The Cocky Thief (Stolen Hearts #1)(18)

Jennifer remained silent as she turned around.

“The problem,” continued Mel, “is that I feel nothing. I haven’t for a long time. And that’s a whole different kind of pain.”





It was going to be soon. Austin could feel it in his bones. As more and more guests started to arrive, the easier he could see this entire thing becoming. As people became drunker, he could slip right into that room and do what he needed to do.

There was a good chance he wouldn’t be able to get into the safe. That was the chance he took when working a job he knew so little about. But once he got the make and model, Hart would be able to get him the tools he’d need to break in. Then, early this morning or even tomorrow before the wedding, he’d get the necklace and get the hell out of Dodge.

But not after the wedding. The necklace was too valuable. Chances were the armed men who’d dropped it off last night would be back before the bar was even closed to take it back to whatever safety deposit box Jonathan Sterling had stashed the thing in before.

He was still looking for a good opportunity to sneak off when all heads in the room suddenly turned. It took him a fraction of a second to see what was so fascinating.

Shit. Jennifer Murray was here and she wasn’t playing around. She was in a skintight black dress that left nothing to the imagination and her breasts were pushed in and up, just begging for someone—namely, him—to touch them.

He was drawn to her like a moth to the flame and ended up meeting her halfway through the foyer, where servers handed out cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to the guests. He didn’t know exactly what happened, but Jennifer wasn’t happy to see him. She didn’t move around him, but she crossed her arms in front of herself, a move that did nothing to take away from her breasts, and tightened her lips.

“You look great,” he said, but that didn’t seem to help.

“Why, thank you, Austin,” she said with strange emphasis on his name. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to help my mother.”

She started around him, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. She immediately stiffened under his touch and stepped away.

“Are you okay?” he asked hesitantly.

She shook her head even as she said, “I’m fine. Just busy. I have to go, Austin.”

He let her go. They were in a crowded space and he had to keep himself focused. She continued across the room and he turned to watch her go. Maybe she got into a fight with her mother? As drawn to her as he was, he really didn’t know much about his newest friend. And after this was over, he’d never see her again.

He was making his way over to the nearest waitress to grab a cocktail when he heard the bout of laughter from behind him. He glanced over to where Stranger stood with a group of men and immediately noticed the newcomer. This wasn’t just a random guest, though. It was Jonathan Sterling.

Jonathan Sterling, the owner of the Killion Group and the man who had his finger in dozens of different criminal enterprises. Chances were that a good portion of the money that Greg Stranger laundered was for operations run by Jonathan Sterling. From stolen information to human trafficking: Killion Group did everything—and Stranger was his partner in crime.

Austin didn’t usually drink on the job, but he took a deep drink of the cocktail in his hand. He was going to need this.

He turned away from Stranger and Sterling. It was one thing to have Greg Stranger know what he looked like. He didn’t want to be on Sterling’s radar at all. Luckily, Phillip was just coming into the room and Austin pounced on him. “Phil! Hey man, how’s prep for the big day coming? Greg have you running around like crazy?”

The bedraggled assistant’s half-smile told Austin he was closer to the truth than he thought. “Going to be the wedding of the century,” said Phillip in a tone that suggested how little he actually cared about weddings in general.

“So who’s the worse slave driver? The bride or the groom?” He didn’t need to ask the question. It didn’t help him at all. But he couldn’t help but be curious about the woman behind the whole evening.

“Oh, Greg is a groomzilla, no question. Isobel would’ve been happy to elope but Greg is the one who wanted it here, his most expensive home, and he invited more frenemies than actual friends.”

So Stranger wanted to show off. Hardly surprising. Also, the more money he had, the more successful people assumed he was and the more jobs he’d get. “Isobel wanted to elope, huh?” Somehow, she seemed like the type who would like the attention. At that very moment, she smiled while a flock of women seemed to follow her every move. She played the part of socialite arm trophy well.

“Isobel only had one requirement. She didn’t care about the dress, venue, or food. She just wanted jewelry that would, quote ‘make her feel like a princess.’”

“Like an engagement ring?”

Phillip shrugged. “I know she ended up with a nice ring, but that’s not all. Greg was able to get something on loan from some bigwig. Small price to pay, if you ask me.”

Austin had a feeling Phillip knew more than he was saying, but he was trying not to give away all his boss’s secrets. He could respect that. So Isobel had encouraged Stranger to borrow the Dragon Heart. Was it just a coincidence?

At a normal rehearsal dinner, there would be a, well, a rehearsal. But this seemed to be something different. More like a pre-party that probably cost more than most couples’ weddings.