by Annette Mori
Back of the Book
Toni, Sophie, and Kim, are the modern-day version of Robin Hood blended with the Three Musketeers. For the past eighteen months, they have been moving the assets of the rapacious bank executives to the more deserving coffers—at least in their minds—of the poor and middle class.
When a mysterious woman keeps crossing paths with Toni, sparks fly. Is it a coincidence or all part of some greater master plan? Is she friend or foe?
Add the Russian mob, the FBI, and an all-female covert organization and you have the perfect recipe for danger, intrigue, and even love.
Does the trio join forces with the organization?
Follow the twists and turns to the explosive conclusion. Not everything is black and white. There are many shades of gray and sometimes it’s difficult to decipher who is good and who is evil. No one is all virtue or all malevolence, but sometimes love helps us rise above.
Asset Management
© 2015 by Annette Mori
Affinity E-Book Press NZ LTD.
Canterbury, New Zealand
1st Edition
ISBN ePub: 978-1-927328-90-3
ISBN PDF: 978-1-927328-91-0
ISBN PRC: 978-1-927328-92-7
All rights reserved.
No part of this eBook may be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the author and publisher. Please note that piracy of copyrighted materials violate the author’s rights and is illegal.
This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Editor: Nat Burns
Proof Editor: Ruth Stanley
Cover Design: Irish Dragon Designs
Acknowledgments
Probably the most important person to acknowledge, besides my wife, is Erin O’Reilly, because she continues to provide gentle and kind guidance. Erin spent numerous hours teaching me, encouraging me, and helping to polish this story. When I got stuck, she brainstormed with me a way to get unstuck with the plotline. She helped me plug my holes and address problematic timeline issues. I continued to pester her nearly every night and without fail, she would review and promptly respond to my attempts to correct the issues identified. I am honored to call her a friend and she continues to mentor and guide me.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Affinity Press and the wonderful trio (JM Dragon, Erin O'Reilly and Nancy Kaufman) who continue to support this new and somewhat unconventional writer. I am eternally grateful for the opportunities they give me to let my stories see the light of day.
On my journey, I elicited feedback from my older sister, Val, who gave me valuable feedback that helped shape the final version of the story. She continues to be an incredible encouragement to me. My other family members who were also very supportive, include my nephew, Aaron and his wife, Chelsea, my wife’s nephew, Chad, and my little sister, Kim. On more than one occasion, I heard my mother's voice in my ear. Although books always need editing, Mom gave me a good baseline education for which I am eternally grateful.
Although my mom is no longer with us, I am sure she would have loved this book. It is exactly the kind of book she tended to gravitate to.
Kay Carney was a delight to work with again as my beta editor, and Nat Burns did her magic again as the final editor. Inevitably, there are those pesky final errors that slip through and I am thankful that the final proof editor, Ruth Stanley, caught those before the book went to print. Robin Hicks and Nancy Kaufman who do a bang up job of promoting my books and I always appreciate their efforts to get it out into social media.
Nancy Kaufman is a rock star with her covers and this one is definitely hot.
Finally, my wife, Jody, continues her support even when it interferes with our weekend time.
Dedication
To my mother, who, if there is a heaven, is surely spreading her joy and compassion. I miss her every day. This is the type of action-packed book she would have loved to read. To my wife, who I love dearly, for her patience when I get in a groove and ignore her during “our” weekend time.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
About the Author
Also by Annette Mori
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Elves in Love (Affinity 2014 Christmas Collection)
The True Story of Valentine’s Day
Love Forever, Live Forever
Chapter 1
Washington, DC was the beating heart of the political machine and a favorite location for networking and high-dollar fundraisers. The Republican Party always took advantage of this particular venue because there were so many rich, conservative donors who lived nearby. Most of the supporters of the fundraiser considered the décor of the enormous ballroom elegant with its imported marble floors and handcrafted crystal chandeliers. Toni, however, was oblivious to her surroundings.
“At least I get to play bartender for part of the evening. Look at all these fat cats stuffed into their too tight tuxedos,” she grumbled into her wireless communication device. “God, how do their wives crawl in bed with them every night? Don’t their big old potbellies get in the way? Kim, make sure to steer Byron to my bar as soon as they get here. I’d rather not cut this too close.”
Toni carefully scratched under one side of her ash blond wig. It and hazel contacts created the illusion of a typical college student picking up extra cash by working the special event.
She sighed, unable to shake the feeling that something terrible would happen tonight. Ha, feeling. Toni chuckled aloud. At least that was one thing she and Sophie had in common. She knew Sophie didn’t put any weight on all that mumbo jumbo crap that Kim was always talking about. Toni and Sophie dealt in facts and things you could actually see and hear.
Toni shifted uneasily behind the bar as she thought of the fateful night when a similar suspicion had burrowed into her unconscious brain. As it turned out, that feeling of doom proved spot-on.
Can’t think about that now.
The only good outcome from that night was Sophie’s resignation from the FBI and the subsequent partnership and joining of forces with her two best friends. The price paid was brutal to everyone. Sophie lost her partner, Nat, and Toni felt the loss of a good friend. In addition, Nat’s death left Sophie bitter and suspicious of almost everyone.
Sophie entered the ballroom, offering her escort for the evening a quick smile as she excused herself.
Toni whispered into the comm link. “I don’t see Kim. Where is she? That bastard better show.”
“Calm down, Toni. I just saw Kim and Byron out front. They should be here in five. I’ll direct her to you as we planned,” Sophie replied, when she was well away from prying ears.
Sophie’s transformation, in her salmon-colored evening gown that hugged her curves in all the right places, amazed Toni. She also noted the admiring glance that Kim quickly masked
as she resumed her character for the evening.
Kim’s ability to adopt any persona they needed constantly shocked Toni. As a former theatre graduate from Stanford, Kim was, by far, their most talented undercover player.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about tonight. Did you place our contingency disguises where the cameras can’t track the change?” Sophie asked.
“Of course. The paranoia of these bank execs sometimes works to our advantage. The hotel always has to have a few very private locations for their guests. I’ve found every one of them and used the schematics for the building to ensure safe hiding places. I see Kim coming in now so you’d better hurry back to your date. Kim picked out a nice dress for you, by the way, so I can’t wait to see what she picked out for me. She certainly has a flare for selecting just the right outfit. Whoa…”
“What? Something wrong? Is Kim okay?” Sophie asked.
“Yeah, yeah. Check out the redhead coming in behind Kim and Byron. Wow. I definitely need to meet her.”
“No. No way, Toni, you do not have time tonight. Didn’t I just say I have a bad feeling?”
“Shh, date alert at two o’clock, intercept in less than three.” Toni distracted Sophie, narrowing her focus in the direction where the two couples were connecting.
Sophie turned and accepted a glass of wine from her escort.
Byron and Kim approached Sophie and her date.
Byron glanced at Sophie and his eyes traveled up and down her body, spending an extra couple of seconds seemingly admiring her cleavage.
Toni listened intently to the conversation of the two couples as she continued to serve drinks.
“Hello, Ted. I hear the divorce is now final. I see you haven’t wasted any time. Who is your lovely companion?”
“Byron. I’m glad you could make it. This is Amanda. Amanda, this is Byron and…?
“Oh, how rude of me, this is Wendy,” Ted added.
The two couples shook hands.
“I see you already have drinks. I hope the bars are stocked with the good stuff and not some inexpensive off brand,” Byron remarked.
“I overheard someone saying that only some of the bars are carrying the more expensive liquor. I believe that bar there is one of them.” Sophie pointed to where Toni was serving.
“I’ll come with you. I’d like to ask about their wine options.” Kim took Byron’s arm.
Toni’s eyes were surreptitiously on Kim and Byron as they walked to the bar where she was serving. “Good evening, sir, what can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll have a scotch, neat. If you don’t have anything better than Glenlivet eighteen, I suppose that will suffice, but do not give me any Johnny Walker Red or other similar brand.” Byron turned to Kim. “Wendy, what would you like, dear?”
“Can you tell me what options you have for white wine?”
“We have either a chardonnay or a Riesling,” Toni replied.
Kim frowned, then expertly turned Byron’s attention to her while Toni poured an inexpensive Johnny Walker Red. “Perhaps you can indulge me later in your room if they don’t serve a pinot tonight with dinner.”
“Here you go, sir.”
Byron took a small sip of his scotch and immediately scowled at Toni. Setting the glass on the counter and pushing it toward her, he growled in irritation, “I specifically requested not to have an inexpensive scotch. Will you please check to see what other options you have?”
“Oh, I am terribly sorry, sir, let me check.” Toni used her most apologetic tone.
She casually retrieved the glass, carefully avoiding the sides and turned around while she used the special latex to capture his prints for fingerprint recognition. She pulled a bottle of Glenlivet from the hidden shelf, along with a bottle of pinot. Carefully placing the latex inside a napkin, she turned around and smiled at Byron and Kim. Pouring from the Glenlivet bottle, she handed the new drink to Byron.
“I found a pinot. Would you like a glass, miss?” Toni asked.
Kim smiled at Toni. “Yes, that would be lovely, thank you.”
Toni handed her the glass of wine, fumbling it and spilling it on Kim’s hand and the edge of her sleeve. “Oh, my God, I am so sorry. Let me get you some napkins.”
Toni began wiping Kim’s hand and sleeve and then handed her the napkin with the latex print.
Kim discreetly placed that napkin in her purse and used another to wipe at her sleeve.
Toni watched closely and registered Byron’s irritation at her clumsiness, but fortunately, he didn’t appear to take notice of the exchange between them. They had choreographed their subterfuge well.
The commotion drew Sophie and Ted to the bar.
Ted smirked at Byron. “It seems your requirement for a particular brand of scotch is more trouble than it’s worth. We should just skip the before dinner drinks and instead, enjoy an after dinner cocktail in our rooms. Separate rooms—I wouldn’t want to crash your party, Byron.”
Byron’s irritation seemed to dissipate. Although they’d planned for this, Toni was uncomfortable with the knowledge that he probably recognized this as the perfect opportunity to get Kim to his suite. She suspected Sophie was having a full-fledged shit fit right now about his apparent eagerness to get Kim alone.
“Quite right, Ted.” Byron turned to Kim with a broad smile. “I do hope you will join me in my room later. I’m sure I can arrange to have a bottle of pinot brought to the room.”
“I’d like that, Byron. Thank you for the offer and for inviting me tonight.”
“I assure you, the pleasure is all mine.”
Toni glanced over, saw the look of loathing in Sophie’s eyes, and glared at her. Blowing their cover with a display of obvious emotion wasn’t an option. Sophie needed to remember that Kim was a pro and had the situation under control.
Toni had no concern about Kim’s ability to get close enough to capture a high-quality picture of Byron’s retina, using her specially designed camera embedded in Kim’s colored contacts. Byron was not a tall man, so she knew that Kim’s three-inch heels would provide the perfect angle to capture a high-quality shot of his iris. And Toni knew it would require a closer, more intimate atmosphere for her to get the job done.
“I better head to the ladies’ room and see if I can try to salvage this dress,” Kim announced.
“I’ll come with you. I might even have something to help remove any possible stain,” Sophie offered.
“We’ll meet you at the table by the podium after we’ve had a chance to network a little bit,” Byron said.
Sophie and Kim strolled to the bathroom while Ted and Byron mingled with those around them.
As soon as they were well away from their dates, Kim whispered into her comm link. “Time to start phase two, Toni. Your style change is in the west wing hospitality bathroom. I hid it in the ceiling tile above the first stall. Cameras are deactivated.” Kim chuckled.
“I know that laugh. What the hell kind of outfit did you pick for me? I better look hot. I need to connect with that stunning redhead,” Toni whispered into her comm link.
“Oh, you’ll look hot all right, but the amount of cleavage might be a bit risqué, even for you, Toni. It will definitely be a completely opposite look compared to your normal combat boots, leather jacket, and ripped jeans.”
“Perfect. Thanks, Kim.”
“Don’t get sidetracked by that redhead. I may need your help later with the transfer of images. The lens is your prototype and I’m anxious to see the results,” Sophie added.
As soon as Kim, Sophie, and their dates left the bar area, Toni slipped the pill that would simulate the symptoms of food poisoning into her mouth. It wouldn’t take long before she developed a sudden need to visit the bathroom and had the excuse she needed to leave her bartending station.
†
Sophie entered the bathroom and made a quick sweep of the stalls to ensure they were alone. Kim carefully extracted the latex hidden in the napkin and handed it to Sophie who delicately placed
it in a plastic zipper bag. Sophie gently pushed back an errant lock from Kim’s expensive wig. She placed her hands on Kim’s arms and absently stroked down Kim’s well-defined triceps.
Kim smiled.
“Listen, I want you to be extra vigilant with Byron. I’ve heard some things about him that I don’t like. Even if we have to abort the mission tonight, don’t hesitate to call for reinforcements. Don’t take any chances and don’t let that slime bag take things too far just to get a good picture. Toni and I will be listening in, so all you have to do is say the magic word and we’ll be there in a jiffy.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve done this a thousand times. I’m an expert at wiggling out of an unwanted embrace. He’s a banker, for God’s sake. I think I can handle him.”
“Your welfare is more important to me than completing this mission. I, um…”
Kim took one of Sophie’s hands and interlaced her fingers. “I know, Sophie.”
†
Toni burst into the bathroom, rushed to the toilet, and vomited.
“Damn, I thought it would only look like I was getting sick. I didn’t actually think I would be puking up my burrito. I’ll never eat Mexican food again.” Toni yanked a generous supply of toilet paper off the roll and wiped her mouth. “Hey, do either one of you have a mint or something?”