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November 25th. We officially have thirty days and counting until Van Straus’ Christmas masquerade. Leave it to Lucius to remind me the clock is always ticking.
He sends me a text every morning with a new picture of Dad. I can’t discern much about his surroundings. The lighting’s too poor, the angle too shitty, and the camera quality is laughable at best. Lucius always makes sure to hold up the day’s newspaper just below Dad’s face to prove he’s still alive —for now.
Gabriel and I meet up with Anders and Klaus at a tiny café on the outer edge of Bern. There’s next to no foot traffic here. By the looks of it, this place doesn’t get a whole lot of customers, so we have the privacy we need to discuss things out in the open whilst also in a public place. Gabriel insisted we didn’t tell them where we’re currently staying.
What if they ambush us in our sleep?
I catch them up to speed, but I leave a couple details out. I don’t tell them about theVase of Aphroditeor the encoded passwords hidden within its base. I leave out the part that the only reason I’m doing this is to save my father. I basically leave out all personal information. Hell, I never even give them my real name. Gabriel, similarly, remains on a codename basis as well.
We’re not here to be friends, though that doesn’t mean we can’t be friendly.
“Here are the updated blueprints,” Klaus says as he forwards me the documents over a secure email server. “I’ve indicated every hidden camera, motion detector, and guard post.”
It’s a miracle my eyeballs don’t bulge out of their socket when I see the sheer number of marks he’s made. “And I thought I spotted them all,” I mumble.
“You did a pretty good job picking them out,” Anders says encouragingly as he sips his espresso. “Van Straus is uber paranoid, though, so he likes to hide tiny cameras in almost everything. Behind paintings, in smoke detectors… You name it.”
“You said the cameras are all wired to the same feed, correct?”
Klaus nods. “That’s right.”
“Would you be able to pre-record some footage to trick whoever’s in the booth?”
“I mean, sure… But if you’re adamant about doing this the day of his party, you need to take into consideration that guests need to be visible in the feed.”
I click my tongue. “Right, right. I forgot about that. Nix that idea.”
Anders looks over his shoulder and out the window. “Should we wait for your boyfriend to finish his call before we continue talking about this?”
“He’s not my…”
I follow Anders’ line of sight. Gabriel is outside on his phone, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. He’s bundled up in a winter coat and knitted scarf, but it does little to shield him from the snow and wind. He was rather insistent on taking the call in private, hence his need to brave the cold.
Gabriel’s been… agitated the last few days. At first, I chalked it up to Klaus and Anders joining our crew. On one hand, I totally understand his concerns. In fact, I’m right there with him. Klaus and Anders’ offer to work with us was either a massive stroke of luck or the first step toward our eventual demise.
Here’s hoping it’s the former.
Gabriel shouts loudly in French. I wonder what Penelope said to piss him off so badly.
I’ve been feeling immensely guilty lately. I can tell how much he misses being home, being with his daughter. Gabriel hasn’t said anything to the effect, but I can tell. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve learned a great deal about Gabriel and his mannerisms.
When he’s particularly stressed, he runs his hand repeatedly through his hair. When he’s anxious, he paces back and forth while chewing on the inside of his cheek. There are some mornings when I wake up to find him seated on the edge of the bed, staring out the window in complete silence. I never disturb him during these moments of intense contemplation, simply happy to study the tattoos lining his back and arms.
Gabriel eventually comes back inside and takes a seat next to me at the table. He throws a protective arm over the back of my chair. I don’t even think it’s a conscious decision. Whenever we meet with Klaus and Anders, it’s hard not to notice the way he sits a little closer, keeps me within reach.
“How nice of you to join us,” Klaus mutters.
“What did I miss?” Gabriel asks, getting straight to business.
“I was just showing Rocky all the hidden security measures Van Straus has scattered throughout the castle.”
“I’m not overly concerned about the cameras,” I say. “There will be a big enough crowd that I can easily slip through. My biggest concern is the high-power lasers downstairs.”
“We could cut the power,” Gabriel suggests. His voice is hoarse. He glares at Anders. “Can you handle it?”
Anders shrugs nonchalantly, wearing a confident smile. “Sure. I’d have direct access to the security room. I could shut the power off, but you have to factor in the backup generator and the fact that other members of the security team will do everything they can to get the power back online.”
“I can probably give them the run-around for a good…” Klaus clicks his tongue, looking up at the ceiling as he does the mental math. “Sixty seconds, give or take.”
