The Infamous Frankie Lorde 2, page 19
“Sorry, not sorry,” Emma said back to me, making a face. “God, that phrase is just so annoy—”
Penelope leaped onto Emma from behind, knocking the words right out of her mouth, and her to the ground. As she fell, her head bounced off the floor and then she went still.
I was too startled to even scream.
The tiger walked right over her owner’s body and began to lick the empty Tupperware container that had flown out of Emma’s hands when she’d been tackled.
“Emma,” I said tentatively.
Another cat lunged at my foot, and before I could give it much thought, I kicked the remaining meat as far away from me as possible. The cats ran after it instinctually and I walked slowly over to Emma, who still hadn’t moved.
I kicked the Tupperware away and watched as Penelope followed it too, and then joined her brothers in the opposite corner where the meat was quickly being devoured. Leaning down, I felt Emma’s neck for a pulse.
And breathed a sigh of relief.
It was still there.
I stood back up and looked over at the exit, and then back down at Emma. As awful as she was, I couldn’t leave her to the tigers.
I wasn’t a bad guy.
But I wasn’t about to give her another chance to stop me either.
I glanced around and when my eyes fell onto one of the empty cages, it was like fate had intervened.
I grabbed underneath Emma’s arms and dragged her over to the closest cage and locked her inside.
There. She was safe and locked up.
Just like she should be.
Next, I turned to the baby tigers. I couldn’t leave them roaming around here either. Not when the people at the dinner party probably wanted to make them into stuffed animals or something.
I’d decided to get all the exotics out, and that’s what I was going to do.
Hopefully I’d be able to do it without losing any limbs in the process.
Thinking quickly, I scanned the room for something I could use as a lure. There was a stuffed animal, torn and frayed, lying on top of the ottoman that would work perfectly. I retrieved it and took some rope from my bag and tied it around the doll. Finally, I reached back inside for a bottle of amber liquid.
Calvin Klein’s Obsession.
I made a face before popping off the top and dumping it all over the stuffed toy. Then I tossed the empty bottle across the room.
“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” I said, swinging the rope with the perfume-soaked toy attached over to the tigers.
I hadn’t totally believed it when I’d read about it online, but seeing their reaction was unreal. As soon as the cats caught a whiff of the popular perfume, they went nuts. Rolling over it, licking it, nuzzling the doll. Apparently, the musky scent was like catnip for them.
I pulled the rope cautiously and watched as the baby tigers began to follow it.
“Okay cubbies, time to escape this place,” I said, leading them out of the Jungle Room and into the main house.
Entry Thirty-Five
I doubt Calvin Klein had this in mind when he made his perfume.
I dragged the stuffed animal behind me at a slow pace through the mansion halls, the cats staying on course every step of the way.
It had smelled great the first few minutes, but after several yards, my head started to swim and I was developing a headache.
But the cats loved it.
And if it meant being able to get them—and me—out safely, I’d happily endure the pain.
I lead the cats into the main entryway of the house, their big paws click-clacking across the marble floors. I could hear the noise coming from the dinner party and prayed that nobody left at this exact moment to use the restroom.
I could lie my way out of it, but it would cost me valuable time that I didn’t have.
I didn’t breathe again until I slipped out the back door, the tigers all in tow, and made it down to my golf cart. Climbing into the driver’s seat, I quickly tied the long rope to the back and then started the engine.
I took one final look at the house as the rumbling sound of the vehicle rang out in the night, and said a silent goodbye to everyone inside.
Not that I cared to ever see any of them again.
Then I started to drive.
The cats were fast. Michaela had said that tigers could run up to forty miles per hour. I had the cart cranked up as fast as it would go and the cubs had no problem keeping up.
I might’ve been imagining it, but it looked like they were having fun.
And why wouldn’t they?
They were free.
We all were.
I pulled Emma’s cell out of my pocket and dialed 911. She’d dropped it when Penelope had jumped her, and I’d picked it up on our way out of the Jungle Room.
“Hello, nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?” the woman’s voice said on the other end of the line.
“I’m at a dinner party at the Brasko estate and they have all these exotic animals running around,” I said frantically in my French-American accent. “The woman of the house, Emma, is unconscious. Please send help right away. Oh, and the FBI might be especially interested in seeing what’s hidden in the snake’s cage.”
“And what is your name—” the operator began, but I hung up and tossed the phone into some bushes.
The scent of the perfume wafted behind the vehicle as I drove, and the cats eagerly followed. When I saw the zoo up ahead, I couldn’t hold back my smile.
It was almost over.
Ollie turned to look at me as I drove up. It must’ve been quite a sight: a tiny girl driving a golf cart, followed by four large baby tigers who were obsessed with trying to get a stuffed animal that was tied to the back of my seat.
When I pulled up to where Ollie was standing, my friend just shook his head.
“You had to make an entrance, didn’t you?” Ollie said sarcastically.
“You’re just jealous you don’t have tigers following you around,” I said, getting out of the vehicle.
“True,” he admitted.
Then he glanced around to the back of the cart and watched as the tigers attacked the stuffed animal with fervor, now that the vehicle had stopped.
“Actually, I’m okay with it,” he said. “You can be the mother of tigers.”
A figure stepped out into the light then and a grin spread across my face.
“Angus!” I said, running up to him and jumping up to give him a hug.
“Lass!” he said, talking in my wig as he swung me around. “Well, aren’t you a sight!”
“Why, thank you!” I said, posing like a superhero after he put me down.
“I can’t believe how much you’ve grown,” he said, placing his hand over his mouth in disbelief. “You’re like, a real kid now.”
“Um, hate to break it to you, but I’ve always been a real kid,” I said, laughing.
“Ye know what I mean,” he said, his Scottish accent coming out heavy, just like I remembered it. “Yer all grown.”
“Can you tell my dad that?” I asked, smiling. Then I turned back to Ollie who appeared to be enjoying our exchange. “You two have met, I take it?”
Angus nodded and walked over to my friend. When he clapped Ollie on the back, he was thrust forward clumsily.
“Aye. Ye picked a good partner here, ye have,” Angus said cheerily as Ollie beamed from the compliment.
Then, when Ollie wasn’t looking, Angus leaned in to me and added under his breath, “A little theatrical for me tastes, but he gets the job done.”
I watched Angus as he walked over to the baby tigers. He picked up the stuffed animal and made a face as he smelled the perfume, then tossed the whole thing into an empty cage. The four cubs rushed in after it and the door clanged down behind them.
“Well, that was easy,” he said, shrugging before motioning for a few of the other guys to load them up.
I began to giggle. I couldn’t help it. I’d made it out of the Jungle Room alive, I’d gotten the tiger cubs to safety without being eaten, and my best friend and former co-thief were both here with me. All we had to do now was get in the waiting trucks and get out of here before the cops showed up….
Suddenly though, I remembered something that made me freeze.
“Wait, what happened with Cap’n Bob?” I asked, looking around frantically.
“He nearly called the cops on you for not bringing him in on the plan earlier,” Cap’n Bob’s gruff voice said from behind me.
I jumped as I turned around to find the older man limping toward me, his usual scowl on his face.
“How do you always do that?” I asked him, frustrated. “Sneak up on people.”
“What yer really askin’ is how I can sneak up on you with me bum leg?” he said bluntly.
“I wasn’t!” I exclaimed, even though I’d been thinking it. And then since he’d brought it up, I added, “Was it an animal bite?”
Cap’n Bob nodded. “But not one of these,” he said, nodding at the trucks. “This was from a great white.”
“A shark?” I asked, surprised.
“Aye,” he said. “Why do ya think they call me Cap’n?”
“I always thought it was cuz you were captain of this ship,” Ollie chimed in, making quotation motions with his hands.
Cap’n Bob burst into raucous laughter.
“Now that’s a good one!” he said, his whole body shaking. “Nah, I was a ship’s captain in my previous life. Couldn’t sail no more with this leg, so ended up here.”
“Speaking of,” I segued. “We figured you’d be loyal to the Braskos since you work for them. Why did you help us?”
Cap’n Bob snorted.
“I ain’t loyal to no one except these animals,” he said, jutting his chin out defiantly. “And the Braskos don’t care about me, let alone any of ’em.”
“Oh,” I said. “Well, thank you. Honestly, this could’ve all gone badly if you weren’t here to help.”
“Anything to get these critters away from here,” he said. “I’d have done it myself if I had the connections you do.”
“Well, we’re very grateful,” I said, beginning to walk away. But then I thought of something and turned back. “You know, I might have a job for you after this.”
I could hear sirens in the distance and looked around at all the empty cages.
“And you’ll need one, because your employers are definitely going to jail tonight,” I said.
“I’d appreciate that,” Cap’n Bob said, touching the brim of his hat thankfully.
“Can we drop ye off somewhere, chum?” Angus called out to the captain. He was hanging out the window of the driver’s seat in one of the dump trucks.
I looked at Cap’n Bob and he nodded.
“Thanks,” he said.
“No, thank you,” I said. Then I yelled out to everyone left standing around. “Let’s get going! Cops will be here in a few minutes. You all know where we’re going.”
Then I walked over to Ollie, put my arm in his, and we climbed into Angus’s truck together.
Minutes later, a line of construction vehicles exited the back gate of the Brasko estate and drove toward the dozens of police vehicles that were responding to a 911 call.
None of the responders had any idea that in the back of the construction trucks were dozens of exotic animals.
Entry Thirty-Six
The tiger paraded himself in front of us, roaring loudly every few minutes just to remind us that he was king of this jungle.
“I can’t believe that we got him out just a few days ago,” Ollie said, draping himself over one of several fences that stood between us and the big cat. “Doesn’t it feel like a lifetime?”
I raised an eyebrow. To me, it felt like just yesterday. But that was probably because as soon as we’d delivered the exotics to Born to Be Wild, everything inside me was finally able to relax.
And boy, had I.
For about forty-eight hours to be exact.
I’d woken up a few times to use the bathroom, but other than that, I’d just slept. Uncle Scotty had assumed I was just being a moody kid and in lieu of having to come up with a credible lie for him, I hadn’t corrected him.
When I’d finally emerged, still groggy and starved, Uncle Scotty had told me that Ollie had been by the house twice, and that if he “had to play interference for you again, it might end with Ollie in handcuffs.”
“The kid just talks so much,” Uncle Scotty had said, looking exhausted himself. “I can’t keep up. And he references all this celebrity stuff—it makes my brain want to explode. He’s a good kid and I’m glad you have a friend, but couldn’t he be a little more like…you?”
I’d chuckled.
“Now, do you really want another me running around here?” I’d asked as I poured myself a cup of coffee.
“Right,” Uncle Scotty had said, changing his mind.
Now, standing next to Ollie in front of the once-empty tiger enclosure at Born to Be Wild, I’d never want him to be like anyone else.
“I still can’t believe we pulled it off,” he said with amazement.
“I know,” I said. “I think this was the toughest job I’ve ever done.”
“Look at us,” Ollie said, jostling me with his elbow. “We’re practically pros now!”
“I’m a pro. You’re my pro-tégé,” I said with authority.
Ollie thought about this for two seconds and then nodded. “I’ll take it!”
I laughed.
“Good,” I said. “Because I got you something.”
“Yay!” Ollie said excitedly, and held out his hand to me.
I promptly slapped it.
“I got you private lessons with a voice coach,” I said, smiling at him.
His face fell. “There’s nothing to open?” he asked, deflated.
“Come on, this is so much better!” I said. “And it will help you be a better thief. And a better actor. He’s going to teach you how to do believable accents.”
“I can do accents,” Ollie said, and started to do what I thought was supposed to be a British accent, but turned out more Australian.
I looked at him blankly.
“No, you can’t,” I said. When I saw his sad face, I perked up. “But you’ll be able to when you’re finished with your lessons! And you’re a great thief in other ways. You handled the whole Cap’n Bob fiasco beautifully. And that’s not something that can be taught. That’s just raw talent. Remember, even Angus thought so.”
Ollie lifted his chin in the air proudly.
“That’s right,” he said, starting to smile. “I am pretty awesome, aren’t I?”
“Oh, geez,” I said, worried he was starting to get a big head. “Okay, switching gears now.”
“All right,” Ollie complied. “How about we talk about what happened between you and Angus the other night.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Ollie kicked the fence lightly and looked back up at the tiger we’d saved. I could tell he was avoiding my gaze and I appreciated it.
“Well, I know that Angus offered for you to go with him when he left. Is it safe to assume you said no since you’re still here?” he asked, sounding hopeful.
“Yes,” I said, noting how his face lit up as I said the words. “I told him I wanted to stay here.”
Ollie tried not to seem overly happy. And I ignored the fact that he was failing miserably at it.
The truth was, I was happy about it too.
With that said, I didn’t offer up all of the details of my conversation with my former Scottish co-thief the night of the heist. Including that it had been a tough decision on my part to stay—even if it was the right choice for me.
“This was a bit of fun, lass,” Angus had said after we’d unloaded all the animals from the construction trucks just outside the sanctuary that night. “I love your spirit. I’d love it even more on the road with me.”
He said it like he meant it, and I seriously considered it.
It’d be great to be out there again. I could travel, be a little more like my old self. With Angus as a partner, I wouldn’t have to be the mastermind behind our jobs anymore. I wouldn’t have the weight of each heist on my shoulders. I could just take my cues from Angus and do my thing.
But was that what I really wanted?
To my surprise, I was actually sort of enjoying being in charge for once. And there was someone else looking up to me and wanting my opinion on things. It was a great feeling, being the master of one’s own universe.
And the biggest perk of staying here in Greenwich? I got to choose our jobs. Which meant I could help others. Make the world a better place. As a thief, I’d always assumed to be good, you had to be selfish. Since coming here, I’d discovered that being selfless could sometimes yield greater rewards. For me and for the world.
And I was kind of digging that.
“Sorry, Angus,” I had said, giving him a hug. “But I think I’m gonna stick around here a little bit longer. But you’ll keep in touch?”
Angus had squeezed me back.
“Of course, lass,” he said. “And the offer always stands.”
I’d slid my hand into the hidden pocket of my catsuit and pulled out the emerald I’d rescued from the snake cage. Then, without thinking too hard about what I was doing, I’d handed it to him.
“Your cut of the job,” I’d said, placing the enormous jewel in the palm of his hand.
Angus’s eyes grew wide as he held the gem closer to examine it.
“Lass, do ye know what this is worth—”
