The Beautiful Thief (Stolen Hearts #2)(25)

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re going to ask for what we want and we’re not going to leave until we get it.”

Melody sat on her bed and undid her bun, letting the wet hair fall around her shoulders, where she started to work at it with a brush. “Who are you going to talk to exactly?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, it matters. What’s his name?”

“Ike Shriver.”

“Hold on.” Melody leaned over to pull her phone off the nightstand, where it was still plugged into her phone charger. She did something with the phone and then he heard ringing through the speaker phone. She must’ve called someone.

After three rings, the call was picked up. “Mel? Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for days.”

“And I’ve been texting you that I’m fine,” said Melody as she very obviously avoided looking in his direction.

“No, you didn’t text me that you’re fine. Text. Not plural. Singular. You emailed me that you’re fine from an untraceable IP address. Which is a trick I taught you and I don’t appreciate it being used against me.”

“No matter how I said it, it’s true. But I need a favor.”

“A favor? After sneaking out on me? What the hell makes you think I’m going to do a damn thing for you?”

Melody’s head fell back as though she were looking for patience. But instead of trying to convince the woman on the other line, she just came out with what she wanted. “I need information on someone. His name is Ike Shriver and he works security for Jordan Belli.”

There was a long pause on the other end. “You’re kidding, right? I know you wouldn’t seriously be asking me to do this.”

“No kidding, Toni. I need something on him or else we’re just going to have to beat it out of him and that isn’t how I like to do things.”

Another pause.... “We? Who’s we?”

“I have a partner I’m working with.”

“You won’t tell me what you’re doing but you’re working with a partner?”

“Adam is fine. Totally trustworthy.” She glanced over in his direction. “Adam, say hi to Toni.”

“Hey,” he said simply.

“The trustworthy guy whose prints you ran last week?”

“Toni! Are you going to help me or am I going to be doing this alone?”

“I think you’ve made it clear you don’t want our help.”

“Okay then, I’ll talk to you—”

“Wait.” There was a clacking sound, as though Toni was on the keyboard. “What’s this guy’s name?”

“Ike Shriver.”

“All right. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Thanks, Toni. And just so you know, I’m at the Congress Hotel.”

“You’re just telling me that because you know I can trace this call in two seconds.”

“Love you! Thanks again.” She hung up the phone before Toni could say anything. “There. That should be easier than violence.”

Adam shrugged. “Don’t know about that. Violence makes a lot of things easier.”

Melody sighed. “You would say that. Please put on some pants, Adam. We have a long day ahead of us.”





Melody tried to center herself but nothing worked. She hadn’t done a play like this in too long. Making matters worse was the fact that so much of this was depending on Adam. He was getting them into the building, he was getting them to security, and he was the one who was going to convince Shriver to talk.

Toni had come through, but it wasn’t as juicy as it could’ve been. Apparently the guy had been messaging with a nineteen-year-old college student. As in messaging pictures of private parts she really had never wanted to see. None of that would be a problem if he hadn’t been married.

Luckily, Toni had also gotten a look at his bank accounts. Thanks to an underwater mortgage and massive credit card debt, the guy couldn’t afford a divorce.

Adam was back in a suit. The same type he’d been wearing when she’d rescued him from that stairwell. It was strange to see him in the classy outfit. He looked good in it, sure. The man would look good in anything. But he also seemed... out of place. If she were casing a room, she’d be able to point him out as security in half a second.

They were both headed toward the CE building. Adam was going to be recognized no matter what because of the people he was going to meet, but Melody was hoping to keep a low profile. It was an office building, so she was dressed in business casual clothes. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and she had picked up a pair of glasses to obscure her eyes just a bit more than normal.

She didn’t wear a jacket. It was too warm for the extra layers and it was too hard to move in a jacket that fit well.

When they reached the building, Adam held the door open for her and she walked inside. It was strange to see the same place in the daylight. It seemed more innocent. The natural light from the many windows illuminated the large reception and security desk in the lobby and the hallways leading to the elevator banks.

Everything seemed to be a shade of black or gray, adding an extra modern feel to the office space. The floors were a black marble and the countertop on the front desk was white marble with black lines cutting through.