SS: TIE 016

Chica takes a deep breath. The odds of going with Plan A are so slim that she almost wonders why they bothered. She parks and unloads her gear. Carrying two heavy duffels, she heads down as though she belongs, using a stolen card to get past the outer gate.

The pier creaks underfoot. The sun is hot, but the sea breeze is cool. The smell of the ocean mingles with pork sandwiches from the restaurant overlooking the marina. Boats bob gently on blue water while the cries of seagulls are almost loud enough to drown out the noise from a distant party boat much smaller than Adella Salazar’s yacht.

Chica speeds up, the straps of her duffels digging into her palms. She’s sweating, but she can’t slow down if she’s going to stay on schedule. She throws the duffels aboard the Yamaha and unties it, then jumps on. She has her kit out and she’s unzipping it before she even reaches the controls. Stealing a modern boat is much easier than stealing a modern car. The cockpit has a partial roof that lets in just enough sunshine for one person to sunbathe comfortably.

A woman a little older than Chica sits up in surprise. She wears only a pair of blue bikini bottoms, and her whole body gleams with oil. She pulls off her sunglasses and stares up at Chica.

“Who the hell are you?” she asks, reaching for her towel.

SS: TIE

“That’s it. That’s right. Baby. Yes.” Lili rolls her hips sinuously, moving her naked body much more than is necessary. She arches her back and throws her hair as she straddles Adella Salazar’s face. “Baby. Yes.” Her slutty moans sound so pathetic to Elsa, but Elsa is not the intended audience. Or maybe Adella’s tongue is just that good.

Elsa kneels in the other part of the suite, focusing on her work. She has the money, bearer bonds, and passports. But there’s a second lockbox that’s harder to crack. She can’t risk drilling it or cutting it; it has to be done the old-fashioned way. The code has five digits, and even for a device with a fast processor, that’s a lot.

She leans back to check on Lili, who massages her breasts and pleads for Adella not to stop. She twists slightly to use her hand on Adella. That’s risky; they don’t want Adella to finish just yet, but they also don’t want her to start wondering why she brought three strippers in here with her and only has one on top of her. The other girl is passed out in an armchair, courtesy of the pills that Elsa gave her.

It's all taking too long. Elsa’s supposed to be on that bed with them. They should be wrapping up and getting ready to go. Elsa turns back to her device and bites her thumbnail. She’s never been comfortable with this sort of thing: relying on tech from Lora, or trying to bypass electronic locks instead of just breaking them. But if they damage the drives with the crypto, they’ll be worthless.

A squeal and the sound of bedsprings makes her look on instinct. Now Adella’s on top and Lili’s on her back.

But Adella is not kissing, licking, or even paying attention to her. She’s gazing at the other stripper. She looks sharply over at Elsa’s head, sticking around the corner. Her expression turns wary.

Lili doesn’t wait for it to get any farther; she kicks Adela in the stomach, sending her tumbling out of bed. Lili’s on top of her before she can react, knocking her cold with a bottle of champagne.

Adella spills onto the rug, limp.

Elsa glares at Lili, who cringes. Now they have no backup plan; if Lora’s device fails, they won’t be able to get the code. Lili tries to stand up and wobbles a little; her thighs are soaked. She really was enjoying that, at least a little.

Elsa points to the door and Lili waves acknowledgment. She grabs her bikini bottoms and awkwardly pulls them on, then goes to stand watch. Adella’s bodyguards have not had eyes on her in almost twenty minutes. This privacy will not last.

Elsa wipes sweat from her forehead and stiffens as someone knocks on the door.

“Room service!”

She lets her breath out. That’s Rey. Lili lets her in, and Rey pushes a cart through with a bump.

“Get dressed,” she orders Lili, leaving the cart and jogging to Elsa with only the briefest glance for the **** Adella. “What’s the holdup?”

“This thing’s gonna take a long time.”

Rey kneels, touch the lockbox. She runs her fingers along the sides. “What’s it weigh?”

“Thirty or forty pounds.”

“I can carry it. Let’s just get it in a bag. You have the rest?”

“Yeah. There are valuables, but there’s no time.”

“No, there is not. Cheese hasn’t reported in, and Lora and Glynda are both dark.”

“Oh, fuck me.”

“Get me a bag and put your clothes on.”

Lili removes the tray of champagne from the cart, revealing the equipment. “What’s the dress code?” she asks.

They have body armor and long guns, but they also have clothes suitable for making an attempt to leave without arousing suspicion. They no longer have the option to use Adella Salazar as a shield, as originally planned.

“No Chica means no ride,” Rey says tightly. “We’re walking out.”

Body armor and boldness?

Or bikinis and subtlety?