Daylight Robbery
An Aspen Falls Novel
Melissa Pearl
Anna Cruise
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Epilogue
Dear reader…
Aspen Falls Novels
Bonus Material
© Copyright 2018 Melissa Pearl & Anna Cruise
http://www.melissapearlauthor.com
https://www.melissapearlauthor.com/page/anna-cruise/
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover art (copyright) by Shayne Leighton
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This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your preferred retailer and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Acknowledgments
There’s always a bittersweet sensation in my soul when I write the last book in a series. Although, this may not be the last Aspen Falls novel, depending on what readers vote for—see the Dear Reader letter to find out more :)
Kellan’s story has been with me for a really long time. I actually came up with the storyline years ago. And when I say years, I’m talking a couple of decades. The story has obviously changed and evolved, but when I was mapping out the Aspen Falls Novels with Anna, I found the perfect place for it.
I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I loved writing it.
I’d like to thank all the people who helped me complete this novel: Anna, Rachael, Kristin, Lenore, Shayne, and my proofreading/review team.
I’d also like to thank the people who constantly cheer me on, providing emotional and mental support always: my amazing readers, my Songbirds & Playmakers and my family and friends. I love you all.
And lastly, I’d like to thank my heavenly father who is my friend, savior and mentor.
His love knows no bounds and I will always be grateful for his presence in my life.
xx
Melissa
For Leah
One of the strongest women I know. You are amazing and I love you.
Thanks for being such a great friend :)
1
Wednesday, September 26th
1:20pm
The white van took a left and accelerated down the road.
Leah could sense they were getting close to their destination. She couldn’t exactly see. The van had no windows to watch the scenery pass by, and it was designed that way.
For all the public knew, the van was exactly what the signage on the side said: PETE’S PAINT AND WALLPAPERING SERVICE.
They’d never find out the real truth, because the van would stop in a predetermined point of isolation so six young teens could file out the door and get to work. Not painting or wallpapering.
Leah glanced at her friends. They were lining the van walls, packed close together on the hard bench seats. She wondered how the day’s job would turn out.
So far they’d had a 100 percent success rate.
Sure, they’d cut it close a few times, but this gang of thieves had yet to be caught.
The van turned right and Leah pitched sideways, bumping into JJ’s shoulder. She quickly righted herself, glad for the dim light and the fact that he wouldn’t see her blush.
His arms were so solid—made tight and hard from hours of training. His whole body was a masterpiece. He was Native American, his skin a perfect olive. His black hair was straight and rested on his shoulders when he wore it down. He was broad and masculine and, Leah was certain, the best-looking human being on the planet. And one she was not supposed to be thinking about. He was forbidden fruit and could never be tasted.
Even so, she glanced his way and caught the knowing smirk on his lips.
Wrinkling her nose, she faced the other direction and smiled at her best friend.
He was a safe bet. Tall and thin, with gangly limbs and straw-like hair that had probably never been introduced to a brush. That’s what fingers were for, right?
Cricket gave her a crooked smile, and she saw again why Dee called him Scarecrow behind his back. All he needed was a wide-brimmed hat and a piece of straw hanging out his mouth.
“Alright, we’re nearly there,” John called from the front.
Leah tensed in preparation.
She always did.
As usual, John had scouted the area and done his research.
Schools were in session, and the suburb they were hitting was filled with mostly professional couples and families, so the chances of anyone being home were slim.
The van jerked to a stop and John slid the internal window across, his oval face popping into view. Scratching the scruff on his chin, he eyed them up before gruffly asking, “Everybody ready?”
They all nodded without saying a word.
Checking his watch, John made sure they were all synced before giving his final instruction. “I want everybody in and out within ten minutes. You know which houses are yours. Walk slow on the outside, act fast on the inside. I’ll drive the van around to the second rendezvous point. You need to be there within thirty minutes. Don’t screw up, and don’t be late.” He slapped the edge of the window frame and ordered them out of the van.
The fall day was crisp but sunny.
Leah squinted against the sharp rays, shielding her eyes while she waited for Cricket to fix the shoulder strap on his backpack.
“We good?” She raised her eyebrows, ready to get the job over and done with.
She wouldn’t be able to relax until they were back in the van and driving out of whichever town John had brought them to.
He and Robin didn’t like to give out place names when they were wo
rking. They were given maps of the area with street names, but for all Leah knew, they could be in another state. Suburbia didn’t give too much away when it came to place names.
Hitching her bag, she clung to the strap as she and Cricket sauntered to their designated house.
They’d both been made to memorize the map the night before; she knew it was two rights and a left, then down the street to the pale yellow house with the charcoal roof and white trim. According to John, it was the only house on the street like it, so it would be easy to find.
As far as John could tell, the house had been empty for several days, which meant the owners were away and the house was ripe for the picking. Leah wasn’t sure what the other pairs had been given, but she was grateful their place would be empty with no surprises.
She glanced around as they walked. The streets were beautiful—trimmed lawns, neat shrubs, and yellow and orange flowers blooming riotously on seemingly every doorstep. Leah wondered what it would be like to grow up in a neighborhood like it. Everything seemed so calm, quiet, and peaceful.
“Would you look at these houses?” Cricket frowned. “They’re obscene!”
Leah didn’t think so, but she kept her mouth shut.
Cricket had a thing about rich people. They all did in some ways. That was why they had no qualms about stealing from them. It wasn’t fair that the rich should take all the good stuff and leave nothing for the rest of them. That was what Robin always said, anyway. But with each passing year, Leah became less certain.
What if these people they stole from actually worked really hard for what they had?
For all she knew, they gave half their money away to the poor.
But that wasn’t what Robin said.
And what Robin said was right.
Always.
“I just hate how they flaunt it, you know?” Cricket kept ranting. “Rubbing it in our faces that we haven’t been given the same breaks as them. I bet half these people inherited what they own, and they have no appreciation for it. They don’t know what it’s like to go hungry or without. Heartless bastards.”
Hearing Robin’s words out of Cricket’s mouth wasn’t pretty.
Cricket had a kind heart, and Leah didn’t want to put up with his whining and negativity.
So she changed the subject.
“I bet we can do it in under eight minutes today.” She grinned at her friend.
Her comment distracted him and he wiggled his eyebrows. “JJ and Dee will be super pissed if we beat their time.”
“Even more reason to do it then.”
Cricket laughed and nudged her with his elbow.
To anyone who may have spotted them out their window, they probably looked like two high school kids who had ditched school for the afternoon—ambling along, teasing, bantering, having a good time together.
If only they knew the truth.
Leah’s gut twisted at the thought.
Robin said the police were evil and if they ever got caught, there’d be hell to pay. Police didn’t care that they were simply taking what was rightfully theirs. They would always side with the wealthy because the world was corrupt. Robin had showed her enough YouTube clips of police brutality. She knew he was right, which was why she did her best to never screw up a job.
“You just want an excuse to flirt with JJ,” Cricket teased.
“What?” Leah was jerked back into the conversation when she caught up with his words. “I don’t flirt with JJ.”
“You do too. Any chance you guys get, you’re giving each other little smiles and bantering all the time. Why won’t you just admit that you like him?”
Leah scoffed. “I’m not allowed to like him. He’s my brother.”
“Not by blood. And I’m noticing the lack of denial, by the way. You’re crushing on him big-time.”
Unsure what to say, she punched his arm to shut him up.
He made a big show of it hurting, but she knew it was BS. She may have been stronger and faster than him, but Cricket could take a hit.
He rubbed his arm, hissing like a wimp, until he spotted their target.
“That’s it.” He stood tall, all humor gone as they shifted into work mode.
“Let’s head around the back.” Leah visualized the sketch John had done for her as they scanned the area for foot traffic before vaulting the fence and slipping around the metal trash cans.
The street was quiet, but Leah still glanced at the houses on either side. Thankfully the place had a decent-sized backyard, so the houses were far apart and weren’t looking right down on each other.
The house was beautiful. The yellow paint, although sounding hideous, actually looked pretty cool. It must have been painted recently because the house was in really good condition. Even Leah couldn’t help appreciating it.
Stopping by the French doors that opened up into the backyard, Leah craned her neck to peer inside the house. It was immaculate—the wooden floors gleamed, and the kitchen countertops were pristine. Whoever owned this place took great pride in their home.
Leah couldn’t help wondering what it’d be like to live in a house like that. It was so bright and open. With the sun streaming in through the kitchen windows, Leah could picture herself at the counter, eating her breakfast before packing her bag for school.
She closed her eyes against the thought.
It would never happen, and dreaming was a waste of time.
“It’s definitely a SecureMax?” Cricket asked from his spot on the ground. His fingers were moving quickly over the screen of his device.
Leah glanced into the house again, feeling bad for dreaming about breakfasts at the table when she should have been checking the alarm. She squinted at the small box on the wall and then agreed with Cricket. “Yep. SecureMax.”
“Okay,” he murmured. “Jamming the signal now.”
Leah crouched down, adjusting her fitted leather gloves before pulling out her tool and smoothly picking the lock.
She glanced at Cricket and he handed her the walkie-talkie. “In and out in eight, right?”
“You bet.” She grinned, pulling on a bright blue pair of shoe covers to make sure she wouldn’t leave any prints behind.
Cricket nodded, then looked back at his device while Leah turned the handle and let herself in. She held her breath when she stepped inside. It was always the most nerve-racking moment with alarmed houses. Had Cricket’s magic worked?
She stepped past the sensor and felt her chest deflate with relief when nothing started blaring at her.
Picking up her pace, she snuck through the open dining and kitchen area and through the living room.
John didn’t have an exact layout of the house, but bedrooms were usually upstairs, and she’d start with the master. Taking the stairs two at a time, she navigated the house easily. There was a certain pattern and consistency to these places, and it wasn’t hard to find her way around.
People were predictable.
She found the expensive jewelry on top of the mahogany chest of drawers. It was in an intricate jewelry box that Leah was grateful not to have to break. Slipping the clasp up, she opened it and found diamonds, rubies and gold. Grasping handfuls of necklaces, earrings and rings, she shoved them into the padded pouch in her backpack.
“Two minutes down.” Cricket came through on her belt.
She touched the walkie-talkie clipped onto her waistband and replied, “Roger that.”
Moving a little faster, she dashed to the bedside chest of drawers and found a fancy watch in one of them. She grabbed that and quickly scanned the bathroom, but decided her time would be better spent checking all the bedrooms first. If this family had children, there might be some valuable trinkets in other rooms.
Dashing out of the master bedroom, she screamed down the hall and took the first door on her right.
The curtains were drawn, but enough light was coming through for her to easily scan her surroundings. She rushed to the chest of drawers along the wall and froze.
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2
Wednesday, September 26th
1:45pm
Kellan checked his watch and sighed.
Talk about a late lunch break. He’d meant to be out of the station an hour ago, but got caught up talking to Nate about his latest case. Then Higgs wanted to check in before he went out on afternoon patrol, and then Mick needed a word of personal advice about his wife. Or more specifically, his wife’s parents. Moving to Aspen Falls so the couple could be closer to them had been a great idea for his wife, but a ridiculously hard move for Mick. His mother-in-law drove him nuts, and it was causing tension between the newlyweds.
Kellan had no idea why Mick had come to him. The last time he’d been a husband was just over a decade ago, and he’d barely had two dates since his wife had left him. Being the police chief, he’d filled his life with everything that had nothing to do with romance.
But Mick had needed a listening ear. What seemed like a small communication breakdown to him obviously felt like a Mt. Everest to Mick.
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