Page 7 of The Twilight Theft

His son’s mistress had attempted to blackmail him with a pregnancy story. It hadn’t taken me much mental effort to identify the true father and put that to rest. Plus, I’d instilled enough fear in her about crossing the Tremaines that Gideon’s daughter-in-law would never find out about the affair.

“Craig tells me you have experience with thieves.”

My hand gravitated to my watch.A little too much experience. “I do.”

“This drive contains a listing of all event personnel, blueprints of the location, and a schedule of activities.” He passed the thumb drive to me. “I’d like you to head up a special security detail designed to keep this chip safe.”

“And your reputation?” I slid the drive into my inside breast pocket, where my phone should have been. Maybe I needed zippers added. “That’s what we’re really protecting here?”

“The charity gala is my wife’s brainchild. The merging of art and technology.” Gideon swept a hand through the air, shaking his head slightly at the scope of his wife’s vision. “Complete with auction and display.”

“Will any of her pieces be included?”

“She’s been working on something for six months. I’ve hardly seen her the last few weeks.” Gideon’s wife was a well-known artist, renowned for industrial-sized work. “I won’t let her efforts be spoiled because of my tiny chip.”

“It’s not our normal type of contract, but Gideon came to me personally.” Craig hadn’t touched his whiskey. He normally nursed his drinks, fitting in with anyone who held a glass but keeping his senses sharp. “I’ve already agreed to the contract. My focus is on crafting a campaign to deal with the fallout in case the thief or thieves are successful. While I’m working on that, I’d like you to coordinate our team. Bring in any specialists you deem necessary.”

In other words, he wanted more than our team of five involved. There were several local contractors we’d worked with on other jobs, but when Gideon Tremaine hired you, you used the best.

And it was going to hurt.

I rolled the crystal tumbler between my palms, watching the liquid swirl, appreciating the scent of raisins wafting from it.

“If you want to prevent a heist, your best defense is another heist crew—if you can find one you trust.” I took a sip, barely tasting the fine whiskey over the flavor of irritation coating my tongue. “I think we should call in Reynolds Recoveries.”

Craig nodded at Gideon and his curious look. “They’re smart, fast, and, most importantly, discreet. We’ve worked with them twice. Your chip would be in excellent hands.”

With the decision made, our conversation veered toward the weather, a minor scandal brewing for a junior senator, and the shopping habits of the other men’s wives. I smiled at the right places, laughed with them, and contributed an anecdote about my ex and her handbag fetish.

The memory of my encounter with Jayce intensified as the conversation turned increasingly mundane. Scarlett, her team lead, was a gorgeous woman. Tall and slender, with long brown hair, she dressed in designer clothes and had a smile that could melt the polar ice caps.

I knew her type. Trained from an early age to best men like me, she knew what to say and when to say it, whether it was with words, her body, or a simple glance.

Still, it was the little spitfire who did what she wanted when she wanted, consequences be damned, who’d captured my attention. Average height with light olive skin, brown eyes, and broad shoulders, her background couldn’t have been more different from Scarlett’s. Instead of working in the shadows where she lurked now, Jayce had grown up in the spotlight. Three World Gymnastics gold medals, five silvers, and a vault routine named the Monroe which had more flips and twists than I could wrap my head around.

It all came to an abrupt halt at twenty, only months before her Olympic debut. That’s when the information about her grew sparse. One car accident, and she went from international champion to… an irritating thief who’d stolen my phone.

“I’ll call my pilot,” said Gideon, snapping me back to the room.

How much had I missed?

Craig tossed back his drink and stood. “We’ll be in touch in a couple of days.”

I followed suit and shook Gideon’s hand, thanking him for the drink and conversation. Craig and I walked out together.

“Reynolds is a good idea,” said Craig. “Are you sure you can work with them after the last time?”

The last time, we hadn’t set the boundaries as tightly as we should have. I’d deferred to their expertise and Jayce had taken advantage of that.

This time? I’d be running the show and she’d either do as I told her or she’d be off the team. “It’ll go smoothly.”

“Exactly what I wanted to hear.”

And if it didn’t?

At least I’d get my phone back.

Chapter 3

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