Blurb
Callahan Security is on the brink of disaster. Mitch Callahan pushed his brothers to expand the family business into private security, and their first major client is a complete pain in the ass. It’s no wonder the man has a target on his back, but nothing could prepare Mitch for how seductive his adversary is.
Love hurts. No one knows that better than Alexandra Buchannan, so she uses her talents as a thief to equalize the scales of romantic justice. Your ex still has your favorite painting? Not for long. Alex’s latest job is her biggest challenge yet. Her target just hired a new security company, and the team leader is as smart as he is sexy.
Mitch knows he’s jeopardizing not only this job but the future of Callahan Security. If only he didn’t find Alex so damn irresistible. Soon their game of cat and mouse explodes into a million pieces. Unbeknownst to them, there’s another player in the game, and his intentions are far deadlier.
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
Epilogue
Keep reading for a look at Smash And Grab
Smash And Grab
Also by Lori Matthews
About the Author
Break And Enter
Copyright © 2020 Lori Matthews
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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or the author has used them fictitiously.
For Harve
Because the alternative is unacceptable
Acknowledgments
It’s often said that it takes a village to bring a book into the world. This one took a city, not New York sized maybe, but say, Cleveland. My deepest gratitude to all the inhabitants of my city. My editors, Corinne DeMaagd and Heidi Senesac for making me appear much more coherent than I actually am; my cover artist, Llewellen Designs for making my story come alive. My personal cheer squad which I could not survive without: Janna MacGregor, Suzanne Burke, Angi Morgan, Kimberley Ash, Stacey Wilk and the Cheeky Tarts. Thank you all for talking me off the ledge more than once. My mother and my sisters who told me to dream big. My husband and my children who make my life complete. You all are my world. A special heartfelt thanks goes out to you, the reader. The fact you are reading this means my dreams have come true.
Chapter One
Sweat trickled along Alexandra Buchanan’s hairline under her wig. Her heart thudded in her chest. She was minutes from her goal, mere seconds from obtaining her objective. She had been planning for months. Her fingertips tingled as the seconds ticked by slowly. She itched under her red velvet Venetian mask. Its feathers tickled her face.
The humid air hung heavy in the grand ballroom. The smell of women’s perfumes and men’s colognes mixed with sweet scent of the dozens of flowers that were on tables stationed around the room. But none of it could mask the funk of body odor or the even stronger stench of money.
The room was filled with the elite of Venice, of Italy and beyond. Women wore eye-catching costumes. Sequins and jewels glittered in the light from the ornate chandeliers. Men wearing masks and capes flashed jewels of their own on their fingers and their wrists. The room was a swirl of color and sound. Everyone who was anyone was invited to the Santini’s spring ball. And this year it was a masquerade. She smiled to herself. She couldn’t have asked for a better cover. It was as if the stars had aligned perfectly just for her.
She glanced at her watch. Only another twenty seconds, and the song would be over. And then it was time. As always happened at this moment, her senses heightened. She could hear every voice distinctly, see every small movement. Time slowed down to a crawl.
Finally, the orchestra was playing the last few notes of the song. This was it, the moment she lived for, the moment when she either conquered her goal or she failed miserably. Adrenaline roared through her body. Excitement exploded in her chest.
Alex moved across the floor as dancers mingled, looking for their next partner. She had her target in site. He was passing his partner from the previous song to another man. He turned and smiled at the woman standing next to him. He took his new partner’s hand in his.
She increased her pace slightly so that she was directly beside her target as he swung his other hand around to clasp the woman. She didn’t look at him as she jostled him slightly. It was expected in this crowded space. Her fingers deftly performed the task they had done many times before. Quickly, silently she had her prize. She made her way across the floor, smiling as she went. She slid her hand into a hidden pocket, depositing her bounty.
This was it—the worst and, yet, the best moment. Would he notice? Would he yell? Would he point her out?
She kept her head up and her steady pace as she broke free of the dancers and started up the stairs to the mezzanine. Sweat was a fine sheen across her body. She had a fixed smile on her face and nodded to several of the partygoers as she crested the top of the stairs. Walking across the floor, she made her way toward the restrooms but glanced around quickly. No one was close. No one was paying attention. She passed the restrooms and made for the hallway on her left.
She moved down the corridor and made it to the doors that led to the terrace, but she kept walking. The security plan she’d gotten a hold of indicated they were tied to an alarm that would be on tonight. She went a few steps farther.
After making sure the hallway was clear, she did a little dance and slid her crinoline off. She wouldn’t need it anymore, and it would just be in her way. She’d bought it from an online shop using a fake account and had it delivered to an office building. She hadn’t touched it without her gloves so there were no prints, or at least not hers.
Glancing around she spotted a chair a little farther down the hallway. She put the crinoline on the far side of the chair, so it wouldn’t be immediately seen by anyone walking down the hall.
Alex went back to a window at the far end of the balcony and unlocked it. Lifting it sil
ently, she was once again amazed at how many people didn’t alarm their windows above the ground floor. Tugging her costume up around the tops of her thighs so she could move her legs freely, she put one foot through the window, ducked under, and brought the rest of her body through onto the balcony. She lowered the window again from the outside.
“Where the hell did you come from?” a voice demanded from the darkness. She froze. No one should be on the balcony. She had planned this heist meticulously, and nowhere in the Santini security arrangements was there any indication that someone would be on the balcony.
A guest then? As she slowly turned in the direction the voice had come, a man dressed in a tuxedo emerged from the shadows. Damn. Security. They were wearing tuxes instead of costumes. But not Santini security. He didn’t have the same type of ill-fitting tux as the Santini security guys. His fit him like a glove, like he was born to wear it. Someone else’s security. A private bodyguard. Great. She’d been fifty-three seconds from freedom, and she runs into James Bond.
Her mind reeled as she tried to figure out a different escape route. The weight of the watch hidden in her skirt was a thousand pounds heavier. Don’t panic. She smiled and moved forward a couple of steps, letting him take a long look at her.
The trick was to keep as much space between them as she could without seeming reluctant. She thanked her lucky stars once again that the party was a masquerade ball. For a thief, it was like hitting the jackpot. An Asset Repossession Specialist Extraordinaire, she mentally corrected herself.
Her duchess costume, which she’d had made especially for this job, not only showed off her assets but had a few hidden surprises. The security guy’s gaze lingered for a moment on her “girls” as she called them. Not her norm to display them so blatantly, but she’d wanted to be sure anyone looking at her would be distracted, even the women. Better to show too much tit than too much of her face.
She took a deep breath. If she was careful, maybe she could still get away unscathed. After all, the mask she wore covered most of her face except for the lower part of her jaw, and the voluminous brown wig hid the rest of her head. Her heart rate started to come back down to earth. She could do this. The fine sheen of sweat had turned into a small river making its way down her back.
“What are you doing here? This area is off limits. No one is supposed to be up here.” He walked closer to her, his stance showing easy confidence. They were about twelve feet apart, separated by an area bathed in shadow. The breeze ruffled the feathers of her mask, but it also brought his scent to her. He smelled of soap and citrus and something wholly male that had her taking notice.
“You’re here,” she said in her most sultry voice. She prayed he wouldn’t come any closer. He was bigger than most men, much bigger than her diminutive 5’5”. At least six feet, she figured, which wasn’t necessarily a problem, but his shoulders were wide. Why couldn’t he have been one of the doughy types she had seen earlier? The guys who’d gone to seed years ago. She could have handled one of those guys no problem. Years of kick boxing, Tae Kwon Do, Krav Maga, and general self-defense training meant she could have rendered one of them unconscious soundlessly.
But she had to get the keener who looked to be in fabulous shape. All narrow hips, broad shoulders, and solid muscle. One of the major lessons she had learned was how to assess her opponent, and this one would be tough. Her stomach roiled. A fight with this guy would be loud and painful. Fighting was off the table.
She smiled as she studied him. His hair was a light brown with blond highlights. He wasn’t wearing a mask, but it was hard to determine his eye color. There was no mistaking his square jaw though, especially since it appeared to be clenched. He was also drop-dead gorgeous and sexy as hell.
His eyes narrowed and focused on her after casing the rest of the balcony. “Who are you?”
She ignored the question. So, throwing him over the balcony was not going to work. Physically impossible, and besides, she wanted to avoid a scene. The water in the canals would catch his fall, yes, but everyone would rush to see as soon as they heard the splash.
“Who are you?” he repeated as he stepped closer. The Venice breeze ruffled a lock of his hair so that it fell over his forehead.
She gave a girlish giggle while mentally rolling her eyes. Men loved that crap. “Well, doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of a masquerade ball? I can’t tell you who I am. It would ruin the mystery.”
“Then why don’t you tell me how you got onto this balcony? Like I said, no one is supposed to be out here.”
She pouted. “Well, you’re here.” Then she closed the gap between them with a sexy stroll. She smiled up at him while caressing the pleats of his tux shirt with her gloved fingers. She needed him to stop asking questions. “All by yourself, I might add.” Yes, all muscle. She could feel it through his shirt. Warmth spread through her insides as she peered up into his startlingly gray eyes. She had never seen eyes that gray before. They were like polished steel.
If circumstances were different...she still wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. She’d been down that road before. If she’d learned nothing else in life, it was that the best-looking men were the ones that couldn’t be trusted. Not ever. Not even if they were family.
He grabbed her fingers and held them fast. It sent an electric charge skittering up her arm. Startled, she tried to pull her hand back, but he held on. Her plan wasn’t working. He was the one who was supposed to be distracted, not her.
“You need to leave. Now.” There was no sign that he was remotely affected by her presence, unlike her who was totally suffering from their closeness. Her pulse skyrocketed. She was surprised he couldn’t see it with her chest on display. Maybe he could. Sweat was now running down her legs as well as her back. This man was sexy as hell, but he was like kryptonite. She needed a new plan and fast.
“Uh...”
“Go for Callahan,” the man said as he pressed his earpiece. He dropped her hand. Then, turning around, he walked over to the railing and looked down.
Recognizing her chance, she quickly and silently moved the fifty feet to the other end of the balcony. She took off her shoes and stuffed them into the hidden pockets of her dress. Then she hoisted herself onto the railing. With a quick glance back, she saw the man was still on the other side of the balcony looking down. She quickly stepped onto the small decorative ledge running along the front of the building and, hugging the wall, slid her way carefully to the corner.
She reached up and grabbed the edge of the roof and swung herself around the corner. Regaining her balance, she took a second to breathe and rest her cheek against the building. She took one hand off the wall slowly and wiped it on her dress. Then did the same with the other. After she lifted her cheek, she carefully removed her mask and pushed it into the pocket next to her shoes. She put her hand back on the wall.
She loved Venice. The buildings were so close together here, and in her line of work, that was a big plus.
Chapter Two
“Everything good on your end?” The voice of Jake, his second in command, filled his ear.
Mitch tapped his ear again. “Fine. All clear.”
“He wants to leave now. Is the boat ready?” Jake asked.
“The boat is at the slip waiting. Let me deal with one thing up here and then I’ll be down.”
“You know he hates to be kept waiting. I don’t want to spend the next hour being lectured at, so hustle your ass down here.”
Mitch ground his jaw and frowned. “Give me two minutes.” He turned away from the scene below to deal with the mystery woman. “Now. You have—“ She was gone. He glanced around, but he was alone on the balcony.
“What the hell?” He walked down to the other end, but there was no sign of her. He knew she couldn’t have gone in through any of the doors because they were all alarmed. Taking the remote out of his pocket, he checked that the alarm was still on. Yes. Red.
His hands curled into fists. He’d made a mistake. A
rookie mistake. He’d turned his back on the woman. Stupid didn’t even cover it. Fuck.
He started to walk over to the far balcony doors when something registered out of the corner of his eye. He reached down and picked up a feather. From her mask. She was up to something. He had felt it in his bones as soon as he saw her. He had felt something else too, but he was working tonight, and work was the most important thing. It was the only thing. He’d laid everything on the line, and if it didn’t work, he’d be finished and he’d be taking his family down with him.
No distractions. No matter how attractive they were. That’s what he’d told the guys at the beginning of the night, and here he was the one who screwed up.
He tried to recall what she looked like, but with the costume on, there was no way to know. What he did know was she was sexy, and she smelled like…like orange blossoms, sunshine, and spice. Not helpful. Not at all. He cursed.
He glanced over the side of the balcony. Nothing, not that he’d expected her to be there. This was Venice. If she had been hanging off a balcony over a canal, someone would have noticed. A voice went off in his ear again.
“Callahan. Are we good to go?”
He reached up and tapped his earpiece. “On my way.” He keyed the alarm fob in his pocket and walked through the doors to the interior of the building. He pressed it again and locked the doors behind him. The feeling that something wasn’t right dogged him as he made his way down the stairs. He ordered a check of all his people, but everyone responded that all was fine.
Break and Enter: A Sexy, Thrilling Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security Series Book 1) Page 1