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The Assessment: Part 2

*if you havent read part 1, go there first

The Palazzo Colonna Gallery is grand, covered in sprawling paintings and high ceilings where centuries of artwork live. Gabriel peers closely into a painting of a man eating beans, which… like, sure. The cannonball at the end of the hall sits smack dab in the middle of the marble steps from centuries ago, right where it landed during a distant war. Cool.

But the crown jewel, so to speak, is the collection of emerald necklaces on special display in three separate freestanding glass cases set up right in the back-center of the hall. Various eyes and faces peer down at them, muttering curiosities in their native tongues.

Maybe they were discussing rumors of a brazen young group of teenagers who, just the night before, had attempted to steal all three necklaces in the dead of night. They had been caught by a tripwire installed in the tunnels under the palace. Mr. Khan had been smiling widely this morning, taking maybe a little too much glee in one crew already being down. As punishment for getting caught, they were put straight on a train back to Crookhaven first thing this morning. Tough luck, but it only made Gabriel more aware of how careful they needed to be if they wanted to win.

Gabriel rounds on the exhibit, peering down at the first of the three, watching how it hits the light, sparkling whether from the fixtures overhead or the afternoon sun filtering through the high windows. It looks virtually identical to the second one next to it, and then again to the third. They all look practically the same, so much so that it annoys him.

Why they don’t have a placard displaying exactly which are the fakes and which is real is probably the doing of the Crooked Network to ensure fairness in the final assessment.

But as Gabriel’s gaze lingers on the second and third cases, a familiar, grating friction sparks in his chest. There is a rigid, sterile uniformity to the way the light fractures through the stones. It’s the same hollow feeling he gets when looking at a masterfully forged painting, technically flawless, but entirely soulless. His gut screams that two and three are dead imitations.

Amira’s voice brings him back from his thoughts, “I think it’s this one.”

“How?” he questions the Crook that slides up next to him.

“The symmetry?” Amira murmurs, leaning closer to the glass. “The weight of the setting on the third one hangs just a fraction of a millimeter lower. Looks heavier. More authentic.”

“No, it’s definitely the second one,” Ade chimes in, popping up on Gabriel's other side and squinting through the display case. “Look at the saturation on those center stones. The hue is perfectly even, while the other two have minor structural inconsistencies. They've gotta be the replicas.”

Gabriel just shakes his head, his eyes settling firmly back on the first case. To him, the first one was the only one that didn't give him that counterfeit itch. "You guys are looking at it too hard," he murmurs, his eyes bouncing between the glittering traps. "Two and three... they look too perfect.”

A sudden surge in the gallery crowd, a massive tour group speaking rapid Turkish, shoves forward, bottlenecking the space around the display. Someone thick-shouldered bumps hard into Gabriel's back. To keep his balance and avoid slamming into the display case, Gabriel instinctively steps sideways, his hand reaching out to steady himself. His fingers wrap firmly around a soft forearm, pulling them both out of the crush of the crowd.

It’s Penelope.

She doesn't pull away. Instead, she utilizes his grip to anchor herself, her side pressing flush against his chest as the tourists hustle past them. The proximity is sudden and warm, her floral scent instantly cutting through the musty museum air. Gabriel’s hand lingers on her arm a beat too long, his thumb brushing the soft fabric of her sleeve before he reluctantly lets go.

Penelope doesn’t look at him, but the corner of her mouth ticks up as she looks at the glass cubes. “You’re all wrong,” she says softly, her voice carrying that effortless, quiet authority. She cuts a sly glance at Gabriel. "Well, mostly all wrong. It’s the first one."

See, he thought he was onto something.

Gabriel clears his throat, a small smirk breaking through his composure. “And why's that, Lockett? Looks exactly like the others.”

“Because it isn't perfect,” Penelope explains, leaning in. “Look closely at the center emerald. See those tiny, web-like fractures deep inside the green?”

Gabriel squints, shifting closer to her shoulder until he can see the microscopic, faint lines catching the light. “Yeah. Looks like a flaw.”

“It’s called jardin,” Penelope murmurs, her eyes bright with the thrill of the knowledge. “It’s French for garden. Natural emeralds are incredibly volatile when they form, so they always have these unique, chaotic internal flaws.” She takes a steadying breath. “When Mr. Palombo created a replica last fall, he used synthetic emeralds. You can mimic chemical structures and even engineer fake flaws, but a machine can never perfectly replicate the absolute chaos of nature. The emeralds in the second and third necklaces are visually stunning, but their internal lines are still too clean. Too deliberate.”

She straightens back up, cutting her eyes to Gabriel. “You’re right. The first one is the real necklace. Trust me.”

Gabriel stares at the necklace, then back at her, an amused grin finally breaking across his own face. “Good thing we brought an expert.”

“Yeah, your whole heist would crash and burn without me,” she teases back, her eyes dancing.

“Let’s keep on track with what we’re here for,” Amira vocalizes a bit too loudly, her eyes pointed at him. He waves off the underlying meaning, shifting slightly away from Penelope to create some professional distance.

They all move, walking back through the hall and over to Ede, Jia, and Villette, who currently huddle together discussing something of importance.

“Hey,” Ade mutters, leaning into his brother's shoulder.

“The security system they installed for the weekend is definitely Crook-funded,” Ede whispers, his thumbs flying across his phone screen. “The firewalls are insane. Whisper definitely helped build this.”

“Can we hijack the feed?” Ade asks. Gabriel steps in close to block the view from the rest of the room.

“No,” Ede says flatly. “The main camera loop is completely air-gapped. No wireless access points, no external IPs. If we tried to send a fake loop remotely, I just hit an encrypted wall. It’s totally locked down.”

Amira frowns. “So we can't wirelessly hack it at all?”

“At least not from here,” Ede states, Ade nodding in agreement.

Ade admits, looking a bit more worried than usual. “If we want to loop the cameras so you guys can actually touch the cases, we need to inject the dummy feed directly into the local system. If we can't find some sloppy backdoor, we're basically flying blind.”

“Great, so the cameras aren’t even a given,” Amira whispers sharply. “Even if we fix the feed, we can’t just pull off a smash-and-grab in the middle of a black-tie gala. There are too many people.”

Ade’s eyes light up. “I can hack the ballroom sound system. Change up the music—”

“Right, because that will make everyone look away from the million-pound necklace and ignore us stealing it,” Jia cuts in lowly, rolling her eyes.

“Got a better idea?” Ade counters.

Gabriel glances over, but Villette isn't even engaged in the argument. She’s just staring blankly up at the ceiling across the hall, her head tilted up.

Ede notices her silence first. He follows her unblinking gaze up into the plaster crown molding, squinting until his eyes lock onto something in the distance. Gabriel follows it to spot a sleek, hidden lens tucked right into the crown molding between two columns. The black cord is barely visible, hidden behind a plastic seam.

Ede’s brow goes up. “Well, look at that.”

“What am I looking at?” Ade asks, squinting up too.

“Exactly what we need,” Villette says. For Gabriel, the pieces click together as he catches on.

“A Projector?” Ade responds, “What does the Crooked Network need a projector for?”

“There was one in the ballroom and one outside in the Gardens,” Villette says. “I thought it weird the first one, and then the second, but now a third.”

“Good eye.” Jia stares at Villette with curious trepidation.

Amira scoffs, “Crooked Network planning on projecting a slideshow or someth—”

“Exactly.” Penelope pipes up, eyes flickering rapidly as she stares off just past Ede’s legs.

“Speak, Lockett.” Jia prompts with sudden anticipation.

Penelope swallows before her gaze meets the rest of them: “When I was in my dad’s office returning the invitation, there were these papers—plans—that I didn’t think much of. But they mentioned the Crooked Network's past successes and a couple of famous Crooks. How much would you bet that is exactly what they are gonna do? Project all of their greatest successes for all of them to relish in throughout the night.”

“Giving us a perfect opportunity to distract them for a minute or two if we take over the feed.” Amira finishes Penelope’s thought. Finishes Gabriel’s own idea.

“We make it our own for a few.” Gabriel smirks, “We create something flashy enough to grab their attention.”

Ade supplies, shoulders falling, “But we have to get in first—”

“And we currently have nothing.” Ede finishes with disappointment.

The heavy weight of the dead end settles over the group, the grand, golden air of the Palazzo Colonna suddenly feeling a lot more claustrophobic.

“We aren't going to solve it standing under the security cameras and surrounded by strangers,” Penelope states quietly, her voice dropping as she steps in line beside Gabriel. Her elbow brushes his jacket pocket, where his fingers absentmindedly rub the coin that somehow found its way back to his person. “Let’s head back to the hotel. We have all night to look into this and other possible options.”

Gabriel glances back toward the first glass cube, the necklace glittering mockingly beneath the gallery lights while the rest of them start back towards the exit.

“Well, well, well,” a goading voice sounds from behind. “Knew we’d run into each other again. Trying to spy on us?”

“Perfect,” Jia comments, an annoyed, quirked brow growing on her face. Both she and Gabriel turn, though Gabriel keeps his facial expression completely indifferent. Passive. Unamused.

“I think they’re taking a page out of our book, Edgar,” Dorian replies like the perfect little side lackey he is. Both legacies carry that heavy air of superiority they believe they hold over everyone else. It is entirely grating on the nerves.

“Learning what not to do,” Gabriel replies easily. He crosses his arms over his chest, standing at his full height as he turns a flat, unbothered gaze down at Edgar.

The physical shift is slight, but it forces Edgar to lift his chin just a fraction higher to maintain eye contact. The legacy's posture instantly stiffens, a familiar, subtle crack appearing in that polished, upper-class confidence the moment Edgar realizes he has to look up.

“We get a private tour of the palace later today,” Edgar boasts, trying to regain his footing. “Great time for reconnaissance, don’t you think, Dorian?”

“Very smart, Edgar.”

Penelope crosses her arms over her chest, stepping back toward them. “Your father got you a private tour and bought your way into the Gala. I wonder who’s going to want a conniving, unoriginal Legacy under their organization in the future? The Criminal Network would see you coming from a mile away, Edgar. The classic Delacombe way, right?”

The crew chuckles, collectively deciding it's the perfect moment to turn away, leaving the two legacies standing there, visibly unhappy with how the interaction turned out.

Gabriel laughs under his breath as they walk. Penelope turns back to smirk at him before brushing past Edgar, checking him with her shoulder as she leaves. Gosh, it is nice to have Penelope Lockett with him instead of against him.

Edgar blinks in surprise for a moment, then smiles back coldly as Gabriel passes him. “This delusion you have, thinking you and one of the most famous legacies at Crookhaven would ever actually work out…” Edgar smiles wider as Dorian chuckles lowly. “It’s kinda sweet, honestly.”

Gabriel’s mood turns sour, turning on the guy. “Shut it, Delacombe.”

Edgar raises his hands in mock defense, his mouth curling into a self-satisfied line. He and Dorian tease him silently as they back away. Gabriel’s fist curls tight at his side, his jaw locked.

Maybe they’re right.

~~~~~~~~~~

“The glass displays are just like the one Miss Jericho had us steal from earlier this year.” Jia yawns, her back perched against the foot of Penelope's bed later that night. “You touch the glass, you’re caught. So you have to lift from the top corners carefully, shimmy it out of its base, and pluck the necklace without tripping the alarm. Then place it back in all before anyone meandering around can notice, including the security teams and the cameras trained on the display.”

“Sounds difficult,” Amira states, leaning back into the pillows of Penelope’s chaise, yawning herself. The soft wind blowing in through the open balcony door lifts the hairs around Amira’s face gently. “But we’re crooks, so it’s not difficult enough.”

“Your confidence in us is refreshing, Amira.” Gabriel jests. He is himself lounging back on Penelope’s hotel bed, his head nestled comfortably in an extra pillow.

“Where the hell did everyone go?” Amira asks, glancing over at Villette, who is sound asleep, curled up in a ball, tightly wrapped in a stack of pillows and a blanket in the corner right under the balcony window. Amira quirks a brow, and she and Gabriel share a soft smile. Villette can be an interesting person—sometimes weirdly happy and meek, and other times incredibly intense and direct. But even while sleeping, she still looks like the harmless Nikki who first arrived at Crookhaven.

Gabriel shrugs, murmuring as Jia’s quiet snores start to fill the space. “Would’ve thought Penelope would be back by now.”

Penelope had departed to get some late-night snacks and a few waters after their meeting. Ade and Ede left shortly after declaring the space and all of them too distracting as they typed away on their laptops trying to find any vulnerabilities they could exploit night of. That left the rest of them, him and the remaining girls, to their own devices in Penelope’s hotel room.

The fact that Penelope was awarded her own room and didn’t have to share was a luxury Gabriel couldn't deny he was a little jealous of. Edgar might get special treatment because of his father and use it to flaunt the doors he can have opened for him, but Penelope isn’t far off. She just doesn’t necessarily broadcast it to the world.

Amira shrugs back silently before leaning further into the chaise and closing her eyes. “Wake me up when Tweedledee and Tweedledum come to a revelation. Or when Lockett gets back with my food.”

He glares playfully toward his friend before she drifts off. He doesn’t know how long he stares at the ceiling, opting not to move, as his spot is warm and he, too, could easily nod off. He’s unsure why he doesn’t—not until he hears the distinct click of the door lock and a soft "oh" from the entryway.

His eyes widen and his head tips up. Penelope is gently setting down her armful of snacks and drinks on the small footrest next to the bathroom door. She makes eye contact with him, raising a brow and gesturing to the three bodies strewn about her hotel room. He just shrugs again silently, watching as she processes the situation, then softly steps over Jia to get to the other side of the bed.

“I was only gone for like five minutes,” she murmurs, gently climbing onto the mattress next to him and resting her upper back against the headboard above his head.

“More like fifteen,” he counters with furrowed brows. Satisfied that he got his point across, he closes his eyes and rests back into the pillow, his hands locked comfortably over his stomach. This bed feels significantly better than the one in his room.

“I was trying to find Villette some orange chocolate. The front desk said a little shop at the end of the street had it, and I managed to get in and out right before they closed.” After a beat of two of silence. “She’s out.”

He chances a glance for a brief moment as she brushes a lock of hair behind her ear, her gaze trained on Villette’s docile sleeping form on the floor. He closes his eyes back up.

“They all are.”

“And you?”

Gabriel’s eyes shoot open, staring up at Penelope. “You walked in. Ruined my peace.”

“I gallantly went out to find you food.” Penelope rolls her eyes softly.

Right then, down at the foot of the bed, Jia lets out a tiny, high-pitched, pathetic little whistle of a snore. It’s so soft and completely unbothered, but in the relative quiet of the room, it sounds entirely ridiculous.

Gabriel’s chest tightens as a sudden laugh hits him out of nowhere. He tries to lock it down, but next to him, Penelope buries her face into her hand, her shoulders violently shaking as she tries to muffle a wheeze. The struggle to stay quiet completely breaks them.

When he gets a hold of himself and opens his eyes, she’s close. Like… really close.

Still totally unaware of it, she has leaned so far over that her hair curtains his right side, dark strands brushing against his shoulder and the pillow beside his head. Her face is maybe a foot from his, her lips pressed tight in laughter, her cheeks flushed pink from trying not to wake the others.

She smells like clean citrus and florals, the same as the elevator, only a few days prior. Gabriel suddenly forgets what was funny. Actually, he forgets most things.

Because if he just lifted a little, just the tiniest bit, he could close the space. He could. It would be so easy; it’s almost unfair.

His heartbeat turns heavy, thudding right up into his throat. Penelope makes him feel on edge in a way nothing else does. Not Deception tasks. Not breaking into the locked record rooms. Not even his parents and their awful threats. It’s been like that for the past two years, always tiptoeing around something neither of them ever says out loud. He kinda doesn’twant to tiptoe anymore.

So he lets his intrusive thought win. Gabriel reaches up slowly and tucks the piece of hair falling down the side of her face behind her ear.

Penelope freezes. Her hand falls from where it had been hiding her eyes. Her smile fades, not all at once, but slowly, like she’s only just realized where she is. How close they are. How his fingers are still lingering near her jaw, barely brushing the space beneath her ear.

It’d be the right thing to do to retract his hand. He doesn’t.

Penelope blinks rapidly, her brown eyes floating across his face, flicking down once toward his mouth before scrunching up in a silent question. She still doesn't pull away.

Gabriel’s stomach drops in the best and worst ways.

He shifts a little on his back, barely anything, but it makes the mattress dip under them. Penelope readjusts on her elbow at the same time, and somehow that makes the already pathetic space between them vanish almost completely.

Her breath catches. Or maybe his does. It’s like every sense of his is suddenly heightened. Heated.

Penelope whispers, “Gabriel.”

His name breezes over his mouth, and his eyes flick down to her lips again. And yet, still, she doesn’t pull away.

“Penelope,” he says, barely loud enough to count as a voice. He’s so close.

Her fingers tighten in the bedding beside his forearm. He just about angles up, pressing forward to relinquish the inch or two of space between them—

“Guys!”

Gabriel jumps in tandem with Penelope, his head pressing back into the pillow so hard he wants to be swallowed by the bed if he could. Penelope leaps off the bed completely, immediately fixing her hair behind her shoulder and pulling her jumper further down her arms. Trying to ignore the fact, just like him, that they were about one second away from making everything significantly more complicated.

Gabriel sits up more slowly, trying his best to look normal.

Ade comes rushing around the corner from the door, a look of pure joy on his face. Ede follows close behind, carrying his laptop, concentrating so hard on the screen that he runs right into his brother’s back.

“Bro.”

“Sorry.” Ede pushes his glasses up before focusing back down at the screen.

“Hey Ade. Ede.” Gabriel’s voice cracks just enough that he wants to fling himself through the nearest wall. “I thought you two were going heads down?”

“We were but—”

“Hush,” Amira calls from her corner, shifting onto her other side, still heavily dazed. Villette sits up from her perch on the floor, rubbing her eyes while Jia remains leaning back against the end of the bed.

“Amira,” Ede calls out timidly, “you’re gonna wanna hear this.”

Amira groans, murmurs expletives under her breath before maneuvering into a seated position, her head resting in her hands against her knees. “Be quick, please.”

“You remember how we noted the security system at the Gala is using the highest level of encryption,” Ade continues,“and is basically unhackable?”

“Yeah?” Jia murmurs.

“You hacked it?” Gabriel asks, his eyes widening in anticipation. He is grateful for literally anything else to focus on other than Penelope standing three feet away, pretending she hadn't just been breathing against his mouth.

“No freaking way?” Amira suddenly jolts up, pushing herself to the end of the lounger, her eyes clearing of sleep.

“Yeah,” Ede announces, turning his computer around for them to see. “We managed to jump server to server kinda at random until we noticed a pattern. The core surveillance grid is air-gapped, yes. But the palace itself isn't a dead zone. To preserve those centuries-old paintings, the gallery relies on an automated climate control system to regulate the humidity and temperature.”

Gabriel speaks up, “Okay. And how does a thermostat help us into the system?”

“Because it’s a shared infrastructure,” Ade explains, turning the screen so everyone can see a complex network map.“They couldn't drill new holes in the ancient marble walls to run independent cables for the temporary security setup, so they utilized the existing data conduits. The Crooked Network's security line and the palace's climate control network run through the same physical routing switches.”

Ede points to a specific intersection on the digital map. “Right here. Every hour, the climate system sends an automated status report to the main palace server room. For a split second during that handshake, the secure network opens a tiny logical gateway to let the data pass through. It’s a standard network bridge.”

“A bridge we can hop,” Ade says, a sharp, confident smirk finally returning to his face. “During the gala tomorrow night, we don't try to hack the secure video feed directly. We log into the palace’s basic environmental network—which has incredibly weak encryption. We ride the automated climate report right through that logical gateway, hop the bridge into the media server, and inject our video directly from there.”

Ede leans back in his chair, folding his arms with a satisfied grin. “The system won't even flag it as an intrusion. To the main security hub, our video distraction will just look like a standard, automated data packet from the gallery's humidity sensors.”

“This is freaking awesome.” Amira smiles, shaking Ede excitedly from behind. The elder twin smiles sheepishly, while Ade looks entirely ready for the praise and attention.

“Can you also loop the camera feed while we steal the necklace?” Penelope asks, finding her voice.

“Yep. With the intrusion, we’ll also get access to the cameras,” Ade states, turning to Jia and Gabriel. “Which means when the distraction video starts, you’ll need to wait for at least ten to fifteen seconds for us to lock down a clean looping feed, and then another ten to fifteen for us to switch the main feed over to our doctored one.”

Ede adds, “That’ll ensure that those who crowd around to watch the video are seen in the exact spots you would expect them to be if you were watching the live feed.”

“Do we even have a video yet?” Jia questions.

“We’ve got a few ideas,” Ede says with a smirk.

The air in the room is electric with hope. Villette suddenly hugs Ede tight, making the guy blush furiously.

“Good job, guys—” Gabriel starts.

“Brothers Crim,” Ade interjects.

Gabriel chuckles, “Great job, Brothers Crim.”

They have a solid plan. That’s all that matters.

~~~~~~~~~~

Gabriel tugs the cuffs of his tuxedo down a little farther on his wrists, maybe fidgeting more than he should, but tonight’s the night. Everything they’ve planned needs to go off without a hitch. They need that prize money.

Another two crews already got caught on the day of—one trying to rather smartly blend in with the catering crew and another attempting to stay after the gallery closed this afternoon, only to be found by an unannounced sweep of the premises.

Just as Gabriel finishes brushing away a tiny piece of lint that somehow found its way onto his lapel, the lift doors across the lobby slide open.

Ade whistles beside him, elbowing him in the side.

Amira, Jia, and Villette step out one after another, a striking gradient of crimson, black, and deep midnight-blue fabric draping around them. Amira’s red dress is sleek and fitted, featuring a high slit in the skirt flashing a sharp, heeled boot with every confident stride, crimnastics-approved and ready for scaling walls if necessary. Jia wears a tailored black gown, her face partially hidden by a delicate, laser-cut black metal mask she found in a shop around the corner. Beside them, Villette glides forward in flowing midnight-blue chiffon, her face obscured by an ornate silver-and-blue mask, her boots completely hidden beneath the dark fabric.

But Penelope is all Gabriel can see.

Emerald-green silk falls to the floor, with off-the-shoulder straps that drape delicately down her arms. Dark brown curls spill down her back, a few pieces pinned away while the rest frame the parts of her face he can see beneath her mask. The mask itself is a stunning, delicate black-and-emerald lace, and it only makes her look more distracting. As she walks forward, the hem of her emerald gown lifts just enough to catch a quick glimpse of a sleek, lace-up heeled boot peeking out from the silk.

He’s in trouble.

How the hell is he supposed to focus on stealing the necklace if he can’t take his eyes off Penelope Lockett for longer than a second?

Standing next to them in his plain black tuxedo and simple, matte black and gold mask, he feels entirely out of place. Plain. Basic. How did he ever think he was worthy of standing next to Penelope in all her radiance? Edgar’s right… he’s delusional.

“Boys,” Amira greets as they reach them.

“You girls clean up real nice,” Ade comments, rubbing his hands together.

Ede adds, “You all look beautiful.” His eyes linger a little longer on Villette.

“Gabriel?”

Gabriel shakes himself out of his stupor, focusing on Amira and her raised brow. It’s then that he realizes he was staring at Penelope that whole time. Shit.

“Yep. Yeah.” He stumbles over his words, clearing his throat. “You all look really, really great.”

“Uh-huh,” Amira responds with a knowing look.

Gabriel’s face hardens. Internally, he’s trying to calm his erratic nerves, but externally, he forces an air of indifference that he hopes stops any teasing from his crew in its tracks.

“We need to get across town, so we’d better go now.”

His crew nods in acknowledgment and exits the hotel, heading to where two rideshare cars that Ede procured are waiting to take them near the palace. He gets into the zone as he squeezes into the backseat of one with Jia and Ade.

This heist needs to go exactly to plan.

It’s time.

~~~~~~~~~~

The front is littered with guests and tourists alike. Those not in attendance stop in the street, gawking at the crowd dressed to the nines, their faces covered in intricate masks and elaborate colors. From the road, the small staircase leading up to the Portale e scalinata di Villa Colonna is lined with soft lights, while grand banners hang from the buildings that frame the narrow stone steps.

Ade and Villette hand out the invitations to each of them. The intricate forgeries fit in perfectly with those held by the other patrons as they slowly approach the gates. Just as Gabriel told Penelope after he and the guys got back from their longer-than-anticipated hunt for the best pomodorini pizza Rome had to offer, her work is practically flawless. Neither he nor the twins could tell theirs apart from Caspian Lockett’s original.

He glances across the group at Penelope at the thought.

She stares up the path, eyeing the steps just as Villette sighs and starts forward, hiking her dress up a little to step carefully in her thick heeled boots. The rest start to follow, and Gabriel watches silently as Penelope prepares to do the same.

He steps in, proffering his arm and halting her momentum. Her eyes snap to his, and he nods toward his forearm.

After a moment’s hesitation, she slowly wraps her hand around his arm. He tightens his bicep to his side, anchoring her close. Picking up the other side of her emerald gown, she starts up the steps with him.

“Thank you.”

Gabriel scoffs playfully, “Don’t mention it.”

“Can I be honest?”

Gabriel glances down, a trace of concern touching his voice. “When are you not?”

When they stop on the steps, she lightly slaps his shoulder with her other hand, her invitation almost crinkling at the motion. Gabriel nimbly plucks the card from her fingers for safekeeping, choosing to ignore her playful swat. A small smile settles on his face anyway.

“I’m kinda nervous.”

“Penelope Lockett, nervous?” Gabriel jests softly. Ahead of them, Villette turns to glance over her shoulder, a look Gabriel finds a bit unsettling, before she quickly goes back to ascending the staircase with Ade at her side.

“I’m pretty sure I messed up the date on one of the invites,” Penelope whispers. “If they spot that, it all goes to shit—”

Gabriel playfully chastises her, “Language.”

“Oh, shut it, Avery.”

“I looked at every single invitation,” Gabriel assures her, his voice dropping lower. “You forged them flawlessly. Mr. Palombo would praise you for your work, and the rest of us would just look on in envy, annoyed as hell at how talented you are.”

Penelope does that thing again. She stares at him, glances briefly toward his mouth, and then looks right back up into his eyes. Like she’s contemplating… something. He doesn't even want to fully acknowledge it. Acknowledging it makes it real, and he is entirely unsure what he’d do if it were. What he wouldn’t stop himself from doing if so.

Gabriel forces himself to look away, training his eyes back on their crew ahead of them. Ensuring everyone gets through the front gate is a much safer distraction.

He can admit he holds his breath as Amira hands over her invite. The security guard examines it, checking the cardstock with narrowed eyes. The man looks Amira up and down, then lingers on the paper, his thumb tapping lightly against the crisp edge of the card.

Gabriel's mind races, immediately calculating alternative ways to infiltrate the gala if the man turns them away. But the rejection never comes. The guard nods, gesturing Amira through, before taking Jia’s invitation and doing the same.

Maybe it’s just a habit of the job to scrutinize everyone. Maybe the intense stares are just meant to scare away the people who shouldn’t be there… people exactly like them. It definitely makes Gabriel think twice. But one by one, the crew passes through, until it’s only him and Penelope.

They’re in. They can do this.

~~~~~~~~~~

The garden inside is littered with guests decked in gowns, dark colors that breed an air of sophistication. Various masks of delicate and intricate design are either tied behind people's heads or perched on classic long handles, allowing guests to hide and unhide whenever they want. Gabriel’s masks his anticipation of being this close to some of the greatest Crooks of their time.

If only he could actually attend this event as an honest guest and get to pick their brains. Maybe even boast about his own adventures at Crookhaven.

Gabriel glances down at Penelope, sharing an amused grin as if she feels the same way. This is where they belong in the future… like two separate people, of course, not a couple or anything. Just two talented Crooks belonging to the same network. That’s all.

Gabriel’s arm suddenly tugs back, Penelope’s hand gripping tight at his bicep as she stops them both in their pursuit toward the ballroom and the gallery. He glances back as she stares somewhere off in the distance, her eyes squinting behind her mask.

“What’s wrong?”

She tugs him quickly off the main path, behind a large patch of shrubbery, stepping out of the main fairway of people milling to and fro. He waits for her to answer him. She peeks back around the shrub discreetly, pressing a hand into his stomach to keep him back.

“Pen,” he edges out slowly, getting unnerved by her sudden change in demeanor.

“My father.”

It’s enough to make him peek around her and the shrub, following her line of sight. It takes him a second or two longer to focus on the right person in the crowd at the top of the stone ramp toward the famous Palazzo Colonna garden stairs. Caspian Lockett, maskless, stands arm in arm with a woman in deep gold as they both nurse champagne flutes with three unknown companions. The man stands with complete confidence, no doubt using his natural charm to his advantage.

“Who’s that with him?” He clocks the woman’s simple, easy smile. The rest of her face is hidden by an intricate black mask perched on the end of an expensive-looking rod. He glances back at Penelope to gauge her reaction, hoping it’s not what he thinks.

When she gives him nothing, he looks back just as the woman lowers her mask. Penelope gasps softly.

“Mum.” Penelope’s brows relax, her mouth falling open in gentle astonishment. “She’s here,” she says breathily.

It's like she never imagined she’d see her mother in a public setting again. That’s what happens when you become enemy number one to the Nameless and have to hide away to protect your husband and daughter. But apparently, this gala is safe enough for her to come out of the woodwork.

Gabriel’s always seen photos of Carmen. How could he not, when one of his closest friends is her daughter and the woman just so happens to be one of the greatest Crooks of this age? But seeing her for the first time in person, albeit from far away, feels like he’s finally getting to see another little part of his partner in crime. It’s intimate, in a sense.

Penelope’s eyes shine with wanting nothing more than to bolt over. Gabriel, reluctantly, to be completely honest, grasps at her wrist lightly, keeping her steady where she is.

Penelope breathes in deeply, her eyes still trained around the shrubbery but luckily staying put. “I fear if we get close to them, they’ll know it's me. I’m not exactly gonna be able to keep my cool if my mum chances a glance my way.”

Penelope focuses back up to him, eyes soft and sad. She doesn’t get much time with her mum right now. A rare video call from thousands of miles away. A phone call or letter when her mother gets a free chance without the possibility of getting caught. Gabriel once found her with tear-streaked cheeks on the roof of the Tower. Penelope’s mother had only a two-minute window to call her on her birthday. Gabriel’s blazer was dotted with her tears not long after he found her.

He knows how hard this is for her. If it were his gran, he’d honestly feel the same, and he at least gets to visit her now and again when Crookhaven allows for breaks.

Gabriel presses in closer to Penelope on instinct, though what instinct exactly, he isn't sure he wants to admit to himself, and taps the translucent earpiece in his right ear.

“Amira,” he says, “you see any other way down to the ballroom other than the stairs?”

Her voice comes in quickly over the channel. “No. It’s the only manner to get down that isn’t otherwise locked off—”

Jia chimes in, “I could always lockpick one of those other routes if you chose it to be the safer option, but I gotta say, the stairs aren’t like… bad.”

“What’s going on?” Amira adds with sudden concern.

Gabriel swallows, staring down at Penelope. “Mr. and Mrs. Lockett are at the top, near the ramp that goes down to the stairs.”

“Oh, crud,” Ade’s voice pops in. “Do we need to circle back?”

“Where are you?” Gabriel volleys back.

“Look to your right,” Villette answers.

Gabriel and Penelope glance in the direction in question. Villette’s blonde chignon, Ede’s yellow carnation boutonnière, and Ade’s minuscule nod let both crooks zero in on their crewmates.

“Be careful going towards the stairs,” Gabriel murmurs.

The three crewmates discreetly track the Headmaster's position, giving his line of sight a wide berth.

“Ade and I will go separately,” Ede suggests over the feed. “Less likely they’ll clock us if we aren’t together.”

“Great idea.” Amira comes back through. “I think Jia and I managed to get by before they got there. We’re already down in the ballroom.”

“We’ll be down there shortly,” Penelope chimes in. “What’s it looking like down there?”

“Mingling. Dancing. Food,” Jia calls out. “I’m pretty sure I brushed past Lulu and Dorian a moment ago. Neither seems to have noticed me… I hope.”

“Edgar?” Gabriel can’t help but ask. If Dorian’s already down there, Edgar no doubt has to be too.

“Pretty sure that’s him talking to his father.”

“To think,” Ade interjects, “we’re supposed to be under scrutiny, and Edgar Delacombe is schmoozing his way through a Crooked party like it’s nothing.”

“Well, when your father wants you to win it all, you get advantages no one else gets.” Penelope’s tone isn’t quite light and airy, especially as she sends a glare over her shoulder toward her father's distant silhouette.

Gabriel watches Penelope as she still chances glances over her shoulder, around the shrubbery, toward her parents, speaking low into her comm. “We’ll be down in a minute. Be ready to intervene with a distraction in case we catch anyone's attention.”

Amira confirms over the network. Ade and Villette start moving off to the right in the distance, the two playing up the same companionship many of the guests are displaying this evening. Gabriel can only surmise that Ede looks jealous from afar.

Gabriel tugs lightly on Penelope’s wrist to get her attention back. “Head in the game.”

Penelope blinks up at him before shaking her head, then nodding. Gabriel guides her hand back to his forearm, leading them out onto the main garden path and weaving around the other guests who have stopped to take in the grounds.

As they near the back end of the garden and Penelope’s parents, they both get a little stiffer. Caspian Lockett is a surveyor, and he now and again swivels around to greet someone passing by or to take in some of the guests' more gauche costumes.

“We go quickly. Heads down, we’re just two guests making their way down to the ballroom,” Gabriel murmurs as he readjusts Penelope’s hand on his arm.

“Sure, should be easy—”

Suddenly, a distant alarm trips on the roof at the opposite end of the gardens. A single spotlight shifts on, and a few security guards rush across the upper garden balcony toward the commotion. Gabriel and Penelope watch as distant figures raise their arms in surrender, the guards quickly taking them into custody.

A handful of the guests around them suddenly clap in amusement, voices bursting forth in a loud murmur alongside a few good-natured chuckles.

“A crew’s been caught,” is what Gabriel manages to catch from a group a few feet away.

Gabriel looks back toward the stairs and notices that Caspian and Carmen, along with their companions, are entirely focused on the commotion in the distant corner. This is their chance.

Penelope is apparently on the same train of thought as she tugs him forward toward the top steps. He catches up just as they start their way down, still keeping their heads low, but Gabriel keeps Caspian and Carmen in his peripherals the entire time until the two adults are completely out of eyesight.

That means the two of them should be in the clear… mostly. There’s still a great vantage point from the top of the stairs looking down at the small courtyard right before the doors open into the grand hall.

But they manage it, slipping into the golden hallway and vanishing into the thick crowd of guests. He lets out a small, silent sigh of relief.

~~~~~~~~~~

The ballroom is dimly lit, a true masterpiece of the Masquerade gala, decorated beautifully with what the palace already has—high ceilings and ornate paintings that somehow make a person feel right back in ancient Italy. Looking up alone can take one's breath away.

Gabriel weaves through a group of guests standing at the edges of the room, looking out over a sea of people twisting and turning around their partners. Faces are hidden behind intricate masks that even Gabriel admits leave him in amazement. It is the best of the best of the Crooked Network, all leaning into the fact that they’re hiding themselves from one another. At least he can breathe in this mask; he still shivers sometimes at the thought of the leopard mask he wore at his first Crookhaven event, where breathing was almost a non-starter.

Gabriel stops just at the edge toward the back of the ballroom, analyzing and compartmentalizing who in the crowd could pose a threat if it comes down to it.

And then he spots him. Edgar Delacombe, laughing with his father and a few other guests on the opposite end, looking every bit like he belongs.

Gabriel locks eyes with Ade and Amira, who pass just behind Edgar and Dorian. Both legacy and merit glare quick daggers at their competition before disappearing among the crowd.

“Find anyone worth caring about yet?”

Gabriel glances down to his right, Penelope having materialized next to him. Her eyes scan the crowd, and the dancers in front of them like she too is on the hunt for threats. Perhaps looking for any other crews who aren't as loud about being noticed as Edgar is.

“Nothing but stuck-up legacies scheming their way into the Crooked Network.”

Penelope sighs, “Yeah. Just be glad when they recruit you; it’ll be because of your worth and talent, and not just because of whom you know.”

Gabriel glances over to her again, his face heating at the far from rare compliment Penelope pays him. Her hand sneaks through his arm, and she tugs.

“Dance with me.”

“Dance?” He questions, though he still lets her tug him onto the floor. “We should be preparing for our,” he murmurs the last words to her softly, “heist involving nicking a seriously delicate emerald necklace from under the watchful gaze of the most talented Crooks in the world.”

Penelope turns to him once she finds the right place. “We are. What’s some dancing to blend in? Who comes into the ballroom if it’s not to participate at least once? Gives us an excuse to look like we belong.”

Gabriel relents at that. She’s not wrong.

He rests his left hand on her waist, the other clasping hers. It’s Penelope who pulls him in closer.

The music swells at the perfect moments, and the strings give way to a more upbeat tune that some people even seem to know the classic steps to. They just sway with the crowd. One lap around the ballroom brings a cheeky bump backward into Edgar when they reach him, to which Penelope glares playfully. Gabriel masks the satisfied smirk on his mouth so as not to be found out, thoroughly enjoying the view of Edgar cursing past Gabriel at an unknown man who is entirely innocent of the assault.

“We’ve only ever danced that one time before,” Penelope suddenly cuts into their quiet escapade.

“Yeah,” he agrees, unsure where this is going. The brief foray in dancing together before he blindly went to save a woman he believed to be innocent and seeking a son. He didn’t quite get to enjoy it as he might now.

“You’re not half bad, to be honest. I’ve danced with worse.”

Gabriel pulls back slightly to meet her gaze better. “Who else have you danced with before?”

“Various uncles, my grandfather,” she pauses and shivers slightly, “Edgar, when we were children.”

“Edgar,” he repeats, the name sour on his tongue. Penelope Lockett and Edgar Delacombe dancing together… it just isn'tright. “What about your grandfather?”

“Brilliant man. Famous Crook. Agile, intelligent, quick on his feet. And yet, not a bone in his body skilled with rhythm, I fear. He’d step on your toes and not even know it.”

“Tragic,” Gabriel chuckles.

Penelope smiles, “You’re talented, Gabriel. Some of this just seems to come naturally to you, and for that, I envy you. But I also know, regardless of where I end up, or Edgar, or Amira, or anyone else, you’ll no doubt be just as sought after by the best of the best.”

Gabriel has never wanted to kiss someone more than he did right then.

“You gotta stop saying things like that, Penelope.”

Penelope’s brows furrow as she stares up at him through her mask, her mouth falling open, lost for her next retort. She breathes in sharply, her eyes cluing into the fact that he noticed her reaction in the first place. His gaze keeps flicking between her eyes and her mouth as they sway more slowly now, as much as he tries to fight it.

Penelope’s hand shifts, moving to curl around the back of his head. The gentle pressure pulls him closer to her as they navigate carefully through the other guests.

“Pen,” he whispers as her nose brushes his, his hands curling tighter around her waist. Then he’s overcome with a sudden feeling of floating, like someone just picked him up right then and there.

Her lips are, in fact, as soft as they’ve looked, much to his satisfaction, and kissing her feels as natural as his ability to pickpocket. They move in sync, both in the rhythm of their dancing and the movement of their mouths, gentle yet reverent. He loses all sense of time, to be honest… right up until his earpiece crackles with a loud groan.

“Oh, my goddd,” Jia’s voice breaks through the feed.

Ade’s voice joins hers, “No freaking way. Get it, Gabester!”

He and Penelope instantly separate, and Gabriel keeps his eyes closed in sheer embarrassment of his friends. Penelope puffs a laugh out across his mouth.

“Are we not currently in the midst of a heist?” Amira comments with distinct disgust. “Was this a part of the plan? Was I not privy to this?”

“Amira,” he warns, turning just enough to glare over his shoulder in the direction his friend should be hiding.

Ede and Villette come through distant, “What’s going on?” and “What now? Speak!” They go ignored.

“Sorry, I just wasn’t aware we were dealing with a distraction of this caliber on this mission as well,” Amira responds dryly.

“Hey,” Ade jumps in, “let the Gabester and Penelops have their moment. It’s been a long time coming.”

Gabriel grunts at that. Penelope’s face blooms pink and red under her mask, her eyes widening at the sudden unwavering attention.

“Can we just get on with the mission?” Villette speaks over the comms.

“Please,” Penelope agrees immediately.

Ede finally speaks, “We’re coming up on go time anyway. Gabriel, Penelope, Jia. You’ve got a window of two minutes to get close to the necklaces.”

“On our go,” Ade supplies, now all business, “we’ll cut the lights and start the video on the opposite end of the gallery.”

“Jia, you ready to lift the glass case?”

“Yeah. I’ve been ready since like a minute ago while you were trying to resuscitate Penelope.”

“Guys,” Penelope admonishes, “focus on the goal. The necklace. The rest of this we can argue about once we’re safely far away.”

Amira calls out, “Eyes and ears check.”

“Distraction check,” Villette speaks.

Jia adds, “Lockpicker check.”

Penelope speaks for Gabriel, “Pickpocket check.”

Gabriel presses his hand to the small of her back and turns, slowly meandering them through a few remaining dancing couples.

“Ade and Ede at your service,” Ade gloats.

Ede murmurs a quick, “Tech check.”

“Great,” Gabriel confirms lastly, “we’ll move into the Gallery in two. Villette, it’s on your call.”

Villette confirms with a distant uh-huh, and Gabriel spots Ade and Jia slipping out of the ballroom. Amira keeps a few people between herself, Gabriel, and Penelope, keeping her eyes peeled to ensure they don’t run into any more unexpected problems.

And just as he thinks that, her voice sounds sharply over his earpiece. “Be on alert. Dorian and Lulu are in the gallery. Edgar and Carrie just slipped out the door with Mr. Delacombe.”

“Watch him closely,” Ade comments. “I don’t trust him at all. Who knows, maybe he’s already stolen it.”

“Don’t say that, doofus,” Jia hisses.

~~~~~~~~~~

The gallery isn’t necessarily sparse, but there are definitely fewer people milling about than in the ballroom or the gardens. Those of them in the gallery stare in awe at the painted ceiling or view the Crooked Network artifacts on display while details of a heist from eleven years ago filter onto the far wall.

A few small clusters stand around, mingling and occasionally gesturing toward the display cases, conversing as if they’retelling grand stories about how all of this came to be. About their greatest adventures. Something Gabriel wishes to be part of one day. If only he could get his parents off his back.

Right now, however, it’s all about the prize. This is the one play they have to get absolutely right.

He locks eyes with Penelope as they both take their positions a few feet back on opposite sides of the display. He does everything in his power to look nonchalant, especially as Jia meanders up to the far end where an old transceiver from past heists sits on display. The master locksmith pretends to examine it with interest. He glances up at the ceiling, feigning awe.

Just as he glances back down moments later, Penelope taps her hand against her waist four times, the signal for Ede and Villette that the three of them are in position. The three of them are ready.

Almost a minute later, the main lights snap out. This is it.

Concerned murmurs and a few startled cries ring out through the sudden darkness. Gabriel's eyes clock the guards at the end of the hall; they immediately go on alert, stepping forth while analyzing their surroundings.

Then, the palace’s projection system flares to life again. Overridden by the twins' internal video feed, the high-powered projectors hidden in the crown molding of the various spaces splash a flashy video stream across the far wall. It’s a chaotic edit that suddenly dives into Crookhaven's grand history of teaching the next generation, complete with sweeping, dramatic music and stylized, flickering edits of Ezekiel Lockett and the Crookhaven grounds. Of students laughing in that canned, eerie promotional video sort of way.

Gabriel swears he hears Caspian Lockett’s undertone in the computer-generated voiceover. He locks eyes with Penelope, who rolls her eyes at him, much to his amusement. The poor girl can’t go anywhere without her father somehow being present either physically or in spirit.

Every eye in the gallery turns to the unexpected broadcast. Drawn in by the sudden appearance of a video and entirely confused by its ultimate purpose, the crowd near the center display starts to meander toward the far wall to ingest the spectacle.

And lucky for them, the confusion is loud enough that no one notices the three of them moving in on the real necklace.

Amira’s voice crackles through the comms: “What the hell is this?”

Ade’s voice answers, as if blatantly obvious, “That’s the point.” An amused tone in their friend's voice. Gabriel lets out a huff of a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

He focuses back on the task at hand as Jia moves with terrifying precision, her hands finding the base of the heavy glass casing in the relative darkness. Her fingers slide delicately along the edges, perfectly avoiding the grid of alarms that protect the glass panes.

Penelope positions herself in front of the case to shield them from the potential of wandering eyes. Then Jia gives the signal, a single nod. With a slow, perfectly steady breath, she lifts the heavy glass straight up, shimmying it out of its tracks just a fraction of an inch at a time so that the sudden change doesn't trigger any of the sensors.

She raises it just high enough for Gabriel's hand to slip into the gap.

His fingers hover over the velvet base for a split second before making contact, delicately pinching the silver setting of the emerald necklace. He lifts it, avoiding any grazing of the fabric, counting the seconds in his head. His heart thuds against his ribs as he glides his hand back out of the enclosure, immediately dropping the glittering weight deep into his tuxedo pocket.

Gabriel keeps his hand hovering near the base just in case Jia needs him to help stabilize the heavy frame, but her execution is flawless. Her hands are completely steady. Quick. Deliberate.

In the blink of an eye, she lowers the glass casing back into its felt-lined tracks, ensuring a perfect seal, and slowly backs her hands away.

Gabriel presses his hand over his pocket, desperately hoping the security cameras are still looping exactly as Ade and Ede promised.

Penelope grabs his wrist as they turn, guiding them back toward the doors leading out to the garden. Her hand begins to slip against his sleeve, so he slides his fingers down to catch hers, locking his grip tight as they follow Jia through the shifting crowd. Around them, the guests still stare up at the video, murmuring in interest and confusion, no doubt confusion over being advertised a school they already send or intend to send their offspring to. He just trusts that Ade and Ede managed to hide their digital footprint under layers and layers of encryption.

Penelope suddenly slips through a narrow opening between the bodies in front of them. Just as Gabriel steps to follow, the crowd shifts. A few people push right between them, jolting Gabriel backward and breaking his grip on Penelope’s hand.

The separation sends a spike of adrenaline through his chest. His path is entirely cut off. A few people bump hard into him, and he has to grab a thick-shouldered man's bicep just to bypass him and keep from being swept backward. A woman steps right in front of him, her shoulder digging briefly into his chest, and they trade quick, muttered apologies before Gabriel forces his way past and back through the last few bodies in front of him to find his crew.

Jia reaches Ade, Ede, and Villette first, and the four of them split apart seamlessly as they practiced, never keeping more than two or three of them in the same spot to avoid catching the eye of anyone who might recognize them together. Ede shoots him a quick, reassuring nod from afar as he follows Ade and Villette out the doors to the garden.

Penelope materializes beside him again, her fingers locking tightly around his wrist and tugging him toward the same doors. The quicker they escape, the better. They only have a matter of minutes before someone realizes that one of the necklaces is gone.

~~~~~~~~~~

Penelope is two steps ahead of him as they round the ramp to the second level of the Palazzo Colonna. They’re only about a hundred feet from the top when the ground beneath them suddenly shakes, followed by the unmistakable sound of a mini-explosion.

Instinctively, everyone around them pauses. A few yell out while others drop low, and Gabriel reaches out to rest his hand on Penelope’s shoulder, pressing her further away from the source of the sound. Both of them look behind them, back toward the gallery and the ballroom. A cacophony of voices rings out, then security personnel rush past them while other guests flood out of the main venue. It all happens within seconds, and the crowd down at the bottom of the stairs starts toward the ramp with more haste.

Gabriel turns back to an equally concerned Penelope, her lips downturned and still. “You okay?”

She just nods.

He runs his hand down her arm, catching her fingers and locking her hand in his. They move with a little more urgency than before, blending in with the rest of the guests pushing up the ramp. She follows without protest, her hand squeezing his twice.

The palace is nothing but raucous noise behind them, but Gabriel maintains a tight grip on Penelope’s hand as he maneuvers them through the crowd. They need to get out to the gardens and fade into the masses on the street. Otherwise, they're gonna get caught, especially if the security team starts checking guests now that they know there's a threat in the gallery, back where the necklace is supposed to be.

“Wait,” Penelope urges suddenly, tugging Gabriel, stopping him in his tracks. “We can’t go out that way.”

“Why?” Gabriel turns urgently. “We need to leave before they start searching everyone. If we manage to slip out in the chaos, we can avoid getting held up—”

“My dad,” Penelope states. Gabriel’s brows furrow in confusion. What about her dad?

As another few patrons pass by them for the exit, she abruptly pulls Gabriel closer to her, ducking behind one of the stone garden pillars. Her hands rest flat against his sides, slipping just under his open tuxedo jacket. High-stakes or not, Gabriel can admit the sudden warmth of her palms against his shirt leaves him entirely flustered.

“He’s by the exit,” she breathes, her voice low. “Waiting. I could see him.”

“Why would he care? There was just an alarm tripped; people are freaking a bit.” Gabriel presses in closer as another five or six guests brush behind him.

“He’s Caspian Lockett, Avery. You really expect him not to want to catch whoever managed to get close enough to steal the necklace? He’s not just gonna run scared because of an alarm trip, especially when he knows exactly what's at stake.”

“So then what?” Gabriel searches her face for an answer, pressing his hand gently against her back. If they manage to look like an unbothered couple canoodling in a quiet corner while everyone else rushes about, maybe no one will blink an eye… that is, if they don’t find it odd they aren’t headed toward the exit too.

Penelope breathes in deeply, gazing down for a moment before she presses a finger to her earpiece, tilting her head. “Ade. Ede. Now that we’re in, do you think you can manage to hack the security system long enough to drop those invisible volumetric barriers up on the roof?”

There is silence for a moment before Ade’s voice crackles through the feed. “I think I can manage that… why?”

Penelope glances back up at Gabriel, her eyes flicking between his. One of her shoulders shrugs up in a gentle tug, a single brow raising in a silent challenge. He answers her unvoiced plan.

“We go up. Get out.”

“We go up,” she echoes softly.

She pauses for a heartbeat as he stares back at her, swallowing hard, and then she presses upward. Her lips are just as soft as the first time. Penelope’s hand threads up into his hair, the faint tickle of her lace mask brushing against his cheek. He’sunbothered by that, to be honest. Gabriel’s far more taken aback by the sudden, second kiss that he didn't anticipate so soon after the first, especially given their current circumstances. His hand digs in further against her back while his other curls up under her jaw. His body feels entirely loopy, leaning heavily into Penelope until her back hits the stone column. He is losing his breath fast.

Suddenly, a sharp voice crackles through the earpiece. “Why are you two silent?” Amira demands.

“Are you two swapping spit?” Ade’s voice follows Amira’s clear disgust.

Gabriel pulls back, annoyed, though he knows his crew is justified. It is definitely not the time or the place. But as Penelope softly stares up at him, her eyes wide and dark, he can't bring himself to feel a single shred of remorse. There isn't a thread of guilt running through his veins, just a quiet disappointment that they should have been anywhere else right now…

“Meet on the roof.” Gabriel huffs through the earpiece, grabbing Penelope’s hand again and backtracking through the garden, dodging those moving in the opposite direction.

Jia's voice cuts into his ear. “Access to the roof is back in through the main hall? That’s right back toward the danger of getting caught.”

“So is the exit,” Gabriel counters.

“What d'ya mean?” Jia asks.

Penelope slips into the channel. “My father is waiting at the main exit. He’ll know the second we pass that it's us, and it won't take him or security long to lock us down. We have to change the escape plan.”

Amira counters smartly, “If we go back down to the gallery where a high-value necklace has been stolen and an explosion just occurred while everyone else leaves out of the gate, we are sure to be singled out as suspicious.”

“What about that side gate off the upper garden?” Jia states confidently. “I’ve been perusing all the entryways and gates, and they actually use fairly old-school locks that shouldn’t take too much effort. I can do it in under fifteen seconds.”

Gabriel clutches Penelope’s hand tightly as they turn back around, scaling back up the few feet they just descended and moving back toward the second level of the garden. “What’s through there?”

Ede’s voice breaks through the comms. “According to the map specs, there is an overgrown section that leads to a small concrete platform. It leads over to the flat roof of the Rovine Del Tempio di Serapide. We could scale down the roofs to the road from there.”

“Just a roof?” Amira asks.

“There’s a lot of air vents and units, but the roofs basically lead down to the roadway.”

“Let’s do it now before they start sweeping the place,” he murmurs. “The fewer chances they have to funnel us out the front gate, the better. The gate Jia saw earlier—”

“Left side, back of the garden when you come up from the ramp.” Jia clarifies.

Gabriel confirms her statement with a quick, “Uh-huh.”

He and Penelope make quick work of navigating through a few scattered guests, slipping their way toward the left side of the garden where Ede and Villette are already hiding in the shadows.

“Where’s Ade?” Gabriel asks, looking around as if the taller twin might pop out of thin air.

“The signal for the phone isn’t good back here,” Ede explains quickly. “He’s on the opposite end, closer to the main security room.”

“How is he—”

Villette shrugs. “He said he’ll be fine. Getting the biometric walls down is more important right now.”

“If he gets caught—” Penelope starts, anxiety lacing her tone.

“We know, Penelope,” Ede answers softly, his expression turning serious. “I know.”

Penelope swings her free hand out to clutch Ede’s forearm gently, the flash of worry in his eyes for his brother impossible to miss.

“What exactly happened down there?” Villette asks, her voice dropping.

“There was an explosion or something,” Penelope explains, relying on what little they are actually privy to beyond Amira's brief updates.

“Another crew?” Ede asks, his brow furrowing.

“Maybe. Could be,” Gabriel answers, his grip tightening on Penelope's fingers. “But that is the least of our concerns right now. We need to get out without being caught—that’s all that matters. Are you all ready to run?”

They all nod back in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jia’s right; she manages to unlock the gate in a mere twelve seconds, an effort that earns her a look of admiration from Penelope. It leads to a dense, overgrown green courtyard. They hop over a low section of roof back down toward a tiny concrete platformed roof. There's another gate ahead, too treacherous to hop safely, so Jia gets right to work. A figure suddenly pops up from behind them.

“People are filing toward the gates,” Ade states as he meets them, Ede’s face filling with relief while Ade’s face stays lit by his phone. “Security’s stopping everyone. They’re definitely on the hunt for the necklace.”

“Good thinking, Penelope,” Amira remarks bluntly. Penelope smiles back at Amira.

“How much time do we have left?” Jia questions, picking the secondary lock as swiftly as she can.

“About seven, maybe eight, minutes before they realize we’re in and shut us down,” Ade confirms. “But I disengaged the biometric sensors and the cameras over here, so we have a clean window.”

Gabriel clutches Ade’s shoulder, a grin breaking through his nerves. “You’re the greatest.”

Ade smiles, then perks up at the compliment. “I know.” A few chuckles sound, and an oh, brotherescapes from Jia.

Gabriel reaches up and slips off his matte black mask, pocketing it along with the rest of the crew as they catch on. There’s no point in hiding their faces now that they have control of the grid. It’s entirely about getting out fast without being caught.

Ede presents his phone to the group to show a small visual map. “The safest and easiest way to the street is to scale the roofs down toward the outer roof section and double back a little. There looks to be a short seven- or eight-foot drop down to Salita di Montecavallo, the same road we walked on that first morning of our recon. We get down there, then we can blend and escape. There are a ton of air units and ventilation systems, so just watch yourself.”

Amira adds, “Once we make it to the street, don’t stop until you’re sure no one follows. Keep in pairs so you can help each other out of trouble, but if followed, split up. We can always meet back up once the coast is clear.”

Everyone nods.

“Ready?” Gabriel asks just as Jia finishes unlatching the gate's lock.

Jia nods to Gabriel in confirmation once she’s tested the door.

“Good luck.” He looks to every member of his crew, ensuring they’re all in. They are.

The gate opens, and the crew files up and over the low stone wall with practiced speed. The roof they land on is orangish-red and relatively flat, littered with a maze of random air units and metallic pipes of all sizes. They scale the rooftop obstacles with an agility and speed Miss Friedrich would be proud of, leaping over the air vents and hopping down tiers of the roof, attempting to get closer and closer to the outer roof that lines the street.

Hope blooms in Gabriel’s chest as they round a massive brick housing unit, heading fast, until a lone figure dressed in solid black tactical gear and a full black opera mask steps out from the shadows up ahead, clotheslining Ade directly in his tracks.

His friend falls painfully onto his back from the sudden surprise. Gabriel’s boots skid to a stop, the rest of the crew halting in a messy chain reaction—except for Villette. Following too close behind Ade in their mad pursuit of freedom, she has too much momentum and slams right into the larger figure’s chest. The stranger instantly curls his heavy arms around her, wrestling her down to the roof.

Then, a second figure pops out from behind a concrete housing for an air ventilation system, blindsiding Amira.

“Hello, Crooklings,” the second enforcer sneers. His voice sounds entirely mechanical; a voice disruptor must be hidden behind the white opera mask he wears. “Having fun?”

Ede lunges forward, using his shoulder to shove the silent enforcer off and away from Villette, quickly helping the blonde back to her feet. Next to them, Penelope and Jia rush to lift a groaning Ade, dusting their poor crewmate off, much to his obvious pain.

“Who the hell...?” Gabriel starts, but then he pauses as the realization hits him full force. “Nameless.”

The speaker chuckles from behind his mask. “Surprise.”

Amira’s Crookhaven training kicks in instantly. She stomps her heavy boot down on the talkative one’s foot, simultaneously driving her knee straight up into his doubled-over stomach. “Run!”

They spin on their heels, taking off back toward the rooftop they just came from as curses echo from the two enforcers behind them. Gabriel chances one glance over his shoulder to ensure his crew is following closely, when suddenly—

“Gabriel!” Penelope’s voice calls out with tense, sharp worry.

Gabriel turns back, but his body lunges right into a third enforcer who materialized from the blind spot of a large air vent. The impact completely stops his momentum, his chest heaving at the violent contact. Before he can reset his stance, a heavy arm slips over his head, locking around his chest from behind. He struggles against it, trying to wrench free suddenly, but to no avail. It’s hard to do when he's got another masked figure dressed in all black currently death-gripping his arms down to his sides.

He struggles a bit more than he’d like; the two of them are a little heftier than Ishaan was back at the Mercier heist two years ago.

The guy holding him from behind suddenly disappears, making it much harder for the second guy to hold him down. Penelope resets her form after a high kick to the guy's gut. Gabriel smirks, then throws his hands up and out with the distraction, causing the second guy to lose his grip on Gabriel’s arms. With a heavy swing, just like he learned from Crimnastics combat training, he lodges a closed fist right into the guy's masked face, the Nameless enforcer's body flinching back at the contact.

Gabriel chances a glance toward his friends, all now in various states of confusion in their own defense against more Nameless that somehow materialized suddenly out of the woodwork. He catches sight of one stepping up behind Ede while he’s distracted, trying to protect Villette—who, by the way, does not need protection, holding her own against one of the shorter figures dressed in all black.

Gabriel steps over, pulling the taller Nameless figure who held his arms into a headlock. The figure struggles only momentarily before breaking out of his grip and turning on him, lodging a kick right into Gabriel’s ribs. He recoils, then straightens up again like he was taught, breathing steadily to ease the pain.

The guy lobs a punch, and Gabriel dodges to the right, then presses forward with his own punch to the figure's ribs, left unprotected after the attempted jab. The guy keels over for a mere second before he lurches, attempting two more hits which Gabriel evades by the skin of his teeth. He leaps back, careful about the ledge that looms a few feet away.

Gabriel can only glance at the others for a second, taking stock of how Jia attempts a leg sweep on one and is almost successful until she’s surprised by another. Amira easily vaults away from her attacker, no doubt believing that outlasting the stamina of her opponent is her best bet. Penelope, though, easily counters and volleys with her own attackers, plural, while still dressed ready for a masquerade ball. It’s almost hypnotizing, if it weren’t for the fact that Gabriel is pounced on again.

He’s not sure how many dodges he makes or how many punches and kicks he supplies. It all feels never-ending, and yet they’ve only been up here for a few minutes, no doubt coming up on their deadline to get out before the biometric walls are back up.

A sudden urge of annoyance blares through him, and he throws a rather nasty kick right into his opponent's chest, sending them backward. Unfortunately, he doesn’t notice another coming up from behind.

His head goes into a lock, his breath cut off suddenly. His hands try to hit back out, trying to unfurl the rather large arms holding him strong around his neck. Gabriel almost lifts off his feet as he struggles to get out of it, his vision blurring as he takes in, worried and soundless, his friends being overrun by what seems to be more Nameless.

How many fucking people do his parents have under their thumbs?

Just as he kinda loses hope of getting out of this, oxygen stings as it rushes back into his lungs, and his knees roughly hit the ground, his hand reaching out to steady himself from fully falling over.

As he turns to see what happened, Edgar Delacombe brushes his hair off his forehead with a flick, his fists at the ready but his eyes staring down over the ledge. Gabriel leans over, the body of the large Nameless enforcer wrapped around him seconds ago, groaning on the roof beside theirs, about ten feet down.

Gabriel glances up at Edgar, who quirks a nonchalant brow at him before holding out a hand. The memory of Edgar’s smug warning back in the hotel lobby flashes through Gabriel's mind, a bitter pill to swallow. Gabriel takes it, however, letting the Legacy propel him back up. Something akin to thanks passes from his eyes, to which Edgar looks a little too smug for his own good.

Gabriel turns. Dorian is helping Jia from across the way. Amira is still outrunning and outmaneuvering her assailant. Ade and Ede thwart their own attacker as Villette holds her own. Penelope, handling two against one, looks like ever the expert.

Just as Gabriel starts with Edgar to relieve the smaller crook of both her opponents, another brushes out of the shadows right up behind Penelope. He’s not close enough to help, but he watches as the assailant surprises her with a sweep of the leg, and Penelope’s on the ground. The goon presses a hand to her chest to keep her down.

Villette gets kicked down too. Amira gets blindsided, and the Nameless running after the Crimnastics ace finally catches her, Amira’s legs kicking out in the air to try to regain the upper hand, to no avail. Ade and Ede are corralled back toward the ledges down toward the side street, about twenty feet down, stopping the brothers in their tracks from any defense.

Gabriel sees red.

He chances a glance at Edgar, who wears a similar disgruntled gaze at the sight before them, before both guys decide they’re better off joining the fight than standing around watching the others get wounded. Gabriel almost launches himself at one of the three assailants who attacked Penelope before his arm is suddenly wrenched back tightly, Edgar stopping him in his tracks.

He almost throws the guy off in a fit of confused rage—wasn’t Edgar just about to join in himself?—but then he sees Edgar pointedly staring off toward the darkness. He notices a lone figure perched on one of the air units, completely masked in darkness. If you weren't paying close attention, you wouldn’t even be able to see their dark outline.

The Nameless stand at attention to the person, still on guard in case any of them move to attack, but stopping their continued advance on the Crooks themselves.

“Oh, sweetie.”

Gabriel’s blood runs cold. The voice is unmistakable to him now. It's a tone that meets him in his wildest nightmares on occasion, the one in the past he’d always dreamed of one day knowing, but now wants nothing more than to erase from all existence.

“Adria.”

He doesn’t give the woman what she wants.

“Honestly, I don’t mind Mum.”

“You don’t deserve it.” He almost lunges forward, but Edgar keeps a firm hold on him. Probably smartly so, even if it annoys the fuck out of Gabriel.

“I really wish you would see reason, sweetie. Your father and I just want what’s best for yo—”

He cuts her off. “No, you want what’s best for you. I just happen to be the greatest pawn in your arsenal.”

His mother’s head tilts momentarily in the darkness, contemplating his remark. Gabriel chances a glance at Penelope, who barely sits up, one of the goons standing over her threatening something unspoken should she try anything more. It grates on his nerves.

“You are a great asset, Gabriel. But we’d never use you without reason.”

Maybe he’s irrationally angry... maybe it would be better if he had a calm head about him so he'd be able to think more clearly and come up with a plan to get them all out of this more unscathed than they already are. But he just can’t grasp it. He wrestles his arm out from Edgar, who protests lightly before realizing Gabriel's anger is either getting directed toward his mother or toward the Delacombe legacy. Edgar lets him go, and Gabriel starts to stalk over.

Movement from behind startles all of them, causing them to turn around to glance at the four figures who now stand feet away from the roof access that got them into this predicament in the first place.

“Gabriel,” Caspian Lockett warns, his arm raised to calm him down from afar.

“Caspian Lockett,” his mother sneers, “we've gotta stop running into each other like this.”

“You’re brave to show up here, Adria. I wouldn’t peg you to risk your safety among the Crooked Network.”

“We do what we have to, Caspian. You would know that well.” His mother's words harken back to everything Gabriel despised about his first year at Crookhaven. Her face then tightens. “Yet this time you brought your precious wife. Carmen. How’ve you been?”

Penelope’s mother doesn’t back down, her stance tall and confident, her gaze slightly regretful. “Been better. You’re really putting us in for a loop these days.” Carmen then zeros in on her daughter, a fire lighting in her eyes, but she keeps her composure. Mrs Lockett focuses back on his mother.

“I’ve always had to keep you on your toes,” his mother remarks.

Something unspoken passes between the two women that, honestly, in any other situation, Gabriel would question, but the rage at his own mother is too strong for him to care.

“Why now?” Gabriel seethes. “You gave me until the end of May.”

“We were getting restless,” his mother responds with a lilt of glee, like this is exactly what she wanted in the first place. She removes her mask slowly, her smirk meeting him full force.

He speaks, “I have the necklace. I was about to—”

“Hand me this?”

From her hand dangles an emerald necklace, its stones shining in the low light of the few spotlights on the roof and the distant lights of the palace complex.

Gabriel exhales suddenly. His hand shoots to his jacket pocket, pulling out something that looks akin to costume jewelry. His brows furrow, confused, before his brain sends him back in time.

The woman who bumped into him in the gallery when he and Penelope got separated.

“Sorry, sweetie,” her voice drips with sarcasm, “but you did us proud. You should be quite pleased with yourself for that.”

“What the hell?” He seethes with anger, tossing the fake play necklace away before pausing, his face morphing into realization. “You duped me.”

“You planned the perfect heist. Your father and I are impressed, but we had to intervene.”

“Why?”

“Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds or,” his mother holds up the real emerald necklace, the lights all around them reflecting off the stones as colors burst forth, “about three million. This will go a long way in ensuring the Nameless's survival, and we couldn’t have done it without you, sweetie.”

“You cheated us. Lied to steal it for yourselves,” Jia spouts, much to his mother’s chagrin.

“Was there ever going to be a leak of Crookhaven's student information?” Penelope croaks from the ground.

Adria shrugs with a smirk. “Only time will tell.” His mother’s gaze fixes back on him. “Join us, and I’ll promise never to.”

“I'm not a tactless criminal. You want to harm people. I don't. I never will,” he spits out. “I’ll never join you.”

“Pity,” his mother tsks. “I’ll be seeing you soon, sweetie. Your father still very much wants to meet you.”

“He’ll never get the privilege.”

She snorts at him, suddenly backing away toward the edge of the air conditioner unit. “Don’t make promises we won’t let you keep. It was nice to see you, my sweet boy.” His mother smirks, “Until next time.”

Then, just like she appeared, she disappears. A few of her Nameless lackeys attempt their own brazen escape. Some make it, while others run into security, alerted by the roof's biometric sensors. They struggle in kind.

Good.

There is much more Gabriel would like to do for some of them.

~~~~~~~~~~

“It was all a lie,” Gabriel seethes, pacing the street corner, his hands running roughly through his hair. Anger buzzes off him in waves. Disbelief and maybe a little envy at the cunning way the Nameless planned this down to a T. He limps just a fraction, a visible reminder of the heavy kick he took to the ribs on the roof.

Penelope shifts in her boots, a little impressed herself and definitely sore. All that for the necklace to be stolen out from under them. She thought they really had a chance at winning the assessment if they hadn’t been duped.

“Your mother and father will try every crooked trick in the book to force others to do their bidding,” Caspian reasons, his tone soft and genuinely apologetic. “Whatever it is they want, they map it out before you even realize you're on the board. It’s an easy trap to fall into—”

“But why me?” Gabriel turns on her father, his voice cracking. “Why the fuck can’t they just leave me alone? I already told them I don’t want any part of their organization.”

“People have changes of heart all the time, Gabriel,” Penelope’s mother adds. “Sometimes, wearing someone down to the bone is all it takes to make them surrender.”

“No,” Gabriel spits. “It only makes me hate them more. They claim to care, to want to know me, yet they use me, they hurt the people I care about, they—”

“Gabester,” Ede speaks up gently, effectively stopping Gabriel in his effort to burn a hole straight through the city sidewalk. Gabriel’s eyes still flare with red-hot frustration, but he focuses on Ede all the same. “We’re in this with you. Whatever happens.”

Penelope can feel the tension radiating off him, entirely palpable. She suppresses the overwhelming urge to comfort him, but... why? They are friends, and after everything that happened tonight… they’re a lot more than friends?

Amira places a hand on Ede’s shoulder, nodding in unison with the rest of the crew. “Like we said, Gabriel, they go after you, they go after us. We’re a team.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Gabriel counters defensively.

Penelope steps forward, her hand reaching out to firmly grasp his. “But we are. And we choose to be.”

Jia smiles, throwing a casual arm over Ade’s shoulders. “We run directly into the face of danger. Scars and all.”

Ade laughs weakly, wincing as he adjusts his posture. “Yeah. Severe back pain and a swift punch to the gut. I love it.” Ade breathes out shakily with another grin.

Gabriel just glances around at the circle of them, his face contorted with an internal conflict. His fingers curl softly around the back of Penelope's hand for a brief, fleeting moment, and then he lets go, burying his hands deep into his pockets.

Penelope swallows down the lump in her throat. It hurts a little, she has to admit. The quiet rejection.

“I just… I need a minute,” Gabriel mumbles, turning to walk slowly down the street.

“But—” Penelope starts.

A warm hand falls to her shoulder, her father stepping up beside her. “Let him have a minute.”

Penelope turns to her dad, wrapping her arms around her waist. The sudden chill of the late April night dusts goosebumps across her exposed skin. She holds back her own wince, her shoulder incredibly sore from her own rough landing on the roof.

Her father gives her a look; she hates that, but he shrugs off his suit jacket, setting it over her shoulders.

“What happens now?” she asks. “They got away with the necklace. We still don’t know if they’re gonna expose everyone at Crookhaven. All of their parents. Addresses. Records.”

“I’ll ensure we get the necessary people together,” Caspian answers. “We won’t let that information leak as long as we have the power to thwart it. Whisper can do a lot with a little.”

“Yeah, but how?” Amira steps forward with curiosity. “They could easily leak it through non-technical channels. Not like us thwarting their ability to use the network will stop them.”

“Well, it also depends on what they got and how they got it,” Penelope’s mother speaks, her voice gentle yet somehow more commanding than her father’s. “We’re Crooks. We have failsafes and proxies. If they got the real information from our encrypted network, then maybe. But if they got their information from our fake database, then they’re in for a surprise.”

“So we did all that for them to potentially just have fake records on Crookhaven students?” Ade's brow allocation quirks.

“Not for nothing,” Carmen reassures. “You worked together as a crew to win a Crookhaven tradition. And if it weren’t for Adria and the Nameless, you would’ve won that fair and square from where I was standing. The blackmail was just an unfortunate catalyst.”

“So, what now?” Penelope asks again. Her mother steps closer, wrapping a comforting arm around her waist and resting her temple against Penelope’s head. Penelope welcomes the familiar warmth.

“We pick ourselves up,” Caspian starts, but he pauses, his gaze drifting past Penelope and her mother.

Gabriel is standing about twenty feet back, his expression noticeably calmer as he watches them. His hands are still shoved deep into his pockets, but his shoulders have loosened, the rigid tension finally leaving his frame. A ghost of a smile crosses her father’s face before finishing his thought: “We get back home to Crookhaven, and we build our offense. They can’t break us if they can’t touch us. Crooks have always been better when we stick together.”

“I’ll say,” Edgar Delacombe interrupts smoothly, stepping out from the shadows of the wall. Penelope had almost forgotten that he and Dorian were still lingering there. “You lot practically attract chaos like a magnet, but even I can'tdeny you held your own up on that roof.”

“Ditto,” Jia says. The agreement is a little reluctant, but coming from her, it speaks volumes.

It’s only then that Gabriel moves back into the circle. He delivers a quick, appreciative pat to Edgar’s shoulder as he passes. Then he looks to the rest of them.

“Thanks.”

They don’t say much but nod in understanding. The outcome of the night was never expected, but they managed to plan a pretty epic heist. They had it. Her mother’s right: regardless of whether there was a threat hanging over them, over Gabriel, or not, they would’ve clinched the win.

“What about the necklace?” Villette murmurs darkly, eyes sharp.

Caspian breathes out a sharp sigh. “That will be a difficult conversation for me to have with the higher-ups in the Crooked Network. It’s not ideal, but I am certain a piece of that caliber will surface on the black market soon enough. When it does, we’ll ensure we trace the transaction back to its source.”

“Three million pounds,” Ade mutters. “That’s a lot of money in their pocket.”

Carmen reasons, “It will go for significantly less on the market as a stolen item, Ade, but yes, it is a substantial sum. However, it still won't be enough to sustain the rate at which the Nameless bleeds funding. They will have to strike again eventually, and when they do, we will be ready.”

Caspian suddenly perks up, noticing a few familiar figures down the sidewalk waving him over. “Ah, duty calls. Already a few developments to sort out from tonight's mess.”

Her father plants a quick, affectionate kiss right against Penelope's hairline, then extends his hand toward her mother. Carmen presses Penelope into a final, brief hug before taking Caspian's hand. Together, her parents walk away toward their companions with their heads held high.

“Get back to the hotel, you lot,” Caspian calls over his shoulder. “We’ll have plenty more to discuss ourselves once we'resafely back at Crookhaven.”

“Well, that was eventful,” Edgar states with his usual practiced nonchalance. “As absolutely thrilling as this little bonding experience has been,” sarcasm drips from his voice, though there’s a faint trace of genuine respect underneath, “I’m entirely over it. Try not to trip on your way back.”

“That would be a tragedy,” Dorian agrees, giving a quick nod with a smirk playing on his lips. He shoots Jia a brief, lingering glance before Edgar pushes past the circle. Dorian follows closely behind, the two Legacies walking away down the cobblestone street, chuckling between themselves.

That leaves the crew to their own devices. The silence hangs a little heavier than usual. It's difficult to process a night of this scale, everyone standing face-to-face, waiting to see who will break the quiet first.

Naturally, it’s Gabriel.

“You all did a really great job tonight,” he says softly, looking at each of them. “This whole time, honestly. Thanks.”

Amira shrugs casually for the group. “Always. Just let us know the time and place for the next one.”

Gabriel cracks a small, genuine smile, scratching the back of his neck lightly.

“I could personally soak in an ice bath right about now,” Ade remarks, wincing as he takes a tentative step forward.

“Where do you think you're going?” Jia asks, her eyebrows raising.

“Figure it’s going to take me at least an hour to limp back to the hotel,” Ade explains, shuffling slowly down the street. “If I start right now, I might just make it back with enough time to get a decent night’s sleep.”

“Oh, you are going to milk this injury for absolutely all it's worth, aren’t you?” Jia responds with a playful eye roll, though she starts walking after him anyway to keep pace.

Ede answers for his twin with a grin. “He’s merely capitalizing on an opportunity.” He and Villette follow right behind them, Amira laughing as she throws a supportive arm around Ede's shoulder as they pass.

Penelope smiles warmly after them. Then there is Gabriel.

He stays exactly where he is, his dark eyes fixed entirely on her. He takes a few casual, slow steps forward until he is standing mere feet away in the quiet street. He licks his lips quickly, his voice dropping to a low, concerned whisper. “You okay?”

She nods. “You?”

He nods back, taking a deep breath.

She adds, “Ready to go back?”

“To the hotel?” he asks, a faint glint returning to his eyes. “Or back to Crookhaven?”

“Both?”

After a brief beat, a soft smile touches his lips. “Yeah.”

He reaches out, holding his open hand out to her in a silent offer. Penelope takes it happily, threading her fingers tightly between his. She lets him gently pull her down the street after the rest of their crew, listening to the faint sound of their friends making jokes through the quiet Italian streets at this hour.

Feeling a sudden burst of playful relief, she nudges his side with her elbow.

Gabriel instantly flinches, groaning out loud as he pushes away from her in a sudden jolt, though he refuses to drop her hand.

His ribs. Shit. Penelope's eyes go wide, and she quickly pulls him back into her space. “I’m so sorry!” She rests her free hand gently over the exact spot on his jacket she had just jostled, looking up at him worriedly as he locks his jaw and breathes deeply through the sharp spike of pain. “Are you okay?”

“Yep.” The answer is short and sweet, but his voice sounds entirely genuine.

She still cringes at having caused him pain. “I completely forgot for a split second there.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel chuckles weakly, his gaze softening as he looks down at her hand against his chest. He jokes, “To be fair, I did for a minute there, too.”

Their steps slow a little as they reach the dark bend in the street, but neither of them lets go. Under the dim, amber glow of the streetlamps, Gabriel shifts his grip, locking his fingers firmly with hers as they walk forward together into the night, the others' light conversation filling the space.

~~~~~~~~~~

It doesn’t take long the next morning for Penelope to pack all her things back into her duffle, but gosh, she sure is glad when it’s done. Her shoulder catches with a sharp ache as she lifts the strap to her shoulder, forcing a quick wince. Maybe she could’ve left some of her listening gear back at Crookhaven.

She stands up, carefully rolling her shoulder to ease the stiffness, and looks around the empty room. She loves Rome and wouldn’t mind coming back more in the future, but sometimes there’s a beauty to Crookhaven that other places just don’t have.

That, and it truly is home to her.

Slinging the strap over to her good shoulder, she hauls the duffle out into the hallway and heads down toward the lobby. She texts the crew as she leaves her room, Ade answering immediately that they’re all already downstairs, a few of them about to run out for a last-minute pastry run before their trek back to the train station commences. He promises her he’ll pick her up something sweet for the trip back. She hearts his message.

When she steps into the lobby, she spots Gabriel sitting on the arm of a chair off in the lounge as she places her duffle next to the pile headed back with them to Crookhaven. He shifts to sit up a little more, his hand subtly flattening against his lower torso with a barely noticeable wince as his bruised ribs protest the movement. But the pain is instantly replaced by a smirk the second he spots her walking toward him.

As she draws nearer, his face morphs into confusion, then realization, before settling on something between admiration and annoyance.

“Is that my—” Gabriel reaches out as she nears, pinching the hem of his—Penelope’s jacket. “I was looking everywhere for this this morning.”

“What’re you talking about?” Penelope’s brows furrow at him, stepping an inch closer. “This is mine.”

“Pen…” Gabriel reaches up, his fingers sliding to the collar of the jacket. As he folds it back down flat against her shoulder, his knuckles brush light and warm against the bare skin of her neck.

Penelope’s breath hitches, just a fraction.

Gabriel freezes for a second, his hand lingering on her shoulder, his gaze dropping cleanly to her lips before he recovers his smirk. “How did you even—”

“I’m not at liberty to disclose that information to you,” Penelope murmurs, a sharp glint in her eye.

“We’ll talk about it late—”

Penelope presses forward, leaning down and kissing him cleanly to shut him up. She’s found a new way to make him stop talking, and honestly, she’s quite a fan. And not just because she can distract him from whatever nonsense is coming out of his mouth, but also because she kinda just likes kissing him. Like… she really likes it.

Gabriel melts into it without a single shred of protest. His hand slides up from her shoulder to cup the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair to steady them together as his mouth moves against hers, deepening the kiss until her heart is hammering against her ribs.

“Ahem.”

They pull apart abruptly. Gabriel snatches his hand back and stands up, taking a giant step to the side while Penelope quickly tugs the jacket straight and turns around.

Caspian Lockett’s eyes couldn’t widen any further than Penelope thinks they could right now. Nor her mother’s. Her father fidgets with his own suit jacket as he glances at Gabriel, then back to her.

“Gabriel.”

Penelope glances at her companion. His face heats up to a bright, brilliant pink, his mouth set in a straight line, his ears turning red for good measure.

“Headmaster… Mr. Lockett.” Gabriel swallows hard. “How are you?”

Caspian analyzes Gabriel, his eyes narrowing. “I do not believe you actually care to know.”

“I—uh... but—”

Carmen takes in the whole interaction with the ghost of an amused smile. “I don’t think we are needed over here at the moment.” Her mother meets her gaze knowingly, making Penelope internally cringe.

Penelope’s father jolts, then turns to his wife. “Oh, but we need to tell our daughter the great news.”

Penelope steps forward at this, curiosity suddenly blooming and making her completely forget she should probably be embarrassed that her parents just caught her kissing her… friend? Boyfriend? Her crewmate.

“What is it? Is everything okay?” Her eyes flicker between her parents. What could they possibly have to tell her now?

“Well,” her mother smiles, “I will be helping teach combat next year.”

“Teach combat? What would you—” Penelope cuts herself off as her mother’s words fully process in her brain. “You’re coming home?”

Caspian smiles softly, staring lovingly at his wife as her mother nods with the same level of happiness Penelope suddenly feels rushing through her veins. She launches herself forward, her arms flying around her mother as they pull each other into a tight embrace.

“You’re coming home,” she murmurs into her mother’s shoulder.

“I’ll be on the train with you and your father. And yes, Penelope,” her mother pulls back from their embrace, cupping Penelope’s face gently between her hands, “I’m coming home.”

The tears in Penelope’s eyes blur her vision before she’s clutching onto her mum again, relishing the fact that after two years of keeping far away, and even with the added threat of the Nameless still out there, she finally gets her mother back where she belongs.

Her father’s arms wrap gently around the two of them, his distinct, soft cedar scent filling her nose. She literally couldn’t be happier than right now.

“Now, we’ll see you back at Crookhaven. We’ve got a lot to discuss after last night’s developments,” her father finishes, pulling away to allow her and her mother to release their hold on one another.

Her mother caresses Penelope’s cheek one last time. “Safe travels, my darling.”

“I’ll see you at home,” Penelope responds in kind. Her mother smiles and turns back around, grazing her father’s hand to follow him out.

“Gabriel,” her father says suddenly.

Gabriel stands up straight again, looking less than comfortable with the short, simple acknowledgment. Her father then turns, easily catching up to her mother’s retreating form.

Penelope’s face hurts with how big she’s smiling as she turns back to Gabriel. “Can you believe it? I get my mother back.”

“Pretty sure your dad wants my head.”

Penelope’s face falls slightly.

“Gabriel,” he mimics her father’s stern, low tone, getting the deep lilt accurate. It’s almost scary. “Your father wants my freaking head, Penel—”

She leans up, sealing his mouth with hers. Gabriel sighs into the kiss, the tension instantly leaving his shoulders as he lets the panic go. When she’s confident he’s thoroughly distracted, she pulls back, dropping back down onto the soles of her shoes.

“That’s gonna get annoying,” Gabriel murmurs, his voice a little breathless as he reaches out. He tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering against the soft skin of her jawline for a beat longer.

“Really?” She probes with a tick of her brow.

Gabriel’s gaze drops to her mouth again, a genuine smile breaking through. “Yeah, no. I could definitely get used to this.”

She wraps her arms securely around his neck, tiptoeing right back up to press closer. “Good.” She presses her lips to his willing ones for a long, lingering moment. Pulling back just an inch, she whispers, “I kinda want to do it all the time.”

Gabriel smiles. “No complaints here.” He closes the remaining distance, sealing his agreement in a deep kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~

The End

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