Page 75 of Brazen Mistakes

“Hey,” he says, his smile bright as he unfolds himself from the ottoman couch. “Are you done?”

“I have a dress, Summer has a dress, so I think we’re good.” I wipe the soot from his cheek, and he presses his lips to my palm.

Trips looks up from his phone. “What about clothes for brunch the next morning?”

Summer nods, like this is something she’s already thought about. “I figured we’d hit up Angelique’s for day wear. I have some consignment shops in mind for a coat and purse that don’t scream this season. And Oliver’s should be good for shoes. Clara’s dress for the party will need to be hemmed and perhaps taken in a touch at the waist, so we’ll leave it here for now.”

Trips raises a brow, and Summer smiles. “I’m sure they can guess that as well once they have her measurements. I’ll text you heel height after Oliver’s. Now, what are we doing for jewelry?”

Walker stretches, the hint of skin showing above his belt, and poorly timed butterflies flutter in my gut. Lying next to him last night and not having sex was torture.

I hate it, but I get it. Sex, as great as it is, isn’t fixing me. And Walker doesn’t want to be my distraction. He wants more. He deserves more.

But sex is the only Band-Aid I’ve got right now.

I don’t know what to do about it, besides knocking on Jansen’s door every night. But that’s not fair to Walker. Or RJ. If this is going to work, it has to be fair.

It takes a second for my sluggish brain to catch up to what Walker’s been saying while I’ve been caught by my own thoughts. And hormones. Can’t forget about those. “—needs, and we’ll take care of it.”

Summer hands her dress to the attendant just outside our room, along with a credit card. “Dark silver or white gold, brushed, not shiny. No glitter or sparkles. They’ll make her look like a prom queen. Maybe onyx for stones? Something moody, cool-toned, and dark, either way. For the party, earrings and a bangle, no necklace. She’ll need a watch for the next morning, and simpler earrings for the next day. Also,” she locks eyes with Trips, “One cuff, the bigger the better, and simple earrings in the same style. No bling. We’re looking for force, not grace.”

Trips records the list on his phone, and I have to clear my throat to get everyone’s attention. “Don’t I get a say in this?”

Walker slides up beside me, pressing a kiss to my head. “Let us spoil you for once.”

“What if I don’t like what you pick out?”

The look he gives me is so full of smug confidence, I can’t help but laugh.

“Fine. I won’t make a fuss. But that’s only because I don’t know that I’ll have the energy to fuss after all this shopping I apparently still have to do.”

Trips jams his phone into his pocket. “Good. We have time before RJ and Jansen get back. There’s a coffee shop around the corner. Let’s get you something to eat.”

“Do we have time? When do all the shops close?”

Summer chuckles as Trips smirks. “I just sent a timed itinerary to the stores. They’ll be open for us.”

I link arms with Walker, and after a moment, Trips as well. “Westerhouse money freaks me out. Time to fuel up for the long day ahead.”

I shouldn’t be surprised when Trips pulls away after a moment. And I’m not, not really.

But if it weren’t for the soft squeeze of my arm before he slipped free, I might have cried. As it is, I force another smile onto my face and trudge out into the cold, off to buy more impossibly expensive things that I don’t want, all while wishing I could have one less father to impress, and one more guy on my arm.

Chapter 28

RJ

Ihadn’t planned on doing surveillance today, but here I am, a dozen miles from the rest of our group, waiting on Jansen to scope out the target’s setup.

Idling in the SUV with the heater cranked high, half a block down from the address Trips sent to us, I think through what we know. Apparently, this mark is a congenital, secretive asshole, a former good friend of Trips’ father, and a collector of illegally seized WWII jewelry. Family heirlooms lost during one of the greatest genocides in history all seem to find their way to this creep.

The things rich people collect shouldn’t bother me anymore, but somehow, they just keep surprising me with how dirty the upstanding gentlemen of our world will get.

Thankfully, Jansen’s going to liberate a few pieces for Clara to wear to the party. The “collector” doesn’t insure the jewels, as he didn’t come by a damn one of them honestly, and onceClara’s done with them, we can work on reuniting the pieces with their family. It’s a win all around.

The security looked tight but not impossible when we first rolled by. If I can tap into the hardline for the security system, I should be able to guide Jansen to the jewels without issue. So Jansen’s doing a run around the block, looking for access so we can get this set up before nightfall.

Once I figure out where the jewels are kept and when a good time to break in might be, we can come back and do our retrieval.

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