The Cunning Thief (Stolen Hearts #6)(25)
Shae’s eyes popped open to darkness. Though the room was dark, there was the tiniest bit of light streaming through the crack in one of the curtains. She hoped she hadn’t slept too late.
She turned her head and immediately looked to the chair Tristan had been in, but it was empty. Odd. She didn’t think he was there just because he liked her company. Someone must’ve told him to spend the night with her. She wondered what had changed.
She rolled out of the bed and ran her fingers through her hair, doing her best to make it look like it wasn’t some unruly mess and failing miserably. After using the attached bathroom, she nabbed a brownie and walked into the hall. She suddenly had a pretty good idea of why Tristan wasn’t there anymore. There was a little security camera she must’ve missed the day before. Not that she’d really been that focused. The exhaustion and stress more than caught up to her by the time she’d been led to the bedroom she thought was all hers.
She nibbled on the brownie she had taken—breakfast of champions—as she made her way down the hall. The house was rather odd. It was so big and extravagant, yet completely empty. She looked through every open door at the deserted bedrooms and sitting rooms. Most of the furniture was still in place, but covered with white sheets and plastic. In all the homes she’d bought, especially the foreclosures, everything had been gone. From wires to switch plates.... In one of the foreclosures, the owner had even taken a sledgehammer to some of the drywall just to prove his point to the bank. She wondered what happened to make the former owners leave so quickly.
The house was in a bright-white contemporary style. It was supposed to look clean and sunny, but neglect and dust put a slightly off sheen to everything. Shae’s mind raced through all the things she could do to make the place better. Some fresh coats of paint, splashes of color here and there to bring in the Florida style, some sheer drapes to let the sun do its magic without overpowering the rooms. This place could be a showstopper.
She reminded herself why she was there and pulled herself out of her odd fantasy. Once she reached the center of the house, she heard voices and followed her ears. She found a gathering of people, including Tristan, in the main living room. This room wasn’t super bright. In fact, the heavy curtains on all of the large picture windows seemed to block as much light as possible, which was a crime considering those windows were some of the biggest selling features of the house. She wondered why anyone would cover them like that, until she saw all the computers set up. Technology was sometimes the bane of the creative mind’s existence.
Everyone turned to face her as she walked in, and Shae froze in place, suddenly feeling awkward. Of course, the first person her eyes fell on was Tristan. He looked as good as ever in a pair of sharp black pants, a navy-blue shirt with no tie, and about one too many buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. Next to him was another handsome man with sandy-blond hair cut close to his head and dark-blue eyes. He was dressed in a long-sleeved black sweater and black slacks. And then there was the redhead wearing jeans and a T-shirt, the most casual of the bunch, and the man standing next to Toni. A tall, imposing man with brown hair and sharp cheekbones. Somehow he seemed to be the least intimidating of the group, but also terrifying. She didn’t know how she found herself in with this odd group.
The other odd one out was the other woman in the room. She was really pretty, with long, straight black hair and piercing blue eyes. But what was odd about her was that she wasn’t intimidating. She was the only other person in the room who seemed somewhat normal. The woman gave her a soft smile that Shae returned hesitantly.
“Morning, sunshine,” said Toni. Shae turned around to see the blonde approaching, rolling forward in the main computer chair. “I suppose it’s time for introductions.”
“I’m terrible with names,” said Shae with an awkward laugh.
“Trust me, you won’t forget any of these people.” Shae had a feeling she was right about that. Toni pointed at Tristan and got started. “Tristan, our lovable, huggable con man, you met already. Gage is the second best computer hacker in this room.” The blonde nodded at her and smiled. Judging by all the computers around Toni, she didn’t have to ask who the first best computer hacker in the room was.
“You can tell yourself that, Toni. One of these days, you and I are gonna have it out.”
Toni let out a laugh. “Please. I’m so far ahead of you, I’d beat you before you knew we were competing. Moving on, the strapping ginger over there is Hunter. He could kill you with his pinky finger, but don’t worry. He’s also funny and watches way too many movies.”
Hunter winked at her, and she tried to figure out whether Toni was joking about the pinky finger thing or not. Judging from the size of the man, she was guessing not.
“I, as you know, am Toni. I handle the computer technology side of things, but if you call me IT support, I will make you pay. The strapping man next to me is Scott Hart. Me and him lead all operations. He’s in charge of strategies, but doesn’t talk as much as I do, thankfully. Then you’d never get a minute of silence,” she said with a little grin.
Scott walked across the room and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Shae reached forward and met his hand with a firm handshake. She was used to working with men, and a handshake was the first chance to show off that she wasn’t going to be easy to handle. She liked that he’d walked forward to introduce himself. A sign of character, as though he actually cared whether she was comfortable or not. More than she could say for Tristan. She winced. Why did her mind always go back to him?