Page 14 of Scarlett Thief (Criminal Underground 2)

7

Hadrian

The two of them were going back and forth while glaring at each other.

Hm, I thought, taking mental notes.The Merc and the thief have the hots for each other, so much that if I don’t get a cold shower soon I’m going to have some issues.The sexual tension between them could be cut with a knife … if they didn't cut each other first.

Now, how to get the two of them to slip up and give me information?

Wolf, who was currently eyeing the Scarlett Thief with a predatory glare, would be the difficult one. Pushing him to a breaking point or waiting him out would work, I decided, my eyes shifting to the thief. For her though, it was blatantly obvious she was used to being able to flirt her way in and out of situations with ease.

Good thing two people can play that game.

I'd been in this world for a long time, watching people and digging into their secrets as my specialty. I could see right through the mask the thief was trying to use to hide from us, and I knew there was something there besides the seductress. It was highly unlikely Wolf was fooled by her facade either; she was going to have to work harder than that if she wanted to pull one over on two pros. She'd been messing with little fish for far too long.

"We still don't knowyour realname," I cut in, forming a plan as I talked. "Might as well introduce yourself. Properly, not your moniker since that’s no secret. It's only polite since we have."

"You really want to continue this conversation on the steps of the house? My, you two are good at the entire secretive ‘anonymous’ thing,” she stated sarcastically. It was a poor attempt at dodging the question, so I shrugged, willing to play the game for as long as it took to get her to tell us.

"They already know everything about us and if we're going to be stuck together until the job is done, I think it'd be better to know your first name. Can't exactly keep calling you blondie or hot stuff like I have been in my head. Unless you want me to call you the Scarlett Thief out and about, you know, since I’m so good at being a criminal."

Her lips thinned at my taunt.

I had to admit, my prodding wasn’t solely for research purposes; I was curious. The woman before me had completed several prolific thefts in the past, and while I knew her name and what she was capable of, I didn’tknowher. This was my chance to pick apart the pretty face behind the heists, to see just how much information she was willing to give me. How far could I push her past that hardened sexy facade?

"How do I know you're trustworthy?"

Her question was filled with laughter, playing my game, but she couldn’t hide the disbelief threading through her words as if she couldn't believe she was even thinking of participating in what we were about to do.

"My ass is on the line too, unless you weren't paying attention to the conversation we just had."

"Alright,Hadrian. If you're so keen to get to know one another..." the thief murmured seductively, strutting closer. Her previous anger melted into a flirtatious facade that I saw right through. It was all about the control, I noted with each click of her heels on the sidewalk. Everything had to be her way, in a manner she knew how to work to her advantage. Nothing given unless she had to. Tucking the information away, my attention drifted to the sparkly choker she wore. "Scarlett," she finally revealed, recognizing that now was one of those times she had to give something up.

"We know you're the Scarlett Thief, pretty sure that's not what I meant," I countered with a glare.

Another smirk appeared. "Yes, I'm Scarlett, the Scarlett Thief."

Forcing my face flat, I realized while it was ballsy, and I had to give her credit, it was clever.

"You've been flouncing about stealing everything using your real name?" Wolf shook his head and muttered, "Jesus fuck, you're going to get us caught."

"Excuse the fuck out of you, I've been doing just fine all these years. Besides, hiding in plain sight is one of the smartest things you can do because no one expects the answer to be right in front of them. So, why don't you just go fuck yourself,Wolf?" she hissed, and the merc actually growled in response to her disrespectful tone.

"Do you ever stop fucking talking?" Wolf’s fingers curled into a white-knuckled fist.

"Yes, but why stop when you’re such a great listener?”

Every interaction, each movement, all the details. It all went into my head to dissect later, adding to my list of things to investigate.

"Back to the topic," I interjected loudly when it looked like they were about to continue to argue. "What is our next step going to be? I know you said you had some plans, Scarlett, so what are they?"

"Go over the file, identify the best way to infiltrate the home, and get the diamond. Not that complicated," she outlined, but even with her blasé tone, I could hear the lie within her words. "Figured we can meet up later and go over what we've all discovered and make a plan … as a team." She shivered—presumably at the thought of being a team—and her lips shifted into a sneer and then a salacious grin directed at me. "Though I'm pretty sure I could use those computer skills of yours,Hadrian, if you'd like to assist once we're in the country."

The sinful note of my name on her lips wasn't lost on me, and I smirked, already planning my next moves. Flirting, manipulation, seduction. They were a delicate game. Chess pieces across a board. Scarlett might have been able to easily play her way to capturing the king during her jobs, but this time she had an opponent who could see three moves ahead before she even tried to make them. I had the upper hand and I could already see how the game would end game.

She was going to be putty in my hands before this job was over.

"So, where do you two plan on beginning?" she finally asked, glancing between the two of us.

---