Three Fates

harness, stepped carefully around the glass, then moved fast through the office area. Cleo rolled in after him and sprinted in the opposite direction.
    Crouched at Anita’s office door, Jack took out a lock pick. It took him nearly as long to make what would appear to be a botched attempt at picking the lock as it would have to succeed.
    At the top of the steps, Cleo debated briefly between a Baccarat wafer dish and a Lalique vase. With no regret, she tipped over the vase, stepping clear as it shattered on the floor.
    “Two minutes, Jack, Cleo. Move out now.”
    “Copy.” They met back at the window, but this time Jack brought his heel down deliberately on the edge of the windowpane to crack it. He attached his line, backed through the opening behind her.
    “Down,” he said to Cleo. “Use your feet, keep your knees loose. Everybody back to base,” he said into his headset.
    On the descent, he dropped a spare jammer, attached to a torn belt loop.
    “Why, it’s a clue!” Cleo said breathlessly as her feet hit the ground. “We got one minute.”
    “Start back.”
    “No. I leave with the guy I came with.” She unhooked her line, shrugged out of her harness and stuffed it back in the bag as Jack did the same. Then she glanced at the dangling rope.
    “Bet that stuff’s expensive.”
    “But not that hard to come by.” Once again he draped an arm over her shoulders. They walked. Just a bit faster than a stroll. “It’ll look like the thieves ran into security trouble and had to abort, and fast.”
    “Five-minute mark,” Rebecca announced. “System’s re-booting. You’ve got thirty seconds. What did you break?”
    “Some vase. Scattered a few whatnots around for good measure.”
    “Thief’s in a hurry, drops loot. Works for me.”
    “One question,” Cleo asked him. “You didn’t need a sidekick for tonight. Why’d you bring me?”
    “The point was to make it look like no less than two involved. I couldn’t have gotten to opposite ends of the fourth floor in the allotted time. Knowing there were two should make Anita a little more nervous.”
    “One would’ve made her nervous enough.”
    “Yeah. But it’ll take two to get into the house, into the safe and get out again without any hitch. I needed to see how you held up.”
    “So, this was like an audition.”
    “There you go. And you got the part.”
    “Wait till I tell my agent.”
    They were a full block away, walking easily now, hand in hand, when the alarms went wild.

    IT WAS JUST past two A.M. when Jack popped the cork on a bottle of champagne.
    “I can’t believe the whole thing took less than an hour.” Tia dropped into a chair. “I’m exhausted, and I didn’t do anything.”
    “We’re the tech crew,” Rebecca reminded her. “That’s essential personnel. And we were superb.”
    “It’s a bit early for back-patting and celebration.” Malachi lifted his glass. “But what the hell. Just knowing Anita’s going to be wakened by the police is cause enough for a round. We’ve a lot of work ahead of us yet.”
    “Don’t bring me down.” Cleo gulped down the first glass of champagne. “I’m still flying. You think Anita’ll drag her ass out of bed and go down there?”
    “Count on it. The cops’ll notify her, she’ll get there quick, fast and in a hurry. First thing she’ll do, check her office safe. Or she will if that’s where she’s stashed the Fate. Once she reassures herself it’s where she left it, she’ll do a dance with the cops, then she’ll start calling me. She’s going to be seriously pissed with Burdett Securities.”
    “But you’ll fix that,” Malachi said.
    “Yep, because the system held. That’s number one. They got in, but didn’t have time to do the job because the backup system clicked into place, as advertised. Then I’ll give her my report on Cleo.”
    “I bet it’s terribly hot in Athens this time of year,” Tia mused. “Do you think she’ll leave soon?”
    “If we have two days to put this all together, I’ll be satisfied.” He winked at Cleo. “My partner’s a natural.”
    “I think we could’ve gone all the way tonight.” Cleo held out her glass for a second round. “Into her office, into the safe and away with the prize.”
    “Maybe,” Jack agreed. “Be a damn shame if we’d gone to all that trouble and it wasn’t there.”
    “Yeah, yeah, practicalities. But all in all, you know how to show a girl a good time.”
    “That’s what they all say. You