In the third episode of "Steal," the story unfolds with Zara seated with Rhys in a bustling coffee shop. Rhys presses for answers about her involvement at Luke's place, and Zara hastily weaves a tale, claiming to have been spooked by the blood, concealing the truth about the bloody vial she had picked up. Rhys, an astute observer, senses her reluctance to reveal all, but he's unable to pinpoint her true motives.
At Luke's, Ellie questions Rhys' whereabouts upon his return, unaware of his gambling escapades from the previous episode. Instead of revealing his true movements, Rhys focuses his attention on Zara, his suspicion of her involvement in the robbery growing stronger.
Flashbacks reveal the mindset of Zara and Tom before their involvement in the robbery. Resentful of the executives at Lochmill profiting from their hard work, Tom was approached by some individuals over the game Call of Duty, offering a substantial sum of money to facilitate their entry into the premises. Tom initially brought Zara onboard through flattery and the promise of a lucrative payday. However, the real catalyst for Zara was the rejection of a promotion she felt she deserved.
Back in the present, Rhys enlists another individual for their investigation, Sam Fitch, an intelligence officer with extensive experience in the field. This adds a new dimension to their quest, and Zara must play smart if she wants to stay ahead.
Zara's lack of expertise becomes evident when she decides to use her Google account and YouTube to search for information on how to lift a bloody fingerprint. Her reckless search incriminates her back at the office where Darren Yoshida is methodically examining the employees at Lochmill. So far, nothing out of the ordinary has surfaced.Yoshida posits that the employees' resentment towards upper management is a plausible motive for their collaboration with the thieves. The Investment Committee members, for instance, earn a base salary of around 1 million annually, excluding bonuses, while those on the floor make between £30-40k, a significant disparity. Yoshida suggests he might bypass official channels to investigate offshore accounts, an action that, while not entirely legal and potentially inadmissible in court, is endorsed by Rhys.
Sam Fitch and Ellie Lloyd surprise Zara on her way home, catching her unawares. Despite her efforts to deter them, Zara frantically hides the evidence and her laptop with YouTube open in the dining room. During the interview, Zara attempts to shield herself from incrimination but fails when Fitch discovers cellotape and hydrogen peroxide in her bag. Outside, he informs Lloyd that surveillance on her is not their priority.
Fitch decides to disregard Rhys' request and focus on other leads. In their absence, Zara sets to work lifting the fingerprint. Meanwhile, Rhys visits Zara's mother, a psychiatric nurse who incriminates her daughter but also uses the situation to her advantage. She admits not seeing Zara for months and highlights her daughter's frustration and intelligence as a dangerous combination. She also covers for her daughter, believing she can leverage this information.
When Rhys departs, Yoshida returns with crucial information. It appears the money has been transferred to an account named Gould-Simmons, a Defence Contractor that could be a significant revelation if leaked. These accounts are more like slush funds, with the thieves using this account as a decoy to move the money. Rhys ponders whether to leak the details to the press, while Yoshida is more convinced than ever that MI5 was aware of this long before they were. Furthermore, Ellie brings her concerns about Fitch's undermining of their investigation to Rhys. The pair must now contemplate how to proceed amidst these challenges.
Rhys approaches the Superintendent at work, questioning why he feels like he's being set up to fail. It turns out that the Superintendent is actually being threatened to comply, and he warns Rhys to let it go too. He wants Rhys to step down, using his gambling problem as leverage that the authorities will have over him. If this were to leak, it would destroy his career.
Meanwhile, thanks to some flashbacks that flesh out her meeting with the thieves and her discovery of their base of operations, Zara breaks into their office that night. She drops off the bloody vial on the table, making sure to show it to the cameras. However, one of the thieves is there and immediately runs her off the premises. Unfortunately, when she flies a bit too close to the sun, Zara is forced to flee across the streets. When she shows up at her mother's place, her mother confronts her about the money. She knows Zara has stashed the cold wallet and bargains with her for it back. She wants £1 million, but Zara refuses, knowing that if she agrees to this, her mother will blow it for both of them.
When Zara heads home, she hesitates as she finds people with torches inside her house looking for her. Rhys shows up and Zara jumps in his car. She laments what's happened and points out that she tried to bargain with the thieves. That's when Rhys drops the bombshell that MI5 is trying to pick her up.
