To Catch a Thief

by Nana Malone

  DI Jones sighed. “So this is just about some gut feeling you have?”

  I could hear it in her voice. The disbelief. The mocking. The demand for proof. “I thought you said you wanted to catch him.”

  “And I do want to catch him. But a maybe sighting, a maybe family squabble?”

  “This is no squabble. Ollie is messed up.”

  “Fine. But I need more. Look, does Max know you're back in town?"

  "I don't know. It's entirely possible. Like I told you before, I haven't spoken to him and he hasn't approached me directly. But you said to call if I'd heard from him or anything, so I'm calling. There has to be something you can do." I knew I sounded hysterical. Unhinged. Crazy. Those were all names I was used to being called.

  Ollie was in trouble. It was clear from the way he'd treated me and the way he was acting. And if he was in trouble, that meant it was because of Max. That whole fucked up triad of him, Tessa, and Max was so much. And I could see it on his face. He saw this as a huge responsibility to take care of his sister and keep their family tight. I understood that need. It was why, despite my father’s behavior, I continued to try to reach out. It didn't matter how many times he rejected me.

  "Look, you said to call you, so I called."

  She sighed. "Just a minute. It's not quite so easy. You've called, but we do need you to do some work. Are you willing to pay attention to Mr. Wexler's comings and goings?"

  "You mean Ollie? His comings and goings? No. I'm not here to be your spy. If you don't have anything on Max Wexler and you're just on a fishing expedition, I'm not the one who's going to help you."

  “I promise you, Mr. Wexler is no victim. I need more than you’re giving me.”

  I had an ace in the hole. The one I hadn't wanted to play. But now that I could see she had no intention of helping Ollie, it was my last play. I pulled out my pendant and laid it on the table between us. “I have this. The note said, ‘I’m sorry.’ If that isn’t an admission from him, I don’t know what is. Max sent this.”

  She examined the jewelry. “How can you be sure?”

  “Because this was a piece my aunt let me borrow from her jewelry store for a special occasion. My first fancy dinner. But the clasp broke and it fell off. And Max took it to get repaired, except he never got it fixed. He kept it. He used to tell me he was going to fix it, but he never did and he held it hostage. But he’s back and messing with me.” I tapped the table. “You wanted proof, here is your proof. You can stop looking at me like I’m crazy.”

  “I never said you were. Matter of fact, we can use this to our advantage You want to draw out Max? How do you feel about perhaps being the bait?"

  "What?" I grabbed my coffee.

  "I have a theory. I'm sure it hasn't escaped your knowledge that it was Max Wexler who clued us in to your potential involvement with the burglaries five years ago."

  "I didn't have anything to do with those." How many times did I have to say that?

  "No, of course not, we have identified that. But Max Wexler did point the finger at you, which, given your relationship and what you told us about him, means that he has a connection with you or some kind of obsession.” Her voice softened. “I’m aware of the reports you filed in Maryland. That you thought he was following you.”

  My stomach went into freefall. “You checked up on me?”

  “Of course I did. I know the police couldn’t find anything to substantiate your concerns. I know that you checked yourself in for psychiatric evaluation.”

  My hands were shaking so bad, I had to make my way to an empty seat and sink into it. “You’re twisting that. My father checked me in. They established I was exhausted and anxious due to school.”

  “And stalking is hard to prove.”

  “I’m not crazy.” I whispered it, not sure if I said it for her benefit or mine.

  “I’m not saying you are. What I’m saying is that this is an opportunity to get your life back, to reclaim it, and all you have to do is get close to Oliver Wexler.”

  “I don't understand what getting close to Ollie will do. I have no connection to Ollie."

  "Sure you don't, but who's to say that Max doesn't know that? At the very least, I would like to create an opportunity where Max Wexler can reach out to you. Sort of bring him out of the woodwork. He's been very slippery."

  Invite Max’s level of crazy into my life? I’d been afraid for so long. "This was not the deal. You asked me to call you if I'd heard from him. I haven't. Was contacting you a mistake?"

  She paused. "No, it wasn't. I'm just asking for some help. This is a man who tried to ruin your life. You would think you'd be more eager to catch him."

  "I'm eager to see him cuffed, but I'm not eager to be a part of it. I have a whole new life now. One he isn't part of."

  "I hear you. But think of this; revenge is sweet, isn't it?"

  "I'm not interested in revenge. I've given you the information I have, and I want you to leave me alone."

  "Miss Beaumont, if you—"

  I stood and left the café.. That was a mistake. I shouldn't have said anything to her about Max. I was just putting myself in the crosshairs. And unfortunately, she wasn't someone who would help Ollie. I just prayed I hadn't opened a can of worms for him.

  Seventeen

  Oliver

  Climbing back into my old self was like climbing back into an old familiar outfit. Or like that scent of nostalgia that brought you back to a particular moment in time, rekindling not only memories, but visceral feelings.

  The truth of it was I did miss it. I liked planning heists. There was a thrill, an adventure to solving the unsolvable problem. The first time I’d done it had been quite by accident. Mum had been at work, and Max and his mates had been looking at building plans. They’d all looked perplexed and were arguing about how they were going to get into a secure building in the middle of the night. I’d made some quip about instead of breaking in, why didn’t they walk in the front door.

  As a kid I hadn’t been encumbered by any of the reasons something couldn’t happen. I just saw a way to make it happen. Basically one of them could walk into the building during the day when it was open and busy, then hide. Then at a designated time, that person let the others in as an alarm wouldn’t be triggered then.

  There’d been more to it, but from then on Max had given me puzzles to solve. And for a time I’d solved them not knowing what he was doing with my ideas. He’d asked for a plan when I was on my way to a mate’s house and I’d told him to sod off, and I’d have a look tomorrow. My brother, my hero, had slammed me against the wall and asked me if I thought I was playing a fucking game.

  I’d never been so scared in my life. I got it then. The ‘games’ of me solving these problems were so Max and his mates could rob the places. And now I was expected to help. If I didn’t help, he’d threaten to hurt Tessa. So I’d done what I was told. Until the day I no longer had to.

  The last job I’d done for him was my first day at Eton. It was such a rush, and I didn’t know all the variables. Max being Max, he’d promised me it was fine, and he needed something quick and dirty. A security guard died that night, and I knew it was my fault.

  I should have done something, told someone. But it was the secret, the power he held over me. At least what he’d used to call me back from Eton. The threat of exposure. Or the threat of something happening to Tessa.

  But I’d be lying if I said the thrill of figuring out the puzzle wasn’t alluring. It was familiar ground. And I was pretty fucking good at it.

  I’d spent two weeks pulling this plan for Monaco together and avoiding Rian. My gut clenched just thinking about her. And that gnawing, tingling feeling telling me I’d made a mistake. Who was I kidding? That alarm was blaring. But I had no choice. This was happening, and I couldn’t have her anywhere near it.

  I dragged my focus back to the matter at hand, Colton Cox.

  I had told Rian that I was out of Max's world. And that was the truth. Mostly. I s
till had a couple of contacts. Not that I generally wanted anything to do with them. But when your back was up against the wall, you had to play every card you could. And I had called in all the favors

  You could have used the Elite contacts.

  Except with the Elite contacts, I would have to explain a lot. And I wasn't really in for the explanations or the risk to my membership. Lucky for me, I knew one of Max's old contacts, Logan Demiere, born a rich kid turned tech investor who Max had originally scammed, but then the two of them became friends somehow. I had no idea how that worked, but whatever. I'd called him up. We'd met years ago on one of the jobs I'd planned for Max. I did him a favor once, so he owed me. He'd created the device that would copy Colton's phone for me. It was nearly as slim as a credit card. And it would fit right in my wallet. I only had to be within two feet of him, which was going to make things really fucking convenient.

  And then there was Huxley James. Huxley, well he was the hustler and the con man.

  Way to stay away from unsavory people.

  Huxley had gotten me an invite to the casino games that Colton Cox liked to host on his yacht. High-stakes poker. Opening bets were a thousand pounds. My initial influx of cash which came from the Elite when I had agreed to be trained, was twenty thousand quid. I had a quarter of that left after paying Tess's initial school fees. I had savings from working too, but that was for Tessa, in case something happened to me. So I was going to have to actually play really good poker. And then there was a lad called Adam Yates who’d pulled information for me on Cox and the other players. Who they were, girlfriends, associates.

  All said and done, that very world I was trying to leave had clawed me back into its clutches. But if I did this, I'd be free of Rome and of Max. Tessa would be free. I could go back to the life I'd built for myself. Very far away from this one, where I had to lie, cheat, and steal to survive.

  As I studied my plans one more time, I checked my watch as I went over my routine for the night.

  We still had another hour before the Kensington event would be over. So far Rian had done an incredible job. She’d made the venue seem intimate but still glamorous. Alan Kensington had been over the moon judging by his wide smile and chattering. Lila had been less so, moody and slightly annoyed, but even she had to see what a coup Rian had pulled off.

  I ignored the warmth in my chest that just thinking about her brought on. I had to focus.

  I’d made sure to make the final rounds of checking in with the vendors to make sure they’d all been paid. Rian had taken care of that. Olivia was happily mingling. Hell, even Bridge looked happy. All that was needed was my last pass with Rian.

  When I found her, she was near the door of the balcony, double-checking with the waiter that we still had bottles of champagne left. As we were winding down, anything left could be used for the main event we were planning in New York in a few weeks.

  The breeze lifted her soft waves, and they framed her heart-shaped face as if she had her own personal wind machine. “Hey.”

  She stiffened as her gaze lifted to mine. “Oh, hi.”

  “You've done a great job.”

  Her voice was even and flat when she spoke. “Thank you. I appreciate your help. I think Mr. Kensington is quite pleased.”

  “He is. I was going to head out to see a friend if you're all good here.”

  “Yes. You don't need to check up on me. Vendors have been paid, and we still have plenty of leftover champagne for the next event. I’ve even asked the decorators to be gentle taking the decorations down so that we can reuse much of them for the next event. Mr. Kensington doesn’t seem to mind, but I know Lila is budget conscious. She’s been up my ass about every line item. So I want to make sure I’m showing her savings somewhere.”

  “Rian, I’m not checking up on you. I’m honestly saying you’ve done a great job.”

  Her brows shot up. “Oh, in that case, thank you.” She shifted on her feet. “I didn’t know you knew anyone here not on the team.”

  “Yeah, in the preparation for this event I met a couple of locals.”

  Her lips pressed together into a purse. “Right, have fun then.”

  I could see in the way her lips pursed she thought I meant women. And I could have corrected her. It just worked in my favor if I didn’t. She’d be upset, she might even be mad. But it was better she thought I had a girlfriend than to suspect what I was really going to be up to.

  “Okay, have a good night. You’ve done a great job Rian. You should be proud.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” She shifted again as I turned to go and then she called out, “Ollie?”

  “Yeah, Rian?”

  She looked like she wanted to say something the way her gaze searched mine, and my stomach twisted as I waited. But instead she said, “Thanks again for all your help. It was a steep learning curve, but I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  It was strange that I felt disappointed that she hadn’t asked me to stay, hadn’t asked me where I was going, hadn’t asked me if she could come with me, because I wanted none of those things. But I still wanted her to care.

  You're losing your edge. Move on.

  “You're welcome Rian. Have a good night.”

  I left her standing there as Norena Mullins took the stage for her final performance signaling the end of the event. That was my cue to prepare. This was my window, and if I missed it, there wouldn’t be another one. I went back to my room and started packing my gear.

  There was a knock at my door. I covered the coffee table and hustled to answer it, assuming it was one of the wait staff coming to ask me a question.

  It wasn't though. Liam and Alex stood shoulder to shoulder, grinning at me like idiots.

  "What the fuck are you two doing here?"

  "We're here to help."

  I glanced around and tugged them inside. "What the fuck?"

  They laughed. "Look, we know you're up to something. The least we can do is help you with whatever it is."

  "What part of 'I don't need you, mates' did you not understand?"

  Liam slid a glance to Alex. "See, I told you he wouldn't understand the finer ties of brotherhood. That's why we have to show him with our actions."

  Alex just shook his head as if he'd been dealing with Liam's antics for far too long. When he spoke, his voice was a gruff growl. "Just deal with it. We're here. To get rid of us, you'll have to probably fight or shoot one of us. And that's going to get complicated and very messy. Plus you will be late for whatever it is you're planning if you have to stop and move a body."

  "I’m not planning anything."

  Alex tapped his wrist. "We've been watching you for the last two hours in the venue. You looked itchy, like you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. The moment there was a break, you escaped here. So, it means that whatever you’ve got going on is making you twitchy. The event is almost over. People have started patting Rian on the back for an excellent soft launch. Kensington is going to kiss her arse, and you are missing all the festivities deliberately, which means you want to get going.”

  "Lads, no. I already said it. I don't want your help."

  Liam shrugged. "Well, it's either you take it, or we won’t stop bothering you for whatever it is. Pick your poison."

  "I fucking hate you lot.”

  Liam grinned. "Ah, see? Now he's getting it.”

  "I do not want your help." I muttered again.

  Liam shrugged. “Too late, might as well tell us what your plan is, otherwise you're going to be late. And whatever you’ve got going on, something tells me you cannot be late. So, either take us with you, or take us out if you can. The latter you will find extremely difficult. It's your choice.”

  I glowered at the two men who refused to let me just do this the way I needed to.

  Not once in my life, not once, had anyone ever stood up for me like that.

  Rian did.

  I swallowed the wash of shame for how I’d treated her. "Fine. But if you guys are all about this
brotherhood shit, that means oaths and secrets and all that ought to be kept."

  Liam smirked. "See? I told you he'd see it our way."

  “So, what are we doing? If there’s murder involved, I’ll need to change my clothes. Blood is so hard to get out of gray,” Alex said.

  I shook my head. “I’m not killing anyone. But I do plan to rob someone blind.”

  Liam’s grin was easy. “A bit of grand larceny. Always a good time. Who are we robbing?”

  “Not grand larceny exactly. If everything goes to plan then he won’t even know I’ve—”

  There was a sudden loud clattering outside of my room, then a feminine, “Shit,” that sounded way too familiar.

  Rian.

  She’d heard everything.

  Rian

  Shit.

  Rob someone? What the hell?

  I hadn’t meant to teeter on my damn heels. And I also hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. Sure you didn’t.

  My feet were on fire, and I’d come to see if he wanted to say goodbye to the Kensingtons. And then I’d heard him mention a job. And I’d stumbled.

  There was always a chance they hadn’t heard—

  “Go check it out.”

  Oh hell.

  Every instinct told me to lean forward, listen harder. But footsteps drew closer to the door. My stomach dropped. Holy shit, this was for real.

  And then I heard it. Footsteps approaching behind me. I whipped around. There was a man standing there. Dark hair, a flash of a smile, tall, maybe over six feet, with a lean, rangy build. He was familiar, and he towered over me.

  "Um, I uh, I was looking for the pool."

  He shook his head. "No, Rian. Pool’s that way. It looks like you were trying to listen in. Bit cheeky if you ask me."

  He knows my name. Fuck my life. I shook my head. "Nope, I'm just heading for the pool. I'm just going to go there now." I hitched my thumb in the opposite direction, did an about face, and bolted.

  Holy fuck. Holy fuck. Holy fuck.

  I was in trouble.

  This was not happening.

  I didn't dare look behind me.