The Last Six

Episode 6

The Night of the Heist

The villa loomed in the distance as they approached, its white walls gleaming under the moonlight, surrounded by sprawling gardens and high gates. It looked more like a palace than a home, the kind of place that whispered power and wealth from every corner. To the world, it was untouchable. But not to them.

They slipped past the gates with ease, the security detail as thin as Anselm had promised. Rhea was in the van, monitoring the feeds and keeping the cameras looped while the others moved in.

Inside the villa, the marble floors reflected the soft glow of chandeliers overhead. They spread out quickly, working like a well-oiled machine. Donovan and Anselm headed for the vault room, while Calista, Jules, and Kieran worked on gathering the valuables scattered throughout the house — priceless paintings, antique sculptures, rare books, and more.

It was going smoothly — too smoothly.

Then Kieran’s earpiece crackled. Rhea’s voice came through, tense. “Kieran, we’ve got a problem.”

Kieran froze, his eyes narrowing. “What is it?”

Rhea hesitated. “You’re not alone in there.”

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. “What?”

“There are people inside. Young women. Six of them.”

Kieran’s heart pounded in his chest. He exchanged a glance with Calista, who had already sensed the shift in the air. “What do you mean, young women?”

Rhea’s voice was tense. “I think it’s the owner’s daughter. She came back early — to celebrate her birthday, with five of her friends.”

The villa wasn’t empty. The daughter of one of the most powerful men in the country — along with her friends — were upstairs, oblivious to the fact that their home was being robbed.

Kieran’s mind raced. This wasn’t part of the plan. They weren’t supposed to hurt anyone. The stakes had just skyrocketed.

“We need to abort,” Kieran muttered, glancing at Anselm, who had joined him after hearing the news.

“Abort?” Anselm’s eyes flashed with irritation. “Are you crazy? We’re in. We don’t stop now.”

“They’re kids, Anselm,” Kieran shot back, his voice low but fierce. “We’re not putting them in danger.”

Anselm’s jaw tightened, but before he could argue, a voice interrupted them.

“Hey! Who’s there?”

Kieran turned, his blood running cold. A girl stood at the top of the staircase, her eyes wide, a cellphone clutched in her hand. She couldn’t have been older than twenty. Behind her, the faint sound of laughter drifted from another room — the other five girls, unaware of what was happening.

“Damn it,” Kieran cursed under his breath.

Jules, always quick with his charm, stepped forward, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. “Easy now,” he said, his voice smooth. “We’re not here to hurt you.”

The girl’s eyes flicked from one person to the next, her fingers trembling as she held the phone. “Who are you?”

Before anyone could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hall. Another girl appeared, followed by the others. They all stared at the intruders, shock and fear etched across their faces.

Kieran’s mind raced. There was no way to explain this away. They had to do something, fast.

Calista stepped forward, her voice calm but commanding. “Listen, we don’t want to hurt any of you. We’re not here for you. If you stay quiet, we’ll leave, and none of you will get hurt. We’ll be out before you even know it.”

The girls huddled together, their fear palpable. But something in Calista’s tone seemed to reassure them. The leader of the group, the daughter of the villa’s owner, stepped forward cautiously. “You’re thieves?”

Kieran nodded, his jaw clenched. “Yeah. But we’re not killers. We’re here to take what we need and leave. You don’t need to be involved.”

The girl hesitated, glancing back at her friends. Then, to everyone’s surprise, she lowered her phone.

“Alright,” she said, her voice trembling. “Just… don’t hurt us. And… don’t take anything personal. We’ll stay quiet.”

Kieran felt a flicker of relief. This could still end without bloodshed.

But before anyone could move, Jules, ever the opportunist, stepped closer, flashing a grin. “You know, it doesn’t have to be all bad,” he said, his eyes lingering on the group of girls. “You’re a lot prettier than anything in this villa.”

Kieran’s stomach turned. He shot Jules a glare. “Shut up.”

The leader of the group, the villa’s daughter, raised an eyebrow at Jules. “You think this is a joke?”

Jules chuckled, but the moment had soured. Kieran took control again, his voice firm. “We’re leaving now. Stay in your room. If you don’t call the cops for the next two hours, we’ll be long gone, and you’ll never see us again.”

The leader met Kieran’s gaze. “I’ll hold up my end. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

As the gang turned to leave, Calista lingered for a moment, her eyes locking with Kieran’s. This heist had taken an unexpected turn — one that neither of them had anticipated.

But as they slipped out of the villa, disappearing into the night, Kieran couldn’t shake the feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths with the girls inside. Something had changed, a new thread woven into the tangled fabric of their lives.

And that thread would be hard to sever.

Tangled Threads

The silence in the van was thick as they sped away from the villa, each member of the gang lost in their own thoughts. The night had taken a turn none of them had expected, and Kieran could feel the weight of it settling in his chest. The heist had been successful—mostly. They had the loot, but what haunted him wasn’t the valuables they’d taken. It was the six girls they had left behind, their fear-stricken faces lingering in his mind like shadows that refused to fade.

As they wound through the city streets, Rhea, who had been keeping an eye on the security feeds, turned from her screen. “No alarms were triggered, and the police haven't been alerted… yet.”

Kieran nodded absently, his thoughts still consumed by the encounter in the villa. Calista, sitting next to him, could feel his tension. She reached out, placing a hand gently on his arm.

“You’re thinking about them,” she said softly.

Kieran didn’t respond right away. He just stared out the window, watching the city blur past. “Yeah,” he muttered finally. “It wasn’t supposed to go down like that.”

“They’ll be fine,” Calista assured him, though her voice held a trace of uncertainty. “We didn’t hurt anyone.”

But Kieran wasn’t so sure. The daughter of the villa’s owner had been calm, composed even, but the way she had looked at them—at him—felt like more than just fear. It was as if she had seen something, a weakness, perhaps, or a door left slightly ajar for the future.

“They didn’t call the police,” Jules piped up from the back of the van, a grin on his face. “I think they were more than happy to let us walk out. Especially the birthday girl. Did you see the way she was eyeing Kieran?”

Kieran shot him a look, his jaw tight. “Don’t start, Jules.”

Jules laughed, but the sound felt hollow. “What? I’m just saying, if we have to get caught, at least we made an impression.”

Anselm, sitting beside Rhea, interrupted, his tone serious. “We need to lay low for a while. That villa belongs to a man with serious power. He’ll come after us once he realizes what’s gone.”

The weight of his words hung in the air, and the van fell silent again. Each of them knew the risks they had taken, but this time it felt different. This wasn’t just a job anymore. They had crossed into territory where the lines between business and personal began to blur.