Page 29 of Knot a Thief

“And can we trust our contact?” I ask. “What have you found out about him?”

“His name is Silas St. James. What I’ve learned is that he is legit. He normally steals art and the occasional jewels.”

“And now he wants the ultimate, the infamous Circle of Life.” I pause as I stare at Seb. “But why does he want to hire us? Why doesn’t he do it himself?”

“He heard we’re the best.” Seb grins.

I’m still not convinced. “Really? We keep a very low profile.”

“You keep a very low profile. When someone wants a hacker, most people know about me.”

I sigh.

It’s true, Seb has always been the mastermind behind our operations. His reputation as a hacker is renowned, and I’ve always preferred to stay in the shadows. While he finds the intricate plans, I take the information and use it to my advantage.

But this job, infiltrating the heavily guarded island of the DuPont family, feels different.

“He wants to work with the person on the day. He wants in on the job,” Seb says.

I shake my head. “I work alone. Only you’re allowed in my ear and nobody is allowed to distract me.”

“He believes you and him can work really well together.”

I narrow my eyes. “Are you sure he doesn’t know who I am?”

Seb shakes his head. “He knows I’m not the man on the ground. But don’t worry, he doesn’t know who you are.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because he thinks you’re a man.”

I smile, but I still feel a sense of unease. “I don’t trust this Silas guy,” I confess, setting my coffee cup down. “Why does he want the Circle of Life?”

“In my opinion, he knows he’s not efficient enough to do the job. I know he has a contract with someone to steal it. Which means he’s a winner already. He just needs you to do the job for him and maybe his ego wants to say he did it, too.”

“Is there anything else he can get us?”

Seb leans back in his chair, contemplating my words, his fingers tapping on the table rhythmically. “Not only access to the island for a visit, but he can get you off the island in his helicopter afterward.”

“What else do you know about him? His private life, for instance.”

“There’s not much to go on. He is a single dad, but apart from that, he’s a ghost, just like us.”

A ghost.

The thought sends a chill down my spine. We’ve always prided ourselves on being elusive, operating in the shadows where no one can touch us. But there’s something about Silas that doesn’t sit well with me. It’s like a subtle warning whispering in the back of my mind.

“We need to proceed with caution,” I say, my voice low and serious. “Silas may be a ghost, but ghosts have a way of haunting you when you least expect it.”

Chapter 9

Ava

“I don’t want to visit the island as a tourist first,” I murmur, tracing my fingernail around the island on the map we have. “I’ve studied the plans. But honestly, I have no inclination to be on that island longer than I need to be.”

“Are you sure?” Seb smirks, confidence radiating off him. “I suppose that’s why they hired us, right? And to our credit, between us, we’ve always done this without a sneaky visit. It’s what happens on the day that matters.”

“Right,” I reply. A flicker of determination ignites within me, but I still hope I made the right call. “When do you suggest we undertake the mission?”

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