Page 7 of The Kat Bunglar

“No, Kat! We can’t steal from some woman you looked up on Instagram. It’s way too risky,” Christian said, shaking her head, a slight tremor in her voice.

Kat leaned against the doorway, folding her arms across her chest, softening her tone. “But it’s not risky, Christian. That’s the best part. Laila and her husband are in Jamaica right now—she just posted that they’re spending a week in paradise. So, we have the perfect set-up: a minimum of four days to get in, grab a few things, and get out.”

Christian’s eyes narrowed, but Kat could see the hesitation in them.

Taking a deep breath, Kat went in for the kill. “Do you really want to move back in with your parents and your spacey Aunt Clarise, who does voodoo chants over you in the middle of the night?”

Christian shuddered at the memory. “I don’t know, Kat... this still feels wrong.”

Kat sensed the chink in Christian’s armor. “It’ll be super surgical.” She pulled the key card from Laila’s wallet. “I already have the key to her penthouse. This isn’t going to be some crazy scheme—we have time to think things through. We go in, take a few strategic items we’ve spotted on her social media, and we can even make a checklist.” Kat knew Christian was obsessed with checklists. “We can tick each item off, knowing its exact worth. Chances are, she won’t even miss them.”

Christian closed her eyes, hugged herself, and rocked back and forth slightly on her heels. Kat held her breath, waiting in anticipation.

After a long inhale and exhale, Christian began to hum. Kat twitched, unsure what to say or do.

Then, with her eyes closed, Christian started singing, “We fall down, we lay our crowns, at the feet of Jesus, the greatness of mercy and love, at the feet of Jesus.”

Finally, Christian opened her eyes with a deep sigh. “Alright, the Lord has shown me the way.”

Kat secretly crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping the Lord was on her side with this one.

Christian stared hard at Kat for several seconds. Then she cleared her throat and admitted, “It’s not a bad plan.”

Kat squealed and lunged in for a quick hug before abruptly pulling back, running a hand through her hair. “Another thing—”

Christian gave her a sidelong glance. “There’s more?”

Kat pulled up Laila’s profile picture on her phone and held it next to her face. “Do you think if I cut my hair, I could pass for her? We’re both brown. I think she’s Pakistani, and I’m Bengali. We’re practically cousins.”

Christian’s eyes flicked between the phone and Kat’s face. She exhaled through her nose, taking a moment before answering. “You’re not wrong,” she said slowly. “If they had security guards, it would make getting into her place easier. Some oversized glasses, and you’d be a shoo-in.”

Kat bounced on the balls of her feet. “I’ll go get the scissors. Makeover transitions get so many views on TikTok.”

Christian pinched the bridge of her nose. “Before you do that, I want to be clear that I’m doing this under one condition. And one condition only.” She leveled a pointed look at Kat. “We only take what we need, and wedopay her back.”

“Every penny,” Kat repeated, not meaning a word of it.

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