Page 35 of The San Marco Heist

“Like not giving you a hug when you’re…” He gestured vaguely at my face.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. If he uttered the bald-faced lie that one molecule of moisture had leaked out of my treacherous eye, I’d definitely push him out and leave him.

“When you’re happy to see me?” He grinned, which vanished when I didn’t return it. Malcolm was obviously used to women caving to him at every turn—and men, if Bruce White was any indication—but this was a job. One that wasn’t over until Emmett and everyone else was home safe.

I pressed the ignition and let out a long sigh. Maybe I could confess more to Malcolm, since he wouldn’t be around long. What did it matter what he thought in the end? “I’m scared.”

His hand headed toward my leg again, but I didn’t flinch this time. He was, however, smart enough to stop himself. “About Emmett?”

“Yeah, and about this whole job.”

He settled back in his seat, arms folded and body canted toward me. “You don’t strike me as the type who’s scared of anything.”

“The ice queen, right?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I’m guessing ice princess would be more accurate?”

Bingo. ‘Reynolds women’ only included Mum and me. Somehow, Brie got free of those expectations. She was more than happy buried behind a mountain of screens and code, which left me to lead the family business. I’d never seen a tear from Mum unless she was getting out of a speeding ticket or on the couple of jobs she did with us when we opened the company ten years ago.

Not even at Dad’s sentencing.

“We lost a team member a couple of years ago after some problems with our communications.” A shudder ran the length of me, and the vision of Noah’s car going off the side of the bridge was as clear as day again.Calm. Breathe.“When you cut out like that, it distracted me, and I got caught sneaking around his cubicle.”

“How could you even tell I was gone with all those people talking?”

“I guess we’ve both been trained to work in different conditions.” I turned to face him. In the afternoon gloom, his eyes were almost gray, like the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond. “But I’m serious—what Ican’twork with is a lone wolf who thinks he knows better than the rest of us.”

“Okay, deal.” He unwound one arm and held his hand out. “I still want in. I still want to help.”

I shook his hand. His big, strong hand with the firm grip, which had been on my back, my arm, my shoulder, my waist. Heat should not have been pouring through me at that moment, but it was. There were more important things in the world than my lack of a love life.

“Maybe we need our own safe word?” At the quirk of his lips, I hauled my hand out of his. “You know, for when I’m being too much of a lone wolf.”

The heat traveled upward, into my chest, and a little into my jaw. Son of a bitch. “You have no control, do you?”

“All the control I need.” He recrossed the arms and settled back as I pulled into traffic. “Now, what’s with this drone? Will keeps talking about it.”

“He built it before his mother got sick and he moved back here.” I let out a little laugh, remembering when he unveiled it to a chorus of ‘That’s it?’ from the entire team. “Brie likes to tease him about its size.”

“And we’re using it tonight?”

I shook my head. “We’ll go back to the hotel, eat, and review the floor plan sketches. Go over more contingencies, and I’m sure Declan wants to talk about the safe room. Jayce will want to talk about ingress points. But tomorrow morning will be for surveillance, including the drone.”

Chapter 15

Malcolm

TheReynoldsteamdidn’tdo things small. For them, surveillance was more like a police operation than a private investigator. Will’s decked-out Sprinter van looked like a camper van. Fold-up bed in the back, bathroom with ceramic toilet and shower, four leather chairs at the front, and a fridge and kitchenette.

But once the window shades went down, he hit a few buttons and screens withdrew from their hiding spaces behind cabinets. The bedframe converted into a desk with the primary display, where Brie’s yawning face appeared.

“Morning.” Will smiled at her, a sheepish look which didn’t seem appropriate on him. He was a few years younger than me and wore geeky shirts like I’d expected—Star Wars jokes both yesterday and today—but he was as tall as I was and obviously worked out as regularly as I did.

Brie held up a steaming mug. “It sure is!”

Rav was out following the husband, who was playing a round of golf with his son-in-law to be. Declan followed the wife for brunch with her daughter and bridesmaids. I should have been doing one of those jobs. No matter what any of them said, I had more experience trailing people.

I was a patient man, but since our experience with the architect, Scarlett hadn’t let me out of her sight. I’d made a few jokes about it last night, but her frosty exterior persisted all evening. Not a glimpse of the woman she’d revealed in the car.

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