Mob Sorcery 4 - Ch18

The click-clack of a lock awoke Vince. He stirred, only to find himself in very unfamiliar surrounds. Beige paint, old baseboards and cornices, cheap oak furniture, the warm light of a bedside lamp…

Slowly, he recalled where he was. He almost never visited Fia’s apartment in Albion, but he’d spent the night making an impression on her mattress.

He looked toward the source of the sound that woke him up. Fia stood outside, leaning away from him in little more than her underwear. The dim twilight barely illuminated her figure, but he made out her taut ass and black panties without much issue. If anything, he wished she didn’t show off outside.

“Do you always go out to smoke dressed like that?” he asked, sitting up.

Fia looked back at him, cigarette in her mouth. She raised an eyebrow at him.

Her balcony faced the inside of her apartment complex, limiting her exposure. At this time almost nobody would see her.

“I don’t smoke inside,” she said. “So, yeah, I sneak in a cig before I get dressed.” Her eyes lidded. “Thinking of railing me out here?”

“I’m thinking of who’s watching,” he said, voice gruffer than intended.

She snorted. “Settle down, V.”

When she turned around and went back to smoking, he took matters into his own hands. She’d tossed her jacket onto the ground last night. He picked it up, joined her on the balcony, and threw it over her shoulders.

Fia glowered at him. “Possessive this morning.”

He wrapped his arms around her and nestled his head into her shoulder. “You’re my girlfriend. I’m allowed to be.”

“Uh huh. Who’s cooking this morning?”

“Do you want pancakes?”

“I don’t have any eggs or pancake mix, so good luck.” She smirked at him.

“Then I’m all out of ideas,” he said.

She rolled her eyes at him and took a long puff of her cigarette. Part of him wanted to take it and steal a puff of his own, but he thought better of it.

The two of them remained there for a few minutes. Neither of them spoke a word. They simply stood together, enjoying each other’s company and absorbing their warmth.

“Do you remember something I said to you, not long after we first met? About the allure of waking up in your mate’s bed?” Fia asked.

Vince nodded, his head brushing against the side of hers.

“I was wrong,” she said.

He frowned, but remained silent. She was going somewhere with this.

“I figured it was a bigger deal to always go to you. To be yours and take in your scent, and be claimed in your bed.” She brushed her hair behind one twitching wolf ear, her face red as a cherry. “But waking up in my own bed, and your scent intermingling with mine, like you’re infiltrating my space… That’s the real deal. I know why Pola always wants you to come to her.”

Vince chuckled and pressed his nose into Fia’s cheek. She grumbled at him.

“You just have to ask,” he said. Then paused. “In fact, it might be better to ask. I’ve been getting way too carried away with training lately, and it’s too easy to just go home with Nina.”

“I know.” Fia reached up and rubbed his head. “We all had a chat about it one night last week. Even Pola. Whatever feelings we have toward you, and our own competitiveness… They have to be put aside sometimes. This job is huge, and you’re taking it seriously. I can’t overstate how much I appreciate that. The Family means a lot to me. You know that. Pola’s not going to throw a tantrum because you’re dedicating yourself to helping her.”

“Not anymore, you mean,” he said drily.

She laughed beneath her breath, then took one final puff of her cigarette. It burned down to the filter and she put it out in a nearby ashtray.

“Yeah. Not anymore,” Fia admitted. “Our princess has changed. Both have, really. The other just needs to admit it.”

Fia stripped off her jacket as she entered her bedroom and he followed, closing the balcony door behind them.

Breakfast turned out to be bacon and egg sandwiches at one of Fia’s favorite places. They grabbed takeout and leaned against the railing nearby, watching office workers trundle about in the early morning sun. Both of them kept their napkins close to clean up any sauce or egg that got away.

“I assume I don’t need to tell you anything,” Fia said.

He shook his head. “I’m heading over to Ally’s this morning to collect the magic tool she’s made for me. Other than that, it’s just training.”

They both looked at each other, then nodded.

Despite the foul-up regarding letting Agent spy on Vince’s apartment, they still avoided speaking the actual heist dates aloud.

Today was Monday, and the heist would likely take place on Wednesday. That assumed nothing caused any delays. Saturday was the absolute final day they could pull off the heist, assuming Houou didn’t start increasing security at the facility early.

“How’s Zaira been?” he asked Fia.

The wolfgirl huffed. “A nightmare. She kept trying to break into the casino to gamble, but then bitched when one of the girls played Vice with her and broke her arm. Made it easier to keep her secret when she hid in her room whining.”

“That matches what I expected from her,” Vince said. “I assume she’s eating too much and sleeping a lot?”

“At odd hours, too. She’s practically nocturnal. Only good thing is she’s been busy going over the plans and developing custom-made tools and spells. Dumped a truck-load of catalysts in her room and it keeps her busy except when she wants to gamble. Alessia will need to repair the condo, though.”

He winced. Yeah, using an ordinary condo as an atelier would do a number on it. He hadn’t the foggiest what sort of spells Zaira used to crack vaults and wards, but suspected they left lasting damage during testing.

Fia gave him a lift to the atelier after breakfast so he could squeeze in some training. After giving Fia a kiss and a hug, he left her. He’d sent Ally a message about his tool, but wanted to wait for a reply before he made the trip to visit her.

That time came when Nina arrived with Nicki, who had dropped the lioness off.

“I figured you’d sleep in,” Nina said as she wandered in, rolling her shoulders. “Or do something else in bed this morning.” She shot him a suggestive wink.

“Fia and I are both workaholics. What did you expect?” he drawled.

“Maybe Alessia should make your next job about knocking her sister and Fia up. That way you’ll be extra busy.”

Nicki coughed up her juice and scowled at Nina. “Really? Already?”

“Oh, please. As if I don’t hear you at night—” Nina began to say.

Nicki’s juice bottle thwacked Nina in the head, before falling to the ground. The lioness grinned.

Vince ignored their antics, but his phone buzzed. It was Ally, who let him know she’d opened up shop.

A thought occurred to him. “Nicki, did you mention Ally’s shop to your sister?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah.” Nicki rubbed the back of her neck. “My illusions came up at Christmas, and we’ve been chatting. She uses transformatives, but wanted something less rough on her body. Sometimes she just wants to change her look temporarily, and a jab can leave her feeling it for days. Especially if she uses two in a row.”

“Ally appreciated it.”

Nicki lit up, then frowned. “I’d mention that to Bree, but I worry she’d shake down little Ally for a sponsorship. Still, maybe she’ll mention them privately to some other birds.”

“Tell Bree that if she shakes down Ally, she might get shaken down in return,” he said. “I met her mother. More than that, her dad’s a former yakuza boss.”

Both women stared at him, before Nina burst into laughter.

“Good luck, Vince,” she said between peals of laughter. “You might earn yourself some concrete shoes.”

He glowered at his girlfriend, before grabbing Nicki for the flight downtown.

To his surprise, a suited Immanuel enforcer stood outside Ally’s store. She wore red-tinted sunglasses and had thick black horns that blended with her long curls. The red badge on her lapel made it clear she was corporate, rather than a common thug.

The moment Vince landed nearby, she beelined toward him.

“You’re V?” she asked in a husky voice.

He frowned at her, hand on his cane and ready to cast a barrier at a moment’s notice. “I think you already know that.”

“Yes or no.”

“Yes.”

She grunted and then shoved past him. Her hand rammed into his side hard, but he stood his ground. She didn’t slow and vanished without a glance backward.

“The fuck was that about?” Nicki asked, her wings fluttering in a panic. “A warning?”

Vince kept his expression unchanged. He’d barely felt the tiny object fall into his jacket pocket when the enforcer struck him, but didn’t want to reach for it. The odds he was being scryed were too high.

“Who knows,” he said. “Maybe they don’t appreciate that we hooked Ally up with the Lionettis.”

He shook his head at Nicki when she tried to say more and her eyes widened. They then slipped inside the store.

Ally stood behind the counter in a lacy top and ruffled skirt. She was picking out a small selection of infusions and placing them into a leather pouch with special inserts for the vials.

Or so Vince would have thought. The same magic hung over her that he’d sensed on Ally when he first visited the store. Which made no sense given this was Ally’s true appearance.

“Shouldn’t you have gone home by now?” he asked.

Nicki’s eyes widened and she shot Vince an appalled look.

But “Ally” merely smiled. “You’re sharp. Although I’ll admit my illusions are quite poor,” Kiho’s voice said.

“I’m pretty bad at sensing magic, actually,” he said while approaching the counter. “But you foxes throw around too much at once. I’m guessing you don’t know how to cover your tracks very well?”

“Hiding magical emanations is extremely complicated magic,” Kiho explained. “I only learned the most basic illusion magic, like every kitsune did during the time of the Masquerade. My expertise lies in combat.”

She shook her tails and her true appearance returned. The lacy shirt expanded to cover her much larger bust and her extra two tails appeared. Little else changed, reminding Vince of how similar mother and daughter were.

Nicki said as much, “Wow. You could be Ally’s sister. Um… are you?”

Kiho smiled and placed a hand against her cheek in a faux-bashful manner. “Why thank you. But, no. I’m Kiho, her mother. I intended to go home last week, but it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on things here, no?”

Vince met her gaze, and her expression remained unchanged. The harpy looked between the two of them. She bit her lip.

“Um…” Nicki tried to say.

“This might be a great chance to buy some more illusions dyes,” Vince said to Nicki. “Unless you’ve finally decided on your look?”

Kiho’s eyebrows shot up. “Ah. So you’re the harpy Ally’s spoken to me about. I can’t help with illusion tools, I’m afraid. Ally’s better than me at that school of magic and I’m too old to learn such delicate magic. But if I may offer one piece of advice…”

Nicki nodded, shoulders hunched as if expecting harsh words.

“Whatever you may look like on the outside, you will still be yourself,” Kiho said. “I’ve known spirits who change bodies every century and spies whose faces morph like chameleons, yet their personalities shine through. Find whatever confidence you need from your appearance, whether it be massive breasts or perfect skin, but they can only help you help yourself.”

“I…” Nicki sighed, then smiled. “I think if you’d told me that when I first visited Ally, I’d have gotten grumpy, but I get it more now. I really do want big tits, though.”

“We live in a world of magic. There’s no reason to deny yourself something just because some old farts or people who hate change want you to stay the same.” Kiho raised an eyebrow at Vince.

He raised his hands, but Nicki stopped him from saying anything.

“Vince has been nothing but supportive,” Nicki said angrily. “He’s…” She stopped, face red. “Sorry.”

“No, that was my fault.” Kiho shook her head. “My teasing went too far. Ally’s upstairs, and probably listening in. Aren’t you, dear?”

A yelp from upstairs confirmed as much.

Ally tapped down the stairs in sandals while carrying a woven basket full of goods. Most of what she carried appeared to be stock for the store, including more infusions and dyes. Vince spied a few items of jewelry, and wondered if one of those belonged to him.

“I was busy, Mama, not eavesdropping,” Ally whined as she padded up to her mother, a pout resting on her face.

“If that’s the case, why are you denying that?” Kiho ran a hand through Ally’s hair.

Refusing to answer, Ally began unpacking the dyes and infusions beneath the counter. Her ears twitched as if aware of Vince’s eyes on her head and she glanced up at him. She turned bright red to match her hair and looked away.

Nicki elbowed him in the side and winked at him. Vince refused to dignify her teasing with a response.

“Ally, dear, I think you should give Vince his tool and then worry about your store,” Kiho said. “You don’t have so many customers that you can ignore the ones you have.”

“Mama!” Ally said, shooting to her feet.

On the one hand, Vince would miss watching Kiho tease Ally once she left. On the other, he knew all too well why Ally wanted to leave home, even if she was struggling out here.

Ally huffed, her tails frizzing out as she plonked the basket on the counter. She straightened her hair out with one hand while combing through the basket for something in particular.

Then she smiled as she pulled out a small green ring with a translucent band running through it. It sparkled in the light shining into the shop.

“That’s it?” Vince asked, surprised.

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but it was a lot of work,” Ally said. “Both the materials and enchanting were extremely difficult.”

Kiho merely smiled at her daughter, allowing her to explain her work.

Ally held the ring out, and Vince stretched out his right hand. She slid it onto his index finger.

While he felt the usual sensation of a magic tool resting on his skin, little else occurred. He wasn’t sure what else he expected.

“Um, resizing the ring will be difficult,” Ally explained. “It’s split into two sections: the jadeite shell and the quartz core.”

“Not that the quartz is in any way mundane,” Kiho added, expecting Vince to think less of the ring because it included such a commonplace crystal. “Even a common material becomes special when worked with magic.”

“I use a wooden cane. I’m aware,” he said.

Kiho inclined her head, and let Ally continue.

“The jadeite holds the magic necessary to power the tool, much like a magatama would. The charged spell contained by the tool is very strong, so it needs an extremely deep well of energy,” Ally said. “Or else it would run out after one or two uses.”

“And I’m guessing the quartz actually holds the spell,” Vince said.

He held the ring up to the light. A thin band of quartz was sandwiched between two thicker bands of jade. Yet while the quartz appeared to be perfectly polished and clear, he somehow couldn’t see through it to his skin. The crystalline structure of the quartz reflected infinitely within itself. He’d never seen anything like it.

“It’s a, um, spatial tunneling spell that…” Ally paused, her brow furrowing and tails lowering.

“I’ll take over here,” Kiho said, placing a hand on her daughter’s head. “Ally did the enchanting, including all the craftsmanship. But I cast the spatial magic that is contained within the ring. A secondary benefit of relying on the jadeite to power the spell is that I don’t need to personally recharge it, as Ally can merely refill the jadeite shell with magic.”

Ally hunched her shoulders. “I can’t use spatial magic until I get my fifth tail, and I still won’t be very good at it until my sixth.”

“It’s a hard limitation for all mystic foxes,” Kiho added. “As for the spell, it should meet your needs. You wanted a tool that would help you against melee threats trying to stop you from casting your best spells. That means you needed a tool that can be used without much thought that slows or disables a foe.”

Vince nodded. “I’m assuming that’s why spatial magic came up. A way for me to teleport away—”

“Would be a great way to kill yourself,” Kiho interrupted. “All teleportation magic carries the risk of splicing yourself with an object, and tools waste a lot of time and magic calculating how to stop that. It makes them slow. Good for infiltration and transportation. Non-viable for combat.”

“I… take it you’re very familiar with them,” he said slowly.

She smiled thinly, but didn’t answer him. “While you and Ally were both focused on teleportation, it’s not the best solution. The same goes for a protective barrier. Anything I can put in a tool will pale in comparison to what you can cast in a fight, especially against the foes you want help against.”

That he understood. Barriers rarely changed form and he almost never heard of special tricks in them. Magic spent on fancy techniques was magic not spent stopping a spell from killing him, and tools couldn’t output the power of a spellcaster in the first place.

“What about teleporting somebody away from me?” he asked.

“You’re on the right track.” Kiho crossed her arms and nodded. “But everyone has an innate resistance to teleportation, and active barriers and wards will only make that harder. There’s little difference between teleporting someone and lighting them on fire at a magical level.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, realizing Kiho was building up to something. Ally glared up at her mother, clearly annoyed at the way she was dangling the tool’s ability.

“Mama, just tell Vince what the tool does. I already told him,” Ally said.

“Spatial tunneling,” Vince said. “I assume it creates a… tunnel… in space…”

Kiho snorted, and Nicki grinned at him.

“Hey,” he muttered at the harpy. “Whose side are you on?”

“The one that knows what they’re talking about,” Nicki said.

“It is a tunnel in space, but also not” Kiho said, her fox ears twitching in amusement. “Put simply, the ring will compress space between two points, and then uncompress it. Except it will switch the start and end, sending somebody close to you thirty feet away, or…” She showed her fangs. “Bringing somebody thirty feet away from you within arm’s reach.”

Yeah, Vince realized Kiho was exactly the sort of foe he feared. When Agent wore her appearance, she’d appeared in samurai armor, meaning Kiho likely fought in close combat.

Nina might appreciate Kiho. He wondered which of the two would win in a fight.

Then he frowned as he processed Kiho’s words. “Didn’t you just say people can resist teleportation?” he asked.

“You’re not teleporting them with the ring,” Kiho said. “The spell compresses the space around them. Short of countering the spell itself, it can’t be blocked. The downside is that it can only be cast in open air and you need direct line of sight of both ends.”

“So no sending enemies into walls,” Vince said.

She shook her head. “I can do that, but it’s trickier. Especially as I lack any skill in enchantment and Ally any skill in spatial magic. This is still a powerful technique.”

Abruptly, Kiho raised a hand. Her tails glittered with golden light and magic washed over the store.

Ally squawked in surprise. Her eyes widened in fear and she reached underneath her sundress to grab a small wooden wand strapped to her inner thigh.

Swearing, Nicki leaped behind Vince and nearly knocked a rack over. He gripped his cane and checked the door.

It remained shut, so he stared at Kiho.

She lowered her hand, then stared at him.

“My apologies, but a powerful ward was necessary,” she said, voice lower than usual and lacking any playfulness. “I have my own protections against scrying, but I fear you’re being watched quite closely.”

“I am,” Vince admitted.

“Based on your public entanglement with Houou, I can assume your job has to do with them,” Kiho said. “So I’ll warn you. If you use that ring against a six-tail fox, they will almost certainly recognize the technique. It will make you the priority target.”

“… because it’s your technique?” he hedged.

She laughed. “Hardly. No, it’s because it means another fox gave you the tool. Being acknowledged by a mystic fox makes you far more dangerous in the eyes of my people compared to those who haven’t been. And some might just dislike our magic in the hands of a mere mortal.”

Great. So the ring was powerful, but also a “kick me” sign.

He nodded and turned to Ally. “How much do I owe you? I’m guessing this cost a lot, especially if you flew out Kiho to help.”

Ally turned red. “Um, I…”

Kiho poked her daughter. “We discussed this Ally.”

Ah. He should have expected this. Time to tell a little white lie.

“The Lionettis are covering the costs for this job, including incidentals and tools,” Vince said. “So don’t hold back and charge me some tiny amount. But, uh, don’t overcharge. I’d feel bad for Alessia. This is a very expensive job as is.”

It was true that Alessia was paying for almost everything, but he and Nina were footing the cost of their own gear and infusions. The pay promised to more than cover for it, especially if Mei turned out to be willing to pay for it on top of the extra money she’d offered.

Vince had received some very healthy sums of money recently and could afford to pay for his shit, though. He’d received his December payment for his ongoing contract with Alessia, plus payouts for dealing with Kaziern and Arnulfo. Not to mention the pay for his first contract with the Lionettis.

All up, he’d made over a hundred grand in a little over two months. While he’d spent a fair chunk of it on upgrades, he still kept the vast majority of it. And after the heist, he’d more than double his cash, even before Mei’s extra.

The time to start reinvesting it had come. He would feel bad if he ripped off Ally.

“Um, it’s kind of hard to price as the materials aren’t that expensive,” Ally mumbled. “But I did use a lot of catalysts.”

Kiho slowly prodded her daughter into giving him a proper price-tag. A little over twenty grand.

Nicki’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. “That’s a fucking car.”

“Catalysts aren’t cheap,” Kiho said.

Vince nodded. “I figured it would cost a lot. Especially with failed attempts. Nina’s best tools cost as much as this or more. It’s why she doesn’t have a big nest-egg after paying off her college debt.”

“It should be more,” Kiho said, tone somewhat chiding as she gave Ally a somewhat disapproving look. “Consider it a family discount.”

“Um, I do need to buy more things,” he said. “The infusions for one. But also…” Something had occurred to him during his chat with Fia. “I need an illusion tool for somebody relatively small. No special appearance, but it can’t be easily seen through.”

“All my tools have basic illusion wards on them, although they will be detected as illusions.” Ally tilted her head to one side. “This isn’t for Nicki, is it?”

“It’s for the job.”

“I have a demo one I use for myself if she’s of a similar build. She’ll look like a catgirl. If you can return it, I’ll refund you, but…” Ally bit her lip.

“I’ll pay,” he said quickly.

The fox smiled at him and bundled up his purchases. A set of healing and magic-restoring infusions in the leather pouch Kiho held earlier, plus the illusion tool. He kept the ring on his finger. Nicki added some illusion dyes, but Ally chose not to charge her for them—likely due to recommending Bree.

While Nicki and Ally chatted about illusions, he checked his pocket. The demon from earlier had shoved something in there.

A small black ring. He sensed magic from it, but couldn’t tell what type of spell. Indecipherable script in crimson was scrawled on the inside of the ring.

“An anti-scrying spell, I believe,” Kiho said, leaning on his shoulder with her hands. Her tails slid around his back. “Demons commonly use tools made from the aftermath of natural disasters for anti-scrying tools, as they believe they show the folly of divination.”

Vince frowned. “The script on the inside is demonic then. I don’t recognize it.”

“It’s Sanskrit, actually, but deformed. Likely a religious verse about a disaster,” she said. “Demons and evil spirits love irony. Whoever gave you this ring cares about you a lot, which is unusual given what it is.”

Salome, then. That explained the strange way the demon behaved.

“Would it stop a fox’s scrying?” he asked.

“No passive anti-scrying wards can stop dedicated divination,” Kiho said. “But you can stop looking over your shoulder as if you’re being followed all the time now.”

A welcome change. He owed Salome too much now.

Before he left, Kiho squeezed Ally’s shoulder. Nicki fluttered her wings and slipped outside.

Sighing, Ally wrung her hands and smiled at Vince. “I really wanted to receive your gift by now. But Mama’s really worried.”

“I gathered,” he said. “And I’m…” He sighed. “Busy.”

He worried that if he didn’t give Ally the brushing she deserved, he’d never get the chance. Maybe…

When he met her gaze, all he saw was determination. Ally balled her fists.

“Next week,” she said, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. “You’ll come to my apartment next week and… and… you’ll brush my tails out properly. Even if Mama is still here. But you can’t say you want to do it earlier just in case. Okay, Vince? You’ll definitely be here next week.”

He took a deep breath, then smiled. “Okay.”

Then he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Ally gasped, only to have her breath stolen by him as he continued to kiss her. Her palms leaned gently against his chest while she moaned into his mouth.

He leaned away, and Ally stared up at him with slightly glazed eyes. Her four tails danced behind her, their white tips wiggling excitedly.

“We’ll continue this next week, too,” he said.

Ally gulped. “Okay, Vince.”

As he left the store, he saw Ally standing still in the middle of her store, still dazed, with Kiho smirking at him from the foot of the stairs. At least he had the mother’s approval.

Wednesday rolled around. He’d spent the past two nights taking it relatively easy on Nina’s advice. Being tired as hell during the job itself helped nobody, and this wasn’t an anime. He wasn’t going to learn some super move in a day of training that would let him bulldoze the heist and crush six-tail foxes.

No, it would come down to the prep he’d been doing for the past two months. The tools and equipment he’d been buying or gathered. His new fire tornado he’d practiced over and over. The refinement of his existing spells, as well as learning how to defend himself from spell disruption.

Vince truly felt like a top-tier independent enforcer now, after all the training and preparation. He just needed to prove it.

While Nina made omelets, Fia sent them a message.

Come to the Tower for drinks tonight, she said.

They looked at each other, then nodded.

“Drinks it is,” Vince said blandly.

Nicki scowled. “Am I coming, too?”

“We should all go,” Nina said. “Easier if you fly both of us, and you’re allowed in the capo lounge anyway.”

Not that they were going to the capo lounge. Nicki dropped them off at ground level, as they were trying to act like this was a normal visit. They took the elevators to what Vince termed the “operation” floor. He’d last been here before they visited Kaziern’s HQ, and it was used whenever the Lionettis gathered in force inside their tower.

They found Fia and a small team of Lionetti enforcers inside a conference room. Lucia and Alessia stood to one side, while Pola fussed over Fia. Zaira fiddled with a handheld gaming console while sitting on the floor, and Duilio sat at the table while reading a book. A selection of snacks and sodas had been laid out on the table, but no alcohol was in sight.

“I kind of expected more of us,” Vince admitted as he walked up to Fia. “But I also know why there aren’t.”

“Numbers won’t make a huge difference,” Fia said. “We’re giving the girls some of our best tools. Speaking of which, I should introduce you. You’ve definitely met Perla before, but she’ll be leading the girls.”

A familiar wolfgirl with black hair and blue highlights stepped up. Vince had seen her around, and was pretty sure she’d been the one who first responded when he seized the arcade from Kaziern during his first job for the Lionettis.

“I’m the only capo on the job,” Perla said. She rubbed the back of her neck. “The girls are good, but don’t think of any of us at your level, V. None of us have gigantic dragon dicks.”

“Noted,” he said drily, while Perla ignored the dark looks she garnered from Fia and Pola. “What’s the chain of command?”

Fia pointed at him and Nina first. “You two are the fighters, so all decisions on the ground are yours to make. Duilio and me will be handlers, with me on the outside relaying what I can, including if anything goes wrong. Try not to ignore us unless what we’re saying is completely wrong.”

“I’ll try not to ignore my eyes and ears,” Duilio said, placing his book on the table.

“What about the Yakuza?” Vince asked.

“We’ll need to make sure once we arrived, but we should be splitting into two teams once we’re in,” Fia said. “As we have Zaira, we’re going for the vault. The Yakuza will be shutting down the generators so we can get in.”

Everything matched what he’d heard before. So no major changes had been made to the plans at the last minute. At least, not yet.

But he had one last question.

He looked around in confusion. “How are we getting there? I realize we’ve been coming here for drinks regularly as cover, but we need to cross half the state to reach the facility.”

Alessia laughed. “Are you forgetting, Vince? The Lionetti Family possesses teleport rooms. We’ve already arranged for one of our fliers to leave a beacon near the facility.”

“Mei will be doing likewise,” Fia said. “To avoid anyone scrying us as we move into position, we’ll teleport over. The facility’s anti-scrying wards make it difficult to spot us to begin with, but once Mei arrives she’ll erect her own wards and begin disrupting all communications. And once we arrive, she’ll block all teleportation.”

He met her eyes, then looked at Alessia and Pola. Both sisters met his gaze with grim determination.

“That means we’re on the clock,” Vince said. “We’ve waited two months to start this heist. Let’s go.”