8. Ari
8
ARI
T his already felt like a mistake.
I prowled around the prince’s hotel suite, then stared at the rolling bar with the gowns hung on it. “This is my wardrobe?”
Lucas nodded. “Yes. Penny is here, and she can help you with anything you need. If you don’t like something, we’ll get some alternatives.”
The door to one of the bedrooms opened, and out walked a stunning woman with nut-brown skin and a shock of curly hair cut stylishly in a bob. “Hi,” she said with a grin. “You must be Ari.” A dimple peeked out, and I couldn’t help but return the smile.
“Penny, I presume?”
“That I am. And apparently, my future brother-in-law is in a bit of a bind.”
I blinked in surprise. “This happen often?”
She bit back a smile. “Let’s say Lucas is—colorful. We’ve developed a friendship over the last year and I understand where he’s coming from. I think he should just tell Sebastian, b ut, as a former prodigal daughter... I get it. And I know he’s a little worried about his past. Sebastian has a lot on his plate, so I’m going to help Lucas make sure nothing goes wrong. Besides, it’s currently still sort of my job.”
I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, I’m a royal guard. I’ve been assigned to Lucas while he’s traveling before he comes to the Winston Isles officially.”
I chuckled low. “ You’re a royal guard?”
“Yes, I know it’s confusing. But it is what it is.”
“And the king just lets you run around after his brother? Isn’t he worried about your protection?”
“He’s always worried about my protection, but considering I was his royal guard first and this is only temporary, he can’t say much. Besides, Lucas will be assigned a new guard once I get married.”
I liked her. She had one of those smiles that made you want to pull up a chair and gossip over trashy television. “So, you’re down for this heist?”
She pressed her lips together. “I’m down for Sebastian not being embarrassed. And I’m down for the media not having a field day. I’m in a precarious position, so the less negative press the better. So right now, whatever Lucas needs, I’ll assist. And if it means helping him steal the Royal Heart, then that’s what I’ll do.”
“Oddest family I have ever met. I think I like you.”
Having her there had me feeling infinitely more comfortable. Lucas pulled out the blueprints, and I knew it was time to get back to work, but all I wanted to do was talk to Penny. She fascinated me. I was drawn by her wit and especially her humor, considering the situation. Not to mention her willingness to help her future brother-in-law. It completely endeared her to me.
I was almost having fun until I lifted my gaze to find Damon watching me. But I refused to let him get under my skin today. I plastered a neutral expression on my face and turned my back on him.
Penny lifted a brow. “Problems?”
“You mean other than the fact I don’t trust him and he’s a renowned thief? No, no problems at all.”
Penny laughed. “I have a feeling there’s a long story in there somewhere. And, well, thieves aren’t so bad.”
“There is a long, complicated story in there.”
She eyed me. “Mm-hmm. Well, maybe when we’re done here, we’ll grab a drink, and you can tell me all about it. And I’ll tell you all about how I ended up in love with a royal.”
“Deal.”
Damon was all business today. His brows knitted as he stared at the blueprints over Lucas’s shoulder.
When I strolled over, I also frowned at the layout. “Okay, so there’s a lake. Is that to scale? It looks enormous. Is the location that remote?”
Lucas nodded. “Yeah, completely. Upstate New York. Big fuck-off compound and gothic mansion. The property is dotted with guest cottages here,” he said as he passed a finger over the plans.
“And what’s our egress route?”
Lucas pointed it out on the map. “Right here. If you both make it to this drain, it’ll take you out under the moat to the edge of the woods. There’ll be a vehicle waiting, and you’ll be in the clear. Change of clothes, the whole thing.”
I chewed on the end of my pinky nail. “What’s the plan B?”
Damon rubbed at the back of his neck. “Ari?—”
Lucas interjected though. “No she’s right. In case something happens and you can’t get access to the car. There is a boat at the boathouse. It’ll take you to the other side of the lake. About half a mile in, there will be another car. Camouflaged and everything. I have thought about this. It’ll be okay.”
I swallowed and gave him a small nod, appreciating that he was at least taking my concerns seriously. “Where will you be?”
It needed to be asked because I was risking my neck. This was still a recovery mission. I knew that. But the people who were going to be inside were extremely dangerous.
“Penny and I will be inside. We need to stay the whole weekend. And remember, you’ll be watched the whole time. We still don’t know if the rooms will be surveilled, so we’ll provide you with a couple of jammers.”
I lifted a brow. “Won’t Reaper’s goons notice expensive tech we’re dragging in?”
Lucas grinned. “Nope. Because to the regular world, he dual-purpose jammer and decryption device will look like your phone.”
He pointed at the phones over on the side table. Next to them sat a glittering diamond pendant, two signet rings, several syringes, a three-carat princess-cut diamond, makeup, and two rectangular objects.
“I assume the syringes will put someone out, but what are these things?” I asked.
“Correct about syringes. The solution also gives temporary memory loss. Those other things are state-of-the-art tech developed by some friends at a security firm. You clamp this to a video line, and it’ll loop the last ten minutes of a video feed. It will also essentially stop recording all technical movements in a given system by giving it a little virus.”
He turned the device and showed me the button on the bottom. “You press this, and it takes out security on that system line for one minute and spreads the virus through the system. By the time it comes back online, the system is already infected. It’s called a Reaser698.”
I lifted my brow. “Are you shitting me?”
“Not at all.”
“So, some Mission Impossible , James Bond shenanigans?”
His grin told me this was what he was most excited about. “Yep, Mission Impossible . Thanks to friends at a security company here in New York, we're able to get someone undercover to work the event. Larger items can be smuggled in and hidden. Penny will be given the locations. But smaller items, like little explosives, personal Tasers, we can smuggle in.”
Damon whistled. “No way.”
Damon picked up a lipstick, and Penny shrugged at him.
“That’s a Taser. It has one charge. You have to be close to use it, and it needs to make contact with the skin,” Penny said.
“Interesting. And what about the jewels?”
Penny walked over and picked up the pendant. “The necklace has a camera in the connector, right here.”
“Are you sure they won’t search us? I mean how are we going to get my tools inside?”
She gave me a nod. “I will smuggle in your smaller items and tools.” She picked up the glittering gold clutch on the side table. “In addition to getting you the code that’ll get you to the vault, I’ll swap out clutches with you. You’ll have a duplicate. Everything you need will be in there. From what we’ve been told and what we can see on the plans, the vault area has an antechamber. Presumably to review items taken.”
Okay then, so they really had been thorough.
I did have more questions though. “Lucas, are we supposed to know you or not?” I asked.
He reached for a folder and handed it to me. “You do not. But at breakfast on day two, we’ll bump into each other and I’ll invite you to sit with me. Oh, also, here are your IDs. Ari, once you agreed, I had one of my people fill in your background. You are Simon and Michelle Christopher. You’ve been married two years, and you’re still madly in love.”
I squirmed at that, but I could manage. It was just pretend. “Okay, I assume you have background workups on us?”
Lucas nodded. “They’re in here. You just need to study them.”
I nodded back. “I’ll memorize them. But I do have one request.” I didn’t look at Damon when I said it.
Across the room, Damon crossed his arms. He hadn’t said much, but he’d been watching me the whole time. “What do you need, angel?”
I furrowed my brows. “Angel?”
“Yes, angel. We should have pet names, of course,” he said nonchalantly.
Nope. Pet names were for real couples. “Please don’t call me by a pet name.”
He laughed. “No, I think I like pet names. It’ll be fine.”
I ignored him and turned to the prince. “Lucas, you have to promise me there’ll be no violence. I don’t want anyone hurt.”
Damon pushed away from the wall. “What are you trying to say, Ari?”
“You know what I’m trying to say, Damon . Sometimes the people around you end up dead. I don’t want that happening to anyone. Least of all myself.”
Lucas’s voice was low. “This is a simple recovery mission. No one is getting hurt. Besides, anyone gets out of hand and they need to answer to Reaper. No one wants that.”
“Right. But it needs to be very clear.”
“All my people walk out alive.” Damon’s voice was tight and clipped.
“All your people?”
I could see the muscle tic in his jaw. “Yes, all my goddamned people. But I will not hesitate to do whatever is required to protect people on my team. If it means your life or some asshole’s and you’re on my team, I shoot first and ask questions later.”
I shook my head. “No. No shooting. Under no circumstances. That’s my request.”
Penny interjected. “I will be in attendance, obviously, and I doubt there will be any problems. It’s all very strict. But maybe instead of guns, we can use tranq guns to minimize the violence. It’s an easy ask. I’ll see what we can get in.”
Damon glowered at me. “What the queen wants, the queen gets.”
Penny shook her head. “No, it’s just plain Penny right now. I’ll be queen later. But for now, I’m just Penny.”
His lips twitched, and he gave her a nod. “Fine, what the future queen wants. No violence.”
Lucas flashed a grin, and his gaze landed on me, full of mischief. “Ari, are you good with that?”
I glowered at Damon. “Yes.”
“Excellent. Is this a good time to remind you that the two of you need to get over whatever this is and act like a couple in love? Stupid love. These are not the kind of people we want sniffing you out. There are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake at this auction. Some of it is black-market money. I want to really drive this point home. You two need to get your shit together.”
Heat crept up my neck, and I stiffened. “And we will. GT Securities provides you with the best recovery, and that’s what we’ll do. Professionally. ”
Damon just grunted.
Awesome.
“Excellent.” Lucas grinned again. “I have a guest list if you need to look at it.”
I chewed my bottom lip. “That brings up another question.” I slid my gaze to Damon. “My beloved fake husband’s face. Won’t someone recognize him?”
Lucas’s gaze darted between Damon and me. “She doesn’t know?”
Damon pursed his lips. “We haven’t had time for a lengthy catch up.”
“I don’t get it. What does that mean?”
Damon sighed. “No one knows my face. I only did one or two jobs in the early days out of desperation where I had direct contact with buyers or sellers. After my first big score, I figured it would be best to use intermediaries. Keep a low profile. My name might be known, but it’s a rarity for anyone to see me. I keep a tight network. There have been one or two jobs from my past that might have some exposure, but it’s been years. And even with those, I was using an alias.”
“So what, you’re the invisible man?”
He shrugged. “Something like that.” He took the guest list from Lucas. “Let’s see if my past is going to come back to bite me in the ass.”
Right, and while he did that, I’d try and forget about the fact that there was only one bed.
Ari
If anyone had told teenaged Ari that she would be holding hands with Damon Hunt as they walked into a hotel restaurant, she would have called bullshit.
Sure, I fantasized about him sometimes. At eighteen, Damon was extremely good-looking, with a kind of brooding intensity I’d never seen before. Of course, he was different now. Looser somehow, with more charm that made him even more dangerous.
But as beautiful as Damon was now, eighteen-year-old Damon had been breathtaking. There’d been no one like him among the high school boys I’d known. He was gorgeous. He’d had enough of a dangerous edge that you knew to stay away from him, sort of. And the number of girls that I’d gone to school with who would try to get his attention had been too high to count. But now here I was, acting like I was his wife.
He easily threw an arm around me and kissed my temple. The contact made me shiver, but I plastered a smile on my face and tilted my chin up.
We were on display. Now was not the time to catch a case of feelings.
Per Lucas, we were meeting the concierge today. We’d been told they’d meet us at the restaurant and the time, but not much else. We’d arrived at the hotel this morning and had just enough time to go over our roles again before we’d showered and changed.
When we got to the hostess stand, the hostess informed us there'd been a change of plans and instead of the concierge, we were meeting Reaper. We were led to the back of the restaurant, to a private booth overlooking the park, and Reaper was seated in the shadows, only his profile in view.
An immediate prickle of awareness tingled my scalp as we approached. Damon was just as tense while he held my hand in a death grip.
Reaper wore an excellently tailored Tom Ford gray linen suit and a pale-blue tie. The pale blue matched his eyes, which offset his white-blond hair. Immediately I knew: the attire was wrong. This man belonged in leather.
He turned with what I’m sure he thought was a genial smile, and I stutter-stepped, needing Damon to steady me. When Reaper stood and approached us with what could only be described as swagger, I involuntarily clenched my thighs together.
It was only as he drew closer that I noticed the piercing in his lip and the one in his brow.
He shook hands with Damon, then kissed my cheeks like I was some sort of French socialite. “It’s lovely to meet you,” he said.
Holy mother of Christ, as my grandmother used to say. One thing for certain, two things for sure: Reaper was walking, talking sex on a stick.
And by the way he was eyeing up me and Damon, he was happy to devour both of us at the same time while everyone in the restaurant watched.
He eyed me intently, and I couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably under his gaze. He watched me like I imagined a lion would watch a lioness carrying an antelope leg. You weren’t quite sure which need was going to win out: the urge to fuck or the urge to eat. It was disconcerting.
Damon sank into the role more easily than I did, and he sat with his hand on my knee. His thumb pressed into my skin, the gentle caress making me slowly lose my mind. He had to know what that was doing to me. There was no way it was an accident.
Between him and Reaper, I felt like I was going to combust. Just burst into flames right here.
Though when Reaper dragged his gaze from me and pinned it on Damon, I watched as Damon hesitated for just a moment, then returned Reaper’s direct stare. When Damon held it and didn’t waver, Reaper smirked. “The two of you are going to be fun. I can tell that immediately.” He broke contact with Damon and pulled out his laptop. “Mrs. Christopher, if you can just put your thumbprint here, then we shall go to the more enjoyable part of our afternoon—the lunch.”
He and Damon chatted for a moment as I discreetly donned the thumb sleeve Lucas had provided under the table. I leaned forward and planted my thumb where he’d indicated, and sure enough, the laptop showed my photo with Michelle Christopher’s ID. And Damon was Simon Christopher.
When I pulled my hand back, the three-carat princess-cut diamond wedding ring I wore glittered in the light. The thing was stunning—not to mention blinding. It looked at home on my hand. Correction: on Michelle’s hand. A ring fit for an heiress.
Michelle and Simon were minor nobility, had lived a life of leisure their entire existence, and met and were married within just a few months. Completely mad about each other. Simon was looking to buy Michelle something special to celebrate their anniversary.
“And you, Michelle, what is it you are looking for from this auction?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never attended anything like it before. I mean, obviously, we’ve all been to an auction, but nothing quite like this. What I’m really eager to see is the Cursed Blue Bryson Dress. It’s silly, but that dress comes with so much history.”
Reaper leaned forward. “Yes, there are all manner of delights to be found. Anything you’re looking for, anything that tickles your fancy, we can provide.”
The way he said tickled made me wonder just how good the man was with his fingers. But then common sense prevailed. I had no idea how he did that—managed to have sexual chemistry with every single person he encountered.
The man was a menace. There was also a dangerous aura around him that had my senses on red alert and adrenaline spiking my blood.
It was Damon’s hand on my knee that kept me grounded and tethered to him. “Well, that is quite the offer,” Damon said in an icy tone. “Whatever she wants, I’ll provide.”
Reaper smirked at that. “Interesting.”
The conversation stayed casual as we ordered and the food arrived. Though Reaper continued to flirt with everyone he made eye contact with. The waitress was so flustered when he pitched his voice low and asked for a Vieux Carré, she dropped her tray and notepad. When he stopped to help her and their fingers brushed, she banged her head on the underside of the table.
Next to me, Damon grumbled under his breath.
“What’s the matter, darling. So used to being the only man women stutter over?” I whispered.
He turned that dazzling smile on me then. Sweetheart, you’re the only woman I care about.” He pulled me close and kissed my temple just as Reaper sat back up.
Reaper swept his gaze over me, lingering as he went, before very deliberately meeting Damon’s gaze again. Damon, to his credit, didn’t flinch or tuck me in closer, just kept his grin in place and stared Reaper down.
I could feel the silent posturing as the two of them mentally circled each other like lions.
Reaper finally eased back, in a way that said he wasn’t conceding a loss but calculating that Damon wasn’t an adversary he wanted.
“Simon, you haven’t shared what you’re most looking forward to at the auction. Anything or anyone your heart desires?”
Oh, so you have a shit stirrer?
“I already have everything I desire. But I see anything I can’t live without, you’ll be the first to know.”
“You make sure to let me know. Your wish is my command.”
The rest of the meal passed without incident, but I couldn’t shake that edgy feeling. After lunch, Reaper excused himself, and Damon and I were left on our own. I breathed a sigh of relief. Damon once again threw his arm over my shoulder, then gently rubbed circles into my skin.
I stiffened in his arms. “Show’s over.”
“Have you already forgotten what Lucas said? We are being watched. Every moment. Every movement. Case in point, the black sedan across the street. It circled the block three times. We, my darling, are under surveillance.”
Shit. I grabbed my sunglasses and slipped them on surreptitiously while I did a light scan of our surroundings. Damon was right about the car. There was also a man in a suit at the bar. He was enormous. Like security enormous. And his suit bulged around his muscles. While he might have just liked to work out, I’d learned early in life that just because you were paranoid didn’t mean they weren’t out to get you.
I’d known what this would entail. However, the reality of it had a way of hitting differently.
Out here, mistakes mean death.
“What do we do?”
Damon’s fingertips continued to skim over the skin on my shoulder. “We sell our story.”
When he took my clammy hands, I hesitated. “I just—I need a second.”
How was he so calm? How could he just ignore the spikes of adrenaline or the knowledge that if we made one wrong move, that could mean our lives.
He smoothed a thumb over my knuckles. “Being scared is natural. It means your instincts are firing. Reaper is a dangerous motherfucker. Your body is responding to the perceived threat. You’ll be fine.”
He stood and pulled me to my feet. His fingers intertwined with mine as he led me onto the balcony. Damon made a big production of pulling out his phone and then showing me something on it, like he was pointing out where we might be going later that day. Meanwhile, he was really pointing out our other tails.
“Are we going to try and shake them?”
“Nope. Like I said, we’re going to put on a show. Brace yourself, Ari. I’m going to kiss you now.”
I stiffened. But I knew he was right. We were being watched. Everyone needed to believe the kiss. I tried to think of myself as an actress. One who was portraying a character.
Who are you kidding? You’ve wanted to kiss this man for years.
Damon slid his hand up to cup my jaw, then sank his fingertips into the hair at the nape of my neck. His other arm wrapped around my waist, pulled me close. But instead of going straight for my lips, he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and then my temple before angling to my cheeks and jawline and then, finally, my lips.
Holy hell.
Not only were his lips shockingly soft, but the man knew how to kiss.
Not in an oh, he must have dated a lot of women kind of way, but a the man should be giving professional lessons kind of way.
When his fingertips pressed the tight muscles at the nape of my neck ever so slightly, cuing me to angle my head, his tongue swept into my mouth, and every brain cell I had shorted out.
I moaned into the kiss, my tongue eagerly meeting his as my hands found their way to his chest, feeling the firm muscles beneath his shirt.
You should pull back.
This was convincing enough, right? But for some reason, when I could feel Damon retract, feel him lessening the pressure, I dug my fingers into the cotton of his shirt and tugged him closer.
Damon chuckled against my lips as his erection pressed into my thigh. “Christ, Ari.”
Time slipped away as we kissed. As far as I was concerned, we were in a bubble—just the two of us. His drugging kisses were making me pulse between my thighs. All I wanted was more.
Damon’s hands trailed down my back and drew me even closer so our bodies pressed together in a heated embrace as my hips rocked against his.
But all too soon, he was tearing his lips from mine. When he released me, his eyes were hooded and his lips swollen. He cleared his throat, then pulled me into a tight hug before whispering, “I think that’s enough convincing.”
My legs were jelly, and my brain was mush. I couldn’t think of anything other than the press of his body against mine. I could still feel the steely pulse of his erection, but instead of drawing me back for another kiss, he released me and took my hand.
“Let’s go convince them in a way that will be less dangerous for us.”
I wasn’t sure what to say, but I couldn’t just stand there, so I nodded. But as I followed him out of the room, I was sure every eye was on us.
I felt the heat creeping up my face.
I wracked my brain, trying to remember if I’d ever seen two people kiss like that in public. Not just because it was passionate, but because it was... real.
I followed him back into the restaurant, then into the lobby, my knees weak and body on fire. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough for this.
As I stumbled along beside him, he spoke to me as if he hadn’t just stolen my soul with that kiss. “The whole point is to let them see us being in love. Acting completely normal. Shopping. I have a stipend Lucas provided, so we might as well go and spend some of it. The rest is in escrow for the auction.”
“Smart of him to make sure we at least have the funds.”
“Obviously. So how about it? Let’s go explore the city.”
I stared at his hand. I had no choice, and this was my opportunity to prove myself. And all I had to do was go shopping with Damon. Galen believed in me, so I needed to shove down my trepidation and make this work. There was no going back.