“Then why not just buy new ones, whatever these things are, and give it to the person?”
He shook his head. “These particular items, I’m told, cannot be bought without raising suspicion.”
So he also didn’t know what he was stealing? That baffled me. “So, what’s the plan?”
“No plan. Just waiting to see how many guards pitch for nightshift, then I’m going in. Hungry?”
There was a pub and grill right next to the storage facility I knew he was eyeing. “No, thank you. So, you’re going in blind?”
He unbuckled his safety belt. “Not all heists have to be planned out. Where’s the fun in that?” He hopped out of the car. “I’m getting you something anyway. Don’t take your eyes off that building.” He jogged across the street, his powerful body capturing my gaze.
We ate in silence and watched as the workers clocked out and two guards clocked in. They were young, probably in their early to mid-twenties. One was a man, light hair with a tattoo peeking out at his collar. The other was a woman, with a buzz cut and a proud walk. They seemed to be good friends by the way they joked around when walking up to the building.
By 9 o’clock, Grayson announced that he was going in. “I’ll be back in less than an hour. There won’t be any trouble, but if I’m not out in three hours or the police comes, then you drive away. There is a satellite phone in the glovebox, so you can call Hunter and Gemma. Understand?” He reached for a black hoody from the backseat and pulled it over his head. Then a black baseball cap. “Ava? Understand?” His voice was stern, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Yes,” I breathed. “Just be careful.” I could feel the anxiousness rolling through my body.
He grinned at me, excitement sparking in his eyes. “Don’t sweat, Princess. It’ll be fun.”
Grayson disappeared into the alley next to the building. I proceeded to count each second that passed, getting more and more wound up. After thirty minutes, I could barely stay in my seat. It was hard work trying to contain my anxiety. Fifteen more minutes passed, and it felt like I wanted to puke. When one hour had passed, and Grayson hadn’t returned, I knewsomething was wrong. I had no idea what to do. He said he’d be back before an hour was up, but he wasn’t. There was no way I was just going to leave him after another two hours went by.
I got out of the car and opened the trunk. I searched for any type of weapon in the multitude of bags but only found mace in a handbag that was presumably Gemma’s. But a little tab at the side of the trunk caught my eye. I shifted the bags away and pulled at it. A compartment opened up, layered with guns. There were handguns and shotguns and ones I had never known the names of.
Jeez.
I sighed. I couldn’t even fathom using one of those on anyone. I quickly closed the compartment and shifted the bags back into place.
I couldn’t fight them, so outsmart them it was. I took out the red lipstick and reapplied it, checking to see if my makeup and hair was still in place with a handheld mirror. I smoothed my dress and took a few breaths to steady myself. I had to find Grayson.
I walked up to the tall glass doors. The light in reception was on. One of the guards sat behind the counter. I knocked on the door, giving the light-haired man my most dazzling smile. He walked over to the door, taking in the sight of me. He opened it, his eyes roaming over me once more.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked politely, but the look in his eyes was anything but polite. He was already undressing me in his mind. I wanted to run for the hills, but I had to push through. I had to find Grayson.
“Oh, wow…” I trailed off, staring at him as if dazed. “You have really blue eyes.” I swooned but then squeezed my eyes shut and cleared my throat, as if a little embarrassed. “Um, yes, I do need something, actually. I was wondering if I could use your bathroom? I’m eating at Ballers, but their toilet is temporarily out of order, and I really need to go. And I saw the lights… um, could I maybe come in? I’m freezing out here.” I was rubbing my arms, making sure the motion made my breasts bounce just a bit.
His eyes were glued to them. “Yes, sure, come in.” He opened the door wider, letting me pass, grinning widely. He was already hooked, and I haven’t even started yet.
I moaned as I stepped further into the foyer. “Gods, that’s so much better, thank you.”
“No problem, you were saying?”
“Oh. Yes. As I was saying, I saw the lights… and you…” I smiled down, tugging my hair shyly behind my ear, “and hoped you would let me use your bathroom.” I took a step closer to him and smiled sweetly, biting on my lower lip.
His grin grew even wider. He was sure now that he had me in the bag. “Ballers, you say? Were you on a date or something?” He eyed my outfit.
I shook my head, twirling a strand of hair around my finger. It was a cliché move but always worked. “No. No date. I was supposed to meet my brother, but he hasn’t showed up yet.” I needed to add that as a safety net. So he would think someone would be looking for me.
He nodded. Pleased. “The bathroom is right this way. I can show you. I’m Jason, by the way.”
“Candice,” I batted my lashes at him, as I shook his outstretched hand. We held on a little longer to each other’s hands, and Jason was practically giddy by the chemistry he felt between us. I took his arm as we walked through the lobby towards the storage area, pressing myself to his side, and smiling up at him each time he sneaked a look at me.
The storage facility was enormous. We walked through a long corridor, that led to rows and rows of side corridors with storage units. We followed it all the way to the back. I had no idea how Grayson would have navigated through the maze of this place. Maybe that was the reason he hadn’t returned to the car. I kept my eyes open for him, trying my best to look like I was looking around in awe.
A small movement caught my eye. Up on the iron beams that criss-crossed above our heads, over the backrooms in the building, crouched a figure, almost completely obscured in the shadows.
My heart sputtered. Grayson. What was he doing up there? What was he waiting for? I followed Jason through the doors that stood open, into the backrooms. There was another corridor of offices. Jason veered to the right, closer to Grayson. When I looked up, I could see him better, but only because I knew what to look for. He was smiling down at me, completely at ease, with a question mark on his face.
Gods, why was he smiling? I was about to jump out of my skin, and he was smiling.
