The world slowed to a crawl as Delgado's guy reached inside his jacket. Ethan's thoughts raced, looking for a way out. But before anybody could respond, a child's piercing howl pierced through the tension.
All heads turned to see a tiny girl, no more than five, slumped on the museum stairs. Her ice cream cone lay smeared on the ground, and tears flowed down her face.
In that short second of confusion, Nina jumped into action. She staggered forward, probably stumbling over her own feet, and smashed squarely into Delgado's men. Her handbag went flying, spreading its contents over the stairs.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Nina shouted, her voice loud and agitated. She bent to collect her stuff, thereby obstructing the man's approach to Ethan.
Charlie didn't waste the chance. He grabbed Ethan's arm and drew him into the throng, moving through the crush of visitors with seasoned ease.
"Move," Charlie snarled. "Now."
They rushed down the street, Ethan's pulse beating in his ears. He dared a peek back and saw Nina still making a ruckus, her voice reaching over the throng as she apologized loudly to the scowling guy.
As they reached the bend, Milo's vehicle came into view. Charlie ripped open the side door and pushed Ethan inside before leaping in himself.
"Drive," Charlie yelled at Milo. "Nice and easy. Don't draw notice."
As the van drew away from the curb, Ethan craned his neck to peek out the back window. "What about Nina?" he questioned, his voice taut with fear.
Charlie's face looked bleak. "She's on her own. If she makes it out, she knows where to find us."
The following fifteen minutes were the longest of Ethan's life. Every red light seemed like an eternity, every police sound a death knell. But gradually, as they flowed through the city streets without incident, the adrenaline started to evaporate, leaving Ethan feeling empty and drained.
Finally, Charlie led Milo to drive into an underground parking garage. They sat in quiet for a minute, listening for any signs of pursuit.
"I think we're clear," Charlie stated at last. He turned to Ethan, his eyes steely. "Want to tell me what the heck it was about? Your girlfriend almost ruined the entire project."
Ethan bristled at the charge. "She saved our butts back there. And she's not my girlfriend."
"Could've fooled me," Charlie muttered. He sighed, putting a palm over his face. "Alright, let's head upstairs. We need to rethink and decide out our next move."
They climbed a service lift to the top level of what seemed to be an abandoned office building. Charlie led them down a dusty hallway to an inconspicuous door, which he opened with a key from his pocket.
Inside was a striking contrast to the neglected façade. The area was a high-tech command center, with banks of computers, tracking devices, and a big table covered with designs and paperwork.
"Welcome to home base," Charlie noted, indicating around the room. "Make yourself comfy. We could be here a while."
Ethan dropped into a chair, his thoughts still spinning from their tight escape. Milo busied himself at one of the computer terminals, fingers flying over the keys as he opened up surveillance feeds from throughout the city.
An hour crept by with no word from Nina. Ethan paced the room, alternating between fear for her safety and fury at the mess he'd put them all in. Charlie regarded him with a mixture of pity and annoyance.
Just as Ethan was going to suggest they go search for her, there was a harsh tap at the door. Everyone froze.
Charlie stepped discreetly to a monitor, watching the hallway camera footage. His shoulders relaxed somewhat, and he nodded to Ethan.
When the door flew open, Nina rushed in like a force of nature. Her hair was little ruffled, and there was a rip in her tights, but her eyes were sparkling with joy.
"Well," she murmured, putting her handbag on the table. "That was fun."
The tension in the room snapped. Milo gave out a timid giggle, and even Charlie broke a grin.
Ethan walked towards Nina, relief washing over him. "Are you okay? How did you get away?"
Nina grinned, pulling a wallet from her handbag and tossed it to Charlie. "Let's just say our friend from Delgado's crew is going to have a hard time explaining to his boss why he lost his ID and credit cards."
Charlie whistled as he looked through the wallet. "Damn, girl. You haven't lost your touch."
"Never," Nina answered with a grin. Then her gaze became serious as she faced Ethan. "Now, suppose you tell me what kind of mess you've gotten us into this time?"
Over the following hour, Ethan and Charlie filled Nina in on the situation. To her credit, she listened without interrupting, her face a mask of focus. When they finished, she let out a faint whistle.
"The Midnight Star," she thought. "I always wondered what it would be like to hold that rock." She fixed Ethan with an intense glare. "But you're right about one thing — this isn't just about the diamond. Delgado's playing a deeper game."
Charlie nodded. "That's what I've been saying. The problem is, what's his endgame?"
Nina rose up and went to the window, looking out at the New York skyline. "To find that out, we need to understand what makes the Midnight Star so unique. It's not only the size or the price. There's something else."
She turned back to the gathering, her eyes glittering with the joy of the riddle. "Milo, can you pull up everything we have on the diamond's history?"
As Milo worked away at his laptop, Ethan found himself eyeing Nina. She'd always been lovely, but there was something different about her today. A hardness that hadn't been there before, a wariness in her eyes that told of years spent looking over her shoulder.
What had happened to her in the years since they'd last seen one other? And could he trust her now, when his life hung in the balance?
As if feeling his gaze, Nina met his eyes. For a minute, the years faded away, and Ethan saw a spark of the woman he'd once known - smart, bold, and deeply devoted. Then the mask fell back into place, and she was all business once again.
"Got it," Milo cried out. The main screen loaded with photos and information about the Midnight Star.
Nina approached the screen, her eyes skimming the material fast. "There," she noted, pointing to a portion of text. "The diamond was once part of a bigger stone, split into two parts in the 18th century. The Midnight Star is one half. The other..."
"Is called the Morning Light," Charlie continued, reading over her shoulder. "Currently owned by a private collector. Unknown place."
Ethan frowned. "What does this have to do with Delgado?"
Nina swung to face him, her eyes alight with desire. "Don't you see? The two pieces of the original stone — they're a key."
"A key to what?" Milo questioned, articulating the question on everyone's minds.
"That's what we need to find out," Nina added. She turned to Charlie. "Your police contacts – any of them still active in the organized crime division?"
Charlie nodded slowly, catching on to her line of thought. "A few. You believe Delgado's after both halves?"
"I'd bet my life on it," Nina responded. She paused, staring at Ethan. "Which, I suppose, is exactly what we're doing."
Ethan's thoughts was racing. "So, what's the play? We can't simply stroll into the Met and take the diamond."
A lazy grin grew over Nina's face — the type of smile that had always accompanied their most audacious and dangerous scams. "No," she agreed. "We can't take it. But we can make them give it to us."
The following several hours were a bustle of planning and preparation. Nina's method was bold, banking on split-second timing and a generous dose of deception. It was exactly the type of approach that had made them such a powerful squad in the past.
As the sun started to set, sending sweeping shadows over the room, Charlie called for a break. "We've got the bones of a plan," he noted. "But we're running out of time. Ethan, you've got less than 24 hours until Delgado requests the gem."
The weight of the deadline crept over the room like a thick blanket. Ethan felt the normal constriction in his chest, the want to escape, to find a game he could control.
As if reading his thoughts, Nina put a hand on his arm. "Don't even think about it," she whispered quietly. "We're in this together now."
Ethan matched her eyes, looking for any hint of the betrayal he'd felt years before. But all he saw was resolve – and something more, something that made his heart skip a beat.
"Alright, people," Charlie's voice cut through the moment. "Get some rest. We move at daybreak."
As the others settled up for the night, Ethan found himself unable to sleep. He stood near the window, watching the city lights flash below. So much may go wrong tomorrow. One mistake move, and they'd all wind up dead - or worse.
A quiet footstep behind him made him turn. Nina stood there, bathed in the gentle glow of the city lights. For a minute, none of them spoke.
"Why did you come?" Ethan asked finally. "After everything that happened between us, you could have just walked away."
Nina remained silent for a long time. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Because despite everything, you're still the only person I trust to have my back when it really matters."
She walked closer, near enough that Ethan could see the sparkles of gold in her green eyes. "And because I never stopped wondering what might have been."
The air between them buzzed with unsaid words and repressed feelings. Ethan felt himself leaning in, drawn by a power he couldn't resist.
Just as their lips were ready to connect, a harsh beep from one of the computers destroyed the moment. Nina pushed back, the mask of professional indifference slipping back into place.
"We should get some sleep," she stated, her voice calm. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
As she walked away, Ethan felt a familiar ache in his chest. He turned back to the glass, his image looking back at him with haunting eyes.
In fewer than 24 hours, they would try the impossible. If they succeeded, they may just live long enough to understand the riddle beneath Delgado's fascination with the diamond. If they failed...
Ethan shoved the idea aside. Failure wasn't a choice. Not when so much was at risk.
As the first glimpses of dawn started to illuminate the sky, Ethan made a quiet promise. Whatever happened today, he would make things right – with Nina, with Charlie, with himself.
But first, they had a diamond to take.
The city started to stir, unconscious of the drama about to play at its heart. In a few hours, the doors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will open, and the last act would begin.
Ethan took a long breath, steeling himself for what was to follow. The game was afoot, and the stakes had never been bigger.
As if on cue, Charlie's voice broke out behind him. "It's time."
Ethan turned to face his team - Charlie with his grim resolve, Milo with his jittery energy, and Nina with her intriguing grin. Whatever worries and anxieties he felt, he pushed them away. These people were risking everything for him. He wouldn't let them down.
With a nod to Charlie, Ethan walked away from the window. "Let's go steal a diamond."