Page 52 of The San Marco Heist

“European champion?” She laughed.

“That’s what happens when I’m the only one living in Europe.”

“I call teams,” said Declan. “And the champion is my partner.”

Jayce and Will left with Declan, throwing taunts at each other. Hers were clever and quippy, Declan’s were faux-cocky, while Will’s were mostly delivered five feet over both of their heads.

I missed having Will at home with us. Remote technology made things easier, but he didn’t get this sort of team bonding. The job was important—especially the job we were on right now—but doing it with people you knew like the back of your hand made everything better.

Not like Malcolm Sharpe. He was clever, fast on his feet, and had made all the right moves. No matter what I said to him.

And the way he’d stood up to my mother? Emmett was the only one who’d ever done that for me. Obviously, it was because he was new and didn’t understand the hierarchy at Reynolds. It wasn’t personal. He wasn’t coming to my rescue like some white knight.

All the same, it changed something. I didn’t have the time or brainpower to figure out what exactly, but something.

Rav settled into a chair opposite me and leaned forward on his elbows. “Do you want me to stay? Or should I mop the floor with the champion?”

In case I missed his point, he looked intentionally toward the bar, where Malcolm had gone. That was the Do you need your big brother?look.

I leaned forward to match him. “You are not seriously asking me if I need you to stay here for my protection?”

He shrugged. “I still haven’t decided if I want to kill him or not.”

A laugh burst free from me, and I shoved him with my foot under the table.

With a wink, he stood. “You can’t tell all of us to take it easy for the evening and not do the same yourself. You’re going to be the one mingling with the crowd tomorrow, so you need to be on your A game, too.”

“Yes, boss.” I shooed him off in the direction the others had gone.

Now that was a relationship no amount of digital technology could have replaced. Rav went with me on every single job, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt he had my back. In every way possible.

One word from me and he would’ve had Malcolm over his shoulder, asking whether he should throw him into an airplane or the Thames.

Maybe I should have forced Emmett to take Rav with him on his littledateto New York. Kept him out of trouble.

No, my brother was a grown man. He was flippant and a risk-taker. But he was clever and always stood up to me—not just Mum—at the right times. Told me when my plans were stupid or short-sighted. And he always did it with either a laugh or a smirk.

My throat tightened.We should still be planning. We should be going over more contingencies and more mitigation. More alternatives.The team should have gotten over whatever argument they were having and understood that we had a bigger priority.

Reynolds women don’t cry, Scar. Get your head on straight.Mum was right. I had to focus on our goal and work like it was any other job.

Otherwise, I’d get sloppy. And sloppy meant we lost people. I balled up my toes to fight off the flood of emotions sitting just below my surface. I wouldn’t lose my brother, too. He’d be alright.

“How goes the thinking?” A pitcher and five glasses on a tray landed on the table in front of me. “They’ll bring the food over when it’s ready.”

I nodded, and Malcolm poured the beers.

“Where’d they all go?”

I gestured to the far end of the pub, past full tables and patrons milling about. People, smiling and chatting and having a good time. People with no idea who we were or what we were going to do the next day. People who were going about their normal lives while we infiltrated a wedding reception to steal an ancient golden ring. “Jayce can be a little aggressive. Will’s gonna kick her ass.”

“She eats like a linebacker.”

“If you had her metabolism, you’d probably be the same.”

Instead of taking one of the three chairs around the table, Malcolm slid onto the booth seat next to me. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you in private since Will’s place yesterday but haven’t had the chance.”

He hadn’t been subtle about it, nor had I been subtle about avoiding him since he argued with my mother and then discovered he’d be my date for the party. The concept was simple enough. But add the shared accommodations tonight, plus the intention to pose as a married couple, and it was a disaster waiting to happen. Not to mention the escalation of our levels of physicality to pull it off.

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