After reviewing all the surveillance footage, the group fell silent.
"We lost this round fair and square," Handsome Rob said finally, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "Someone's been watching us for over three weeks."
"And none of us noticed. Not once."
Charlie's face twitched, but he didn't argue.
He prided himself on his caution and meticulous planning. To have missed such a glaring threat was a humiliating failure.
"My fault," Charlie said after a long pause. "I was too careless."
He knew the dynamics of his team well. They were friends, yes, but profit was the glue that held them together. If Charlie stopped delivering paydays, the camaraderie would eventually fade until they drifted apart.
So, he took full responsibility for the failure.
He immediately began calculating the odds of stealing the gold back from this unknown third party—assuming they could even find him.
Handsome Rob, who was closest to Charlie, was the first to speak up.
"Charlie, we all know this isn't on you."
"We were all a little blinded by hate once we found Steve. We got sloppy."
With one sentence, Rob absolved Charlie of the blame and refocused the group.
Lyle and Left Ear didn't hold it against him either.
Their bond with John Bridger hadn't been as deep as Charlie's, but they had known the old man for years. If Charlie had been distracted by grief and a desire for revenge, it was understandable.
Everyone knew the history. John had been a mentor and a father figure to Charlie. If Charlie hadn't asked him to delay his retirement for one last job, John would still be alive.
So, Charlie hating Steve? That was expected.
Pat. Pat.
Lyle and Left Ear each clapped a hand on Charlie's shoulder. No words were needed. The matter was settled.
"Thanks, guys."
Charlie's mood lifted slightly at their support.
He checked his watch. It was nearly noon. They didn't have much time left to save Stella.
He pulled himself together and turned to Lyle. "Lyle, can you identify the guy who was tailing us?"
"Impossible," Lyle said, shrugging. He was a hacker, not God.
"The resolution on these security cameras is garbage. And the guy clearly knew what he was doing."
"You saw it yourself. He changes clothes constantly. He never shows his face."
"Unless I hack the entire LA traffic grid and pull footage from every intersection before they're deleted..."
"But even then, sifting through that much data to find one guy? It would take days. We don't have that kind of time."
Lyle was confident he could hack the traffic system. But he knew the city's retention policy. To save costs, LA traffic cams usually only kept footage for about seven days. Sometimes less if the budget was tight.
Finding the mystery man now was a pipe dream.
Charlie sighed. He had to give up on finding the thief for now.
He turned to Rob. "Rob, how's the prop coming along?"
"A ton of material? Even for fake gold, that takes time to source. I'm meeting a guy at two o'clock to pick it up."
Rob knew Charlie was asking about the decoy gold.
Charlie nodded and looked at Left Ear. "Left Ear, we need explosives. Something to ensure we have an exit strategy."
"That's tough," Left Ear shook his head. "This is LA, not a war zone. My usual contacts would need days to get me the raw materials."
Charlie grit his teeth. "I'll handle the gunpowder. You just build the devices."
"Done," Left Ear agreed instantly.
Charlie looked at Lyle again. Lyle instinctively shrank back into his chair. He was a tech guy, not a field operative. In past ops, he always stayed in the van.
Charlie realized this and sighed. "Lyle, you're on surveillance. Keep eyes on Steve's villa."
"No problem!" Lyle breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have to go into the line of fire.
He eagerly offered, "I can hack the traffic lights too. If you guys need a getaway route, I can turn everything green for you."
"Good."
Charlie wasn't ready to give up completely. "Also... try to enhance the resolution on those clips. See if you can get a cleaner shot of the guy's face."
Lyle hesitated, knowing it was a long shot, but nodded. "I'll try."
"Thanks."
With tasks assigned, Charlie left the apartment.
As the leader, his job was the most complex. He needed to hit the black market for gunpowder, secure weapons for the team, and dig into Steve's background to see if he had any other enemies they could leverage.
The day passed quickly in a blur of activity.
Near Steve's villa, Hunter lowered his binoculars and stowed them in his Inventory.
He had spotted the climbing pitons he left on the cliff face days ago. They hadn't been removed.
But now, several surveillance cameras were pointed directly at them. The cliff was a trap.
Hunter carefully concealed himself in a large tree, waiting for nightfall.
His reconnaissance had confirmed his fears.
Steve's villa was a fortress.
Aside from the eight-man security team provided by the private firm patrolling the perimeter, Hunter could see multiple vehicles parked in the driveway.
He estimated there were at least ten men inside the villa itself.
And these weren't mall cops with flashlights. These were mercenaries armed with submachine guns and AKs. They were far more dangerous than the external security.
Breaking in again to save Stella—assuming she was there—was going to be exponentially harder than the first time.
He needed the cover of darkness.
And ideally... a distraction.
"Here's hoping Charlie figured out Stella is missing," Hunter thought as he settled against the tree bark. "And here's hoping he makes a move tonight."
With that thought, Hunter began his long wait, watching the villa as the sun began to set.
Read ahead with 100+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Authorizz