Doris Elizabeth Corday

"Hey, Rico? It's Beth."

"Ey, Beth, what's up?"

I paced around my apartment with my phone pressed to my ear. The Cronos weighed heavy in my hand. What seemed like the answer to all my troubles now felt like a ticking time bomb.

"Do you know of any underground auctions this week?" I asked.

He laughed at the question.

"Have I ever let you down?"

Sure enough, Rico never did. There was an auction at Katherine's Castle, the city's biggest casino, in one week. After asking me if I was sure my item was the real deal, he gave me the coordinator's number. All I needed was to get the Cronos appraised and the deal was sealed.

As my call with Rico ended, my limbs turned to noodles. I slumped onto the creaky couch, kicking my feet up on the coffee table. Magazines featuring Rob B. Illion scattered to the floor.

One of the covers had a close-up of his face. Those dark eyes stared at me as though he knew everything I was thinking. As though I was a mouse dancing in his trap.

The image of that bloodied man in the chair flashed in my head and I closed my eyes. If I was lucky, all this ended with me serving prison time. If I was unlucky... I'd end up just like that man.

Shaking off my nerves, I got my phone and texted King back.

Beth: I'll have your money ready by next week. All of it.

By the time I almost fell asleep, a buzz replied.

King: All $30,000,000?

Beth: In cash.

King: Damn, Beth Baby. Who you selling that ass to?

Beth: Not you.

King: Mmmmm you sure got a lot of spunk. Let's see you put your money where your mouth is. I look forward to collection day ;)

Beth: That makes one of us.

With the trash dealt with, I closed my eyes and sunk further into the couch.

It'll all be fine, I told myself. It has to be.

***

By some miracle my nerves held out the whole week.

Every night I woke up in a cold sweat, hearing knocking that was not there. By the time Saturday's auction finally came around, there was no ignoring the bags under my eyes.

What the hell was I thinking?

As expected, Katherine's Castle was buzzing with activity. Luxury cars rolled up to the main entrance, while staff with stark white masks greeted men in tailored suits and women in designer gowns. Unable to trust a valet with the car, Rico opted to park further away. He grabbed the silver briefcase with the Cronos, and we were off to the casino.

"You really do clean up well, Beth," he said as our elbows linked. Big brown eyes behind a matching brown mask crinkled a smile at me. As usual, his dark brunette curls refused to behave despite the gel he applied.

I glanced down at my attire. It was a pale green silk dress with thin straps. My mask was the same shade, but with gold trimmings which matched my delicate jewelry.

"You're not so bad yourself," I smiled back. "Even with the second-hand tux."

At the entrance, a burly man asked us for our names.

"Doris Elizabeth Corday and Ricardo Rivera," I answered.

The man checked his list and nodded. He called over our escort, a tall blonde woman with a plain white mask. She greeted us curtly and led us inside. We walked past the throng of masked guests drifting toward the opera hall of the casino.

"This way," she said, taking us to an elevator.

We descended to where all the items for tonight's auction were stored. Katherine's Dungeon. After a dark corridor, we entered a large room filled with a handful of men, some inspecting items while others hauled bags over.

"You must be Doris Corday!" one of the men greeted. He was skinny with a feathery white mask.

I cringed at my first name and extended my hand.

"Elizabeth will do fine, Mister...?"

"Wilson Swan, but you can just call me Wilson," he smiled while shaking my hand. "We spoke on the phone about the Cronos. May we confirm its legitimacy?"

"Before we proceed, I mentioned in our call that I would only sell with a ninety percent cut."

The man licked his lips, the tips of his fingers tapping against each other.

"You're most persistent, Elizabeth," he conceded, his voice a mix of grudging admiration and reluctant submission. "The house agrees to your terms."

"Perfect."

With the deal settled, the Cronos was authenticated without issue, and the tension twisting my insides released. I signed the paperwork with a genuine smile before our escort led us back to the opera hall.

"Happy bidding," the blonde woman said before leaving us.

I turned to Rico.

"Everything seems to be going smoothly."

"Too smoothly," he joked back.

We made our way to the seats surrounding the grand red and gold stage. Most of the masked guests were already seated, but still more were piling in.

I was following the current of the crowd when two men bumped into me as they passed.

"Oh, excuse me," one of them apologized.

I turned to glare at the pair. They had matching blue and red masks, but their suits stood out like a sore thumb. I could distinguish tailored from store-bought in a second. No gold watches or cuff links either.

"It's fine," I said, and they left.

Very suspicious, I thought. Feds maybe?

With so many dangerous families around, I doubted such a big auction would get busted. If they were here, they were likely targeting someone specifically.

Shrugging it off, Rico and I opted for seats further away from the stage to get a good view of the bidding. My friend plopped into a plush velvet chair as though he owned it.

Then something clicked for me.

"Those bastards," I muttered before searching myself.

"What is it?" Rico asked.

I stayed standing as I inspected where I was bumped into. Sure enough, a small plastic device clung to the side of my pale green dress.

"Gotcha," I said. I ripped the device off before tossing it into a passerby's champagne.

"What was that?"

"The feds are on to me," I answered as I sat.

"Did the auction house sell you out?"

"No," I sighed. "Not likely."

I crossed my arms in the chair and watched the hall fill with the last few guests.

"Probably Mister Illion filed a missing pocket watch and with the auction so soon after, they must've tried their luck here," I concluded. "But how did they link it to me?"

"So, are you busted?"

"Not yet."

"But the police know you stole the Cronos?"

"I don't know..." I chewed my thumbnail. "But if they bust me, they must expose the whole auction. And if they do that, they'll make a lot of powerful families angry. They'll probably try to pin me through another method — hence the bug they planted."

"I hope you're right," Rico said nervously.

"Me too..."

The bidding unfolded like most high-stakes auctions do, filled with wealth, greed, and an undercurrent of tension. The Cronos was left as the final item, forcing me to endure hours of watching the elite squabble over endangered animals and ancient artifacts.

Rico, with his lack of interest in anything that didn't have an engine, quickly grew restless. At one point, I even caught him dozing off. When the night finally dragged itself to the last item, I perched up in my seat, my thumbnail chewed to extinction. Rico woke up as well, wiping off drool as he looked around.

"To end the night, we have a very special item up for bidding," the host's voice rang out, smooth and practiced.

The crowd whispered amongst themselves.

"This pocket watch is like no other," the host continued as a staff member carefully set the piece on the podium. "It is known as the most valuable piece of time. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... The Cronos."

A projector displayed a close-up of the gleaming watch, and the audience leaned in, the air buzzing with anticipation.

The host's smile deepened.

Oh, he knew he had them in the palm of his hand.

"It was crafted in 1918, during a time of war and heartbreak," he explained. "A nobleman, Sir Lewis Byron, fell in love with the nurse who saved his life. Yet, the woman was married, devoted to her husband and their child."

"She rejected him," the host continued, "explaining that her heart would belong to her husband for all of time. In response, Sir Lewis created this masterpiece as a final plea to sway her. On the back of the gold watch, he engraved the words: Could not even the god of time sway your heart?"

I had never thought myself a romantic. But this story always got me.

"Impressive as the story may be," the host declared, "the craftsmanship is even more so. It is made of solid gold, inlaid with twelve flawless diamonds and twenty-four complications — including a chart of the sky where the woman lived. Tonight, this piece of time will earn a new price."

Many of the spectators pulled out their phones.

"We shall start the bid at twenty million dollars," the host announced, and everyone let out a collectively impressed sound.

There was a man at the front that took the offer, and ten others joined in. By the time it reached $38,000,000, it was up to two bidders at the front who were battling it out.

"Thirty-eight point nine to gentleman number hundred and seventy. Do we see a thirty-nine million?"

The auction had moved semi-online, with bidders raising their numbered signs out of formality but submitting bids through their phones. The host constantly glanced at his tablet, the tension in his voice rising.

"Forty million to gentleman number sixty-six! Unbelievable ladies and gentlemen! The record bid from five years ago has been reached! Do we see a forty point one million? No one?"

Nobody was bidding and it seemed like this was it.

"Going once," the host said. "Going twice..."

Come on, just sell it already.

Suddenly, the host's eyes widened as his tablet flashed. His voice faltered, caught between excitement and shock.

"I just received a bid of fifty million... from gentleman number one!"

What?

The crowd erupted in murmurs, heads swiveling to find the mysterious bidder. My breath hitched as all eyes seemed to turn toward me. I craned my neck, following their gazes — only to lock eyes with the man seated directly behind me.

[Nr. 001]

He wore an all-black suit with a matte black mask, holding up his number with leather gloves.

My stomach twisted.

He was staring at me with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine. I turned away, blood turning to ice.

It's not him. It can't be him. Please, God, let it not be him.

With no other bids, the auction closed with a final gavel strike. The host thanked the guests, and the room emptied as people hurried to collect their winnings.

Since counting $50,000,000 would take ages, the auction house weighed the stacks instead. A few bills were pulled at random and scrutinized for legitimacy. All the while, I was suppressing the urge to yell at them to hurry the hell up.

Too many factors were at play now. That bug that was planted on me... And more pressingly, the bidder who secured the Cronos... I had the worst feeling. Like playing a game of Jenga and knowing the tower would collapse any second.

By the time everything was settled, and Rico's brother arrived with the van, my nerves were frayed. With help from the auction house, we loaded the money into Diego's van and got out of there as fast as we could.

Despite trusting Diego, I felt more comfortable staying with the cash. I drove back home in the van with him while Rico took his car.

"Holy shit, I can't believe there's forty-five million dollars in here," Diego muttered, eyes wide. He was almost a carbon copy of Rico, except his hair was cut short rather than left unruly.

"It's crazy," I agreed. "I'll finally get to pay off my debt."

"How'd you do it though? You've always been a one-man show, and I thought that meant you could never go big but look at you. With no real plan, you have forty-five million dollars in the back of this van," Diego ranted.

A nervous laugh escaped me.

"Hey, I have plans. I just need a target, a location, and two seconds to pickpocket. Filling in the blanks with wit and instinct doesn't make me an amateur."

"You know most people would consider more than a target, location, and two seconds. I mean, what if I decided to kill you right now and drive off with the money?"

"Aw, you wouldn't kill me, Diego," I cooed. "You learned your lesson the last time you tried to steal from me."

"There's a difference between taking gum without asking and driving off with forty-five million dollars."

"Doesn't change the fact that you'd regret it," I smirked.

Diego smiled as well.

"If you ever change your mind about that no-dating policy, let me know," he said.

There was a flicker of sincerity beneath the humor, a suggestion of something unspoken. But he knew my stance on love. I bet my mother thought my father was the man of her dreams too. Yet look where that got us.

"Sorry, but criminals aren't my type," I teased.

Diego's eyes glinted playfully.

"Bitch."

"Hahaha."

By the time we reached my apartment, Rico was waiting for us. Leaving two bags in the van as payment for the Rivera brothers, the other seven were brought up to my apartment. Six of those bags I'd have to set aside for King, but the last bag was all mine.

I could pay off some student loans for Olivia too, I thought. She always helped me out if I needed to sneak in somewhere. Paying her was only fair.

After saying goodnight to Rico and Diego, I locked the apartment door and melted onto the couch. I felt like ordering pizza but even changing clothes was asking too much of me right now.

Did I actually pull this off?

The thought lingered, disbelief slowly giving way to relief.

After a week of tension, my body finally loosened. A comforting warmth embraced me, and I dozed off where I sat.

It was only later when my dreams were interrupted.

Knock, knock, knock.

My eyes flew open.

How long did I sleep? Two hours?

The knocking persisted, sharper this time, and I muttered a curse.

What the hell is King doing here? It's not even Monday.

Groggily, I got up from the couch, still barefoot and in my dress. There was another set of knocks, more insistent now.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," I called out, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

I unlocked the first two locks, but then stopped at the third. More awake now, I noticed my instincts warning me.

Where was the usual 'Beth Baby' from King?

With goosebumps spreading all over my skin, I stood on my tippy toes and peeked through the peephole. All I could see were black suits. Definitely not what my debtors usually wore...

Remembering the bug that got planted on me earlier tonight, I swallowed nervously and slowly, quietly locked the door again. I cleared my throat.

"This is an automated voice message. The owner of the house is currently not present," I lied, backing away. I rushed to the bags of money still in the living room.

There was another loud banging on the door, and I jumped in fright. Running out of time, I dropped to my knees and opened the hidden compartment at the back of the couch. I hauled the bags over and stuffed them inside.

The banging got louder, more aggressive, and my heart pounded like war drums in my throat. There was a louder bang than before, this one nearly rattling the door off its hinges. It had to have been a kick.

I need more time!

Sweating buckets, I hauled the last heavy bag into the couch compartment and shut the back like the boot of a car, only the bags took up too much space and I didn't hear the click.

"Shit," I whispered, jumping at the sound of another kick on the door. The floor shook at the impact, and I had no more than a second to spare.

I opened the compartment again and gave a violent shove at the bags, punching it before ramming the door shut.

Click.

There was one last bang before the door broke and flew to the floor. I whirled around, on my knees, and stared like a deer caught in headlights.

Walking over the door was not the police nor King. Instead, with seven men behind him stood my worst nightmare.

An all-black three-piece suit worth at least $20,000... Black leather gloves... And the same matte mask I saw at the auction. He took off his mask, handing it to the man closest to him.

"Doris Elizabeth Corday," he said, "I have come to collect what is mine."

Rob B. Illion looked like the devil ready to claim my soul.