by Calinda B
“Good evening, Drew.” His gravelly voice rumbled as he waited for her to nod approval before he pulled out the chair next to her.
Once seated, they made small talk until their meals arrived. She was pleasantly surprised when he confessed to her that he loved reading. She tried to recall any other man she’d known loving to read. Drew was stunned to realize that she didn’t know any other person well enough, nor had she cared enough to find out.
Stawcee appeared with their meals. Even though she usually didn’t eat red meat, Logan’s meal had her mouth watering. Drew had to admit she was more than a bit surprised when he offered her a taste of his meal. He must have caught her looking at it.
She watched as Logan sliced a piece of prime rib, slid his plate toward her, and carefully placed it on hers before sliding a little of her meal onto his. She heard him chuckle when she sliced a sliver of the meat, placed it in her mouth, closed her eyes, and sighed.
“Good?”
Nodding her head, she patted her mouth with her napkin. “My goodness, that is delicious. It practically melts in your mouth.”
Logan placed the scallop into his mouth. “Whoa, that’s amazing. This chef is incredible.”
“That’s why I eat here.” She giggled. They chatted some more about nothing in particular until Drew checked her watch and realized it was getting late. “I’m sorry. I’ve had a lovely evening, but I really need to get going.” She opened her purse.
“I’ve got this, you go on. Thanks for letting me join you.” A line appeared between his brows.
“What?” She cocked her head as he peered at her through narrowed eyes.
“Why are you running off so soon?”
Drew sighed. “I don’t like being questioned about myself. If you want to remain friends, you need to understand a few things about me. I’m very private, and I don’t answer to anyone. Thank you for getting dinner and good night.” She slid out of her chair and walked to the elevator without looking back. A satisfied smile slipped over her mouth. If she wanted him, she had him hook, line, and sinker. She stepped into the elevator, turned, and glanced at him. He was staring at her with his arms crossed over his chest. Just as the doors slid closed, he winked, causing her heart to skip a beat.
When she got home, she immediately sat down and started the timer on her pocket watch. She closed her eyes and ran the layout of Scott’s home through her mind. She pictured herself at the front of the house, entering the door. She touched the keypad to turn off the alarm before she headed up the stairs to the jewel room. She lifted the manufactured emerald from the case and placed it in her bag, returned the real one then made her way downstairs, reset the alarm, and went out the front door. She hit the stop button and opened her eyes. Yes, perfect. Each time she ran through it, the time was the same.
Drew’s house phone rang. Only a select few people called her landline. “Hello?”
“All set for tomorrow nigh.t Game should last no less than three hours. If anything changes, I will call you so keep your phone on.”
“Thanks.” She released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
“Drew?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t screw up, Princess.” The line went dead.
Laughing, she placed the handset back in the cradle. Sometimes Ramsey had a flair for the dramatic. He would have made a wonderful spy. Drew climbed into bed, wanting a good night’s sleep so she would be clear-headed for tomorrow night. She would be seen at the club early again, which everyone would remember and give her an alibi if Scott decided to get stupid.
As she closed her eyes, Logan’s face popped into her mind. What had that wink meant? She drifted off, and for the first time in a long time, she dreamed. Dreams full of his eyes, his smile, and his easy laughter. She dreamed of walking into his arms and feeling safe and loved when he embraced her.
Drew closed her eyes and sighed as she felt his arms tighten around her. He laughed.
“You’re hugging me too tight, Logan. I can’t breathe!” Why was he doing this?
“Did you really think you could fuck me over and get away with it? You have a lot to learn,” Scott whispered in her ear.
Drew pushed at him, struggling to get away, but his hold on her only tightened. The laughter grew louder, surrounding her, bouncing off the walls. She screamed.
“Ms. Taylor. What’s wrong?” Timothy burst through her door, his hair a fright, eyes wide, gripping a big butcher knife in his hand so tightly his knuckles were white. “I heard you screaming all the way from the kitchen.” His eyes were taking in the room as he turned in circles.
Gasping for breath, Drew pulled her covers closer as she scrambled to the headboard, eyes wide. “Where is he?” She felt her heart galloping as she tried to get her bearings.
“Who? Who’s here?” Timothy yelled as he ran quickly into the room and positioned himself in front of her bed, his eyes wide as they darted around the room.
Drew turned on the bedside light and collapsed against her pillows. Tears spilled from her eyes. “No one is here. I’m so sorry. It was a bad dream.”
Glancing over his shoulder, his brows drawn down, Timothy lowered the knife, and turned to her. “A dream? My goodness, Ms. Taylor, you scared me to death, you were screaming so loudly.” His hands started shaking. “I’m sorry I barged into your bedroom but I thought...”
“Don’t be. If someone had been here, you would have saved me. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Do you need anything or would you like me to leave?” Timothy stepped away from her bed, turning his head as she tossed the covers to the side and slipped into the robe draped on the back of her chair.
“I’m going to join you in the kitchen. I think sleep will elude me for the rest of the night.”
11
Logan caught the ball and barreled toward the goal line, Tim hot on his heels. He kicked it in harder, just as he felt Tim’s hands trying to grab him, and then dove into the end zone for a perfect touchdown. Laughing, he rolled onto his back and looked at the gray New York sky. Tim loomed over him, grinning from ear to ear as he extended his hand. Logan grasped it and let Tim pull him up.
Tim slapped Logan on the back. “Damn, that was fucking awesome!”
“Getting slow in your old age.” He chuckled.
“Nah, you fucking hit jet pack with that move. You do that in the game, and we’re going to have it in the bag.”
“You two going to stand there grinning like fools, or are we going to get the fuck back to practice?” Coach growled.
Logan glanced over and saw the shit-eating grin spread over coach’s mouth and knew he’d done well. Giving him a thumb up, Logan tossed the ball to the quarterback and moved into position to practice the play once again. He knew this time that he’d have to kick it from the start because Tim would be ready for it.
Ninety minutes later, exhausted but feeling great, the team walked off the field to the locker room. Logan was elated with how well the practice had gone. He’d managed to outrun every damn one of the players on his team. All the time he spent living clean, working out, and practicing had paid off in more ways than one. He’d skip the club tonight and fix himself an early dinner. Coach wanted an early practice tomorrow, and he wanted to prove what he was doing wasn’t just a fluke.
After showering, he changed then grabbed his bag and shoes to head home. Tim rounded the corner of the lockers with the quarterback.
“Hey, Andy and I are going to hit the Diamond Club for dinner. You coming?”
“No, I’m going to head home and turn in early. I have a steak in the fridge calling my name. You guys have fun.”
“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow.” As they headed out the door, Tim yelled at a couple of the other guys. “Anyone want to head over the Diamond Club?”
Logan shook his head at his buddy, pulled his phone out, and dialed the cab company, giving them the address for pick up. “Hey, if Gus is close by, I’d like to request him.” One night he was
going to see if Gus wanted to grab a bite to eat with him. Logan chuckled at the thought of the stories he might hear.
Zipping up his jacket, he stepped out the door and headed for the gate to wait for the cab. He glanced at the sky and shook his head. They were in for a snowstorm from the looks of it. Leaning against the fence, he pulled his cap over his ears and put his hands in his pockets, searching for his gloves.
Fifteen minutes later, the cab pulled up. Sure enough, he was greeted by Gus’s big smile and a friendly wave. When he opened the door and climbed in, Gus turned around.
“Evening, Logan. How was practice?”
“Great. I left all of them in my dust. Got a couple of really great touchdowns. All the workouts are paying off.” Logan snapped his seatbelt and sat back in the warm cab, blowing breath over his hands. “It got cold quick.”
“Yeah, it did. Looks like snow too.” Gus pulled out into the traffic. “Where to?”
“Home.” Logan chuckled when he saw Gus’s brow raised in the rearview. “I’m tired, got a steak waiting on me, and an early night in bed. Coach called a morning practice tomorrow.”
“So will I be seeing some of these new, fancy plays you all are working on in the next game?”
“I think so. Coach has us running them over and over. The other teams we’re going to play won’t know what hit them. We won’t use all of them in any one game.” He watched Gus’s eyes crinkle and knew he was grinning again. “So, I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.” Gus rolled to a stop at the red light.
“You want to grab dinner one night with me? You know, just to hang out.”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
“You know any good burger places? I haven’t had a good burger in a while.”
“I know the perfect burger joint. Just let me know when, and I’ll pick you up.”
“Sounds great. Only other thing is they have to have the best fries too.” Logan winked.
Gus laughed a big, booming laugh. “They do.”
They chatted some more, and before he knew it, they were pulling onto his street. The ride seemed much too short for Logan. He dreaded walking into the quiet house for some reason tonight. Shit, I guess I look forward to talking and eating with Drew more than I realized. He pulled his wallet out and gave Gus the money before opening the door to face the cold. “Have a great night Gus, be careful out there.”
“Thanks, Logan. You have a good one too.” He waved before pulling away from the curb and driving off.
Logan locked up, took a shower, and put on a T-shirt and long pajama pants before making his way back downstairs to start dinner. He wondered what Drew was doing tonight. He grabbed his phone to call her and thought better of it. He’d give her the space she asked for to finish whatever had her distracted. He’d invite her to dinner one night and cook for her. He whistled an old tune his grandma had taught him as he pulled out the olive oil and spices to make his marinade for the steak.
Once he had everything mixed together, he set it aside to let the spices meld together before he picked out a nice big potato to bake. No microwaving for him. Setting the oven temperature, he scrubbed two potatoes before drying them and coating the outsides with just a bit of the olive oil mixture. Glancing at the clock over the stove, he figured he had time to watch some news while he waited for the potatoes to bake enough before he started his grill for the steaks.
He shivered for a minute, thinking about grilling in the cold evening air. But damn, steaks just tasted better that way. He pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge after he set the timer, headed into the den, and turned on the news as he plopped down in his recliner. The weather was going to be brisk early tomorrow morning, so practice would suck until the sun got higher in the sky. He was just getting into the sports news when the buzzer went off. He pulled his sweatshirt on before opening the back door and was hit with a cold wind in his face.
Logan fired up the grill, congratulating himself for spending the extra money on a natural gas grill for his back porch, and then made his way back inside before his fingers turned into icicles.
12
Drew sat nursing her drink as she watched the club fill up with people. She perked up when she saw the football players that were usually with Logan. However, Logan wasn’t with the group. They sat down at the table next to her and ordered their drinks; no chair was left for anyone to join them. Of all nights for him not to come. She needed to be noticed with him and seen leaving with him to cement her alibi. She sighed as she motioned for Stawcee.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Can you do me a favor and inquire if Mr. James is going to be joining those gentlemen over there?” She motioned at the group of men.
Stawcee grinned. “Yes ma’am, right away.”
Drew rolled her eyes as the woman scurried to the other table. Her heart sunk when she saw the usual man shake his head. Dammit. Now what? She had to think of something. She needed an airtight alibi, and he was supposed to be it. She picked her phone up, found his numbers under her contacts, and dialed him before she talked herself out of it. He picked up on the third ring.
“Hello Drew.” His deep voice sent shivers through her entire body. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m at the club and wondering if you are almost here? I thought we could have dinner together.” She rolled her eyes at the desperate tone of her voice.
“Sorry. I’m not coming tonight. Were we supposed to meet up? Did I miss something?”
“No, we’ve been meeting here regularly. I’m just used to it now.” She leaned forward and put her head in her hand. Now she sounded downright desperate. “But it’s not a problem. We’ll talk soon.” She wondered where he was.
“I decided to stay home tonight. If you would like to come over, I can fix dinner for both of us.”
She sat up quickly, stunned at his invitation. She shook her head slightly. “What?”
“I said, if you want to come over, I can fix dinner for us.” He chuckled. “I’d love to have you over.”
Checking her watch, she calculated the time in her mind. Actually, it would work out perfectly. She could ask him to give her a little bit of time to go home and change, which would give her ample time to replace the emerald and be at his house for a late dinner. It would work even better. She’d brought everything with her she needed, and no one was the wiser. “If you could give me time to run home and change into something a little less formal, and you don’t mind dinner a little late, I would love to come over.” When he didn’t respond right away, she thought she’d dropped the call. “Hello?”
“I’m here. That’s fine. So what time would you be here?”
She glanced up and saw Scott walking toward the back room with Ramsey, laughing at something he’d said. “About eight?” Ramsey glanced back and winked as she gave a slight nod to him. He’d actually gotten Scott to the club earlier than he’d thought.
“That’s perfect.”
“I’ll see you soon.” She hit end, placed her phone in her purse, and motioned for the waitress. “Stawcee, I’m going to skip dinner tonight. Mr. James has invited me to his home instead. Can you please put the drink on my tab?” She spoke loudly enough that the two tables closet to them had heard the conversation. Logan’s one friend had turned and smiled at her before saying something to the others at the table. Alibi planted, check.
“No problem, Ms. Taylor.”
She stood and walked to the elevator. As the doors slid closed, she leaned against the wall, wondering why her heart was racing and her mouth was a little dry. She never experienced symptoms before a heist, but she’d never returned something she’d taken before.
Drew hurried to her limo, climbed in, and once they pulled away from the club, she instructed her driver to take her to the lot where a dark rental car was waiting for her. “Remember, you are not to tell anyone that you didn’t take me all the way to Mr. James house. Meet me at the designated spot in sixty-three minutes.”
>
The driver glanced into his review and nodded. Drew knew her employees would go to their graves before ever divulging her secrets. She changed quickly into the dark jeans, long-sleeved shirt, and black jacket. She slid on the dark sneakers, hat, and gloves, finishing the outfit just as he pulled up beside the dark, small car in the parking lot. Drew slipped quickly inside, started the quiet engine, and nodded to Charles before pulling out the backside of the lot. Taking one of the side streets, she made her way unnoticed among the multitude of others driving out of New York tonight.
Making better time than expected, she strolled to her entry spot, glanced around casually. She shimmied the lower wall to the property unnoticed, before lightly dropping the short distance to the ground. Staying in the shadows of the trees and house, she made her way to the back door. Making quick work of the lock, she stepped inside and was surprised when she saw the alarm was disabled.
She waited for a moment, heart pounding in her chest. Why wasn’t the alarm armed? She slowed her breathing down. Could some of his staff still be here? Think…then she remembered. Scott had confessed to her he often forgot to set it before leaving if he was in a hurry or excited about a new venture. Scott’s ego had probably caused him to forget to set it before leaving. She was sure Ramsey had played up the game and the stakes. Score one for her.
Scanning the area and listening for any sign of staff milling about, she made her way quietly upstairs to the room that held Scott’s treasures. He told her none of them was allowed on the second floor when he wasn’t home. She slipped off her black gloves and pulled on the thinner gloves that would keep her from leaving fingerprints anywhere. She surveyed the stand the manufactured emerald was sitting on, again searching for any hidden trigger that would set off an alarm just in case he’d suspected something.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted the fake and set it aside before pulling out the soft bag she had safely inside her pocket. She unsealed it and carefully dumped the large, deep green emerald into her hand and placed it back on its stand. She put the manufactured emerald in her bag and tucked it safely into her pocket before retracing her steps and slipping quietly out the door. She was back in her car well before her allotted time was up. Drew sighed, hoping that was the last time she ever set foot in his house.