Page 15 of Redd

The plan was simple; slip in, find the valuables, slip out. No one would see me, no one would know I was there. And if I was really lucky, no one would even notice anything was missing until I was long gone.

It would be easy as fuck to just take what I wanted. Especially since no one was expecting me to be there in the first place.

The guys inside, from what I could tell with their conversation, were only there as a decoy. They weren't allowed to go near the owner's shit, which meant it should be free for my itchy fingers.

Gripping the top of the wall, I pulled myself up and dropped onto the other side. Landing with a gentle thud, I stood motionless and listened.

No dogs, please no dogs.

As much as cameras and security systems were a bitch to deal with, dogs were by far the worst. I attempted to rob a hardware store once, a hardware store that called its alarm system “Kujo”.

Following the natural shadows of the lawn, I dipped and moved like a black panther in the night.

The front yard was long and wide, lights twinkled over a ridge, showing me where to go. Ducking low, I quickly darted across the pavement, tucking my body in close to a fountain in the center of the driveway.

Holy shit this place is fucking huge.

I was staring at a mansion. The front facing was made of white brick, two solid pillars held up an arched overhang above the double frosted glass doors. Broad steps fanned out from the front entrance like ripples in water. It was the biggest house I had ever laid eyes on.

Peeking my head over the basin, I checked the corners of the house near the roof, scanning the windows and front door, looking for more cameras or alarm triggers. There was nothing.

I should have taken that as a sign to turn around and go home. If I could have seen into the future, if I knew what the hell would happen after I entered that house, my life wouldn't have changed.

But I pressed on anyway.

With fast feet, I ran through the darkness and towards the back of the house. Following the subtle light from the moon, I stepped over a flower garden and looked into a window. The place was so quiet; no voices, no sounds from inside to show me where the guards might be perched.

Gripping the window frame, I gave it a push. I was hoping that luck was going to be extremely generous tonight. It didn't budge, the window was sealed shut, not moving an inch. But it didn't bother me, there were a number of windows and doors I could try.

And if that didn't work, there were other ways to get in.

Going from window to window, all of them were locked up tight. Reaching the back patio, I gripped the fancy gold handle in my hand and pushed down.

Pop.

The clasp broke free, door moving inward as I gave it a light push.Bingo.Stepping into a dinning room, I lowered my heels gently, being careful for the natural creaks that the floor might have.

Standing for a moment, I looked around. There was a double doorway that led to a hall, and a kitchen to my right. The nicest fucking kitchen I had ever seen.

Stainless steel appliances sparkled like silver from the faint glow of light seeping into the room. The blue veined marble floor looked crisp as water on a cold winter day. A long table was placed in the center of the room with a basket of fruit in the middle.

Quietly, I walked over to the bowl and lifted up an apple. Twisting it in my hand, the outside was smooth and stiff.

Plastic? Seriously?

Dropping it back in place, I cocked my head a hair, noticing that there was only one chair at the table. Walking to the counter, I pulled open a drawer and looked inside. One spoon, one fork, one butter knife. I found the same in the cupboard—one plate, one cup.

Weird. Does this guy live completely alone?

Doesn't he ever have parties or people over?

It was odd to see a house so big and wonder why the hell a single man would need all of this. What was the point?

This guy just wants to show his importance. . . And I thought my ego was big.

The man who owned this house, all he cared about was showing he had money and power.

A deep laugh echoed from the other side of the house, fading away into silence again. Glancing around, I spotted a set of stairs just outside the doorway of the kitchen.

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