The Beautiful Thief (The Stolen Hearts #2)

by Mallory Crowe

  Melody raised a skeptical eyebrow. “The doorman just told you?”

  “Funny thing about guys like Forbes. When you’re an asshole, people don’t do you any favors. And when some stranger starts asking questions, sometimes people just get chatty.”

  “And you got this information over the phone?” she asked in a shocked voice.

  “Why would I lie?”

  “Why would you make this call behind my back?”

  “Because you’re a loose cannon,” he said as the waiter came back with their drinks. “Are you ready to order?”

  Melody’s mouth fell open as she started to reach for the menu she hadn’t even looked at.

  Adam reached it first and quickly used the pencil for a selection of basic rolls. “Here you go.” He handed the menu to the waiter and soon he was running to the kitchen.

  Melody took a drink of her water. “We’re going to need to leave.”

  “Come on. You have to at least try the California Roll.”

  “Not here. The hotel. Toni will be on her way. Flights from California to here aren’t that long. She knows all my aliases, but if we find a place that can take cash, that will slow her down.”

  Adam didn’t like to think about the quality of places that took cash. That would be a problem for another time. “So what’s going to happen when your sister finds me? Is she as revengey as you?”

  Melody shrugged. “I don’t know. Toni is.... I haven’t talked to her much in the past few years.”

  “I thought you liked her.”

  “I do. But she was part of my old life. The life I was trying to cut out.”

  “Because you were trying to be normal.”

  “Isobel could’ve gotten that doorman to spill his guts over the phone. She would’ve been proud of you.”

  Considering his role in her death, Adam didn’t know how to feel about that. Flattered? It seemed like Melody had a high opinion of her mother considering that she’d run from her for so long. “I’m sure she taught you all her tricks.”

  Melody snorted. “Oh, she tried. I was never a model student.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “I would watch Toni use her magic fingers to crack any system she wanted before she was even out of high school, and Jen was the older sister who had guys drooling all over her. I was always two steps behind.”

  Adam looked her over and tried to reconcile her words with what he was seeing. “I find that even harder to believe.”

  “Why? The first time you met me, you kidnapped me in seconds. Hardly badass thief material.”

  Adam tried to think of a way to word what he was thinking without sounding like a creep. But when he came up blank, he decided to just spit it out. “You’re.... You’re gorgeous. If you wanted, you could probably walk into the Museum of Natural History and ask for the Hope Diamond and whatever poor schmuck was on guard duty would just hand it over. I’ve seen your sisters. They’re both pretty, but they don’t have anything on you.”

  Melody looked as though she were about to say something, but then she looked down and fiddled with her chopsticks. “Jen, Toni, and even Isobel all had one big advantage on me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “They wanted to be criminals.”

  Melody didn’t really know what to say to Adam. She had tried so hard to not go spilling all the personal details about her relationship with her family, but here she was telling him all the secrets she’d kept so close.

  Maybe it was because she wasn’t capable of keeping her mouth shut. Or maybe the opposite. No one, not even Ben or Whitney, had known the truth about her past. Now that she was with someone she wasn’t related to and didn’t have to lie to, these little secrets just seemed to tumble out.

  Hell, even Isobel needed to spill her secrets to someone, thought Melody. Though probably not one of the guys who helped to kill her....

  “So what are you going to do after this?” asked Adam.

  “After dinner?”

  “After we kill Forbes.”

  She glanced around, but there was no one within earshot. Adam must’ve known. Guys like him knew where every exit, weapon, and possible assailant was at any given time. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

  “Do you think you can kill a man and suddenly go back to being normal? Or are you going to take up the family business?”

  “I said I don’t know, Adam. Drop it.”

  At that moment, the waiter showed up with the food. All of the rolls were on one communal dish and each of them had a smaller plate and a bowl for soy sauce. Adam took his chopsticks and pointed to the rolls. “These are shrimp and crab, all cooked. These are some vegetable rolls, so those are safe too. Here are salmon and tuna, both raw. Eat at your own risk.” Then he pointed to the biggest one. “This is a house special. Honestly, I can’t remember what’s in it, but it’s probably good.”

  Melody couldn’t help the smile that formed before she remembered that she wasn’t supposed to be smiling. Once she was back to being stone-faced, she started with some of the vegetable pieces and the crab ones. They ate mostly in silence as Melody slowly got used to the new tastes and textures. With the way everyone had been raving about sushi the past few years, she’d expected something... better. But she wasn’t disappointed. Everything tasted good in its own way, and whatever sauce that was drenching the house roll Adam had ordered was mouthwatering.

  Would Huntsville ever get that sushi place? Of course, it wouldn’t matter if she never went back. It had been weeks since Isobel had died, and Melody hadn’t given any real thoughts to whether she was going back to stay. What was wrong with her? She’d had tunnel vision on getting revenge, and she’d never stopped to think that her entire life was just up in the air.

  Did she want to use her newfound wealth to buy one of the many foreclosures in the area and start over? It was strange to think that with the funds in her bank account, the entire world was open to her, but she still felt like there were no options. Maybe that was why the revenge seemed so important. Because she had no idea what to do if she wasn’t trying to honor Isobel.

  When the waiter cleared the table and left the bill, she took it and set down enough twenties to cover it and a tip.

  “How much cash do you have on you?” asked Adam.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m guessing we’re going to have to convince some people to be especially accommodating tonight. And before you lie, I know you brought enough with you to Louisiana to bribe people up and down the Gulf looking for me.”

  She didn’t like putting all her cards on the table, but Adam was right. She did need to trust him. Maybe not completely, but she couldn’t change her mind every five minutes about him. “I started with twenty thousand cash. Right now I have twelve left.”

  He nodded. “We can work with that. Ready to go?”

  “Back to the hotel?”

  “No, shopping. It’s time to get you in something slutty.”

  Melody took a deep breath. A task that would be easier if she weren’t wearing a dress so tight it pushed her stomach well into her ribcage. Thank God Adam had insisted on a lighter meal. If she’d eaten even one more grain of rice, she probably wouldn’t have gotten the thing zipped.

  As much as his wording had scared her, he was right. They were doing a club job. She needed to get an outfit that would accomplish two things: allow her to blend in and stand out.

  The tight black bandage dress left almost nothing to the imagination. The hemline was dangerously short, and the sweetheart neckline plunged down low enough to let her push-up bra really earn its name.

  But based off the little she knew about the club they were going to, this was exactly what she needed to wear to fit in. Adam could probably walk in wearing jeans if they thought he made enough money.

  This was the kind of place that catered to rich men, providing anything they might need: the best wine, the finest liquor, the prettiest women. Sometimes her looks could make her st
and out, but in this case, she was going to be one of dozens of beautiful women looking to get the attention of one of the rich clients.

  Except she had her eye on one particular client.

  According to the doorman Adam had talked to, this club, the Ace of Spades, was where Matt Forbes spent a few hours every night. So far the plan was that there was no plan. They were going to try to get eyes on Forbes and then determine the best route to take.

  Even though Melody knew that this could be a purely reconnaissance mission, the nerves shooting through her had her on edge and jittery.

  She remembered when she’d had similar nerves during Isobel’s rehearsal dinner. She’d kept it to herself. She hadn’t wanted her mother to know how rusty she really was when it came to the family business. Now she wished she’d pulled Isobel aside and gotten some last-minute advice.

  Melody pushed the regrets out of her head. It wasn’t the time to be thinking of what-ifs. Running her fingers through her hair, she gave herself a once-over in the mirror, making sure everything was in place.

  Her eyes looked a thousand times more intense than normal, thanks to a heavy smoky look. If she’d gone into the club with her normal minimalistic style, she’d stand out for sure. In this case, more was better.

  To emphasize her eyes, she’d kept her lips a soft matte rose color. A contrast to the black of her dress and eyes. After a few more minutes, she admitted that there was nothing else she could do here; she was just stalling leaving the bathroom. A few hours ago, she’d been ready and raring to go track down Forbes, but now she was stalling. Damn it, she needed to get it together.

  She took one long, calming breath that didn’t do a thing to calm her before she opened the door. Adam lay back on the bed, flipping through the channels on the TV. They’d separated during the short shopping excursion. He’d picked up his own version of a clubbing outfit. She wanted to be annoyed that the man’s version of looking nice was a simple pair of black jeans and a black dress shirt, but he looked so good, for a moment she lost her train of thought.

  He glanced her way absentmindedly before turning off the TV. “Ready to go?”

  She blinked a few times as she tried to collect her thoughts. “More than ready.” She hadn’t expected him to fall all over himself with compliments, but he had made his attraction to her more than known. She’d expected... something when she’d revealed herself.

  Instead, Adam practically ignored her as he collected his wallet and the gun, making sure it was loaded and that there was a round in the chamber before he tucked it into the appendix holster attached to the waistband of his jeans.

  “Shouldn’t I have that?” she asked.

  “Where do you plan to hide it?” His gaze skimmed over the tight dress, just the tiniest flicker of heat showing before he looked away.

  “This is the deal though, right? I get the shot when we find Forbes.”

  “The deal was that I deliver you the shot. So once we corner Forbes and I deem it safe, I’ll hand you the gun. Got it?”

  Well, that sounded overly complicated, but once again she was reminded that she’d made the conscious decision to trust Adam. “I got it.”

  “Good.” He did a quick look around the room and seemed satisfied that they weren’t forgetting anything. He led the way out of the room

  “He’s going to recognize you,” she said once they were on the elevator.

  “You too,” said Adam.

  “So we have to see him before he sees us.”

  “Yep.” Adam didn’t seem worried at all. Maybe she should take that as a good sign, but nothing seemed to calm her nerves at the moment. For a second, she thought about calling Toni. Maybe she could postpone this until her sisters could help. Toni and Jen wouldn’t be this nervous. They’d stride right into that club and would immediately have all the bouncers wrapped around their fingers.

  This whole thing would be taken care of in minutes. The problem was that it would be taken care of without her. They would see this fear she was experiencing as weakness. They would never let her tag along during something so important.

  That was one of the strange benefits of working with Adam. He didn’t really care about her. Sure, he seemed to be going out of his way to keep her safe, but when all was said and done, he would leave her if it came down to her life or his. And she was okay with that. It wasn’t as if he’d promised her protection or loyalty.

  He told her he was going to deliver her the opportunity for revenge. Of course, he’d had that ridiculous stipulation that if she didn’t take the shot, he’d get her. But that wasn’t even a possibility to Melody.

  Maybe Adam thought she was some delicate flower or weak, but she wasn’t. This was the man she’d seen pull the trigger on Isobel. She’d seen her mother’s body go from alive and vibrant to... nothing. This was why she was here and not Jennifer or Toni. She needed this. She needed to do this on her own.

  Would killing Forbes help her sleep at night? Probably not. But when she woke up from one of those nightmares, drenched in sweat and her heart racing, she could remember that she didn’t sit back and let Isobel’s killer go free. She’d gotten her revenge and that would at least give her comfort as she tossed and turned.

  “I’m here,” said Adam, abruptly pulling Melody from her thoughts.

  “What?”

  The elevator doors opened and they went toward the lobby. Adam led the way without showing any emotions as he continued, “I’m here with you the entire time. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  The comfort was so unexpected that Melody almost tripped as they reached the door. Adam didn’t try to flag down a cab. If they needed to make a run for it, having a car nearby would be best.

  It was a short walk to the car and Melody was reasonably happy with her shoes. The ankle boots weren’t as high of a heel as she’d like, but she needed freedom of movement. If Adam and she were running, she needed to keep up with him without breaking an ankle.

  The three-inch heel was thicker and gave her some purchase while still pushing her calves up a bit and making her legs seem longer.

  “You have your cash with you?”

  “Every last cent.” Melody clutched the small handbag closer. It was never fun to have this much cash on hand, but she had to remind herself that there was plenty more in the bank.

  She remembered all the fights about money and spending she and Ben had. She’d been more than happy to adjust her lifestyle to the factory wages they were living on, but Ben had always had grander dreams. Grander dreams funded by an influx of credit cards he normally didn’t tell her about until the bills started to come.

  What a difference this twelve thousand would make. And now here she was, ready to drop it all in one night if needed.

  God, things had changed fast.

  “You doing okay?” asked Adam as they reached the car.

  “I’m fine,” she said curtly as they both got in, Adam in the driver’s seat and her in the passenger’s.

  “If you’re having second thoughts, now is the time to tell me.”

  “I’m not having second thoughts.”

  “Well, your mind isn’t here and I need you to be present right now.”

  Damn Adam and his perceptiveness. “I’ll be present when we’re there.”

  “Where’s your mind now?”

  She debated lying, but figured she’d just tell him. He should be happy she wasn’t freaking out about possibly killing a man. “I was thinking about my ex-husband.”

  Sure enough, Adam stopped doing what he was doing for a brief second before he seemed to regain himself and moved the key to the ignition. “Your ex? What about him?”

  Once again, this was personal information that she shouldn’t give out. Their small talk only rule was quickly becoming trashed. “I was thinking of all the ways he screwed me over. Thinking that I’m happy I got this money after the divorce. I might’ve tried to save our marriage if I had extra cash. At least now I know ahead of time that it’s not wor
th the hassle.”

  Adam let out a little laugh. “Well, if you ever need someone to give your ex a talking to, you let me know.”

  Melody raised a brow as she glanced over to Adam. That was the second time in maybe ten minutes that he had surprised her. First he’d promised not to let anything happen to her, and now he was offering to threaten Ben? This was so much easier when she hated Adam. The trust might be necessary for this relationship to function, but it was mucking up formerly clear waters.

  When she’d rescued him, it had been simple. He was her enemy, but he was the lesser of three enemies. He was still one-third responsible for Isobel’s murder.

  Now? Even though none of the past had changed, she couldn’t help but feel things were different. She didn’t feel anger or disgust when she looked at Adam.

  She let out a sigh and let her head fall back against the seat. Hopefully she got her shot at Forbes tonight and she could leave Adam for good. Preferably before Toni found them and started to ask Melody questions she didn’t have a good answer for. “I think Ben is miserable enough alone, but thanks for offering,” she finally said. Last she heard, Ben was a regular at the bar. She didn’t know whether his life was miserable or anything, but considering the trajectory his life was on before she left, she had to imagine things had just gone downhill.

  “Why the divorce?”

  “Tell you what. If we make it out of tonight alive, I’ll tell you all the sordid details.”

  “If you don’t tell me, I’ll just start making shit up.”

  The corner of her mouth hooked up. “Make shit up?”

  “I bet you decorated the entire house pink.”

  That had her snorting. “What?”

  “Yep. He left you because you have horrible taste in interior decorating. He wanted to feel like a man but he couldn’t because there was pastels and potpourri everywhere.”

  “Oh God. If only it was that simple.”

  “Well, that’s my theory.”