Page 76 of Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms
Expensive suit, expensive house, expensive car. He was certainly consistent.
Natalie placed her hands on my back, as if to steady herself, and the corners of my mouth lifted. My gut told me Julian wasour guy, and I was almost disappointed. Once I retrieved the necklace, the job would be done.
I liked working with Natalie. I liked fucking her too, but that was just the cherry on top.
“We should probably get out of here,” she whispered. “If he’s home, we don’t want him to see us sneaking around.”
“No, we don’t. As soon as we get to the road, we’re just a couple out for a walk in the snow.”
“Got it.”
We rose and crept through the last of the trees. As soon as our feet hit the sidewalk, Natalie fell in step with me. I clasped her hand—just a man with his woman—as we made our way to my car.
“I’d call that a success,” I said once we were inside and back on the road, driving away.
“Did we get enough information? We didn’t even get in his yard.”
“No, but we didn’t need to. This confirms most of my suspicions—He’s a collector. He has money. And his security is formidable.”
“Maybe I should have asked this question sooner, but how exactly does this end?”
“My job is to retrieve the necklace.”
“And by that, you mean steal it back.”
“In a manner of speaking. I’m being paid to return the piece to its rightful owners.”
“Which means you’re going to steal it from the thief.”
I glanced at her and raised my eyebrows. “No, darling.Weare going to steal it from the thief.”
She bit her bottom lip, and I could see her trying not to smile. She had a thirst for adventure. It made me like her even more.
“Okay, Mr. Lakes,” she said. “What’s our next move?”
“We need to get inside.”
“How?”
“I haven’t come up with a solution yet.”
We were quiet for a long moment while I drove. I took it slow. I wasn’t worried about my ability to drive in the increasingly heavy snow. I knew what I was doing. But it was other people one had to worry about.
“You said before that normally you’d find a way to get an invitation,” she said. “You meant make friends with him and get him to invite you over?”
“More or less.”
“How would you do that?”
“Find a way to be in the same place and strike up a conversation. Work in something about his interests. Make him feel like we’re long-lost friends. But if he’s suspicious of me in any way, it won’t work.”
“Do you think he’d be suspicious of me?”
“Hard to say. He did seem to want to talk to you at the Snowflake Ball. Why?”
“What if I get the invitation?”
A surge of—dare I say it—jealousy ran hot through my veins. An invitation to Julian’s house would mean a date.
