Earlier that day.

"Grab that bitch and lets get moving. Smiley is almost done with the charges." The man said as he stood over the unconcious form of Lydia's daughter.
"She cut me, man!" The other protested as he held a six inch long gash on the side of his face.
"Tell me something I don't know, Idiot." He spat as he reached down and easily hefted the young woman over his shoulder. "Gareth wants her alive for some dumbass reason."
The two walked back through the apartment, looking at different things, and talking about the shame of leveling a place so nice.
"Hey Smiley, you about done?"
Smiley never acknowledged them as he placed the last bit of plastique and slid the detonator into place. "This is the last one, and this is going to be one hell of a show. base charges at the bottom of the support beams set to go off two seconds after the charges on the second floor. If anyone is in here, the place goes up, and comes down." Smiley was proud of his work, and he was good at what he did. The downside with this job was the fact that Gareth warned them all not to stay long, saying the man that lived there was dangerous and if they were seen, they'd be dead.

They were all on their way out the door when a painting caught the bleeding man's eye. He knew art, and this was no exception. "This, is mine. I'm not letting it go up in a fireball." He said as he reached up and carefully removed it from the wall as to not get blood on the canvas or frame.
"Nice move, moron. If the guy lives through this shit, he knows who to kill first." Kayla stirred a bit as the man spoke and he spun around hard enough to knock her out on the steel door frame as they walked on toward the waiting cargo van. The three men wondered if they'd succeed where many others had failed.

(Re-posted for The Assassin.)