Scamming The Billionaire Mafia

The Price For Betrayal

Isabella's POV

Steven told me that there wouldn't be anyone in the house, I guess he must not have known that the house wasn't empty.

" Bella, is there someone in there with you?" Steven asked me.

" Yes..." I said to him.

" I said turn around!" the man said again.

I didn't want to make any sudden movements and get myself killed, so I turned around slowly with my hands up.

Indeed, there was a man with a shotgun in his hands. He was wearing a silk robe with matching pajama pants, and he was barefoot, which would explain why I didn't hear him coming

He was tall, he had thick dark hair and thick eyebrows, and he was a handsome man with a chiseled jawline. With the robe open, I saw his tattoo. Well, part of it was sticking out on his neck.

" Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked me, arching his eyebrows a little, as if he was confused about my presence in his house, even though it was painfully obvious that I came to steal from him.

I was wearing black combat boots, black jeans, and a black hoodie, I had on gloves and a black hat, as if that was not enough, there was a backpack with a cylinder sticking out.

" Look, man, I'm not looking for any trouble, okay?" I said to him.

" That's not what I asked you," he said, his tone hard.

" Bella, Isabella Haines," I said to him.

" Why are you here? Have you come to steal from me?" he said to me.

" What? Me? No... I mean... Okay, fine, I did come to steal, but it's no big deal, right? I can just give you what I took, and I can be on my way," I said to him.

" Or, you can call the police and tell them that I stole a Gauging painting, and also explain why you have stolen paintings in your house," I said to him.

I know he caught me red-handed, but as Steven has always said,' You can't cheat an honest man,' and I know that this man is anything but a good Samaritan.

" You think I won't get you arrested because I am afraid of the police?" he asked me.

" Of course, you have a lot of stolen art pieces," I said to him.

" Or I can just kill you here and now, soak your body in sulphuric acid until there's nothing left of you," he said to me. He was cold, his eyes, darker, I could tell that he meant what he said, and that scared me.

" Please don't kill me," I said to him.

" In there..." he said and pointed the gun at what looked like the dining room.

" Sit!" he said to me. I did as he told me, and I sat down. He sat down and put the gun on the table.

" I wasn't supposed to be here tonight, but no one knew that. Who are you working for?" he said to me.

" No one, I'm not working for anyone, I was just trying my luck, I didn't even think anyone was home," I said to him.

" You're telling me that you hacked my alarm system, turned off the laser beams in my gallery all on your own?" he said to me.

" Yes," I said to him.

" So not only are you a thief, but you're a liar as well," he said to me.

" I'm not lying, I did all of that by myself," I said to him.

" Think about this, whoever you're working for, do you think they wouldn't give you up if they were one caught?" he said to me.

" As I have already said to you, I'm not working for or with anyone," I said to him with a straight face.

" Hmmm, you're loyal, I can respect that," he said, as if he was proud that I didn't snitch.

"So, the panting, what was your cut?" he asked me.

" Ten..." I said to him.

" Only ten million dollars?" he asked me with a surprised face.

" Yes, that's a new life for me," I said to him.

" Do you even know how much that painting costs?" he asked me.

" I know it was last sold for $210 Million," I said to him.

" Then why would you settle for just $10 Million?" he asked me.

" It's a stolen painting, worth a lot yes, but I don't know anyone who would pay me over ten million without asking questions, ten is a safe number," I said to him.

" Fine, I'll give you your cut," he said to me.

Okay, now let's rewind a bit here. I broke into this man's house and stole one of his most valuable paintings. He caught me, and now he wants to pay me? Something isn't right here.

" What's the catch?" I asked him.

" You're smart, that much I have seen, but this is now a negation, we need to establish some trust if this is going to work," he said and stood up. He went to the drawer and took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

I kept my eyes on the gun, waiting for the perfect opportunity to get it, and before he could notice my plan, I grabbed the gun and pointed it at him.

" Well...Well...Well. Look at you, now you have the gun," he said and sat down.

" Look, I told you that I didn't want any problems, okay? I just want to leave," I said to him.

" So tell me, after you shoot me, how are you going to get out of here?" he asked me, then clapped his hand twice and armed men entered the room.

There were about ten men surrounding me, and all of them had their guns pointed to my head. The house was quiet when I came in, I didn't even think that there was anyone here, let alone a small army.

" s**t!" I said and lowered the gun.

" Now, can we get back to my proposal?" he asked me.

" Fine, I'm listening," I said and sat back down.

He now had my full attention. Steven told me that this was a simple job, that the guy didn't mean much, but I don't think that he told me the truth, this guy, whoever he is, he is not just a regular guy.

" Gentlemen..." he said, and the guys left the room. He knew that I was no longer a threat. For one, I wouldn't try anything stupid, not after what happened.

" So, what is that you want from me?" I asked him.

*****

I found Steven pacing up and down the street with a cigarette in his hands. He saw me coming and threw away the cigarette and stepped on it.

" Bella!" he said and ran up to me. He hugged me.

" Are you okay?" asked me.

" Can we go?" I said and went inside the car, leaving him with a look of confusion. He went inside the car.

" Bella, what happened in there? You took off your earpiece," he said to me.

" Can we just go?" I said to him.

I just wanted to go to bed and forget about what happened tonight.

" Did you at least get the painting?" he asked me.

" You're asking me if I got the painting? No! I didn't get the damn painting Steven!" I said, snapping at him.

" What? Bella, you were in there for fifteen minutes! you said that you had the painting, where is it?" he asked me. I could tell from his tone that he was getting irritated.

But I was angry. I thought that we were friends and yet he lied to me. He didn't tell me the truth about whose house he was sending me to.

" Who gave us this job?" he said to me.

" Come on Isabella, we have talked about this, you know I can't tell you that, it's fine if you didn't get the painting tonight, we'll go back to the drawing board and find another way to get it," he said to me.

" No!" I said to him.

" What do you mean no?" he asked me.

" For four years I have worked with you, never asking anything I shouldn't, I did what was necessary and I have never failed to deliver on a job, but tonight, I had a shotgun pointed at my face, by a man who was not supposed to be home," I said to him.

" He saw you? And he let you go?" he said to me.

I don't know if I can say that he let me go, not after the proposal he made to me, but one thing was for sure, Steven knows more than he is willing to share.

" Stop the car!" I said to him.

" What? Why?" he said to me.

" If you're not going to tell me the truth, then stop the car!" I said to him.

" Trust me, Bella, you don't want the truth," he said to me and kept on driving.

I didn't say anything to him after that, but one thing was clear, I was done with Steven. I should have never trusted him, I should have just left town like I had planned to on our last job.

While we take stolen art, there are those whose art isn't as illegal, those who have turned to the police for help. Now, we have been lucky up to now, but after what happened, it's clear that our luck has run out.

" Look, I know that tonight didn't go as we planned, but this is just a slight hiccup. You're alive, and that's all it matters," he said to me.

" We will go to my house, I'll order in your favorite, and we can talk about plan B," he said to me.

" No, take me to my apartment, we have an exhibition tomorrow, I have to get to work early," I said to him.

" Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that one," he said and kept on driving.

The whole time, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened tonight. Steven has no idea what I felt. I could have died there, and that would have been the end of me.

Perhaps this was the wake-up call I needed to get out of the business. I might not be the figure I wanted, but I am done with the stealing, I am done with Steven, and I am done with this town.

I had already planned to leave town. What happened tonight just made me realize that this city has nothing good for me anymore. The cops might not know who is stealing all these expensive art pieces, not yet at least.

I know that it's only a matter of time until they connect the dots, I don't want to go to jail or end up dead, which is what would happen if I stick around.

I know that Steven is not going to like my decision, but after what happened tonight, my actions are more than justified. This is the price he has to pay for his betrayal.