It was inevitable. As much as he loved his father there was a strong sense of rivalry between the two of them. Here he was, trying to prove that he had absorbed everything Alister Mundy had taught him and moved on from there, and there was his father, still having to prove he was the best.

It didn't matter what the prize was: precious jewels, a painting by one of the masters or some little trinket of great worth. He'd be playing it cool, planning his every move with skill and panache and the next thing he knew, he'd be tripping over his old man. Not that the guy needed the score. Alister Mundy had made his pile and retired, supposedly. Still, Al could understand why his father would want to keep his hand in.

But while Al could tolerate this parental interference on an occasional basis, having his old man coming along for the ride on his government jobs was something else again. When would the man grasp that he'd grown up and was capable of completing a caper on his own. Or perhaps it was the thrill of adventure that his dad couldn't give up. Either way, as much as he admired his dad's skills, this was severely cramping his style and sometimes he wished his father would be like other dads and retire to the French Riviera to live out his remaining days in style, instead of continuing this absurd competition over who was the best thief.

Al Mundy
It Takes a Thief
250 words

Beautiful. Just beautiful. Al had always prided himself at being one of the best thieves in the business but somehow Noah Bain had a knack for knowing what he was planning before he even put it into operation. Every time he tried to pull a fast one on Noah, just to prove he still had it, Noah managed to catch him up.

Oh, his skills were still intact. He'd proven that again and again on the assignments he completed for the SIA, but while Noah would occasionally allow him to get away with trying to pull one over on him when there was a woman involved, he'd never once gotten away with anything more valuable. He'd become the SIA's tame thief, and maybe he was just trying to prove that he had some autonomy, but it rarely worked.

He'd brought this on himself, slipping up just once and getting sent to prison. If it weren't for the challenges that Noah kept throwing his way, maybe he'd be trying harder to leave. As it was, he'd bide his time. He wasn't the only one who could slip up and sooner or later Noah was bound to miss something.

Al Mundy
It Takes a Thief
199 words

"Wally, you can't be serious." Al paced around the room, furious. The SIA had stuck him in some sticky situations before, but never quite like this.

"It's the only way you'll get in to steal the microchip, Al. They won't let you in otherwise." Wally couldn't help smirking a little. It was a very rare occasion when Al Mundy lost his cool.

"But in a dress? This isn't cool, Wally. Not at all."

"Are you saying you'd prefer the other option?" Knowing that Al would never agree to that. The latest intel said that the chip was hidden in the sultan's harem, where only women and eunuchs were allowed.

"Not on your life. Fine, I'll wear the dress. But I draw the line at earrings. Unless they're clip-on. And you have to let me pick out the dress. I don't trust your taste in clothes." Al might be willing to relent, but the SIA operatives tasked with keeping an eye on him had never shown any style whatsoever. "And you have to send Ingrid over to help with the details." He'd never turn down help from a beautiful girl, even if she was a spy.

Al wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to be the only man in a building full of the fairer sex, even if his standards wouldn't allow him to do less than the best job he could. He knew the SIA was prone to use this against him, but as long as their desires and his own ran along the same lines, he was willing to play along. He just wasn't willing to give in too easily.

Al Mundy
It Takes a Thief
272 Words