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Ivan Braginsky made his living in a way many would consider unusual. A gentleman thief, he prided himself on not only stealing diamonds and gold, but also the hearts of the rich men and women who owned them. In all his years of thievery, he had never failed to secure his prize, and save for a few close encounters, he evaded the police with ease. Ivan truly took pride in his work, and his greatest joy was seeing a heist fall seamlessly into place.
Tonight, he was targeting the collection of one Arthur Kirkland, a famous collector of fine jewels. His eyes were on one stone in particular: the Bonnefoy diamond, which was supposedly gifted to Kirkland by his lover and valued to be worth more than 150 million Euros. Ivan had planned this operation for over three months and two weeks now; Kirkland was not a man who took security lightly. Having sent his calling card to Kirkland a week ago, Ivan knew his estate would be crawling with policemen. Knowing this, Ivan had decided to take a subtle approach. No breaking and entering was planned for this heist. Instead, Ivan would be hiding in plain sight. His police badge, acquired from a black market acquaintance, glinted on his vest. He straightened the dark cap perched on his head and made sure his uniform was in place. Then Ivan was entering the Kirkland estate looking like any other cop.
Years of experience had taught him the trick to going unnoticed was making sure he kept his head high and his eyes down. Getting held up in conversation was dangerous; one wrong word, one fumbled detail, and it’d be clear he didn’t belong. Ivan walked through the manor in brisk, hurried steps that suggested he had somewhere to be, and soon. If he continued at his current pace, he would be near Kirkland’s collection in just a few minutes. So far, he had not been stopped even once. In fact, it seemed no one was taking any notice of him. This was turning out to be his smoothest operation yet.
As Ivan rounded the corner, the door to Kirkland’s collection mere feet away, he saw it was being guarded. The guard appeared to be in his twenties, with blond hair and bright blue eyes framed by glasses. A few inches shorter than Ivan, the guard spoke with an American accent, greeting him cheerfully.
“Hey,” the man said. “Here to take over my shift?”
Ivan had no idea how the guards’ shifts worked, but he nodded nonetheless. “I hope I’m not too early,” he bluffed.
The American shook his head. “No, you’re right on time,” he grinned. “Good thing you’re here. I couldn’t stand another minute in front of this door. Hate standing still, you know.” He stepped to the side and let Ivan take his place in front of the door. However, he didn’t show any sign of leaving. In fact, it seemed as if he wanted to continue speaking with Ivan.
Ivan groaned inwardly. For now, he supposed he’d have to humour the other man and engage him in conversation. If Ivan was lucky, the man would get bored and leave soon. “So,” Ivan began. He cleared his throat. “What’s your name?”
“Alfred,” the other said, clearly pleased Ivan was speaking with him. “Alfred F. Jones. You?”
“Ivan Braginsky,” Ivan said. Even though it was his real name, he doubted Alfred would recognize it; the man behind the thief was fairly unknown, even amongst law enforcement. And if Alfred did, well, Ivan planned to be making his exit soon anyways.
“You’re from Russia then?” Alfred asked. “I’m from America myself,” he said with pride. “Land of the bald eagle and all that.”
Ivan nodded. The conversation was dragging on far longer than he liked. He had wanted to get in, get the diamond, and get out without anyone noticing him. If he still wanted to accomplish this, he would have to be blunt.
“I appreciate the small talk, but I have to do my job now,” Ivan said. He met Alfred’s gaze evenly and let the implicit dismissal hang in the air between them.
Rather than being deterred, Alfred seemed amused, his eyes glinting behind his glasses. “Of course,” he said, leaning close to Ivan’s ear. He placed a hand on Ivan’s arm and smiled.
With Alfred standing so close to him, Ivan was suddenly aware of his broad shoulders and toned arms. He swallowed nervously as Alfred got closer. So Alfred had been flirting with him the entire time. Ivan could feel his cheeks turning red.
“Wouldn’t dream of distracting you from your job,” Alfred said. He grinned, suddenly pulling away. “Though you’re not really a cop, are you?”
Hearing this, Ivan’s body tensed, preparing for a confrontation. His disguise was perfect, and yet the other man had seen through it. All he could do was hope Alfred wouldn’t raise the alarm.
Alfred continued to look unruffled, placing one hand in his pocket. “Don’t worry,” he whispered conspiratorially. “Neither am I.” He drew his hand out, holding something large and glittery.
Ivan stared at the stone in Alfred’s hand. “Is that–”
“Yes, it’s the Bonnefoy diamond,” Alfred said. He held the diamond between his fingers, where it sparkled with a dazzling light. “I believe this is what we both came for. Though it seems I got it before you.” He laughed good-naturedly. “No hard feelings, alright?”
Ivan leaned against the wall. He really hadn’t expected anything like tonight to happen. Well, might as well admit his defeat with grace. “Congratulations,” he said grudgingly. “I’m impressed, really.”
Alfred smiled. “Well, maybe you can impress me next time,” he said. He leaned close, so close that Ivan could almost feel the heat between them. “The name’s Alfred F. Jones. Newest thief on the block,” Alfred whispered in his ear. “I’ll be seeing you around, yeah?” And with a jaunty wink and a peck on Ivan’s cheek, Alfred was gone, lost in the throng of policemen in the manor.
Despite everything, Ivan found himself smiling. “I look forward to it,” he said.