CHAPTER 7
KYLE POKED INSIDEthe little paper carton with his chopsticks, trying to grab the last mushroom. They’d worked into the night, and now the office was officially closed. Not that you could tell from the conference table. It was littered with Chinese food containers, Diet Coke cans, file folders and paper.
Beside him, Mel was handling the chopsticks like a pro. She looked up with a grin. “Years of practice.”
He gave up, snagged the mushroom with his fork and nodded at the papers. “See anything interesting?” It was just past seven, and they’d been working since Miss Emily had left about five hours earlier.
She shrugged. “It’s all interesting. The question is still where to start.” She blew out a noisy breath. “I wish Driskell would call you back.”
So did Kyle. He’d left a message for the client about three hours ago. He’d been pressuring Driskell to set a date for Kyle to test and inspect the system,but the man had been in constant meetings and his assistant couldn’t set a date without her boss’s okay.
The delay was driving Kyle crazy, but at the moment, he had to admit he was enjoying the dinner break with Mel. “Thanks for working late,” he said.
“Well, you know, we security consultants are a pretty committed bunch.”
“So I’ve noticed.” He reached out, smoothing his finger down her arm. She’d taken off her suit jacket and was now wearing a simple sleeveless top and a tailored skirt. She’d untucked the shirt and her pumps were in the corner of the room, next to the briefcase she’d dropped into a chair. She looked tousled and studious and sexy as hell.
He knew he should keep his hands to himself, but dammit, he didn’t want to. He cupped the back of her hand in his palm, their fingers interlaced. She glanced sideways at him, a little smile on her mouth, and she didn’t pull away.
“So this security consultant thing runs in your family,” he said.
“It skips generations,” she said, the hint of a laugh coloring her voice. “My father worked as a machinist. I take after my grandfather.”
“What do your parents think about your choice of profession?” He watched her face, looking for a reaction.He knew he was prying, but he was curious. He tried to tell himself that he didn’t often have the chance to chat with retired cat burglars, but it was more than that. He wanted to know Melissa Tanner. So help him, he wanted to know everything about her.
She didn’t answer at first, and he feared he’d gone too far. Then she took a shaky breath and met his eyes, her own brimming with tears. “They were killed when I was eleven. And, no, they didn’t approve of my grandfather.”
He drew a breath. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I miss them, but that was a long time ago. And Gramps did everything he could for me.”
“Even taught you a trade.” It was a bad joke, but she didn’t seem to mind.
“Yeah.” She pulled her hand free to run her fingers through her hair, and he immediately felt a sense of loss. “The thing about Gramps is that he stayed in for all the wrong reasons. He started with petty theft back when he was just sixteen. He was trying to make ends meet while he worked to break into Hollywood. The cops couldn’t figure it out, but there were stories leaked, and then suddenly Gramps had this whole persona.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t alive then, of course, but I think he got lost inthe celebrity. He never made it big in the movies, but Gregory, The Cat, became legend.”
“And he was never caught.”
“Nope. When he got older, he retired.” She shook her head. “I still can’t believe he took the risk to steal that necklace from Emily.”
“What about you?”
“I don’t know. I guess it started as a crutch. Gramps had trained me and it was all I knew.” She paused, and he stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt. “As I got older, I knew it was wrong. But by then Gramps had run through his savings and he really was too old to start climbing around on rooftops again.”
“I guess there’s no pension plan for those engaged in the cat burglary profession.”
She laughed. “No. But that’s okay. We take care of each other. I inherited my parents’ house, so he’s been living there with me, but I had to make enough to cover the taxes and our expenses, so I stayed with the family business.” She shrugged. “I guess that’s partly a lie. I loved the thrill, too. I knew I should give it up, but it was so hard. Finally, I just had to do it. I even went to college so I could figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”
“What was your major?”
“History.”
“And was that it?” he asked.
Her brow furrowed. “What?”
“What you wanted to do with your life.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m still looking for that one. But it was a degree, and I figured it would help.”
