Page 221 of Gathered Sparkle

All I have to do is manage to get in the box and the car without setting off every alarm in Vegas.

I take a deep breath and make my way toward it.

You’ve got this, Nova. One step at a time.

I crouch in front of the glass enclosure, and the wind pulls at my braid as I pull the tools and flashlight from my backpack and get out Belmont’s key card again.

I press it to the RFID scanner, waiting with a thundering heart for it to unlock. The screen flashes green, and I hear the satisfying click of the mechanism disengaging. I exhale slowly and tug at the handles. The doors open outward with a soundless motion.

“One down,” I whisper, tucking the card away.

“Good girl,” comes Sylus’s answer in my ear.

The Lamborghini is a perfect beast in its glass cage. Now, to get inside without triggering the car’s alarm system.

Piece of cake.

I slide into the glass enclosure and kneel by the driver’s side door, my hands steady despite the nervous energy crackling in my chest. Most modern luxury cars have keyless entry, but they still rely on proximity sensors. Thankfully, Sylus prepared for this too.

From my backpack, I retrieve the bypass module. It looks like a remote control, but it disrupts the car’s alarm system long enough for me to get in. I activate it with a quiet click, holding my breath as I press it against the driver’s door handle.

The signal jammer hums faintly, and I watch as the lock’s tiny LED indicator flickers from red to green. “Please work,” I mutter as I grip the handle and pull. The door opens with aclick, and I almost sag with relief.

I slide into the driver’s seat. The scent of leather and new car polish fills the cabin. The dash faintly lights up, the car’s systems waiting for the signal from the key fob that isn’t here. I take out the flash drive Sylus prepared to connect to the network on the Heights’ rooftop from my backpack and put it down next to me on the passenger seat.

Done.

Then I locate the diagnostic port beneath the dash and plug the module in. The device lights up with a faint blue glow.

“C’mon, c’mon,” I mutter under my breath as it works its magic, sending a series of codes to the car’s system.

The dashboard flickers to life, and the engine rumbles softly to indicate it’s primed and ready.

Thank fuck.

“Sparkle, looks like you’re in?”

“In and ready,” I reply, sliding my hands over the steering wheel.

I glance at the ramp I painstakingly built in the distance, only faintly illuminated against the void between rooftops. My heart pounds as I steel myself for the next phase.

Come on, Koen.

It’s time to make this thing fly.

CHAPTER FORTY

Koen

The crowd stretches out before me, a living, breathing beast fed by our illusions, our charm, and our lies.

They’re dazzled, captivated, utterly under our spell. And yet, I’m standing here, holding this red envelope, feeling the noose tightening, not around my neck but around hers.

The woman who made this city hers through deals in the shadows, the kind that reeks of blood and greed. The woman who stood there, calm and untouchable, while Oscar died at her hand.

My hands tighten around the envelope, the edge digging into my palm. I should feel triumphant, shouldn’t I? We’ve pulled off every step of the plan so far. The show is flawless. The crowd is eating out of our hands. The drones are in place, capturing everything.

Oscar would’ve loved this moment. He would’ve relished seeing the truth finally come to light, watching as her empire crumbled under the weight of her sins. But he’s not here. And no matter how carefully we’ve planned, no matter how perfectly we execute,nothing will bring him back.

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