The Cocky Thief (Stolen Hearts #1)(54)

That was it. She wasn’t going to sit in this van for one second longer and just hope someone gave her answers. Toni jumped away from the desk and shoved open the doors to the van, but by the time she had jumped out, the Boy Scout was there and pushed her back.

“Hold on,” he said sternly.

“Let me go!” Toni tried to twist away, but Hart just held her tighter.

And then Weston appeared. The man always looked somber, but the look on his face was utterly devastating. “Your mom—” was all she heard before the voices in her head seemed to scream.

“No,” she said as she once again tried to pull away from Hart, but he remained still. Not holding her any tighter or giving her any opportunity to leave. “Boy Scout, you need to let me go. I need to—”

He dispassionately stared down at her. No pity. No emotion at all. “You need to what? What are you running off to do?”

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. What was she going to do? She hadn’t talked her way into anything for years. She couldn’t fight worth a damn. The only thing she was good at was sitting in a deserted basement and causing trouble. This was her family at stake and there was nothing she could do.

“Toni?” said a soft voice in the distance.

Her head jerked around to see Melody limping toward them. Hart’s grip on her suddenly loosened and Toni didn’t waste a second before she ran to her sister. The hug was a mix of a body slam and an embrace. She wasn’t sure who started crying, but they were both shuddering in each other’s arms.

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” said Toni between breaths.

“I saw—” Melody took in a shaking breath. “I saw what they did to Mom.”

“It’s going to be okay,” said Toni emptily. She had no idea whether it was true, but it was the only thing she could say at the moment. The only comfort she could offer.





Austin had never been to a funeral before. Well, that wasn’t true. He had been to them before, but never seriously. He’d gone while trying to get close to a mark once. The dead bastard had lived a horrible life and there hadn’t been one wet eye in the entire place.

This was different. Even though the crowd was small, each one was profoundly sad about the woman currently being set into the ground. He was profoundly sad. He didn’t know Isobel well. Hadn’t agreed with her all that much either, but she’d seemed to love her kids, which was more than he could say for either of his parents.

And when she thought hope was gone, she’d gone charging in with no backup, willing to face anything to get Melody back.

All three of the girls—Jennifer, Toni, and Melody—stood together. It was a funeral, but funny enough, most of the people there were dressed more casually than he’d seen them before.

Toni wore black tattered jeans and a t-shirt. Melody was in a simple black knit dress and Jennifer was in black slacks and a silk black blouse.

James Weston was off to the side, wearing black cargo pants and a black hooded sweatshirt. Hart stood a bit farther back from Weston, in dark jeans and a black sports jacket.

The six of them were the only ones there, but Austin wasn’t surprised. Isobel was the type of person who had acquaintances in all corners of the globe, but not many friends. Everyone in his line of work signed on for this. A life full of adrenaline, adventure and, hopefully, money. But you were also always moving and looking over your shoulder; it didn’t leave room for a lot of friends and big funerals. Instead, you were laid to rest quickly and quietly and the world moved on. All you had were the whispers of your reputation and, in Isobel’s case, three women who were all formidable in their own right.

Not too shabby, in his opinion.

He looked over to Jennifer and for the briefest second, their eyes met before she looked away. She’d been avoiding him for days. Ever since the job.

When they’d walked out of the building and seen Melody and Toni, Jennifer had known immediately that she was never going to see Isobel again. When she’d turned to him, he hadn’t hesitated to hold her as she let out her own sobs of grief and loss. And for a brief, selfish moment, he’d been happy.

Not about Isobel, of course. But the idea that she’d turn to him. She would lean on him for comfort that he was more than happy to provide.

But quickly it became apparent that Jennifer had very different ideas. She’d gone out with her sisters that night to discuss everything that had happened and never came back to the hotel room. He’d only known about the funeral because Hart had told him.

Now that the casket was about to be lowered into the ground, this was his last chance to talk to her before she disappeared forever. And he might be a dick, but not even he was going to beg her to give him a chance at her mother’s funeral.

He kept looking at her, willing her to make the first move. Willing her to do something to acknowledge him.

Instead, Toni was the one who stared at him inquisitively.

He narrowed his eyes, daring her to come over and tell him to leave her sister alone, but instead, she leaned over and whispered something into Jennifer’s ear. And then, both of the sisters stared at him.

They exchanged a few words, each appearing more agitated by the second before Jennifer finally turned from her sister and walked across the grass of the cemetery toward him.

Shit. Even though this was what he wanted, he wasn’t totally prepared for what he was going to say either. He straightened and gave her a half-smile as she approached. “Hey stranger.”