and the last thing any of us want is to get busted doing one of these errands for our unknown blackmailer turned boss. So we can’t afford to let ourselves get sloppy.
The warehouse is tucked away at the end of a row of similar buildings. It’s in the heart of Philly, right on the river, and Malice pulls the car to a stop outside the chain-link fence that surrounds the row of warehouses, making sure to stay a good distance away. It’s late in the evening by now, but there’s still some activity in the area, so we’re careful not to draw attention to ourselves as we stake the place out for a bit.
“Looks like things die down around here by around eleven,” Malice notes a couple hours later, raising his binoculars again.
“Agreed. But we should plan on hitting it even later than that. Better to go in when as many people as possible are cleared out of the area,” I say.
“Yeah.” Malice nods, then lowers his binoculars and glances at our brother. “Vic, what do you see?”
Victor purses his lips thoughtfully, staring out the window at the low, hulking buildings. “Two things,” he says after a moment. “One, I think we’re better off starting a fire in the building next to the one we want to hit than our target itself. And two, we’re gonna want to take out a few of those lights first.”
He jerks his chin toward several tall floodlights that illuminate the area around the warehouses. They’re meant to keep the area well-lit and probably safer, but he’s right—they won’t help us at all with what we’re trying to do.
“Okay.” Mal cranks the key in the ignition, pulling away from the spot beside the chain-link fence. “We’ll do more recon tomorrow, but that gives us a lot to start with.” He shoots Vic a look. “You think you can take out the lights without it looking like they were tampered with?”
“Yeah. Should be able to.”
We check into a hotel several miles away under an alias that Victor built for himself a couple years ago. Then we set up a mini command station in the room, unpacking just the stuff we need for now and leaving the rest in the car. It takes us two days to prep the job, which is actually pretty fast, all things considered. But it feels slow, and I know it’s because all of us are itching to get back to Detroit.
On our third night in Philly, we pack up all our shit, then gear up and head to the warehouse. Victor spent the day strategically blowing the fuses of some of the lights that surround the warehouse, making sure not to hit too many at once. It’s three o’clock in the morning when we pull up alongside the chain-link fence, and I can see the evidence of Vic’s handiwork immediately. Instead of being flooded with light like last time, there are now patches of darkness around the warehouses, giving us cover to sneak inside.
We pile out of the car, gathering wire-cutters, weapons, and accelerant from the trunk. I pull the balaclava over my head and glance at Vic. “You’ve got security handled?”
He nods, tugging his own balaclava down and glancing at the tablet he uses when he needs to hack and be mobile at the same time. “Yes. I’m going to try to limit the number of feeds I cut so that it won’t seem suspicious. So do everything you can to stay out of sight.”
“Got it.” I glance at Malice. “You sure you’re good getting those files on your own?”
“Yeah. Just let me know before you torch the place,” he tells me with a snort.
I grin, even though I know he can’t see it under my face covering. “You got it. Vic and I will give you a heads up. We’ll use enough accelerant that the place should go up quick, and since it’s attached to the warehouse we’re trying to hit, the fire should spread pretty fast.”
