Chapter Text
Note: Yes, I'm finally posting 'To Catch a Thief' on AO3! It was one of my more popular stories and eventually a popular series on ff.net. On my days off I will be slowly posting the books onto here but if you can't wait the full series will be on ff.net. Tho be warned because I may be changing some things here and there along the way. I've been asked a few times in the past if I will finish the series. I will be. Once everything is reposted, edited, and out on AO3 I will be starting the final chapters to book three. Honestly a very, very long time coming since the first chapter to book one was posted in 2011. This series meant a lot to me mostly because it was how I met some friends who I've met in real life and still talk to almost daily. So please enjoy. Kudos and reviews are always welcome. Similar to my 'WRMZ' series I'm making it easier with editing by posting some chapters together. The first book had much shorter chapters than the second and third.
Book One: To Catch a Thief
A black clothed figure stood in front of a jewelry case glittering with diamonds, sapphires, and many more valuable gems. The body type of the person whose face was hidden by a large hood instead of a balaclava, made it easy to determine it was a female. Nylon gloved fingers danced over the tops of the cases, eyes beneath the hood filled with pleasure as they took in the treasures. Finally, she gripped the glass cutter that'd been in one of the compartments of her utility belt and sliced large circles in the cases she wanted. After she finished she made a fist and easily smashed the glass inside without any pain to her hand. She wasn't worried about the alarm. It was an older model and easily disarmed within moments of picking the lock on the back door. However, there were vigilantes out there, and she didn't want to stick around in case one of them were lingering in the shadows. One of whom was the Nightwatcher, who has been a pain in all of her fellow criminal's asses. For months, though, she's been in luck. She was quiet, sneaky even, and wasn't loud and brash like some of those moronic Purple Dragon's could be. She was patient and didn't let the whole of New York know what she was up to with large theatrics. Honestly, it was as if they wanted to get caught.
"Hello," she murmured, delicately picking up a silver jaguar pendant with emerald eyes. It would be a piece she kept for herself instead of selling to her contacts. She tossed the pendant in the bag and grabbed up all she could, careful of the glass that lay in with the jewels. While it hadn't hurt when smashing it, one careless move could leave DNA for the cops to try and follow. Try, being the word. She'd pawned off the ruby ring she now put in her bag about a week ago. She'd gotten a couple grand off of it and she went behind the counters now and bent, knees cracking before she opened the sliding door that hid the safe. This was where he'd gotten the spare cash to pay her. What a moron he'd been, showing all in the store where the large bills were hidden. She took out a stethoscope that she stashed in the sack and using her hearing and patience, managed to open the safe in less than a minute. She quickly emptied the safe, leaving nothing behind. She slid her loot over one shoulder and made a quick exit.
There would be no fingerprints, no traces of who she was. The hood had kept her face hidden from the poor quality camera and even now she kept her head down as she passed it. She opened the back door, locking it before closing it behind her. Smirking she blended in with the shadows of the alley, walking lightly until coming to a fire escape. She pulled herself up on top of the roof of the building she just robbed and only then did she let the hood fall.
Brunette hair was up in a tight bun that she loosened, the brown mass falling to her lower back. Dark brown eyes scanned the area to make sure all was clear. She walked to the other end of the roof, her flat boots silent against the concrete rooftop. The top she wore was of her own design: a black, long-sleeved leather jacket that she could easily maneuver in that the hood attached to. The pants, black and fitted, had side pockets to keep her extra tools handy. No matter how many writers deemed it possible, it was impossible to comfortably commit a heist in a skin-tight leather catsuit and heels. She preferred comfort and maneuverability over style.
Back when she was a young teenager with dreams, she'd always wanted to be a designer, to have her work showcased in New York's Fashion Week. Her dreams never came true. Her mother left her and her sister alone with their father to pursue a relationship with someone ten years her junior in California. Her once loving father turned into a drunk who liked to sometimes use his fists against her to make sure she knew he was in charge, the scar on her upper lip a result of a punch that'd split her lip open. She made sure he never touched Danica, her sister, who now resided in Montana with her fiancée.
Alice Erikson threw all her dreams away when she turned eighteen and obtained a job instead of going to college. Danica moved in with her and Alice worked hard until her sister turned eighteen and went to school on a scholarship. That was where she met Jack and now the two of them were living in Jack's hometown of Springwood, Montana-and had asked Alice to come with them. Jack knew of their past and let Alice know numerous times how grateful he was that Alice protected her younger sister but Alice decided to stay here.
Having the need to raise not only herself but her sister as well, Alice trained herself into becoming a thief. She first stole from the place she worked at, her boss reminding her too much of her father to leave alone. She then slowly moved her way up from pick pocketing to disarming high-tech security devices. She'd been caught, once, but had managed to weasel her way out of the charges when the evidence deemed to be a bit TOO circumstantial. She had contacts that took the jewelry off of her hands, the money she now made enabling her to live comfortably. She didn't feel bad about stealing. The economy they lived in now, it was a dog-eat-dog world. Most of those she stole from had insurance anyway, not to mention the money she made in the past kept her and her sister away from her father. Not to mention, stealing was a total rush that she was addicted to. Starting at a jog, she retraced the steps that brought her here, leaping from one rooftop to the other comfortably on her way back to her place. She enjoyed the simple exercise after a large heist, the adrenaline in her far from depleted.
It was when she leaped from the rooftop of a local pizzeria to a neighboring bakery that she heard it. A very small cry for help and she stilled in her steps. She moved to the edge of the roof just in time to see a woman being boxed in by a couple Dragons. Normally Alice didn't feel the need to insert herself in situations like this but the woman was small, and had the same haircut as her sister… Not to mention she was pregnant.
"Shit," muttered Alice, stashing her loot on the roof before quietly moving down the side fire escape. Every fiber of her criminal persona was screaming at her to take her loot and go. Her conscience, the thing she wished would just take a hike, was demanding she help the woman. She was no hero. She stole from people. She hurt people who got in her way. She... She really wasn't happy that the soon to be victim looked like her sister.
"Please," begged the woman. "I have a baby…"
"Shut up, Bitch," growled a Purple Dragon, drawing out a switchblade.
Alice silently stepped over the railing of the fire escape when managing to sneak far enough down. She judged the distance from her to the assailant and knew what she was about to do was stupid. She should have just called the cops, but in this city, it seemed like they were always the last to arrive at the scene of the crime. Which she never really ever could complain about. Till now.
Where the hell was the Nightwatcher when you needed him?
"Fuck me," muttered Alice before she took a flying leap, aiming her feet at the shoulders of the Dragon holding the switchblade. Luck was on her side because before she knew it, she hit her target and took him down. She even managed to land standing. She took note that the switchblade skittered toward the pile of crates to her right and kicked out to her left at the shocked Dragon who had, just a moment ago, been standing next to his currently unconscious friend.
He stumbled back toward a dumpster that had stains on it that Alice didn't even want to know the identity of. She hustled toward the Dragon before he could recover and lashed out in a way one of her contacts taught her. A punch to the nose had the Dragon's head whipping back. The back of his head made contact with the dumpster, the steel spikes coming out the back of his skull in a pattern of a Mohawk making a clang resound through the alley. Her knee came up to make contact with his gut, and she felt the air whoosh out of his lungs against her neck before she finally took him down with her killer left hook. She turned around to see if the woman was all right. To Alice's surprise she was soon staring down a barrel of a semi-automatic that the pregnant woman held. Alice put her hands up and her eyes narrowed as the pregnant woman sneered at her.
"Stupid bitch," said the pregnant woman. Upon closer inspection she noticed that the woman's hair was black and the unwashed mass was matted on the one side of her head. She had on ripped jeans stained with something that made them grey on the thighs and a black shirt. At the wrist she saw the tail end of a tattoo. Purple-friggen-Dragons. Fuck, she'd fallen into a damn trap. And while she'd easily taken the goons now on the ground of the alley this armed woman would be harder to handle. She didn't look too smart and had marks on her face that let Alice know she had a bad habit.
"I saved your ass," said Alice.
"Please," said the woman. "You fell right into our trap. Though you ain't who we were targeting… It'll be one more hero off the streets."
"You gotta be shittin' me," said Alice, hands on her hips now, not caring that a gun was pointed at her. The woman seemed put off by someone yelling at her. Especially when she had a gun. "You even pregnant?"
"Nah," said the woman, lifting her shirt to show a silicone baby bump.
"Look I'm no hero. Only reason I came was cause I thought you were pregnant. Take a look at the get-up. Dressed in black, fancy dancy belt. What's that say to ya? I'm a thief, not a hero!"
"You tryin' to confuse me? You ain't one of us. You just a stupid-"
Her words were cut off as, out of no where, a long piece of chain came whipping out of the shadows to her wrist. It snapped so hard that the pain made the woman drop her gun. Before she could cry out in pain, however, another piece of chain came out and wrapped around her waist and pulled her into the shadows. The woman had screamed when being pulled back but the scream was quickly silenced.
'Crap,' thought Alice, 'the Nightwatcher.'
She took immediate action and started to run for it. With the sound of more struggling coming from behind her she raced up toward the ladder of a fire escape and started the climb up to where her loot was. She didn't give pause and managed to make it to the top of the roof without sensing someone following her. She knew better, though. She'd heard rumors of this guy from some of her contacts. He was fast, and moved in the shadows like a damned ninja. He was a goddamn boogeyman to criminals. Grabbing her bag she turned to make a run in the direction of her home only to slam into metal armor. Stumbling back she first regained her balance then looked up to see the Nightwatcher, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at her- or at least she figured he was behind that large helmet of his.
"And where do ya think you're goin'?"
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Raphael's night had started off slow. He managed to bag a couple drug dealers near the docks and a mugger over near the corporate offices in downtown. He was the Nightwatcher. He did the job he and his brothers used to do together alone now. Leo split on them, off to become a better leader or whatever. Raphael didn't buy it, he shoulda been back by now and instead he chose to stay in South America. Leo abandoned them all as well as his duty. Raphael couldn't do what Mikey and Don were doing. He couldn't get a job and pretend to be normal. He wasn't normal. He wasn't going to fool himself. Instead, he did what he did best: beat in the heads of punks who thought now that the turtles were M.I.A. they could take over the city.
What he liked best was that the Nightwatcher didn't have to hide in the shadows as much. The cops didn't bother him cause he was pretty much picking up what they didn't have time to respond to. Also, there was no one trying to lead him or rag on him for his choices. He was his own boss and he preferred it that way. No one was catching on to him, hell, his whole family thought he was just sleeping the day AND night away… He couldn't tell them, for one they might try and stop him, or even worse: join him. Hell no, he preferred working alone.
He'd been ready to call it a night when a black clothed figure caught his attention. A female, running rooftop to rooftop, with a bag over her shoulder. Now he knew many didn't find rooftops as a popular jogging place, unless you were trying to remain hidden in the shadows. The fact she was dressed all in black led him to one conclusion: thief.
'Should be fun,' he thought as he chased after her, ready to take her down, until a call for help halted him in his steps. She stilled as well and his amber eyes focused in on her face. She was debating on whether or not to help the victim. Raphael quickly moved in position because he could always track the thief another time. A pregnant female in trouble was more important.
'I'll be damned.'
The thief managed to make her way down the alleyway as well and Raphael was curious as to what she would do. Taking a flying leap off of the fire escape and onto the perp's back wasn't what he would have guessed. She could fight. Damn. Took down two Dragon's without breaking a sweat and-
"The hell?" he said out loud as the 'pregnant' woman pointed a gun at the thief.
Son of a bitch, now he had to worry about traps being laid out for him before rescuing someone? Perfect. Seeing that the thief was having no luck talking her way through this, Raphael chose that moment to move. He leapt and landed silently on the alley floor then whipped the chain he now liked to use to disarm the female Dragon. He caught out of the corner of his eye the thief making a run for it. The female Dragon went down with not much of a fight since she no longer had a gun and it took him no time to gather the three up and tie them all with a chain.
"Kiss my ass you tin can freak!" mumbled the lady, recovering from the whiplash he'd given her by yanking her back.
Raphael left her there with the others, knowing the cops would probably find them in the morning. Right now? He had a thief to catch. With his ninja training it took him no time to make his way to the roof, using his speed and acrobatic maneuverability to land on the top. She turned, and ran right into him and he fought the chuckle in his throat as her wide, brown eyes took in who she just ran into.
"And where do ya think you're goin'?"
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Alice had a moment of panic. She took a half step back to assess the situation the best she could and it seemed like the only way to escape would be to fight. She knew she wasn't the best at it. Sure she could take down a punk or two with her basic moves but really that was all she had. With the stories she heard from this guy? She didn't stand a chance. Damn, after tonight, if she wasn't in jail she was going to sign up for some sort of ass kicking class.
"Home," she answered, chin sticking out. "I have no beef with you, Nightwatcher."
"I'm sure the guy you stole from does, though."
"This?" she asked, holding up the bag, then tossing it at him. His hand moved fast to catch it before it fell to the ground. "I don't want it anymore, you can have it."
"What? You expect me to let you walk?" he asked, dumfounded.
"Why not? You saw my attempt at a good deed. What if I say pretty please?"
"C'mon," he said, reaching for her arm, and she skittered away. "Damn it I don't have time for this. I won't hurt you if you just come with me peacefully."
"You're dreaming," she said, eyes narrowed. "I'm not going ANYWHERE with you."
He reached for her again and she twisted out of his grasp and she heard what sounded like a growl before he came at her a bit faster than last time. He managed to grab her arm so she used the elbow of the free arm to hit him in the chest. It hurt, a lot, and she now had both arms behind her back. She was a little taller than he was and gave her own growl when he made her feel even weaker by holding both her wrists with just one hand.
"You ass, let me go!"
"Sorry lady, you do the crime, gotta expect to do the time."
She stomped down on his foot, but his body was too well protected, so she was certain he didn't even feel that. She noticed that even though it felt hard as hell, it seemed like the lower torso area was the only place not covered in thick armor. His inner thigh area looked vulnerable as well but she didn't have any way to strike those areas. She felt cool metal against her wrists and smirked as he looped an arm around one of hers.
"Handcuffs, huh? Kinky." He faltered a little and she did a little victory dance inside her head. Not used to compliments from women? She could SO work with that. "Didn't know the Nightwatcher was into bondage! What're you going to do with me now? I'm not against the use of blindfolds."
"I-shut up!" he growled.
"C'mon, Nightwatcher…" She leaned against him, biting her bottom lip and looking up at his through her lashes in a way she hoped was seductive. "Show me what you can do."
He moved so fast she wasn't sure she was able to blink before her back was pressed against a storage shed on top of the roof. His hands were on her shoulders, fingers digging. The splintery wood was rough against her hands as they and the handcuffs pressed into her lower back. The mini spot lights of his helmet were off so they were both in shadow and she leaned forward once more in challenge, her breath slightly fogging up the visor of his helmet. He was on edge, tense, and the woman inside her revealed that she still was able to make a man react to her advances.
"If I showed you what I could do," he said, his Brooklyn accent thickening, her insides melting unwillingly to the tone of his voice. DAMN was it sexy. He leaned into her, hands still clenching against her shoulders, and if it wasn't for the visor she was certain she'd have felt his hot breath against her neck. "You'd be sore for days."
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Raphael wasn't sure what he was doing. Why it was he was playing her game? She was a thief trying to get her ass out of a tough spot and making advances to do it. It wasn't the first time a woman has tried this on him but for some reason she affected him more. Perhaps because she wasn't a Dragon or some high addict looking for yet another break. She was all woman, the clothes she wore not doing a thing to hide those curves of hers. When he first saw her face it'd been just any other person he was taking down but now that he was this close…
Her hair looked soft, the dark brown strands blowing lightly in the small breeze, sticking to a pair of full lips. The scar on the upper lip just added to his attraction and her eyes? Dark. Seductive. Dangerous. He shook his head, backing away from her. Taking her by the elbow, he knew he needed to get away from her, and fast. She was affecting the way he thought and his body. She uttered a curse as he hefted her up over his shoulder.
"Put me down!"
"I will, once we make it back to the store, then I'm leavin' ya there for the cops to take care of."
She pounded into his shell with her handcuffed hands and kicked with her feet and he was about to tell her to pipe down when his COM started to buzz. Armed robbery in progress, men heavily armed, shots fired… Dammit! He set her down on the roof and uncuffed a wrist only to re-cuff it to the ladder he'd been ready to take her down. They now took priority over a thief whose loot he now had.
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Alice grew confused as he set her down. Why the sudden change of heart? Listening closely she could hear some sort of static from his helmet. Ah, police scanner perhaps? While being uncuffed that was when she sneakily eased her hand where her loot had been stashed and tucked it safely on her person before he turned to her. He pointed a thick finger at her face, making her go slightly cross-eyed.
"Stay put."
'Fat chance,' she thought.
"Duty calls?" she asked with a smirk as he stepped up onto the ledge of the building. "Don't keep me waiting too long."
He didn't answer her, just jumped off the building, and as soon as she heard the rev of a motorcycle she knew he was known for chasing men down on: she reached into her utility belt with her free hand and shook her head as she pulled out the lock-picking kit. It'd been a rookie move, not searching her before leaving her alone. Especially since she was a thief. She easily took off the cuffs then got onto her feet. She didn't hesitate to flee the scene, leaving the cuffs behind to dangle on the ladder as one last tease, laughing as she continued to leap from building to building on her way home.
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An hour later, Raphael stood by the ladder, a look of annoyance on his face as he zeroed in on the cuffs still attached to the ladder but no sign of the thief anywhere.
"Damn it!"
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Freshly showered after her drop off, Alice lay on her bed clad in a black tank top and panties, holding up the cat pendant. A wad of cash was tucked safely under the loose floorboard of her apartment. Even though she lived in a nicer neighborhood, she still didn't trust someone not to break in and had hidden compartments for her stowed away cash, gems, as well as a firearm for extreme situations. She hated guns but that didn't mean she didn't know how to use them. 'Mercy' by Duffy suddenly started playing and she slowly sat up on the bed and took her phone from the nightstand. Seeing who it was she pressed answer on the screen and leaned back against her pillows.
"Hey Sis. You're up late."
"Alice! How are you? It's been a while. I'm sorry, were you sleeping?"
"Ok," said Alice, crossing her legs, still looking at the pendant. "I just got home from work."
"You mean…" Danica was no stranger to what Alice did. She sighed. "I thought you said…"
"It's good money, Dani…" Alice pursed her lips, sitting up. "It helped keep us from Dad and its helping me stay afloat due to my lack of college education. It pays the rent, keeps me from having to ask anyone for money." Alice sighed. "I don't want to fight about this with you, Dani."
"I just worry Alice that I'm going to get a phone call and it's you asking for bail or worse…"
"I'm careful, Dani. So, how's Jack?" asked Alice, wanting to get off this topic. "The baby?"
"Good, he just got a promotion. They baby is fine. Though HE is the reason I'm up so late."
"He?" asked Alice.
"Yes! It's a boy!"
"That's excellent news!" said Alice, smiling as she set the pendant aside and slid out of bed. She walked to her window and slightly pulled back the curtains to her bedroom, brows furrowed. Alice wondered where the Watcher was at that moment. Probably sulking somewhere due to her escape. "I'm happy for you."
"Are you happy, Alice?"
Alice frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Are you with someone? I worry about you being alone."
"I'm hardly alone."
"I don't mean those people that…Do the same thing you do." Dani had a note of disgust in the tone of her voice and Alice rubbed her forehead, the impending headache starting to throb behind her eyelids. "I mean someone to start a life with."
"I'm perfectly happy with how I am at this moment in time."
"I'm just-"
"I'm tired," said Alice. "It's almost three in the morning here. I'm going to go to bed, I'll call you later this week, ok?"
"Ok," sighed Dani, defeated. "I love you, sis."
"Love you too," said Alice before hanging up and tossing her phone on her bed.
She stared out the window a moment more before letting the curtains fall. She moved her phone to the nightstand then slid in between the sheets. The covers were cold against her bare legs as she settled against the pillows and fought the need to shiver. Closing her eyes she imagined what it would be like to have someone with her, lying in bed with her, keeping her warm… then shook those thoughts away. Dani always brought the domestic side out of Alice, and with Alice's line of work all she really had time for was a fling here and there. She'd hardly call any of the men she knew someone to settle down with. Have fun with? Yes. Raise a family? No. Did she really want that? She wasn't sure, maybe… but for now. She was content in sleeping soundly in her bed, the pendant she kept after her heist clutched in her hand.
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Raphael lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. He'd just gotten home, his mood sour due to the thief getting away as well as the tender shoulder he now had. After dealing with the armed robbery and seeing that his thief escaped, he went to the park to take his aggression out on some punk kids. One managed to sock him good in the shoulder with a bat, hard enough to make it tender despite the metal protection he had.
Amber eyes slowly closed and as they did the sultry gaze of the thief invaded his thoughts. The words she whispered to him, encouraging him to make a move…The look of desire in her eyes when he said she wouldn't be able to handle him had his shell tightening. Those scarred lips had him tempted to raise the visor and have a taste. Which was why he'd pulled away from her so fast. He had been sloppy in his escape and hadn't even checked to see if she had any picks on her person or that he still had the loot after walking away.
"Idiot," he said, smacking his palm against his tired face.
Next time he caught her, he wasn't letting her go.
TBC…