Page 70 of Scarlett Thief (Criminal Underground 2)

Before he could respond, another knock came at the door—two raps, a beat, and then two more. Hadrian moved for the door and opened it to find Wolf there. He strode in and shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out a familiar necklace.

Jaxson's eyes practically bulged. "How the fuck did you get that?" His gaze jumped to me.

“Ididn’t get anything,” I pointed out. “Hedid.”

“It worked like a charm, too,” Wolf replied. “Our practice earlier was perfect, you were completely right. A bump. An accident—a quick spill down the Princess’s dress and all of her attention converged into one place. No one even saw my hand slip under her hair as I took it. She had so many hands on her to help with the spill, she hardly noticed.”

I nodded. “The art of misdirection.” I returned my attention to Jaxson. “You were the one who admired that skill of mine.”

Wolf strode forward, his eyes settled on Jaxson. I held my hand out and Wolf growled at me. "Not a fucking chance, baby," he snapped. Right. I stepped back. He could put his hand near another guy’s junk, but God forbid I did. Then again, it wasn’t like I’d be interested in putting my hand on Jaxson’s junk ever again. If I did, it would be with the intent to cut it off.

I could've laughed as Jaxson’s struggles grew rougher as Wolf reached down for his pants, plying them as well as his underwear away from his skin before dropping the necklace in.

Jaxson bowed against his bindings, cursing. "You bitch!" he screamed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled and then stiffened and clenched his teeth.

I tilted my head to the side at his strange reaction, but when I guessed the reason, I laughed. "Oh, did that little diamond cut you?"

"Little?" Wolf said with an eye roll as he backed off. "That thing’s ten carats, at least."

I shrugged. "You're right then, bigger than his dick, I wonder if you keep squirming around will you get hard by the cuts or unman yourself?" I mused aloud as I stared down at Jaxson. “Keep trying—I’m hoping for the second option.”

"I'll fucking get you for this, you dumb cunt," Jaxson replied with a dry, but pained laugh. "You thought you could escape me in Rome? No. You run and I chase, baby. That's how we are. I've got to admit, though. I never expected you to try and get me back like this. I should've kept a better eye on you. Come after you sooner."

"Oh, Jax..." I backed up a step as Hadrian opened the door and Wolf bent to the floor and grabbed the ball gag that I'd dropped to shove it back into his mouth and buckle it into place. He then lifted Jaxson up and threw him over his massive shoulder. "You won't be coming after anybody for a long time."

"Is it done?" I asked, looking to Wolf as we left the room.

He grinned at me before reaching into his leathers and withdrawing an ID—done by one of the best forgers money could buy. I had to admit as I glanced at Hadrian, he had his contacts too. "I'll be taking our friend to the Swiss police and you two find the Prince and his wife. We've got all we need to prove that we've stopped one of the premiere thieves from stealing something so precious to them.”

As Jaxson's face pivoted toward me, I saw his harsh gaze focused on me, his upside down position turning his face beet red. I grinned and took the package Wolf passed me as well.

"Have fun in jail, Jax." I slipped the real diamond necklace over my head and tucked it into my corset—out of sight. "Remember, don't drop the soap."

Hadrian laughed as he took my arm and together, we split off—leaving Wolf to his job and the two of us to finish the rest. It was time to get this diamond to its new owner and get the three of our lives back.

* * *

2 weeks later...

I stareddown at the number on my cell as well as the name attached to it for a moment before I sighed and swiped green, putting it to my ear. In the rearview mirror, Wolf glanced back at me, raising his brows as if to ask if I was okay. I shook my head and answered the man on the line.

"Good evening, Mr. Proxy," I said in a teasing tone. "I take it you and your employer have received the package."

"We have." Gaven's voice came over the line with more amusement than usual. "And Mr. Black sends his appreciation along with the promise that all blackmail files will be burned from existence both physically and electronically."

"And the money?" I inquired as Wolf turned into a rather nice looking apartment complex. We bypassed the apartment buildings and headed straight for the row of townhomes in the back.

"We've wired several million dollars to each of the participating party's accounts. Yours were in the Caymans, I believe." I pulled the phone from my ear, switching to my banking app for that bank account to double check his information. The second I saw all of those zeroes, I smiled and replaced the cell to my ear.

"I received the funds," I said. "I assume this means I'll be left alone for the foreseeable future, Belmonte. In fact, I'm going to more than assume—I'm going to insist on it. We've done the job. It's over. If I—or Wolf or Diablo—find that you've gone back on your word to destroy those files, I want you to understand that you're not the only one with powerful allies."

Gaven's chuckle was rough and deeply amused. "Understood, Scarlett," he said. "Rest assured, Mr. Black is quite pleased by his prize and the actions of your team."My team, I thought. It was a strange term, but one that I'd grown accustomed to in the last few weeks. I was truly starting to think of my men and me as a team. “Though, I heard the Prince and his wife are somehow not at all aware of their missing jewel. How did you manage that?”

I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth before answering. “El Diablo,” I began, looking up and staring pointedly at the back of Hadrian’s head. “Had a forger in Switzerland. A very good forger with many skills. Identification, documents, paintings, and even jewelry.”

“I see,” Gaven replied. “You swapped it out—but then I also heard that there was a theft attempt and they caught the culprit? Mr. Norrison. I seem to remember you being involved with him some years back.”

I lightened my tone. “Everyone makes mistakes,” I said casually. It was easier to talk about Jaxson knowing he was behind bars for the foreseeable future. It also reminded me of the request I’d yet to ask him.

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