Page 18 of The Twilight Theft

“When are we visiting the venue?” I asked.

“Tomorrow morning. We’ll meet with my team…” Drew paused, his gaze finally dropping to the table again. What was that about? “Then we’ll go.”

“Drew?” said Scarlett. “Can you walk me through—”

I wandered the length of the private jet to the small galley. Our flight team kept it stocked with snacks—and they knew my favorites. A brief rummage pulled up a blueberry and pecan protein bar, plus a bag of chips. And a bottle of water. Perfect. I balanced it all on top of the tablet and sat in one of the forward cabin reclining seats, tucking my legs underneath myself.

There were too many doors to this location. If security guarded all of them, it would put the guests off. Since Gideon and his wife would want them to open their wallets as much as possible, they’d want the guests comfortable.

Instead of guarding the doors and preventing a thief from getting in or out, the best bet would be to increase the security for the chip itself. I funneled food into my mouth, savoring the crispness of the chips first. Sweetness would come later from the protein bar.

The venue was long and had two stories. The chip and some other showcase items would be in a banquet room, forty-eight feet by fifty-three. Two doors on the south wall to the sprawling patio, one on the west to the main dining room, another to the west for stairs to the bathrooms, and finally one on the north wall heading to the kitchen. They were all double doors, save the one for the kitchen. The east wall was the only one not open to the world.

Could they have picked a location with more options for a thief to get in and out of?

It was a data chip. A tiny thing as easy to steal as a—well, as a phone. I took a sip of my water, glancing at Drew as covertly as I could. He was deep in conversation with Scarlett, the two of them pointing at things and shuffling papers and tech. Rav joined their discussion as Malcolm stood and walked past me to the heads.

I put the water bottle into the holder next to me and woke my tablet, staring at the doors on the floor plan.

Drew fit in with my team better than I did. He could handle hours of focus and analysis.

My eyes were already glazing over.

You don’t have a focus problem, Jayce.I’d barely slept last night. If it was onlymyteam on the jet, I would have snuck into the private cabin in the back and napped until we got to DC.

Although if it was onlymyteam on this job, I wouldn’t have been tossing and turning all night, thinking about Drew. Drew and his trim little beard and the lips that never curved up into a smile. The jaw that kept on flexing. The clever eyes that saw everything.

I chuckled to myself. They saw everything except me stealing his watch and phone.

Yeah, he fit in with my team. None of them would have caught me, either.

Malcolm appeared, taking the seat across from me. “What do you think?”

“They’re like two peas in a pod.” I kept my gaze fixed on Malcolm, but my attention was on Drew and Scarlett.

“They are.” He didn’t turn his head. “Same intensity.”

I lowered my voice. “Doesn’t that make you worry?”

“Worry?” Malcolm’s eyes narrowed, dimming their ridiculous blueness. “He’s worked with Reynolds before, right? Brie’s done the background checks and ensured he’s trustworthy?”

“Twice and yes, but that’s not what I mean.” I unwound my legs from underneath me so I could lean closer. “You know. The two of them?”

Malcolm’s face relaxed and he chuckled. “Any sign of an attraction between them before?”

“No, but they were quick jobs.”

“So was the one I did with Reynolds.” He’d shown up on Scarlett’s doorstep after Emmett was kidnapped. She’d pulled a gun on him, and somehow, within two weeks, Malcolm melted her normally frosty exterior. Now he lived with her and worked with us. “Why would I worry?”

“What if he can give her something you can’t?”

“There will always be people who can do that, but it doesn’t mean they can replace me or what she and I have.”

How could he be so sure after so little time? He’d brought a special skill set to our team, but one that wasn’t completely unique. Emmett and Rav had investigative talents, too. Emmett could talk anyone out of anything. Scarlett could plan any op within an inch of its life.

He and Scarlett didn’t have the past she had with Rav. Malcolm was gorgeous, but so were the other men. Almost as hot as irritatingly sexy Drew.

“You can always be replaced.” By someone more talented, more acceptable, more capable. I pulled my left leg underneath myself, kneading a thumb into the spot above my knee that would hurt if I sat much longer. I’d been replaced easily enough after the accident.

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