Brock shifted on his stool. His eyes stayed glued to the counter, his mouth tense.
“We already have someone.” Serena’s hard, determined tone pulled Milo’s attention from Brock.
“Who?”
She flattened her palm against the stack of papers. Dark circles rimmed her eyes, and for a flicker of a beat, Milo regretted the desperate sex he’d pounded into her that night. Then her mewls of ecstasy replayed in his head and he shook off the remorse. No way in hell he’d take back driving into her slick heat.
“Peyton Risk.”
Brock chortled. “No offense to Priss, but I was thinking more along the lines of big, burly men.”
Milo watched the hue of Serena’s cheekbones darken. Ah, hell. These two were too emotionally involved. It was only a matter of time before they took off the gloves.
Serena’s finely arched eyebrow hiked up. “I don’t think you remember Peyton’s skills. She’s a better shooter than all of us put together.”
Milo moved closer. “How do you know that? I don’t remember Peyton killing anyone.”
“Her grandpa owned a hunting lodge, and she’s been shooting since she was old enough to hold a gun. Even her foster parents were hunters.”
Brock cocked his head skeptically. “Great, sign her up. But I know a guy—”
“We don’t have time to gather a team. We’ll be lucky if we can get ahold of Peyton in time and brief her.”
“It’s not good enough.”
“You guys,” Milo said, a warning in his tone. They all needed a break. “Brock, I think you need to collect your thoughts. If you want to go home for a few hours, do that. Or rest. There’s a pullout couch in the basement.”
The hard planes of Brock’s face softened, and he nodded. “I need to let out my dog and catch some sleep. I’ll be back later. Call me if anything happens.” He swiped his keys and phone from the counter and left the house.
“What’s his deal?” Serena examined another image beneath the kitchen lights.
“I think Dani’s situation is hitting him. I know they had a rough patch—”
“That’s an understatement,” she said, lowering the paper to stare at him.
“He still cares for her. He wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Serena tucked the corners of her mouth in. “Yeah, I can see that.” She pushed away from the island and rolled her head in big circles. His hands ached to go to her, to massage her tense muscles, but with Brock gone, Milo wouldn’t be able to control himself.
She braced her arms on the counter and dropped her face into them. “We don’t have time to get anyone else.” Her words came out on a broken note, and he couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“I think you’re right. Peyton would be an asset on the team.”
She turned her face toward him. Dampness collected in her eyes, and the cavity behind his sternum ached.
“We still need to get by the guards without alerting the dogs.”
He winked at her. “I’m a good shot too.”
A snort shook her shoulders. “Still. We can’t go in shooting everything. We need a diversion or something so we can get inside.”
“We’ll make it work. I promise.” His voice faltered on the last two words, making the pledge sound weak.
She sat up and twisted in her seat. “Thanks, Milo,” she said, dipping her chin. “I don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t stepped in.”
Ah, hell. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel indebted to him.
“You have nothing to thank me for.”
“Yes, I do. I’m dragging you right back into the thick of where you don’t want to be, right back into stealing. Isn’t that why you stayed away from me? You knew I’d contaminate your new life.” Resentment should have coated her words, but instead they rang with shame.
She was one-hundred-percent right. That was one of the main reasons he hadn’t reached out to her, but hearing it fall from her lips ate at him. Fierce protectiveness fired through him. He caught her elbow and gave her a light shake. “I’m here because I want to be. Got it? Forget all that shit from before. At least for now.”
She nodded and her bottom lip quivered. She sucked it between her teeth to stop the tremble. The tiny little sniff from her nose made him pull her to his chest. He stroked his hands over her feathery hair, down her spine, and back up.
“I need to say something,” she said. “If I never see you again after this, I want you to know how much it means to me that you didn’t abandon Dani . . . or me,” she added on a whisper.
Guilt, hot and corrosive, ate at his insides.
If I never see you again after this . . .
She wasn’t talking about something happening to either of them. She was talking about him walking away from her like he’d done in the past. He cupped the back of her neck and lowered his lips to her satiny locks.
“I’ll never do that again, Serena. I was a stupid, cocky little shit to break up with you the way I did and not contact you after that. Never again.”
She said nothing, and her muscles stayed stiff. She didn’t believe him. That harsh realization hit him like a kick to the gut.
He’d prove it to her.
CHAPTER 11
His words spread across the crack in her heart like soothing balm. Nothing could erase the pain he’d inflicted by storming out of her life, but his remorse helped.
She nuzzled her face a little closer to his pec and filled her lungs with his scent. The faint hint of oranges and pine should have wakened her senses, but instead it made her sink deeper into him. She didn’t respond to his apology—what could she say? She wouldn’t say it was okay, nor would she say she forgave him.
At least not yet.
His palm kneaded the sensitive skin at the back of her neck. Easing her back, he swept his gaze over her face, crawling up one inch at a time until he found her eyes.
His hard, determined stare vacuumed up the air from her lungs. The pace of his breath quickened. He tucked his chin and sealed his lips over hers. She surged to her toes and met the coaxing of his mouth. His tongue parted her teeth, and she met his hot wetness with her own.
Heat vibrated through her mouth, sending a blaze of desire to the lips that moistened her panties.
She groaned and tipped her head back more, allowing him to deepen the kiss. He stroked his tongue over hers and her toes curled. Her back pressed into his arm and his fingertips flexed on her scalp. His lips broke away from her and her body jerked forward in protest.
Milo joined his forehead to hers. His chest rose and fell in sharp spasms. Strain crinkled his forehead.
“You’re killin’ me, babe.”
Milo on the cusp of losing control was hotter than hell. Serena sucked her tongue over her teeth. The taste of his sweet saliva still hung in her mouth. “We should probably cool it or we’re going to end up naked again.”
Milo dropped his head to the side. “You’re not really going to hold me to that, are you?”
She swatted him. His hand caught hers and stilled it against the breadth of his chest. His palm enveloped her fingers. His mouth twitched and his eyes sparkled. When she didn’t answer, he nudged her thigh with his knee.
“Yes,” she said, pinching the taut skin beneath his shirt. “For now.” Her traitorous alter ego had added the words—there was no way she could let go of the possibility of landing in bed with him again.
His mouth spread into a full-fledged grin. “I should get that written in blood.”
Butterflies swirled in her belly. Milo was a direct threat to her sanity . . . and resolve. She turned out of his hold and pursed her lips at him over her shoulder. “Not a chance, Milo.” She hadn’t meant the words to roll out on a purr—where the hell had this seductress come from?
Severe lack of sex, that’s where.
She tucked her chin and landed her gaze on the counter. “Shoot, I left my phone upstairs.” She darted down the hall and up the flight of
stairs. She’d ventured to the second level only a half hour before and must have set down her phone, but missing a call from the kidnapper could be disastrous. The rectangular device lay on the nightstand where she’d left it. She scooped it up and returned downstairs.
The screen lit up in her hand. Panic stopped her in her tracks in the hallway to the kitchen.
“Everything okay?”
Milo crossed the room and she lifted her chin to face him. His arm came around her waist.
“It could be Dani,” she wheezed.
“Get it.”
She reached to swipe the screen, but her movement was jerky, and she fumbled with the device before catching it in both of her palms. Milo steadied her wrist.
“Do you recognize that number?”
The stifling pressure in her lungs leaked out a fraction. A solid weight quickly returned to her chest. She swallowed and reread the number, but she didn’t need to. She hadn’t programmed his name in her phone, but had meant to before everything had happened with Dani.
“It’s Titus. I have to get it.”
It was late afternoon, and she hadn’t expected him to call for at least a few more hours. Milo nodded and took a step back but stayed in the kitchen. She summoned her strength and flipped her hair over her shoulder. She could do this. She could channel the cool, confident Serena Smith, act as if nothing were wrong, as if her sister weren’t missing, as if she weren’t scheduled to rob Titus in a matter of hours.
“Serena Smith,” she sang into the mouthpiece. Her free hand wandered over the wrinkles on her shirt to the yoga pants hugging her hips.
“Serena, it’s Titus.”
“Titus, hi. It’s so great to hear from you. How was your weekend with the family?” She reached up to toy with a strand of her hair and paced the length of the island. Milo hovered in her peripheral vision, his gaze hot on her every movement.
Titus groaned and then chuckled. “Too hectic. I don’t know why I do this to myself.” He spoke lightly and Serena pictured him rolling his eyes at himself. “Thankfully my family left early and I’m in a car on the way to the airport. Which is why I’m calling sooner than I said I would.”
Thank god! Excitement sailed through her and she spun to face Milo. She locked her eyes on his and he searched her face.
“Well, a business trip should help alleviate the stress of family. Have you had a chance to consider your listing?” Normally she wouldn’t be so forward, but another minute of chitchat might kill her.
“I have.” A beat passed, and the flick of a lighter and the crisping of cigar paper reached her ear. “I’m impressed with your steady rise in the industry, and I’ve talked to a few people who have used you—everyone speaks highly of you. I’m eager to sign the contract and get started.”
A ripple of delight spread through her. Pride stung the backs of her eyes. She’d worked so hard for this and had earned her reputation. Then the thick black cloud of her conscience rolled over her elation. She shouldn’t feel guilty. Not when Titus was a criminal. But her career would be ruined. If by some stroke of luck they managed not to get caught, she’d still have destroyed her integrity.
“I’m so thrilled to hear that, Mr. Phillips. You won’t be disappointed.”
They agreed to meet later in the week, after he returned from his business trip, and disconnected. Serena let out a breath of air and gave Milo a shaky smile.
“Congratulations.” His grin was rueful.
“Thanks. I just wish I didn’t have to rob him.”
Milo caught the back of her neck in his palm. “Don’t think about it.”
She nodded and turned to Dani’s laptop on the counter. Despite Brock’s doubt, she clicked into Dani’s Facebook account, which Dani hadn’t logged out of, and brought up Peyton’s name in Messenger. Serena had removed her old associates—including Peyton—from her Friends list when she started her real estate career.
“What are you doing?”
“Reaching out to Priss.” She tapped the keys then stopped and jerked her gaze to him. “Don’t tell her I called her that.”
He snickered.
Call me when you get a chance, she typed. It’s urgent.
She paused, her finger hovering on the Enter button.
“What is it?”
Serena deleted the message without sending it. “If someone is monitoring us, Dani’s accounts especially, messaging Peyton will only tip them off.”
“You’re right. Do you know where she lives?”
Serena nodded and got to her feet. “She’s been in the same apartment for a few years now.” She grabbed her handbag from the chair in the living room and flung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
* * *
Serena brushed her knuckles over Peyton’s door. Despite her faint knock, movement sounded from beyond the wood. Milo cupped her hip and tried to edge her behind him, but she stood her ground.
“She probably won’t recognize you,” she mouthed to him.
He grunted, but his hand didn’t leave her side. She had no doubt if the door opened and it wasn’t Peyton, he’d shove her to the ground.
The door cracked open, and the chain dangled over Peyton’s light hair, which was pulled away from her face. “Serena? Is that you?” Half of her face peeked through the two-inch gap.
“Yes, it’s me and Milo. Can we come in? It’s important.”
Her thumb curled around the edge of the door. “Ah, sure. One sec.” She shut the door. Metal clanked as she withdrew the chain. The door swung open. Peyton stood in a pair of jogging pants and a loose-fitting blue sweater.
Peyton tucked her arms under her breasts. “Is everything okay? I never expected to see you two here.”
Serena’s hands fidgeted at her stomach as they followed Peyton into the living room. “We’re sorry to drop in on you.”
Peyton lowered herself into the love seat and curled her legs under her. “Don’t be silly. I don’t mind the company. I would have cleaned up first, though.” She chuckled and plucked at her shirt. Milo lowered himself on the sofa across from her and Serena sat next to him.
“I forgot to reply to Dani’s message Friday afternoon. I hope she knows nothing’s changed. Wait. Why would she send you two?”
Serena rolled her lips together, glanced at Milo, and then looked back at Peyton. “When was the last time you spoke to Dani?”
Peyton frowned and leaned forward. “I saw her Thursday night. What’s wrong? Where is she?”
“She’s been kidnapped. We’ve been put to the task of stealing diamonds for her ransom.”
Peyton’s slouched form stiffened as quickly as shaken soda spewing from a can, and she bolted to her feet.
“Oh my god. Why . . . ?” Her frantic footsteps stomped the hardwood floor. She turned to face them, her hands moving to her hips. “Who do you suspect has her?”
Milo hung his hands between his knees and a deep sigh rumbled from his throat. Guilt made Serena’s breath slow. Milo had put his life on hold to help Dani, and as she swept her gaze over him, the depth of his commitment hit her. She could see his strain, his fatigue. She’d been afraid to get close to him again, afraid that he would bail and leave her stranded . . . or that once this was over, he’d cut his losses. But maybe this time, he wouldn’t.
“We’re hoping you can help with that.”
Peyton jerked her chin up. “How?”
Serena didn’t miss the challenge in her tone. “We’re here because you can be trusted.” Peyton’s shoulders relaxed. “I contacted Vivi already, but she wouldn’t say anything pertaining to the job you guys have planned.”
“That explains why she called yesterday. I was helping my parents move all weekend and didn’t get around to phoning her back until today. We’ve been playing phone tag all afternoon.”
“We can’t help but wonder if someone from the inside orchestrated this . . . or snitched to Alfonso.”
Peyton’s face paled.
“And,” Serena continued, “I wa
s attacked Friday night. I stabbed a man and escaped, then found Milo.” Milo’s hand circled her knee. Peyton’s eyes dropped to the movement at Serena’s leg, and a smile played on her mouth before disappearing.
Milo cleared his throat. “Not only that, but someone broke into Dani’s apartment while we were there.”
“Did you find out who he worked for?”
Serena crinkled her lip. “Milo killed him in self-defense.”
A stream of curses mixed with what sounded like a prayer fell from Peyton’s mouth. She rocked back and forth. “What are we going to do?”
“They want us to steal from Titus Phillips.”
She laughed and returned to sit on the love seat. “Oh yeah. Because that’s so simple. Especially on short notice.”
“Actually”—Serena laced her fingers with Milo’s—“Titus is one of my clients. I’ve been inside his house and took drone images last week in preparation to land his deal. I know for certain that he’ll be out of the house tonight.”
The seconds ticked by. Finally, Peyton said, “They knew you were the agent representing him even before he listed his house?”
She nodded. Guilt pulled at her conscience again. Titus was a dangerous man, but stealing from him kicked her from the pedestal of honor she’d built over the years and down to the gutters she’d so desperately tried to escape. The fact that Titus was to be the contract that made her career take off made this whole thing that much more bitter.
“They attacked me after I left his house. When I got away, they went after Dani.”
“Does anything jump out at you?” Milo asked Peyton. “Any clue as to who could be behind this?”
Serena’s gaze flickered to the pale scar etched into the shadow of his beard. Once again, her mind drifted to what had caused it. She made a mental note to ask him later.
“No. I can’t think of anything. Let me sit with this, though. I’ll ask around.”
“Be careful,” Milo said, his tone harsh. “Serena got lucky, Priss. Don’t stick your neck out too far or they’ll be after you too.”
The Last Heist (Pretty Thieves Book 1) Page 13
