City of Sins

“Ducks with wings.”

“Ducks? That’s what you are afraid of?”

“No, I am afraid of ducks with wings,” she made a flapping gesture with her arms.

 He laughed.

      They were about to do something that might cost their lives, and here she was telling him that ducks with wings frightened her the most. This was their routine now. He and her, talking about the most random thing right before they were about to risk their lives. It was a way to keep out the thought that they might not walk out alive this time. One day their luck had to run out. Hopefully not today. Today, they will defeat death again.

“What are you afraid of?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

Sophie turned to face him.

     It was hard to lie when she was looking at him with those dark mysterious eyes and smile that could lighten up the darkest night. Yet he did it every day.

“Nothing?” 

Maybe one thing. 

“Nothing,” he lied.

***************************

There were four guards posted at the entrance. Foolish. As if anyone is stupid enough to break in through the front gate. Getting in was not a problem at all. Getting out was.       

     Once they were done, the officers would be alarmed and armed in no time.

“Let’s go,” he led the way.

     Sophie removed a clip from her hair, working the lock. He had seen many people picking locks, he had picked a few himself but no one had her precision. Picking locks came as easy to her as breathing. No lock was ever too complicated for her.

     A few strands of hair escaped from the braid. She continued working with unwavering concentration. Unconsciously, he reached out to tuck it behind her ears, his fingers brushing her temples.

She stopped.

“If you are about to confess your undying love for me, now is not the time, Romeo,” she smiled.

“Don’t flatter yourself, thief, my days are not that bad yet. I just don’t want you getting distracted, my ass is on the line,”

“Ours,” she opened the door and disappeared inside.

     Destruction was not new to them. It was like their shadow. Wherever Sophie and James went, destruction followed. Sometimes they were the ones destroying and other times they were the ones being destroyed.

    Maybe that was what bound them together. They had nothing to lose anymore. At least that is what he had thought but now he was not so sure.

    The manor was unlike he had ever seen. Gold and maroon furniture decorated the white marbled floor. Matching silk curtain hung from the large windows. Fascinating but impractical.

Sophie stood near the table. She was studying a cup in her hand.

“Planning a tea party, Ma’dam?” he faked his best french accent.

    She shook her head and put the cup down. “Your accent keeps getting worse. I should ask Albert to teach you, it's embarrassing.” He could make out the curl of lips even in the dim light.

“The money I am going to make after this, I can hire ten Alberts to teach me,” he joked.

“Please don’t. One Albert is enough pain. Can you imagine ten Alberts singing the same off-tune song? I will claw my eyes out.”

“Wouldn’t cutting your ears off be a better choice?”

“No. The only thing worse than hearing ten Alberts is seeing ten Alberts.”

     They laughed. The whispered laugh that they had mastered on all those silent nights waiting for their target to walk into their traps.

“These cups are worth more than our monthly salaries combined,” she picked up the cutleries, “and these are worth two months' salary. Here, put it in your jacket. We will split the money.”

     He looked at the golden spoon and knives. Some people eat rocks for dinner while others use a golden spoon.

     Sophie placed one of the explosive discs on the table. Careful not to trigger it and explode them both to bits.

“We need to find the kitchen,” she said when she was finished.

“Is that where you think Valaos de Jean sleeps?” he crossed his arms.

“Do you always have to be such a killjoy??” she said, taking out another disc. “If I die tonight, I do not want my last meal to be the rock hard stanky potato,” she scrunched her nose.

“Will your ghost be more pleasant if your last meal is a fancy leftover croissant?”

“No, but your ghost will definitely be less grumpy,” she poked a finger at his chest and walked away. “Also, do you really think french eat croissants for meals?” she turned back.

“They don’t?”

“I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

******************************

French don’t eat a croissant for meals but they do have a mean collection of cakes.

Sophie tasted everything. Only to criticize most of it.

“Sophie,” he watched her devouring another piece of cake.

“Yeah?” she said with a mouthful of cake.

“Where will you go after tonight?”

“What makes you think I will leave?”

     He turned to face her.

“I know you hate this place, this work just as much as I do. Once you get the money, there is no reason to stay. You can go anywhere you want. Do anything you like. Away from the shadows. ”

“You think so? You think after everything we have done we can get away from the shadow?” It wasn’t a question. It was hope and they both knew what the answer was. No. No matter where they go the shadows will follow.

“I will go to a bright place where I am always blinded by the light. Will be easier to pretend the shadows don’t exist.”

She smiled. “If only your brain was as big as your head. If it worked that way, I would have installed 1000 lightbulbs in my place,” she shook her head. “Idiot.”

“Well, there is only one way to find out. Let’s find out together,” the next words were harder to say but those were the words he needed to say the most, “Come with me. I don’t know where I will go or what I will do but come with me. No matter how bright or dark the place is or how big our shadows get, together we will find a way out. If not then we will find a way to survive. Together.”

      The silence stretched between them was like a thousand knives to his heart. He could bear bullets and stab wounds, and god knows that he had. but this, this silence was killing him.

Sophie opened her mouth to say something but footsteps made him cover her mouth and drag her under the table. 

     There was someone in the kitchen, As soon as they saw the mess Sophie and James had made, they would be alarmed. The feel of cold metal of the pistol in his hand gave a bit of relief. But it was not enough.

     The person left the kitchen. They came out after the sound of footsteps was no longer audible.

They didn’t have much time. They had to do it now and they both knew it. For years this city had burned people like them. Leaving no way out other than turning them into sinister. It was about time they burned in their own sins too.

“Let’s burn the damn place down.”

*******************************

They placed the explosive discs in all the places they could. 

“James,” she stopped near what looked like an office. Her mind was already scheming. “What do you think will happen when we go back? We will be the most wanted criminal in the city, hell, in the country.”

      He knew what she was getting at. He had spent days thinking about it. “We cannot back out now Sophie. We chose it.”

“People choose when they have an option,” there was an edge in her voice.

“Morris will kill us, Sophie.”

“If he finds us. We will go far away from this place. Somewhere he won’t find us. Together,” she looked at him, her dark eyes bright with hope, “Will you come with me?”

      At that moment anything seemed possible. They would get away from this wretched place and start a new life, together. No matter what lies ahead, as long she was with him, he was ready to face it.

       He closed the distance between them. “I would come to hell if that meant I get to be you,” James pressed his forehead against hers.

       She pushed open the door to the office he hadn’t seen her picking.

“Are you implying I am going to hell?” she looked at him sideways

“Are you not?”

“I am but you don’t get to say that,” she entered the office.

The locker had a different security system. The mechanics were different than what Sophie was used to working with.

“Guard the door. I don’t like being shot at,” she had told him.

“I did it!” she exclaimed.

“Quiet. You will get us killed,” he walked towards the locker

“I will get us rich,” she opened the locker.

       James had robbed many rich men and women. Broke into many manors. But none of them had what Jean did. Sea of gold. He wondered if Jean would even notice if a few blocks go missing.

“We are about to be rich,” he grinned.

*BOOM*

Sophie cursed. “It wasn’t supposed to go off so early.” 

“Fill the bag. Take as much as you can and head to the terrace. I will meet you there,” James took the explosives discs.

“Don’t die,” she warned.

“If I do, I will meet you in hell.,” James winked, and stormed off.

*****************************

         There were screams and shouts coming from downstairs. He counted the bullets in his pistol. It was a weak defense against their weapons but it was something. He had to hold them off long enough for Sophie to get to the terrace and open the door. Their only escape.

James threw the rest of the discs. The manor was bright with blazing fire. The maroon silk curtains were turning charcoaled black. He could see the guards surrounding the manor and a few trying to put off the fire. Among them was Jean, screaming, losing his mind. His golden mansion burned to the ground.

“Father. Father,” someone screamed. A child. But they were told Jean’s family was out of the city.

      James followed the sound. A boy no older than ten was trapped in the fire. If he went in to save him, he would risk both his and Sophie’s life. Maybe she was right. No matter where the go or what they do, their shadows will follow. And right now he was looking at it. His shadow.

        He covered his head with his jacket and entered the room.

“Here,” he pulled the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around the boy.  

“Who are you?” he asked between the sobs. “I don’t want to die.”

“you are not going to die, I am here to save you all right?”

“I am scared.”

“Listen here, kid. You are brave, you get it? you are brave and you will walk out of it but you will have to listen to what I say. Okay?” He nodded.

       The only way out was the burning door or the window with several feet drop. Burn or smash to the ground.

“On the count of three, we jump out of the door together. One, Two—” James head shot up to the sound of the falling ceiling and he pushed the boy out of the door before it could hit the floor and close the exit.

“Run. Run to the door,” James screamed from the other side.

       The smoke would kill him before the fire does. He fell to his knee coughing. He could try to break the window but his leg wouldn’t move anymore. He doubled over coughing.

Time to burn in their own sins. It was his fate too. His vision was going blurry now. He was blinded with light. With fire. All the things that mattered to him, no matter how small were coming back to him. A vague memory of his family. A few friends he had made along the way and her. Sophie. He remembered her dark eyes, her innocent smile. The smile that didn’t belong in this city of sin. He closed his eyes, letting the fire consume him. If hell is where they will be together, then so be it. He will wait.

     Sophie was cursing him in several languages. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids would not cooperate. Was this his hell? Is this devil will torment him? by showing him what he couldn’t have?

“Open your eyes, you big buffoon.” She slapped him hard. “I told you not to die. Now get up or I will throw you out of the window.”

“Sophie?” he whispered.

“No, your grandmother. Get up before we both burn down to ash, you idiot.”

Sophie tied a rope around their waist. James looked down at the ground below and back at Sophie.

“Not so fearless now huh?”

*******************************

“Corns with caramel,” she said.

“Corns? that’s what you love the most?”

“No, I love corns with caramel,” she replied, throwing a pebble in the water. “What about you?”

There was no lying when she looked at him with those dark eyes and bright smile.

“You.”