Page 68 of Stealing Blinds

Ryker scratches his dark brown five-o’clock shadow. “How long have you been working on this?”

“About a year. Since before their last retreat.”

“Which was the changing of the guards, so to speak?” Axel surmises while dismissing a call on his phone.

“Yes.”

Cash rubs my arm, his face softer now, a blend of curiosity and maybe awe draping it. “How did you deduce who the keyholders were?”

“I stowed away on a guest’s yacht and used a coal chute to get into the resort. You can’t enter the current basement that way because the old room has been bricked up. But there’s a transom window that was never replaced. It gave me a view to the hallway leading to the bunker.”

While Cash appears to be fascinated, which is an undeniable boost to the ego, Axel doesn’t miss a beat.

“Do the keyholders know what they’re protecting?”

“Since they change every year, I doubt it.”

That catches Zara’s attention. “So, the people with the keys aren’t marks.” She rolls her lips in for a second, but before I can reply, she elaborates. “I used to be an assassin.”

“Oh,” is all I squeak out because when we met in San Francisco, she told me she’d been in a similar business to me, but the two professions are worlds apart. Maybe that’s judgmental. I stuff down the shock and focus. “Well, it’s just speculation. But based on the security measures, I’d guess the guys in charge keep plenty of secrets.”

Axel dismisses another call on his phone and rises from his chair, rounding his desk to perch on the front of it. “Who are the guys in charge?”

“I’m not sure. The entire event is busting at the seams with upper-one-percent royalty. Most seem on the up-and-up. And I think they are. I think that’s the cover.”

“Hiding in plain sight.” He side-eyes his wife, like they’re sharing a secret.

“Yes,” I confirm. “The event already has an element of secrecy built into it, so they’re simply capitalizing on it. But that means my handler could be anyone. And the person in charge of whatever information I’m stealing could be a member of the Senate, a billionaire, a tech mogul, a top-tier celebrity, a wealthy housewife, or anyone in between.”

Jax drops his feet, his elbows falling to his knees with interest. “What’s your plan … to enter the bunker?”

“It’s extensive.” I know they want more, but I’m getting antsy.

Cash clasps my free hand. “Just the thirty-thousand-foot view, and then we’ll get out of here.”

I exhale, eager for the reprieve. “It’s three days. During dinner on the second day, the information is updated and keys are relinquished. I considered getting an invite from Peter, but now I’ll be going in as a member of the catering staff—the back-of-house prep team so I don’t get recognized. It allows me to enter the basement because there’s a wine cellar down there.”

“Number of guards?” Zara asks.

“Four on the lower level, but the entire place will be swarming with security,” I provide, watching Ryker fiddle with his phone.

Tension has the walls pulsing as Maddox pockets his knife and poses the question on everyone’s lips. “And your plan to thwart them?”

“Diversion.” I take my coffee cup over to Axel’s office sink and rinse it, just so I don’t have to stare at the firing squad. “Either a bomb threat or an actual detonation in an unoccupied hallway of the resort—away from people, but enough to scare them.”

“Won’t some guards head straight for the system?” Ryker argues.

“Possibly, but I think most will protect the people.” I spin, overwhelmed because I’m not used to discussing every detail of my plans—not even E asks this much. “There will be so many high-profile leaders to shield, whereas the system has built-in security.”

Zara stands, letting me know she’s about to guide me out of here, even as she joins the interrogation. “Have you heard anything about the groups KORT or Kratos in these circles?”

“I don’t …” I search my memory for any recollection, but come up empty. “Not that I can remember.”

Another moment of silence descends upon us, and I can’t help but wonder if they know something I don’t or if they want a piece of whatever I’m going after.

Maddox lifts his vibrating cell, announcing, “Security.”

They all murmur that they’ve been getting similar calls, so Axel tells Maddox to take it.