The Beautiful Thief (Stolen Hearts #2)(5)

She didn’t know how to break into safes like Jen or hack into a security system like Toni. But there was one skill that she hoped hadn’t failed her.

Suddenly she was overwhelmed with another wave of self-doubt. Sure, when she was sixteen, she could have gotten in anywhere she wanted with an innocent smile and fake laugh at whatever the guard said. And sure, men seemed more susceptible to her charm, but women also used to fall to her will. Isobel had said that one day Melody would be one of the most powerful women in the world.

Melody let out a bitter laugh. Oh, how far that was from the truth. Not that she’d tried to make that future come true. She’d run far and fast from all that potential Isobel saw, and now she felt so far behind the pack that she’d never catch up.

If she called Toni or Scott Hart, they’d pull her out of here so fast she’d never get a chance to find Sterling. And even though she knew she wasn’t at the top of her game, she couldn’t let her family take this away from her. None of them had been there. None of them had seen what happened.

What had happened because of her. The only reason Isobel was in that godforsaken basement was because she’d been looking for Melody. Now it was her responsibility to find the men behind this. She couldn’t let her family sideline her for this, the most important job of her life.

Besides, it wasn’t as if she were slipping into a bank vault. She either got into the upstairs offices or she didn’t. Nothing that would end up with her in a jail cell or on the other end of the security team. Just in and out. No big deal.

She smoothed her hands over the dress and made sure everything was in place. The black fabric felt heavy and expensive under her fingers. When was the last time she wore something this nice? It had been a blast from the past when she’d walked into the expensive boutique and started to try on the clothes. Thanks to her baggy jeans and t-shirt, the sales clerks had ignored her at first, but as she started to tell them in explicit detail what she wanted, suddenly they were scrambling in the back to please her.

And they’d done well. The dress was loose enough to give her room to breathe, but the deep v neckline took away any illusion of this being an innocent dress. Her breasts were placed carefully with the help of tape and no bra. She normally wore a C cup, so she hadn’t gone braless in, well, probably six years. It was a stupid thought, but she couldn’t help but think that Isobel would be proud of her. What a strange relationship they had....

Even though the Cordon Enterprises building was in walking distance, she still took a cab to the big party. If she did need to make a hasty escape, she wanted to save the pressure on her feet.

A group of well-dressed socialites walked into the building, and Melody kept close enough to appear she was in the group but far enough away that she wouldn’t draw their attention.

Inside the CE building, the reception area ballroom was pretty enough, but she’d seen nicer. The one side was all windows that overlooked the Chicago skyline. Apparently it wasn’t a sit-down function because there were no tables and chairs set up. Just tall cocktail tables for people to lean against and set their drinks on. It wasn’t hard to find the man of the hour. Jadon Belli was toward the front of the room and surrounded by people. Must be nice to throw yourself an entire gala just to show off how nice you supposedly were.

Melody once again remembered that she had enough money to do the same if she wanted. She was probably the worst rich person ever. The dress felt strange and foreign on her, but in reality, this was who she could be: going out to fancy parties and wearing clothes that cost more than a mortgage payment.

She let out a deep sigh and cleared her mind. If Belli was there, she needed to try to see where he kept his computer. If she could swipe his laptop and make a clean break, she’d call this night a success.

She turned as she started to case the room for the exits, but her blood ran cold as she suddenly felt another presence.

Sure, she was in a room full of people, but this was different. Someone was watching her, and she could feel his gaze like a cold caress. She continued her slow turn until the blue-gray eyes she never thought she’d see again bore into hers. Any semblance of control she had faded away as she stumbled back a few steps. It was only when she bumped into a waiter and had to teeter on her heels that she broke out of the panicked trance. But when she regained her balance, the man was gone.

Once again she searched the room, this time frantically looking for a sign that she hadn’t imagined him. That he was real.

So one of two things was happening: either she was going crazy, or Blondie, the one who had held her captive as Isobel had been shot, was right here in this room with her.





Adam fell into the shadows. He could see the girl trying to search him out but knew that it was no use. She looked completely different from the last time he’d seen her. Back then, she’d been scared and trembling. Now she was....

Adam scanned the room, taking note of every single man who had taken notice of Melody Murray. It seemed as if every other head turned in her direction and Adam had to suppress a growl. Of course she wouldn’t make this easy.

But he wasn’t surprised by the attention. He’d been half under her spell and she’d been exhausted and terrified out of her mind. Now she was sleek and sexy and looked as though she was about to take on the world. The only chip in her armor had been the few seconds after she saw him. It was his own fault. Even though he’d recognized her immediately, it had been so jarring to see her again. In reality and not in some fevered dream.