Scoundrel With A Conscience

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Generated by me using MetaAI.

"Alright, guys", Jack spoke into the comms, adjusting his tie and, at the same time, trying so hard to avoid the security cameras. He was dressed as a waiter at a party he wasn't even invited to.

"We've got only five minutes of work", he added. His mind was racing, calculating and thinking of their next move, his nerves calm. He could hear Ashley's fingers over the comms doing her magic with the lock that had their loot for the night. A diamond necklace worth a fortune. It wasn't his first time executing a heist of such magnitude. He was a master scoundrel, perfect in delivering a flawless heist without a trace.

"Yes!" Ashley exclaimed. She pushed gently on the knob and it clicked open to reveal their target. The diamond necklace.

"Got it?" Jack asked Ashley over the comms.

"Got it," Ashley replied in a satisfying voice.

"Guys, we've got incoming your way," Mikey, the team's IT expert and getaway driver, said over the comms. He had hacked into the party's security cameras and could monitor everything going on in the party.

"Ashley, rendezvous to the getaway car now!" Jack commanded.

And as professionals they were, they all sneaked their way out of the party.

Jack smiled. He could remember how he had vowed to make money after his mother had abandoned him when he clocked twelve, all because he was too sick all the time. Ever since, he has trained himself to mingle with his potential marks, get them to trust him and when the time was right, he would strike. Just as he had done on this particular heist which he believed was that one job that would get him out of poverty and

"Never will I be poor again," he said to himself.

But a scoundrel is never satisfied.

Just at the door that led outside. There he saw her, 'Emily Wilson' as radiant as the morning sun, her smile capable of drowning one in a world of fantasy. She was like God's greatest creation and she was the only heir to the Wilson empire.

"Where are you?" Ashley's voice brought him back to reality.

"Mikey, I need you to run a background check on the beautiful lady across the room", Jack replied instead, speaking into the comms.

There was silence for a few seconds, and all that could be heard over the comms was Mikey's clicking hard on the keyboard.

"Okay, that's Emily Wilson of the Wilson's Empire. That's an old money bag right there, Jack," Mikey replied with admiration in his voice.

"And that's my next mark. How about one more job, guys, and we're good for life." He took off his tie and folded his shirt, trying hard to disguise himself as not to be a waiter. "Head to the safe house, guys; I'll catch up" he pulled off his comms and squashed it with his legs, then he made his way to Emily, his next target, who was seated alone in the hall.

"Is it just me, or do you shine brighter than diamonds, Emily?" He said as he walked up to her. His words were sleek, his smile charming, and his eyes focused on her eyes.

"Isn't it too late to be flattering a lady, Mr ..?" Emily asked, her eyes lit with amusement.

"Murphy. Jack Murphy," he replied, offering his best smile. "To be honest I thought I was going to be stopped by your security detail".

"And why would you think that?"

"Well, you're Emily Wilson of the Wilson Empire. Daddy's favourite; come on, we all know how protected you are," Jack said, picking up two glasses of wine from a waiter passing by and handing one over to Emily.

"Well, not tonight." She took the glass from him. "I ordered them to wait outside. I can't have them all around me all the time. It's like I'm a prisoner. I need some freedom at least just tonight. I want to have the time of my life", she added, taking a sip.

"I see," Jack replied, trying hard not to get himself drunk with wine. He was on a mission.

Little by little, Jack worked his magic on her and, like a lady who has longed for genuine company, sweet words and love. Emily fell smoothly into Jack's trap. Laughing at his jokes all night. They danced and took turns gulping down shots of tequila. And when Jack was sure she was drunk he made her reveal the worth of the necklace she had on. To his surprise, it was worth double the necklace they had just stolen.

His mind raced, calculating scenarios of how he would get the necklace off Emily's neck without her knowing. He kept her busy, with the conversation, drinks and more dance. And when she was finally vulnerable, he suggested they go outside to take in some fresh air.

Just where he needed to strike, out of prying eyes.

A few minutes out in the garden, Jack faked a call and pretended it was an emergency

"I'm sorry Emily. I wish I could stay but I have to go. I need to attend to some business"

"What business needs attention this late in the night?" Emily grumbled; she already was reeking of alcohol and was not in control of herself anymore. But she could tell she was enjoying his company.

"Like I said, business" he turned to leave a few steps away, he returned, and asked, "Can a gentleman get a hug?"

Tipsy but with a smile on her face Emily leaned in and perfectly Jack unclasped the necklace and slipped it off her neck without her noticing a thing

"Goodnight Jack," she said.

"Goodnight, Emily", Jack replied. Walking off into the night with the necklace in his pocket.

A few steps out, Emily shouted.

"Wait!"

Jack stopped in his tracks, heart pounding fast, sweat suddenly dripping off his face. He wondered if she had caught him. Being caught at that point meant prison for him for the rest of his life. He gently turned to see Emily walk up to him

"Here's my number and address. I'll love to see you some other time, friend," she said, her words slurry as she slipped a paper into his hands.

Jack smiled and heaved a sigh of relief. Then he walked out of the party.

A few months later, Jack sat in his study, staring at Emily's necklace and the tiny paper with her address. He couldn't understand why he just couldn't bring himself to sell it like they had done the other necklace. And no matter how his crew persuaded him to sell, he found himself wanting to return it.

"You've lost track of why we're doing this," Ashley said.

"That necklace could buy us freedom for the rest of our lives", Mikey concurred. But in all this, Jack didn't bulge.

He knew incidents like that were the reason Emily had security details on her all the time. The reason she doesn't have her freedom, always locked up in her father's big mansion. His conscience judged him.

One night, he wrapped the necklace in a bag with a piece of paper and drove to Emily's address, which she had given him that night at the party. It was a gigantic house with security details all around it.

With his years of training, he manoeuvred her security details, he got to her front porch and gently placed the necklace on the doorstep with a tiny note written

"I thought it would buy me a lifetime of freedom, but it only brought me constant judgement of my conscience. I'm sorry

Then she snuck back to his car. The peace he felt was satisfying.

That was the last time Jack ever organised a heist again.