Reluctant thief Baz Barret is tasked with stealing from the formidable archaeologist Rei Collingwood--who happens to also be his college crush and rival--but when Rei goes missing after the burglary, Baz must find her before he's blamed for her disa...
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Chapter Three: The Escape
Of the many things Baz trained his body to endure, contorting in the closet of a famous archeologist wasn't one of them. His general flexibility came in handy, but it didn't stop the coat hanger from digging into his back or the pins and needles in his foot.
Rei took her time, pacing the room a few times, taking a moment to redo her makeup presumably in front of the mirror directly on the other side of the wall from Baz. She slipped in and out of the sliver of reflection, gradually shifting from quietly furious to presentably resolved.
Finally, she wove around the walls and out of the room.
Baz unfolded himself, gripping the closet so he wouldn't immediately topple over on his half-asleep foot. No crashing to the floor.
There was just the issue of the box. Despite the ornate inlay, it wasn't old. It wasn't an example of the classic artifacts Jasper sent him after. On a more problematic level, it also wasn't pocket sized.
Outside, Gwen finished her speech. The music became the ambience again. Would she look for him? Baz couldn't be persuaded into a closet for round two. Round one was a distraction enough.
In any operation, Baz kept an eye out for alternate routes. Hillside was such a showcase project that it was easy to key into the details of it, that each unit had a balcony, that there were options outside the elevator he'd come up in. He'd prepared for a less conventional alternative to a walk-in, walk-out methodology.
Baz tried summoning his own resolve and leaned around the walls for a glimpse at the stairs.
Cheng positioned himself like a guard, not to keep Baz from returning to the party, but to keep Rei from leaving it. It was an unfortunate side effect that Cheng also stood between Baz and a clean exit.
Baz assessed. Even if he could slip past Cheng, box and rumpled appearance and all, he would have to likewise slip through the party, avoid running into Rei who would immediately recognize the box, avoid running into Gwen who might demand he entertain her further, get into the elevator where the attendant would have plenty of time to remember Baz's face, and lastly, Baz would have to walk right by the doorman.
That was a long string of witnesses. That was a long string of people who could notice he left with more than he arrived.
Jasper never mentioned how willing he was to bail Baz out of jail. Somehow, Baz had his doubts that would ever happen.
Pawing at his tux did little to flatten in. He dragged his thumb across his bottom lip, trying to rub off the red stain.
The more time he wasted, the higher the chance of getting caught. Gwen would come looking for him. Rei could make a break for the roof Cheng had pulled her down from.
The roof.
The exit to the rooftop had to be on the upper level. It was just a stretch between him and the spiral staircase at the end of the platform. It was just a walk past a glass railing, looking out across to the armchairs above the kitchen.
