Planet Heist (The Dunham Archives Book 1) (3 page)

“He was a bastard anyway,” Salah chuckled. “Well, after that great start, I suppose we should get to it, then.”

We ordered lunch with a rather fidgety waitress who seemed spectacularly anxious for taking an average day meal.

He rambled on with small talk that we didn’t pay any attention to.

“Why didn’t you follow my instructions?” I asked angrily, cutting off something he was about to say and interrupting his every train of thought.

He feigned confusion, but his eyes were laced with worry at my cold voice, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Our food arrived, and I looked at the pasta with dark green spices in distaste.

“Oh but you do. You’ve come armed with thirteen assassins; the most obvious was our red-haired waitress with a knife in her boot. Her right hand continued making the signed ‘K.’ And I’m just going out on a limb here, but you’re not deaf. I think it’s safe to assume it was a secret signal. That same waitress who attended to us just a moment ago, as I noticed, poured some sort of special spice, which is,” I picked up a leaf and smelled it, “a very rare plant found only in the forests of Zambia, which is known for its possession of the chemical cyanide – Bracken, is it? My knowledge of plant life is sadly lacking. If I would’ve taken a bite, you could’ve brought my corpse to a local Interpol station and retrieved a billion dollar reward. Of course, you would have to take out Rowan first, which I doubt you could do.”

Salah loosened his tie and replied nervously, “Merely precautions, I assure you. I simply wanted to-”

“I’m not finished.” I cut him off, irritated. “Secondly, you have a camera in your left eye, a common device where I’m from: a contact lens with a miniature camera inside. An older model that’s much more uncomfortable. Brilliant, really, if you know how to use them. By the way, your irises are a shade lighter than you had thought. You also have a patch of latex behind your left ear, which contains a small recording device,” I reached over and pulled it off. “You have snipers on the roof, much to my chagrin.  Snipers are such a waste of time when hired by someone capable of using his own gun. Finally, you have a small needle, matching to mine, protruding from your ring, covered in a sedative. It was rather boneheaded of you to take such ‘
precautions’
when I specifically told you not to, and it lowered your already minute chance of telling me your little plan,” I concluded, nonchalantly folding my hands in my lap.

“You’re just as charming as I was told,” he said sarcastically.

“And so much more.” I smirked a little, “Now, remove all of your devices, and meet my brother and me in our hotel room. You have one hour,” I said, pulling the key out of my pocket. “And if you again refuse to follow my simple instructions, I’ll have to dispose of you myself. Maybe it could become a family tradition.”

Rowan and I got up and walked in the hotel. I had a permanent arrangement with the hotel so that I – or anyone in my family, for that matter – could rent Suite 1409 whenever necessary. It was a penthouse with eight rooms.

Once we were in, I glanced at the receptionist, a small man with a sweaty dress shirt and khakis. He had a nervous face, his brow furrowed in constant frustration.

“Hi.” I smiled caringly, “My brother and I have a suite up on the top floor, and we’ll be up there for a bit. Until you see us leave, kindly make sure nobody interrupts.”

He nodded as if he didn’t hear, and my twin and I made our way to the elevators.

While Salah was doing whatever he was doing, Row and I returned to the rooms, where we both changed into something more business appropriate. He wore a suit and tie, and I changed into a sleeveless turquoise blouse and dark gray dress pants. I slipped on a diamond necklace – one I had crafted from a large diamond from a crown jewel, stolen a few months back – that had a higher carat than any other. It was on a pure silver chain, and the center diamond was the size of a silver dollar. Letting down my hair, I looked in a floor to ceiling mirror at myself. Perfect, except for these high-tops. I took them off and pulled on some spiky black heels, making me six inches taller.

Rowan and I waited in a large sitting room for Salah to return. It was a huge area with a hulking fireplace and four plush leather arm chairs.

“So what do you think his proposal is?” Rowan asked curiously

“Honestly, no clue. Contrary to popular belief, I’m no mind reader,” I smiled.

“I’ve known you my whole life and I still don’t believe that. By the way, is that the Pamona diamond that we stole back when the two of us were only eight?” He asked, glancing at my necklace.

“Yes, you remember?”

“Of course, if was our first real theft, well, unless you count when we stole the Monroe William’s gold bracelet in the first grade…what caused mother to take us out of a real school system. The first grade and we had both been sent to the principal’s office more than a delinquent!” He laughed, and we smiled at the memory.

Changing the subject, I asked, “What do you think of Salah the Younger?”

“Well,” He replied, “for his sake, I hope he’s nothing like his father – dim-witted, overly masculine, and overall stupid,”

“That’s true,” I laughed, “but, I don’t get that vibe from him. I may not read minds, but I’m an excellent people-reader,”

“I know, you’ve read me like a book since we were kids,” He grinned, “I think you like him. More than most boys, I mean.”

“Excuse me?” I scoffed, attempting to mask my shock.

“Don’t make me say it again. You’ve paid utter attention to him and every detail minutely germane to him,” He reasoned.

“That is absolutely and completely ridiculous!
I
pay attention to
everything
and everyone.
” I told him seriously.

“But, you’ve paid special attention to him. How else would you know that his eyes were one shade darker than he had thought?”

“So what? Just because I noticed that his eyes are shade forty two green does not mean that I like him.” I said, knowing how unconvincing I sounded.

“Well, we can just-”

There was a knock at the door, and Salah walked in, cutting off Rowan mid thought.

I turned my head to the Egyptian and saw that he had changed his tie to what I’m sure he knew was my favorite color scheme – red, black, and gold, the national colors of my home planet.

“My proposal?” He asked, sitting down.

“Go ahead,” I said.

“Well, what I have to offer you is this: power. You and I both know that you two may very well be
the most powerful
sixteen year olds in the universe – no doubt about it. But, your power is conditional. In a hundred years, who will remember Kairee and Rowan Dunham?” His opening statement was shocking and thought provoking, “But, if we band together and steal
this
,” He said, using his hands to emphasize the point, “the three of us will be remembered through the passing ages, for centuries, and children in school will learn about us in class, know our faces, our names, better than their own. We’ll be able to have utter control or none at all, whatever we want.” Salah said, leaning forward.

“What is it?” I thought aloud, leafing through every item I could think of that could be stolen. There were, of course, several castles in France that had some of the world’s most coveted treasures, and then, on my home planet alone there were between ten and fourteen million diamonds, devices, and treasures of various kinds.

“The Xeron.” He said, and those four syllables rang through my head. I felt my jaw go slack and my eyes widen.

A brief explanation of this jaw-dropping detail: The Xeron, kept thousands of feet under the Institute of Technology on my home planet and protected by the best security in the galaxy, is the latest technology on any planet. It’s got everything from mind reading capabilities to password finding, hacking, translating, and decrypting codes. Simply amazing – and absolutely impossible to steal. Stealing that is just very, very dangerous – so dangerous that even I, a person made famous for my huge risks and flashy crimes, wouldn’t dare try this attempt.

Rumors have swirled that everything and anything is guarding it. It’s been said by hundreds of sources that there are everything from simple vaulted doors and trip wires to the incomprehensible force of dragons, collapsing walls, will manipulation, magic, and black holes. Most of these are ridiculous assumptions made by a public demanding something interesting, but such claims have to make you skeptical of what could really be lurking, just waiting to be discovered under the Institute.

“That’s…stupidly ingenious. If we were to do this, it would take months to train, get passwords. Plus, you’re probably not up to the mental and physical standards that my brother and I are used to.” I told him with a laugh.

“I’m sure I could beat you any time in a fight,” He countered.

“Is that a challenge?” I asked threateningly.

“If you accept my terms, yes.” He offered.

“Well then, I accept. Row?” I said, turning to my brother.

“It sounds intriguing, as long as he’s as good as he claims to be.” Rowan mocked

“I assure you, I’ll meet your standards.” Salah replied in a manner almost parallel to a silly sibling rivalry between brothers.

“So, as to that challenge: today. Our estate.” I told Salah.

“Whatever you say,” He smirked.

“Then why don’t we escort our guest back to the manor,” Rowan suggested calmly.

A few minutes later, we were sitting in the car, and I was about to start it.

“Are you old enough to drive?” Salah asked nervously.

“Not legally. Are you?” I wondered.

“I’m seventeen. But should
you
really be driving?” His eyes widened.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I smiled, “And, considering I’m better than any all-star NASCAR driver…yes.” I countered.

“Alright then,” He said, putting on his seatbelt. He was the only one.

I drove forty over the limit on the way home, and Salah looked like he was about to have a heart attack. We arrived home – intact – and I walked up to the front door. I pressed my thumb against a screen, had my eyes scanned, typed in the password, typed it again, unlocked the door, and walked in.

“Wow. All that just to come in?” Salah marveled.

“And to enter every other room in the mansion,” I explained, “that’s the price we pay for being masterminds,”

“So, are we going to fight or not?”

“Of course. Rowan, can you go get Laina, Izan, and Wynn?” I asked.

“Yeah, they’ll want to see…him,” Rowan replied, walking up the stairs.

“Who are they?” Salah’s inquisitive eyes bored into mine, even with such a simplistic question.

“My older siblings,” I said.

“There are more? I had always assumed it was ‘The Dunham Twins’ and nobody else,” He shrugged.

“No, but my brother and sisters stay out of the public eye, to avoid attention for being my siblings. They’ve all done something different, besides Elaina. I’ll be fighting her later, since I beat her when we were little,” I grinned.

“How old is she?” He asked, surprised.

“Twelve when we last fought, seventeen now,” I told him, “I hope that you’ll be as worthy of an opponent.”

“I’m sure I will. Aren’t you going to change?” He asked, eying my heels suspiciously, as if they would jump up and kill him, which they just might, “You could literally poke an eye out with those things.”

“That’s the idea,” I told him with a sly grin, “if you want to back out, before you get hurt, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“I’ll hold my peace, thank you,” He chuckled.

“For your health, I hope that was a wise decision,”

“Kai? Is that, by any chance, Salah the Younger?” Elaina asked, coming down the steps.

“Salah’s just fine, thanks,” He replied awkwardly.

“I see. So, you think you can beat my little sister here?” She scoffed.

“Yes.” He replied suavely.

“Somehow, I seriously doubt that,” She laughed, her voice trilling like bells. Wynn and Izan slowly ensued, joining the group quietly.

“Follow me,” I said, walking to the back courtyard. It was our sparring area, with a mat floor and rack upon rack of weapons – swords, guns, vaporizers, small explosives, specialty weapons, daggers, spears, balisongs, katanas, tantōs, sai, flamethrowers, maces, and bombs – each of which my father had collected in all his inter-planetary travels.

“Where did you possibly get all of these weapons?” Salah gaped.

“When you’re in this business as long as our family, you collect a lot of stuff,” Izan smiled, twirling one of his favorite swords.

“So, what’re you two going to use?” Elaina asked.

“Nothing, hand on hand.” I said, nodding to Salah.

Izan and Rowan were making bets, hundreds of dollars being forked onto the table.

“Come
on
!” Izan said, “This Salah kid is going to crush our baby sister!”

“I’m older than Rowan.” I smiled. This was a long going debate in my family. We didn’t know who was truly older, somehow or another.