To Touch a Thief (An Everly Gray Novella)

by Charles, L. j.

  TO TOUCH A THIEF

  An Everly Gray Novella

  L. j. Charles

  Forensic accountant Jayne Hunt will do whatever it takes to catch the thief stealing charitable contributions from Steele Management, Inc.—even if it means asking Everly Gray and her bothersome ESP fingers for help.

  Parker Steele has a solid, tactical strategy to disrupt Jayne's spreadsheet fixation with his charms, and claim her for his own—until family secrets, a dirty cop, and a dangerous toxin blow his plan to bits and put their lives in imminent danger.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  To Touch a Thief

  ISBN: 9781467542661

  Copyright © 2012 by L. j. Charles

  Cover Design by Lucie Charles

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.

  For Faith,

  with gratitude

  A NOTE TO MY READERS

  Dear Reader,

  If you’ve been with Everly for an adventure or two, welcome back. If you’re entering Everly’s world for the first time, I’m pleased that you’ve decided to join us. Chronologically, this novella takes place between a Touch of TNT and a Touch of the Past—to be released in 2012. It falls neatly into line with the series, but can also stand alone, or as an introduction to Everly’s adventures.

  For those of you new to her world, I’m including a brief Cast of Characters to “set the stage” and ease you into the family.

  Welcome,

  L. j. Charles

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Everly Gray: Red hair, midnight blue eyes, pale skin, of Scottish and Hawaiian heritage. Everly was born with ESP fingers. When she touches people or objects, she “sees” things about them. She and Mitchell Hunt are an item.

  Mitchell Hunt: Sandy brown hair that streaks blond on sunny days, amber eyes, (although Everly insists they’re more chocolate). He’s a famous photographer who works mostly confidential gigs for the military. Mitchell is Jayne’s younger brother.

  Jayne Hunt: Spikey brown hair, amber eyes (identical to her brother’s), hides a fragile heart beneath an abrasive personality. A forensic accountant, Jayne is sharply precise on the outside, a muddle of trouble on the inside. Mitchell was their parent’s obvious favorite, so Jayne has to be “the best” at everything. She wants Parker Steele for her very own—on her terms.

  Parker Steele: Dark hair, graying at the temple, grey eyes. Both temples and eyes turn silver in bright light. Born into money, graduated top of his law school class, financial wizard. Parker’s parents had him late in life, and passed away from natural causes, leaving him in the CEO position of Steele Management, Inc. He wants Jayne Hunt on any and all terms.

  Joe Francis Stephens: Raleigh Police Department Detective on a shortage-of-personnel assignment—temporarily on loan to the Apex PD.

  Adam Stone: Blond with brown streaks, green eyes. He’s a homicide detective for Apex, NC law enforcement. Adam follows procedure—always.

  ONE

  Jayne Hunt

  It would end her career as a forensic accountant. She knew the arrest was going to happen, had helped to plan it, participated in the fine tuning, and even requested they handcuff her before the “event” so she’d know what to expect. They’d refused. Insisted it needed to be a virgin handcuffing to keep her response authentic.

  A slippery column of sweat trickled along her spine and pooled at the small of her back. The detective held the shiny metal handcuffs loosely, almost as if they were a toy or an ingredient in a sexual fantasy. But they weren’t. This was all too real, right down to the newspaper reporters and the snarly, disgusted twist of Parker Steele’s mouth. Perfect lips should never wear such an ugly expression.

  The detective snapped the handcuffs in front of her face, sending a ripple of fear to her belly, and then he pulled her hands behind her and secured the cuffs. Cold metal. Tender skin. It wasn’t a good combination.

  “Jayne Hunt, you’re under arrest for theft, grand larceny, and fraud.” And then he read her the Miranda warning—so rote on television, so terrifying in real life. Chief Hayes better have her back on this, or…

  The detective’s meaty hand circled her upper arm, and panic clouded her senses. She focused on the anger and loathing in Parker’s glare to keep her from screaming when the handcuffs clamped down on her wrists, and flashes from the reporters cameras blinded her.

  A uniformed officer stepped to her other side, grabbed her arm, and together they fast-walked her to the waiting cruiser.

  Chain link mesh and locked doors.

  A glimpse at her future.

  The officer put his hand on her head, just like they did on the small screen, and pushed. She landed on the hard seat with a thud, pain shooting through her wrists. A wash of heat stained Jayne’s cheeks. She’d never allowed anyone to manhandle her. Not ever. It was positively tawdry to be arrested. And being photographed in handcuffs was worse—a permanent testament to her professed sins.

  The cruiser door slammed. She wanted to hide, or maybe evaporate. But when she inhaled, the sickly smell of sweat and fear with a whiff of stale alcohol coated her nose and throat, making it impossible to do anything but accept the reality of her situation.

  Nausea churned in her belly, and chill bumps covered her arms and legs. They could have picked her up in a clean vehicle. Really, they could have.

  TWO

  Mitchell Hunt and Jayne Hunt

  Mitch reached for his beer, the condensation cool and damp against his palm. “Nope. Not gonna do it. No way. No how. And neither are you, even if you are fresh out of jail.” He swallowed slowly, buying time, then flashed a look over the rim of the bottle into Jayne’s furious brown eyes. Not good. He marked the second hand on his watch and started to count down.

  The anger that had turned her amber eyes to black was about five seconds from erupting. He’d bet his new K1300 BMW bike on it. A sure bet. When they were kids he’d timed it, and early on had learned how to be out of the way when his sister got herself worked into a snit.

  And this was the mother of all snits.

  “You’re not thinking clearly. You have to do this.” Jayne’s fingers danced on the table, apparently tapping to a tune only she heard.

  He slid a glance toward the nearest exit.

  “Forget it, Mitchell Hunt. I’ve only been a free woman for three hours and I’m irritated. I’d tackle you before you got out of your chair. It’s a sibling rule for little brothers to help their sisters.”

  “Damn it, Jayne. I get that you’ve bet your career on this, but—”

  “It’s not like I’m asking too much.”

  “Yeah, you are. I respect Everly and her gifts. And what were you thinking, having us meet two blocks from her house? And in public? You’re damn lucky there aren’t any reporters following you.”

  Jayne leaned her lanky frame snugly against the back of the chair, relaxed some when she crossed her legs. He hoped it meant she wasn’t gonna try to take him out in the next couple of minutes.

  “I like the food. And after a night in jail, I deserved a decent meal. And the proximity to Everly’s house is ideal. She’s just around the corner, so you can talk to her tonight.” Some of the black left her eyes. “Maybe you don’t really respect El’s gifts, Mitchell. Maybe you just want to protect her. She’s so strange, and the survival of my professional life depends on her help.”

  Ja
yne’s voice was taut, her words strung tightly together. Not a good sign.

  He placed his beer on the table, lining it up with the edge, his movements too controlled. “I get that you’re in trouble, but if you don’t stop insulting El, I will walk out of here.”

  “Sorry. I’m…scared.”

  “Yeah? So why didn’t you bring us into your plan early on? Pissed me off to watch my sister being arrested on the noon news.”

  “I couldn’t say anything to you. Your response had to be genuine just in case anyone was keeping tabs, watching you. We shouldn’t even be talking about it in a public place, but I’m starving.” She tapped him on the arm, none too gently. “I’m the sister here, and I’ve been in your life eons longer than Everly has. That should count for something, and besides, Mom and Dad are on my side.”

  Tension clamped nasty hard in the small of his back. Why the hell had she talked to their parents about her plan and not him? He chugged the rest of his beer. It was well past time for him to take control of the situation.

  Jayne aligned the salt and peppershakers perfectly, her movements deliberate. Calculated. “This project is critical to me, to Steele Management, Inc., and it’s personally important to Parker Steele.” Her fingers curled into fists around the salt and pepper. “I promised Parker that Everly would run the séance.”

  Mitch closed his eyes to shut out the plea in her voice. Damn, but sisters were a pain in the butt. “Promised? You promised without asking her?”

  Jayne shrugged, a delicate move that set his nerves on edge. His sister was not delicate. She was hiding something.

  “It just slipped out, Mitchell. Besides, it’s no big deal. This is a fundraiser, and El is a save-the-wildlife kind of person. Nobody believes in that psychic woo-woo stuff anyway.” She tilted her head and eyed him. “It’s pretend. Surely you don’t think El can actually talk to dead people?”

  A wave of indigestion knotted in his belly. “I don’t question what El can or cannot do. And I don’t expose her to situations that are potentially dangerous.”

  Jayne shifted, uncrossed her long legs then re-crossed them the other direction. “We were in the planning stages of my arrest, and before I realized it the words had slipped out of my mouth. I’ve bet my career and my integrity on this operation. Everly has nothing to lose.”

  The rich scent of tomatoes and fresh garlic filled the air as a server walked by with a tray full of plates. Mitch’s stomach growled. “Yeah, she does. And this animosity thing isn’t working for me.”

  Jayne sighed. “I know I’ve been difficult. She’s the first woman you’ve…loved, and I hate that she’s taking you away from me.”

  “I’m not planning to bail on my family, but you’re hiding something, Sis. Get to it.”

  “L-lust.” She smacked her hand over her mouth.

  “What the…?”

  “Parker Steele.”

  The syllables of the name Jayne blurted out faded together, mixing with the fragrance of herbs and spices that filled the air. Pissed off vibes traveled along Mitch’s nerve endings, clawed in, and hung on. “You have the hots for this guy and are offering El up as a ticket to his bed?”

  Jayne crossed her arms over her ribs. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that, but fratricide is a distinct possibility. El, whether you like it or not, is the logical choice. She’s the only person either of us knows who can pull off a séance. And whether Parker is hot or not is immaterial. More serious issues are at stake here. I don’t even want to think about the potential consequences to my personal life.”

  A server sidled up to their table and deposited oversized plates of food in front of them. “Freshly grated parmesan?”

  Jayne nodded, the tantalizing aromas breaking into her concentration. Probably it would be best to let Mitch eat before she pushed any more of his buttons. He ran his hands through his hair, leaving the messy curls scattered in all directions. He was a cutie, her brother. But why did he have to fall for the likes of Everly Gray? Besides the obvious sex appeal. Resentment nagged at the back of her mind, eating at her common sense. Or maybe it was just the fear of losing her little brother. Neither was acceptable.

  Mitch broke into her thoughts. “You might want to get your story straight. First, nobody believes in this stuff, and now you’re saying El is the only one who can pull it off.”

  Jayne inhaled deeply, savoring the spicy scent of her lasagna. “Yes. As distasteful as it is, Everly has the moves and the vocabulary for this kind of thing. Parker has an interest in the paranormal, and…”

  “And what?”

  “A soft spot for felines.”

  “Cats? We’re talking cats here?” His wire rims slipped down his nose, and he shoved them back into place.

  Jayne bit into her lip to hide her grin. It’d been a habit since he was in the second grade and was getting used to his first pair of glasses. “Yes. Some childhood thing, I think. It’s beyond me how a solid businessman, in the middle of a sting operation, can be gaga over the paranormal and feline aspects of this fundraiser, but he is.”

  Mitch scrubbed his hand across his mouth, nodded to their server, pointed to his beer bottle. “I’ll give you the time it takes me to finish a second beer. That’s it.”

  Angry fire crawled up her spine. “Have I ever asked you for something like this before, Mitchell?”

  “Nope. That’s why I’m giving you—” he glanced at his watch— “the time it takes me to drink a second beer. Besides, I paid my dues by bailing you out of jail. And I’m not your messenger boy. You’re the one who needs to convince El to do the damn séance.”

  Jayne swallowed a bite of lasagna, the flavors turning to dust on her tongue. “Thanks for bailing me out. Parker will reimburse you. And you know that if I ask Everly, she’ll refuse, whereas you can convince her to do anything.”

  Mitch glared.

  “I’m so close to finding the real thief. I’ve tracked most of the suspicious activity in the spreadsheets, but I need to eliminate some suspects. And this setup will catch him, I know it will.”

  “You’ve had consulting contracts for Steele Management before. What’s different about this one?”

  Finally, she had his attention. “I know that whoever is stealing from Parker is doing it under cover of the charity gigs Steele Management supports.”

  “So is it fraud or lust that has you—”

  “Don’t you dare finish that thought, little brother.” Bitterness at having to ask for his help soured her stomach, but he had a point. “Honestly? Both.”

  He squeezed the lime in his Corona and rolled the bottle back and forth between his palms. “How much backup do you have on this?”

  “The lead attorney at Steele Management, the detective who arrested me—he’s a friend of Parker’s, but he doesn’t know the specifics. Chief Hayes is involved, and he’s ready to move as soon as we have enough information to officially request law enforcement backup. Whoever is guilty has been getting away with it for over three years, and Steele Management charities have been robbed of over ten million. That’s a big hit for some of our smaller non-profit organizations.”

  “And you think you’ll get proof during this…what the hell is it anyway?”

  “The charity is the North Carolina chapter of Forever Feline.” A shiver rippled through her muscles.

  Mitch let loose a deep laugh. “You hate cats.”

  “No. It’s not possible to hate something you know nothing about. I simply don’t care for them. All that purring and sniffing. And Parker’s fascination with them is odd.” Jayne rubbed her sweaty palm over the fabric of her pencil skirt.

  How could she have gotten so attached to a man who liked cats?

  “Uh-huh.” Mitch glanced at his watch.

  “This particular charity function is very small, and will be insignificant to anyone committing serious fraud. I’m planning to narrow the possible suspects by a process of elimination. It’ll be faster than searching through all the data generat
ed by the philanthropical division of Steele Management. And maybe Everly could touch someone and see whatever it is she thinks she sees.”

  Mitch sighed. “Okay. Recap. You’re in over your head with the forensic accounting gig, have a half-assed sting operation in motion, have the hots for the CEO of Steele Management, Inc., and want to use El and her gifts, which by the way you don’t believe in, to get you out of the mess. Have I got it?”

  “No. Well, partly. It’s not like I’m using her. She’s just so…”

  “Gullible?” he snapped out.

  “No, not gullible. She’s scary.”

  He laughed, full and deep. “You know, you might want to spend some time with El. Find out what she’s really like.”

  “I’ve spent time with her.”

  “Uh-huh. You used her ESP gifts to pick up clues when I was missing. That definitely counts for quality time.”

  “Look, forget it,” Jayne said, making sure she unfolded her body with grace and poise as she stood. “I’ll find someone else.”

  “Sit.” He pointed a finger at her chair.

  Her teeth caught her bottom lip as she dropped back into the chair. Giving up had always worked with Mitchell. It had been her trump card in their sibling wars, one she’d honed to perfection over the years, and one she doled out carefully. It wouldn’t do for him to catch on, so she always waited until the last possible second to slip it into her convince-Mitchell strategies.

  “I’m going to approach El about this. Partly because you’re my sister, but mostly because this is something she may want to do.”

  Jayne arched an eyebrow. “Does she like cats?”

  “Don’t know, but this sounds less dangerous than the homicides she usually…damn it. Now I’ll have to ask her tonight. No time to think it through.”