âYou know what?â An idea came to Abelâs mind. âSince itâs still possible to enter freely, letâs smuggle our weapons inside first. Put it in one place and when our guys are in there, they can go to that spot to arm themselves.â
âThat works. I might squeeze Janie in,â said Benjamin.
âJanie? Sheâs a woman. How is she supposed to carry the guns inside?â
âThere will be a performance before the auction. Janie can disguise as a performer, who can bring in her costumes and accessories.â
âI can be Ms. Eastwoodâs assistant and carry her things around,â Luca volunteered.
âAre you sure?â Abel chuckled. âWhat if you run into your friends?â
âI can do it. No one knows me anyway.â A sniper came forth.
âOkay.â Abel nodded.
Janie was overjoyed when she received a call from Benjamin. âCome to The Precipice right away.â
âNow? Yes. No problem.â Janie dropped everything she was doing and drove to the mansion.
When she arrived and saw the boxes of firearms, she slumped to the ground. âW⦠What are you doing? A bank heist?â
âTo save Emmeline.â Benjamin shook his head.
âTo save Emma? Count me in,â Janie chirped.
Benjamin then proceeded to brief Janie on the plan. Adel thought she would be too afraid to take up such a dangerous job. But Janieâs excitement proved him wrong. No wonder she got along very well with Emmeline. Birds of the same feather flock together.
âDonât worry, guys. You can count on me.â
âGood.â Benjamin then pointed at the layout. âYou will place the weapons in the dressing room behind the conference hall. You only need to lock the box. And put it somewhere obvious to avoid rousing suspicion.â
âOkey-dokey. Iâll be waiting for you there,â said Janie.
âNo, youâre leaving immediately,â ordered Benjamin.
âBut why?â
âI donât want you to distract me. You donât want to distract us either, do you?â Benjamin replied.
It was true. During the crossfire, anything could happen. And if she was injured, she would just be a burden to Benjamin. Oh my gosh. Benjamin was actually protecting her.
âOkay.â Janie was touched by Benjaminâs kindness. âBut promise me youâll come back alive.â
âI will.â
âWaah!â Janie cried herself into Benjaminâs embrace. But for once, Benjamin let her hug him.
âMr. Benjamin, you have to stay safe too. Donât get shot.â
âI will. Donât worry.â
Janie wasnât willing to let go of Benjamin. Benjamin had to pry her away.
âGo now, Janie. Be careful.â
âOkay.â Janie nodded.
At noon, Janie came back. Everything went swimmingly. She passed the keys to Benjamin and said, âI even put numbers on them so that you can locate them.â
âGood girl,â complimented Benjamin. After he gave Janie a hug, she returned to Adelmar.
At 4 PM, Benjamin and Abel took the invitation letter the auctioneer sent them as well as a 300- million-
dollar cheque, and left for the Imperial Palace in separate cars.