It Takes a Thief--A Heist Romance

by Sloane Steele

  Audrey didn’t like her. “Yes. And you are?”

  One corner of the woman’s mouth twitched. “I suppose you could call me Ms. Green.”

  “Kind of formal.”

  “Well, in our business, informality can lead to trouble.”

  Our business? Audrey didn’t believe for a moment that this woman had ever gotten her hands dirty doing anything.

  Ms. Green blinked a couple of times and released a soft sigh. “Mr. Green sends his apologies. Something urgent required his attention, and he didn’t want to reschedule this meeting. We’re on a tight timeline.”

  “What exactly does this job entail?”

  “Bypassing a security system.”

  She thought of the price tag Mr. Green quoted. “I don’t break into banks or government facilities.”

  “A private residence.”

  “For what?”

  “We’re interested in some artwork.”

  Audrey’s curiosity was piqued. She would be able to flex hacking muscles she hadn’t used in a while. And make bank doing so.

  “I assume by the look on your face, we have an agreement.” Ms. Green slid a blank piece of paper across the table. “Write down a list of equipment you’ll need. Make sure it’s complete.”

  “Anything?” She knew she could probably make this happen with the stuff in her room, but if they were buying... “When the job is done, I get to keep the equipment.”

  Ms. Green gave her a stony look.

  Hmm...the woman didn’t like being challenged.

  “Possibly. If not, you’ll receive a duplicate for your services.”

  Audrey scribbled her dream on that tiny piece of paper. Every item she’d ever ogled at the store, the best of everything, right down to the cables. When she slid the sheet back, Ms. Green didn’t even blink. Either she had bottomless pockets or she had no clue what it would cost. Not Audrey’s problem.

  “You said you had a tight timeline. How much time do I have?”

  “Unless you’ve requested something we can’t get our hands on, which is highly unlikely, we should have everything in place within two days. The job will transpire in less than three weeks.” She set a phone on the table. “We’ll text you the address. Needless to say, no one else should have that address or know anything about the work you’re hired to do.”

  “Not a problem.” She dropped the phone in her bag.

  They sat and stared at each other. Ms. Green made no move to leave. The shop was becoming more crowded and Audrey wanted to bolt, but part of her didn’t want to give this woman the satisfaction.

  “Seriously?” Ms. Green huffed. “We’ll leave at the same time.”

  Audrey rose and waited for her companion to join her. She stood at least four or five inches taller. For such a small thing, Ms. Green acted as though she were six feet tall. As Ms. Green tossed her cup in the trash, Audrey saw that her name started with an “M,” but she couldn’t see the remaining letters. Melanie, Margaret, Madeleine, Michelle, Molly...none of the names coming to Audrey seemed to fit this woman.

  When they reached the sidewalk outside, Ms. Green turned to her again. “One more thing. No other jobs for the duration of our project.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. We are paying you handsomely for your undivided attention.”

  Again with the we. Maybe Ms. Green is actually Mrs. Green.

  A sleek black car pulled up to the curb and a driver got out and opened the door. Ms. Green stepped to the car and added, “We’ll be in touch.”

  Audrey watched the car pull away and thought about her trek back across the city. With the money she was promised for this job, she could call an Uber. But that would require a credit card. And giving a stranger her address.

  At least as she turned the corner for her hike back to the bus stop, a cool lake breeze washed over her.

  The Greens’ offer could change her life. The only real question was whether she could suck it up and deal with Ms. Green. What if Mr. Green was as pretentious? She couldn’t imagine that based on the back-and-forth they’d shared, but she’d keep her reservations to herself.

  Stepping onto the cramped bus, Audrey decided it didn’t matter what Mr. Green was like. As long as the biggest risk she had to take was a virtual break-in, she’d do their job and take their money. She’d done worse for a whole lot less, so how could she go wrong with a fat payday and a bonus of top-of-the-line equipment?

  Chapter Three

  After the fifth trip into the apartment carrying boxes of tech equipment, Jared was beginning to hate Mia’s plan. Normally he would have paid for a rush delivery and some burly guys with a hand truck would have carried this into the apartment. Mia, however, insisted that the fewer people who could place them at this location the better.

  Nikki lay nearly upside down in front of the TV, her legs hanging on the back of the couch, a bag of chips on her chest. She’d offered no help in carrying in the equipment.

  As he unboxed the devices, he thought about Data. He’d finally get to meet her. She was brilliant, but when he’d asked Mia what she looked like, his cousin wasn’t very forthcoming.

  Mia strode through the door a few minutes later. She took in the sight of Nikki and shot Jared a look. “Why is she here?” she asked in hushed tones.

  “You said you wanted her to stay out of trouble. If she’s here, we can keep an eye on her.”

  “I thought our other friend was coming today.”

  “Should be here soon.”

  Mia darted another look at Nikki.

  Jared sighed. “Nikki has a right to know who she’s trusting on this. She won’t work with people she hasn’t met.”

  “It’s a mistake.”

  “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

  The doorbell rang and Mia strode to the intercom. “Hello?”

  “It’s me.”

  Mia rolled her eyes at him while she pressed the button to let Data up. He crossed the room, murmured to her to be nice and waited at the door for Data. She stepped off the elevator with wide eyes. Without even a look in his direction, she turned in a circle, taking in her surroundings. She wore a drab brown, stained T-shirt and threadbare jeans. The denim was ripped in a few places, obviously from wear, not because some designer charged hundreds of dollars for pre-made tears.

  “Data?”

  She spun quickly and their gazes locked. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d expected. He’d imagined someone more like Nikki, a confident woman who believed she could rule the world and who walked with a swagger. This woman seemed in awe or shock, unsure of her next move. Not the snarky woman who routinely called him out for his ego while flirting.

  Then she threw her shoulders back and extended a hand. “Mr. Green?”

  “Yes. You can call me Jay.” He hadn’t thought about being addressed as Mr. Green in person, so he used the nickname he’d used in college. They really needed to simplify this name thing or by the time they actually got to work, he might need a cheat sheet to remember who he was. He took her hand, which was soft but strong. No mousy handshake for her.

  He took in her face: eyes that would be a brilliant sapphire blue if not for the shadows beneath them, full pink lips, and fringes of dark brown hair falling from under the cap she wore. If she was wearing makeup, he couldn’t tell. Everything about her from head to toe was plain by design. He bet she had no problem disappearing into a crowd.

  “Come inside. I was just unboxing your equipment. I figured you’d want to create your own setup.”

  “That would be great.”

  As they stepped through the door, he grabbed the lock box and said, “Your cell phone?”

  She looked up at him, confused. He pointed in the box where three other cell phones lay. Another of Mia’s precautions.

  Data dug in her pocket and pulled out the burner p
hone they’d given her and set it in the box.

  “Your personal phone as well. To be safe.”

  She riffled through her ancient messenger bag and pulled out a phone not much different from the one she’d already handed over. With a raised brow, she asked, “I assume it’s okay for me to keep my laptop?”

  Mia obviously hadn’t considered that. The box he held was too small.

  “I told you we would provide everything you need,” Mia said from behind him.

  “Where I go, my computer goes,” Data shot back. Slinging the bag on her shoulder again, she pointed to the boxes. “Do you really think I’d need my personal computer to record anything that goes on here when you’re supplying me with state-of-the-art equipment?”

  There was the woman he knew. He turned his laugh into a cough, hoping Mia wouldn’t get angrier. She didn’t like to be wrong.

  “Regardless, I would feel better if you put your items in one of the bedrooms for now.” Mia nodded in the direction for Data to move. Then she tapped his arm. “May I speak to you for a moment?”

  She waited for Data to shuffle away and then led him to the opposite wall. “This is not a good idea. I told you we need to be able to control what happens here.”

  “You also said you wanted the best. The best in any industry isn’t likely to be meek and cower under one of your looks.”

  The muscle in Mia’s jaw pulsed.

  “Remember when I told you not to invest in the new casino because something shady was going on there?” He waited for Mia to nod. “Data found the information I needed to shut that down. Information no else could access.”

  Mia’s mouth slipped open.

  * * *

  Audrey had no idea what to think. She knew Green—Jay—had money, but she’d also assumed he was a middleman when he’d hired her. The jobs had been too diverse for them all to be for his benefit. Or so she thought. Maybe he was some tycoon who had a hand in everything. He had CEO written all over him.

  Even with the knowledge that he had money, she still hadn’t expected this. Their conversations had made her think they were similar. He, however, had never led a life like hers. He wasn’t new money. He was legacy money. It unsettled her. She suddenly felt more like an employee than a colleague, and she didn’t like it.

  She walked down the hallway where Ms. Green indicated. The carpet under her feet squished softly, like walking on a pillow. She pushed a door open and found the bathroom. White, silver, and gray gleaming surfaces filled the space. If not for the towel balled up on the floor and the makeup scattered on the counter, it would look like a magazine spread. For a brief second, she considered inspecting the makeup to see if it was Ms. Green’s. As swanky as this apartment was, Audrey didn’t think Ms. Green lived here. So if the makeup was hers, she’d just spent the night. Audrey inched forward.

  No, this makeup couldn’t belong to Ms. Green. Audrey didn’t know much about makeup but this was the wrong shade for Ms. Green. How many women did Mr. Green entertain here?

  She backed out and turned across the hall where she saw two other doors. She pushed the first one open.

  “That one’s mine.”

  The sharp, quiet voice behind her startled her, but at least she didn’t jump. Audrey looked over her shoulder. The woman who had been on the couch had silently followed her. Creepy.

  Audrey moved to the next door. This room was fully furnished but held no signs of use. The woman continued to follow her. Audrey set her bag on the dresser and turned.

  “I’m Nikki.” The woman looked her up and down. “You must be... Data?”

  Audrey nodded and studied her face. The makeup could be hers. “Who are you?”

  “I just said Nikki.”

  Great, now she thinks I’m stupid. Will I ever remember to think before blurting out a half-assed comment or question? The bad habit often made very poor first impressions. “I got that. I meant, are you working for them, too?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m your thief.” She said it proudly, as if she’d just announced she was a rocket scientist. “You’re the hacker, right?”

  Audrey didn’t like people she didn’t know having information about her. She nodded. “You live here...or just spending the night?”

  Nikki wobbled her head. “Living here. For now. Jay thinks I get into too much trouble, so I’m a prisoner.”

  “What?” It came out almost as a screech.

  Nikki laughed. “Not really. I more or less come and go as I please. He wants to keep tabs on me since he had to bail me out.”

  What have I gotten myself into? The place was nice, though, so if she had to be a prisoner, she could think of much worse places. Like her own apartment. She moved back toward the living room. The Greens were still in a heated discussion. She stared for a moment. They looked like a couple in an argument. Irritation struck her again.

  “Are they always like this?” she whispered.

  “At least half the time I see them together, yeah.” Nikki brushed past her and flopped back on the couch.

  Ms. Green’s harsh whisper carried across the room. “Still. She looks like a junkie who needs a fix.”

  “Screw you,” Audrey blasted as she walked up to them and forced her way into their conversation. She held out her arms, palms up. “Look, no track marks. You want to check between my toes, too? Or would you prefer I piss in a cup?”

  The woman said nothing. She simply arched an eyebrow at Jay.

  Audrey looked back and forth between them. “I’m clean. One hundred percent.” Turning to Ms. Green, she added, “Not all of us can afford your hoity-toity beauty products. Some of us work for a living.”

  Jay sighed behind her. “Give us a minute.”

  Audrey had no idea who he was talking to until he pushed past her and grabbed his girl’s arm and propelled her toward the door, handing her a phone from the box on the way. “I’ll handle things here.”

  “You better,” Ms. Green said. Then she slipped out the door.

  Jay came back to where Audrey waited. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nikki leaning on the back of the couch, giving this scene more attention than the TV on the wall.

  Figuring she was about to lose this gig before it even started, she continued her rant.

  “Look,” she started with her hands up. “I don’t know what game you’re playing. Flirting with me every time we talk. Maybe you were thinking about slumming it, but it was douchey.”

  His eyes flashed for a second. “Conversations go both ways. If you didn’t want to talk, you could’ve shut it down any time you wanted.”

  Therein lay the problem. She hadn’t wanted to shut it down. She enjoyed their banter. But she couldn’t afford to think about that now. “That was before I knew you were involved. I don’t know what your girlfriend’s problem is, unless she found out how you talk to other women, but I’m not going to put up with someone looking down on me and calling me a junkie.”

  “What? She’s not my girlfriend.”

  She hadn’t clocked a ring on the woman’s hand, so not wife, and the total look of horror on his face almost made Audrey laugh. Of everything she’d said, that was the one thing he homed in on? Definitely defining boundaries.

  “You sure about that, sport?” Nikki asked. “The way you two fight...when you see that in a movie, you know they’re hitting the sheets in a few minutes.”

  Audrey could’ve sworn he turned green.

  “She’s my partner. My purely platonic partner. That’s all.” He took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. While he didn’t say the words, his eyes held an apology for the misunderstanding. Something else simmered there, drawing Audrey out. Too bad she sucked at reading people.

  “I don’t know,” Nikki continued, “I feel the sexual tension in the air.”

  Audrey swallowed. She was feeling it now, too, except it had nothing
to do with Ms. Green and everything to do with the man standing in front of her.

  Then he blinked, breaking whatever spell he’d been weaving. “We’ve been planning this job for a long time. She’s worried about being successful. For everything to work, we need a functioning team.”

  Audrey rolled her eyes and Nikki snorted.

  “What?” he asked, looking back and forth between Audrey and Nikki.

  “You think your partner views us as a team?” Audrey asked.

  “She will. Why don’t you set up the equipment the way you want and we’ll start fresh tomorrow?”

  So, not fired.

  Audrey looked over to where the boxes of equipment stood. She wanted to play with everything. Was it worth putting up with someone who assumed she was an addict?

  Walking to the massive L-shaped desk, she tossed her hat on a chair, letting her hair fall to her shoulders. “Fine. But if she insults me again, I’m out.”

  Nikki laughed. “Good luck with that. I don’t think she knows how to talk to people without insulting them.”

  “She’s not that bad,” he said. He stood next to Audrey, offering her a soft smile.

  When he looked into her eyes like he was right now, she imagined the guy she’d flirted with for months. This was the man who treated her like she was important, not the help.

  Then she got a whiff of his cologne. Even that smelled expensive. Like they could charge for sniffs. She glanced at him standing there in his suit, shirt sleeves rolled to the elbow, and then glanced down at the stained shirt she’d worn for her shift at the Grind. So she wasn’t glamorous. She also didn’t look like a junkie. Ms. Green had probably never even seen an addict up close and personal. They came from different worlds. Audrey was used to it. At least she was when she expected it. Being around Jay was definitely throwing her off her game.

  “Just keep her away from me and we’ll be fine.”

  “Take everything for a spin and let me know if you need anything.” He motioned for her to sit in the leather chair he wheeled over.

  She sank down. Wow. It felt good, like a cushion to cradle all of her curves. Much better than her lumpy mattress or the creaky old chair in her room.