Page 2 of Snowed in with the Billionaires

My plan is ingenious, birthed from a stroke of pure luck when I overheard a kernel of vital information. Months of planning later, and now with my sleeping gas, restraints, and truth serum, I’ll get what I want, and they’ll think it was just an odd little dream.

It helps that my best friend, Amanda Wilkins, a junior scientist, works in the lab of some secret government organization and has access to some mind-boggling things. The stories she tells me are crazy. But I only needed some base-level stuff from her. Things that wouldn’t be missed if she snagged a few vials from their supplies.

After this, I’m home free. I’m going to miss Amanda like crazy, but once the dust settles, we’ll meet again.

I close my eyes and imagine crystal clear blue water, white powdery sand, the sun enveloping me in its warmth, and not a single worry to mar my thoughts as I sip sweet drinks with umbrellas in them.

And everyone I love, safe and sound.

Chapter Two

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Madisyn

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Idon’t know how thisis happening, but the longer I sleep in this bed, the more comfortable it becomes. It must be the lambs’ wool handmade breathable mattress and the fine linens with more threads in them than I made dollars in my entire life.

But I can’t luxuriate my time away. This isn’t a holiday. I still have to pull off the biggest, most dangerous operation of my young life, no matter how confident I feel in my abilities.

I force myself out of bed and trudge to the kitchen for coffee, instant coffee because I don’t want to leave any fresh evidence of being there. Mentally, I go over my plan, introducing additional sets of problems and how I’ll deal with them if they arise. This sharpens my wits, but I can’t shake the layer of agitation that clings to me.

I’m usually very in control. Circumstance, not choice, taught me how to be a thief by the age of thirteen, and I’m damn good at it, executing projects seasoned men in their prime failed to do. But this one...

Had the task involved different men, I would take it in my stride. But I’m a little on edge, to say the least, based solely on who they are and their reputations and... what the thought of them does to me, a little voice squeaks in the background of my mind.

I go over my plan again. It’s still foolproof. I can get away with this if I maintain my composure. But the instant the faces of the three billionaires flash in my mind, a knot forms in my stomach and twists hard. I get all hot and flustered, and I struggle to get my breathing under control again.

After washing out my cup and putting it back in its place, I do a sweep of the kitchen and living room areas to make sure I've left no signs of being there. I’m supposed to enter and leave their cabin like a ghost.

Satisfied, I go back to the bedroom to do a thorough cleanup there. While the wind howls incessantly outside, I make the bed, shake out the cover, then the sheets, and put them all back together again. I’m about to rearrange the pillows exactly as they were when my skin prickles.

I strain to hear. Was that the faint sound of a helicopter or just the wind? I listen intently. When minutes go by, I brush it off as my imagination, which is not a good thing. I can’t start imagining shit—my mission will go straight to hell.

I hear the door opening.

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