The theft of the huntsma.., p.1
The Theft of the Huntsman, page 1
The Theft of The Huntsman
Master Thief Series, Volume 1
S.K. O'Brien
Published by Sammantha Saffell, 2024.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
THE THEFT OF THE HUNTSMAN
First edition. August 19, 2024.
Copyright © 2024 S.K. O'Brien.
Written by S.K. O'Brien.
Also by S.K. O'Brien
Master Thief Series
The Theft of The Huntsman
Ride Or Die Series
The Queens
The Daemon Brothers
Anguish
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Also By S.K. O'Brien
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
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About the Author
Chapter One
It was a humid summer night with the sound of rolling thunder just in the distance. Flashes of lighting lit up the clouds. The warm wind was picking up. A storm was building in the distance. It would fill the sky sooner rather than later. Rain would fall for at most fifteen minutes, cooling us all for twenty minutes and then the humidity would return. Savannah, Georgia was a beautiful city filled with history, ghosts of its past, and a small town feel. It was also hot and humid, making me wish I was somewhere else on a different job, somewhere that was less humid. The problem is that this job was too damn important for me to walk away from. I was here for one reason and one reason only, a painting called Love and Dread by Edvard Munch. He was the artist that was best known for The Scream. For me, The Scream was an intriguing painting but I had always felt that Love and Dread was a more moving painting. It was a beautiful depiction of what love was meant to be, one that moved my soul. Some felt the painting was of a woman kissing the neck of her lover as he rested his head in her lap. Others believed she was a vampire draining her lover. I knew the painting well and it was none of those things. The painting was about a female showing love to her lover as he wept. The brush strokes were rough giving the painting that slight textured look. Each stroke showed through the few colors that were used within the image.
I knew everything about the painting. It had been created in the late eighteen-hundreds at the beginning of his career. Edvard made three copies: one was in a museum in Sweden, one was in the home I was currently scouting, and the third had not been seen since its creation, or that was what the general population believed. I already had the third painting and had for the last ten years. It was one of my first heists I had ever pulled off successfully. As soon as I had it I knew what I needed to do. I needed all three paintings for my own collection. I wanted to be the beholder of such beauty. For most, I’m sure it sounds ridiculous, maybe even greedy, but it was not greed that drove me to do what I did, it was love, true love and admiration.
As I am sure you have put together, I’m an art thief or that is what society calls me. I see myself as a collector. I don’t steal for the money. I steal for the thrill and for the love of art. The pieces I choose to acquire are pieces that move me in some way. From time to time, I steal small pieces that I can sell on the black market to keep my cash flow in the positive. The bigger pieces were for me. With that said, I only steal from private collections. Homes that could afford the loss and had terrible security for their art collection.
Tonight was a night of seeing what I was up against in terms of security. The man, Henry Augustus, owned the mansion and was a millionaire who liked to showcase his wealth any chance he got. Henry Augustus’ family had been in Savannah for several generations, making money off of everything the south had to provide. The family was one of the oldest families in the city. Of the current surviving Augustus’ family, Henry was the one running all of the business. He drank and smoked heavily as he flashed his money at every chance he could. From parties, getaway weekends, and even all four of his weddings. Henry Augustus was a man of money and power in Savannah. The problem with people like him, they felt they were invincible which meant security was the last thing on his mind. It almost made my job tonight even more enjoyable. I had spent a lot of hours studying not only the house but also the Augustus Family and like any other family, his family was a mess.
Henry Augustus had a teenage son from his first marriage. The son, Ethan, had been known to be a party boy. He had been arrested for driving under the influence several times, he had assault charges, and was an all-around rich brat. Henry and Ethan were alike in many ways and yet it was well known in the community that they hated one another.
The event tonight was like so many others he threw, a masquerade ball. I loved masquerade balls. They were a way for the rich to show off all that they had and made it easy for me to hide among the guests as I worked. The only downside with the theme was the heat of the night. I had picked out the lightest dress I could find, one that was stunning but also breathed. I was in a little black dress with no sleeves that hugged the upper half of my body. The bottom of the dress had an A-line that hit me mid-thigh. My dark auburn hair was pulled back into a bun on the back of my head, ensuring that my hair was out of my face. My mask was red with lace and sequins. To the right side of the mask were black and red feathers that covered the side of my head from the top to the base of my face. The mask was beautiful and ensured only my grey eyes showed and a quarter of my face. To complete the look, I added a red cape that flowed to my calf. I was in red pumps that had black lace over the red.
I walked around the edge of the party as people talked with one another. Drinks were flowing freely, which ensured most of the party goers were already tipsy within the first hour. With any luck, no one would remember seeing me. I scanned the outdoor party finding each of the exits. There were a total of three, two on each side of the house and one at the far back side of the large property.
The back of the house had a long set of stairs that went from the house to the grassy area that was green and perfectly manicured. The stairs were narrow at the top and became wider as it moved downward. At the base of the stairs it became a circular patio. The owners of the house started the party with a grand entrance with his new trophy wife who was twenty years younger than he was. It was his favorite way to get the attention he craved.
The outside of the house had sections that protruded out, creating spaces that provided nooks for two or three balconies. The windows were long and thin with several panes of glass. In between every two or three windows were windows in the shape of archways. The amount of windows for the entire house was a security risk. Most of the windows did not open so they probably had no sensor on them. With the right skills, anyone could enter into the house unnoticed.
Off the main house was a round pool with a waterfall that poured directly from the pool down to a small fountain that was lit with blue lights. Around the pool was a lounge area that was decorated with white string lights. A pool house sat to the right of the house. The pool house was really just a smaller version of the house.
Placed in between the main house and the pool house was a gazebo. Inside of it was more patio furniture. The place had probably six different areas where they could sit and lounge.
Next up was studying the security team. The four guards on duty looked like amateurs. They had placed themselves at two of the exits, missing one exit entirely. Two out of the four were out of shape and had one too many donuts which meant I could easily outrun them if needed. The other two seemed to be in better shape which probably meant they could catch me, but I had potions within my purse that would slow them down. There was a good chance that on a normal day there would be only two guards at most. I was betting the owner of the property didn’t believe in keeping guards on the property at all times. I watched the security team as they chatted with one another, not paying much attention to what was happening around them. These were guards that didn’t really care what they were protecting; they just wanted the paycheck. They would be less likely to take a chance to stop me.
The big issue was going to be navigating the house. It was a tudor style house but on a much larger scale. The house was wide and spacious with several rooms and floors. The two main floors with fifteen rooms, five bathrooms, two living rooms, and a basement that stretched the length of the house. The basement was broken into two rooms, or that was according to the floor plans I had found. One room was for his art collection of eight different paintings on full display. The other room was for the security system. I had studied the plans for hours, memorizing every inch of the mansion. The space in the basement was different from the rest. It was off. I suspected that the basement had a third room but I wouldn’t know until I gained access to the room.
I had already begun to check out the security system outside of the guards. There were small round cameras that were placed every ten to twelve feet along the perimeter of the house. I knew the camera system. They were small cameras that could pick up movement about thirty feet out from where the camera was positioned. It meant close to the house was monitored more than the grassy area or the surrounding woods.
I had already walked through a number of rooms within the house. Henry painted the rooms in many shades of white. There were plush sofas in several rooms that appeared to be hardly used. Inside the house there were no cameras in any of the rooms, making it easier to move through the house. I was betting that there was a security system for the basement similar to the one outside. I had two options for the security system: I could use a laser to disable the cameras which would force me to move quickly and less neatly. It would ensure I made a mistake. I would have to deal with any security that would be watching the cameras as they came to investigate why the cameras failed.
My second option was to find a way into the computer system and shut it down. It would buy me more time as the team would reset the system. It would take several minutes for the system to come up. By then, I would have the painting and would be gone. There was always the chance that I would hit a firewall I couldn’t get through or a second server off site. I was leaning towards the second option but there were a variety of issues that could arise.
Eventually, I moved through the party speaking to several of the party goers, making small talk as I moved. There were probably at least three hundred people here. As the party continued more people continued to arrive. I headed to the bar, wanting a glass of wine.
“What can I get you?” The man behind the bar asked.
“White wine.” I spoke.
“We only have Sauvito Sauvignon. Are you okay with that?”
“That’s fine.” I smiled softly.
The man poured me a glass of wine and handed it to me. I turned to face the party and took a sip of the wine. It was a sweet wine with a small taste of lemon on the end. I looked at the party goers as they drank and talked with one another. Stealing the painting tonight would be my best opportunity. Most of the party goers were already heading toward being drunk so they would not remember my presence. I was beginning to think through my next move when a male approached the bar. He was dressed in a basic tuxedo but one that fit perfectly, telling me that it was a tailored suit.
“Can I get a Bourbon?” He asked the bartender.
“Would you like to hear our options of brands?”
“No. Just pour whatever you have.” I gave the male a side glance as I sipped my wine. “You seem to be out of place just as I am.” The male spoke to me.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“You have spent most of your time alone only speaking to a few people here and there, never for more than a few minutes, which tells me that you are only engaging in small talk. You spend more time on your own than you do with any one individual.”
I looked at the male, impressed but also suspicious of how much he had been watching me.
“Interesting theory.”
“Theory?” He raised an eyebrow at me.
“Yes, theory.”
The male looked at me, giving me a smile making his green eyes light up.
“Are you telling me you enjoy parties like this?”
“You didn’t say I enjoyed them, you said I wasn’t comfortable.” I pointed out.
“Comfort and enjoyment generally go hand in hand.”
“Not always.” I smiled at him.
He took a drink of his bourbon and moved away from the bar. I couldn’t help but follow him.
“In that case, you are comfortable but not having fun.”
“I would agree with that. What about you? What makes this event uncomfortable for you?” I asked.
“I get bored with superficial people.”
I smiled at his answer. I knew how to blend in with people.
“I can understand that. This is not what I would call exciting or fun.”
“It makes me think of high school.”
I laughed at the description.
“Because of all the cliques and how they pretend to like one another when in reality they can’t stand one another.”
“Yes! I expect them to tell me I’m not cool enough to sit with them.”
I laughed at him harder. His green eyes were sharp as he gave me a smile. He was a hellborn just like I was. The difference was he was a wolf and I was a witch. Everyone else here was human, including the security guards.
The male was handsome. He had a chiseled jaw with some rough stubble that ran along his jawline. The mask he was wearing was black with copper sun in the center of the forehead and thick design of fleur de lis in a roman style. It had satin straps that tied on the back of his head. He had broad shoulders with thick arms and a narrow waist. I would say he was around five ten as he stood next to me.
“Jasper Wolf.”
He held out a hand to me. I shook his hand.
“Kathrine Cascade.” I lied.
As a thief, I had several identities I used for events such as this one. For this party, I was Kathrine Cascade, a female who owned a wine company. It was an identity I had not used in several years but one I still knew well and kept alive.
In the art theft world and the black market, I was known as Red. No one knew my real name, at least not anyone alive did. My true name was Phoenix Redmont and I was more than an art thief. I was also an earth witch who used my abilities to help me flourish as a thief. I had potions for knocking individuals’ unconscious. I had a few that could alter my scent enough to hide it.
“Nice to meet you.” Jasper gave me a subtle look as he checked me out. I smiled at him, knowing he was enjoying the view as much as I was enjoying looking at him.
“So, if you don’t enjoy events like this, what are you doing here?”
“I own a business and whether I like it or not, I need people like this. Coming to these events allows me to mingle and develop relationships with people who can help my business grow.” I lied. “How about you?”
“I’m here for work as well.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What kind of work do you do?”
“I work for an insurance company called Icarus.” Jasper explained.
I kept the smile on my face even though I wanted to panic. Icarus was one of the biggest insurance companies that had been growing in recent months to expand their investigation department. They had the largest, most comprehensive database regarding art thieves and pieces that have been stolen over the last ten years. Icarus had even gone as far as working on a new security system that they could provide their clients with for an extra fee. The company was a pain in my ass and of all the males I could have talked to he was part of it. I needed to get out of here.
“Jasper!” A man who was tall and thin approached us. “Have you seen this security staff? They’re a joke. These guys can’t even do a proper perimeter check let alone stop a thief.” The man seemed odd, almost a little too outraged about the choices the owner of the house had made.
“Silas, there is nothing we can do about the security team he chose. He was given parameters that he was required to meet and he did.”
“The hell we can’t. If any of his pieces go missing, we’re not approving any payouts.”
I could see the frustration in Jasper's face at his associate. His smile became tight and the fun he and I were having a moment before slipped away.
“According to the policy, he needs to have a security team of at least four people who are armed when he is having an event. He has that. He is required to have a security system that has cameras and he did that. If, by chance, someone makes a move to steal something, he has done his part as the owner. As the representatives of Icarus, we will do our part and investigate.” Jasper explained to his colleague.
“Come on Jasper, you and I both know he found the cheapest security he could find.”
“If that is the case it will be in my report.”
“When it happens because you and I both know it will, you better do your job. If you do a payout for this asshole I will let the company know you fucked up. I will not allow my name to be tied to this mess.”
Silas was an A-one asshole who I was growing to dislike greatly. He was closer to six feet tall and built thin. When I say thin, I mean he was maybe a hundred and sixty pounds soaking wet. The human had dark brown eyes and hair. His hair was kept shaved close to the scalp but you could see he was starting to go bald with a deep widow's peak where Jasper had a sharp jawline and was handsome. Silas was plain looking in his all black suit. Maybe if he wasn’t standing next to Jasper he would be handsome but I doubt it.
