The Heist

The rain had been falling for hours when Mara parked the van across from the Verrell Diamond House. She checked her watch for the third time and tried to breathe slowly. In the back of the van, Dex was still going over the plan out loud. "Ninety seconds inside the vault," he said. "Not one second more." Mara had heard the number a hundred times, but her hands were still cold. She had worked with many partners, and she trusted none of them completely. Dex was clever, but lately he had been keeping something to himself. At two in the morning, the guard would leave his desk to check the east door. That gap was their only way in, and it would not stay open for long. "Remember, once the alarm resets, we're on the clock," Dex whispered. They crossed the wet street quickly, keeping to the shadows near the wall. Mara picked the side lock in under a minute, just as she had practised. Inside, the building was silent except for the soft hum of the cameras. They reached the vault door, and Dex began working on the code. The heavy door swung open, and the diamonds shone like ice under the lights. Then, from somewhere above them, a second alarm began to ring. Mara turned to Dex, and his face told her that he was not surprised at all.