Page 60 of The San Marco Heist

“Do you need me?” asked Scarlett.

“No, no, all good. I’ll call if there’s any news,” I said in a voice loud enough for Bruce to hear. Hopefully, it was also clear to the team I wasn’t ignoring my job. I slipped the phone into my pocket and smiled at Bruce. “Good to see you again.”

He gestured behind himself toward the house, giving me an excuse to scan the facade again. For a half-second, a black smudge moved in the shadows cast by the turret, landing on top of the skylight. At least one of them made it.

“And you!” Bruce’s gaze roamed down my body as he sauntered closer. “I thought you were flying to Tuscany on Monday afternoon?”

“Change of plans.” I had to be careful with my words. “Not really a change of plans. Everything’s fine. Eloise and I simply decided to stay in town a little longer.”

“I made sure to visit everyone I knew during dinner and didn’t see either of you.” He stopped a few feet from me. “I wouldn’t have missedyou.”

If Brie hadn’t muted herself, her snorts and giggles would have filled my ears. Flirting with him had produced results on Monday, but he was an unwelcome addition to the evening.

“And you didn’t tell me you knew Hugo Albrecht.”

This was dangerous territory.Change the subject. “And where’s your plus-one?”

He shrugged, waving a hand vaguely at the party. “She’s over there somewhere, chatting someone’s ear off, I’m sure.”

How could I get rid of him without having to leave my post? “Why don’t you bring her over? I’d love to meet her.”

“Don’t get in deeper with him,” whispered Scarlett.

You think I don’t know that, woman?

“To be honest,” continued Bruce, moving nearer, “I don’t enjoy her company very much, so the busier she is with feeling over-important, the better.”

“Do you think you could arrange for a tour of the house for Eloise and me?”

He barely lifted one shoulder. “How about a private tour? Maybe I can show you where that safe room is?”

From the twinkle in his eye, it was clear I’d done an even more convincing job on Monday than I’d thought.

“Skylight opens.” Jayce’s voice was barely a breath, but unmistakable. The first part of the plan worked. Once they were inside, they wouldn’t need me in this position until it was time to leave.

“A private tour would be wonderful.” Was I really the one being reduced to the eyelash flutterer again? No matter how many successes I had with this team, it still felt like I couldn’t win. “But I’m dying to know. Where did you hide the safe room?”

“Oh you just wait, Lucius.” He gave me a wink and patted my chest before turning to leave. Over his shoulder, he said, “I’ll talk to Hugo. Give me fifteen minutes. Maybe twenty if he’s dancing.”

Fuck. “The security guy on the roof is headed back in your direction. Either hide or get in fast.”

One of them tapped twice—what did going forward mean at this point? Hiding? Or entering?

“You did a good job with him,” said Scarlett. “Nice try on the safe room.”

I stared after Bruce’s form as he crossed the side patios into the backyard, head on a swivel. He’d be insistent, searching for Hugo Albrecht as quickly as possible. We couldn’t take a tour that went to the safe room.

What was my play when he came back? Avoid him? Hide?

I squared my body to the tent, appearing to the world as though my focus was on the party. But my eyes were everywhere. I watched the guard finish his walk to the corner, checked for figures in the stairwell, kept eyes out for anyone I might need to distract.

Three taps came across the comms. Now what?

“Can you talk?” asked Rav.

Three long taps. Double fuck.

Something was wrong. But the guard was too close, and they couldn’t tell us.

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