Page 20 of Forever a Thief

I slap a hand over my heart. “That hurts, ladies. Truly. Like a bullet to my heart.”

“He did pull me out of a burning building.”

“Ryland told me what happened to your restaurant. I’m so sorry, Savannah,” Addie laments, motioning for us to follow.

“I’m fine, by the way,” I announce cheerfully. “No burns. Thanks for asking.”

“You’re like a cat with nine lives, Laurent.” Addie rolls her eyes then motions for us to follow her. “And everyone is waiting with bated breath to hear your plan.”

Oh, I’m sure. Knowing Addie’s crew, they’re going to give me a hard time about putting Savannah in the line of fire. Addie’s little ring of thieves is rather brilliant, and I have no doubt they’ll offer to sneak into Voss’s mansion before ever letting Savannah step foot inside, especially alone. After all, just like she said, she has zero experience when it comes to this kind of thing.

Savannah knows it. Addie and her crew know it. And, I know it.

So, did I really need to bring Savannah along with me? Nah. Did I lure her to Denver because I wanted to spend more time with her? Abso-fucking-lutely. Because I’m sneaky like that. But I’ll never admit it. Nope, that’s my little secret.

The moment we step into the conference room, it’s like a wall of ice hits me. Damn. Not one friendly face in the group. Well, not for me, but they all say hello to Savannah. In fact, Ryder McKay looks ready to jump across the table and strangle me with his bare hands. I notice Bella Diamond sitting next to him and, last I heard, the idiot went and fell in love with her. It’s clearly true, because only love would make a man act so rashly.

Before Ryder can launch himself through the air, Bella wraps her small hand around his and squeezes. She leans over, whispers something in his ear, and he seems to relax a bit. But he’s still glowering at me like I murdered his entire fucking family.

“Have a seat.” Addie sweeps a hand at two empty chairs while she sits down next to the illustrious former Detective Cole Vaughn.

How those two ever got together is beyond me. Vaughn had been trying to nail her ass for years. Now that they’re engaged and he’s working here at A-Squared, I guess that’s all changed. Although he’s definitely nailing her ass. Just in a different kind of way.

The other seats at the table are occupied by Knox Beckett, Addie’s righthand man and known charmer; Lincoln Decker, former MMA champ and safecracker; and the stunning Brighton Leroux, whose green eyes shine brighter than any emerald and are currently bouncing between me and Savannah, her bright red lips smirking.

“What’s this all about?” Cole demands as Savannah and I sit down.

“Yeah, if you think we’re helping you,” Ryder growls, “you can forget it. Not after that stunt you pulled in Austria with me and Delaney.”

I clear my throat. “Sorry about that. I tried to catch her.” I glance over at Bella—now apparently Delaney—who’s got me pinned in her sights with narrowed eyes. “But to be fair, I wasn’t expecting Miss Diamond to recklessly launch herself through the air at me and start wrestling the bag away.”

“We found the diamond first,” Bella states. “You locked us in the hidden room and stole it. I was merely getting it back. Which I did, and it all ended exactly as it should have. And please call me Miss Marquette. Bella Diamond no longer exists.”

“If you say so.” I can’t say I agree with how they handed over the long-lost purple diamond we discovered to the Denver Art Museum, but it’s too late now. No use crying over spilled milk, so I answer Cole’s question instead. “I’m not sure what Addie has told you, but I’ve been on the hunt for The Heart of Azure for a very long time. Our favorite billionaire, Adam Voss, now holds a book that leads to its whereabouts. The clues are hidden in an 1866 edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I want that book—and I need your help retrieving it from Voss’s mansion.”

My little spiel causes the room to erupt. While they all start blurting out why my plan is impossible and full of holes, I turn to look at Savannah, who is twisting her hands in her lap. Locking eyes with her wide sage green ones, I smile. “Hi,” I whisper, attempting to distract her from the chaos.

She blinks, and bites the inside of her cheek. “I don’t think they like your plan,” she whispers back.

“They’ll come around—and probably come up with a better idea,” I predict. I know this group well enough to know they have their finger on the pulse of this town and all the action that goes down here. If there’s a better way to get our hands on the book in Voss’s possession, they’ll know exactly how and when to strike. Again, why should I do the heavy lifting when others can do it for me?

“Wait!” Addie lifts her hands, and everyone quiets down. “I have an idea.”

Of course, she does. I was counting on it.

Beside her, Knox shakes his head. “Infiltrating Voss’s mansion is going to be nearly impossible.”

Linc crosses his huge muscled arms and scowls. “It can’t be done.”

“He knows every single one of us,” Brighton adds.

“You’re right, B. Voss knows what we look like, and there’s no way to sneak inside.” A devilish smile curls Addie’s lips. “So we waltz right through the front door.”

“What?” Cole asks, dark brow furrowing. “How exactly do we do that?”

“We get dressed up, don masks, and stroll in with the rest of the guests this Saturday night,” she announces triumphantly.

“His annual masquerade party,” Bella—I mean, Delaney—murmurs thoughtfully. “I forgot about that.” She lets out a giddy laugh. “He won’t have any idea we’re right under his nose.”