14. Ari
14
ARI
I n a pocket of time that Lucas had managed to steal for us, we dressed in silence, fully aware that our room was bugged. We’d done a search and hadn’t found any cameras, so at least that part was safe, but we knew there were auditory devices, so we could be heard.
The gala was in full swing, so everyone would be occupied.
As standard protocol, I turned on our jamming equipment and plugged it in by the bedside lamp. To the casual observer, it would look like a phone. The range on it was pretty tight, so it would cover our bungalow and balcony.
Our gear was all black, including a small bag for supplies like night vision gear and some tranq darts if we needed them. But we were going light. I was wearing a skintight but stretchy black suit. Damon went with a lightweight sweater and black joggers that looked like they could have been dress pants. If we were caught, we were just a fashionable couple out on an evening stroll.
My watch beeped, and I lifted my gaze. “Time to lay the groundwork for part one.”
We started our walk, shrouded by the tall shrubs, and turned left along the stone path before turning toward the house. Damon held my hand as we strolled in the moonlight.
The lapping waters in the lake provided us with some auditory cover as we worked with the electronics for the video feed.
At the mansion, we took the side stairs on the far side of the garden before slipping through the employee entrance. The areas of the grounds we needed to explore weren’t easily accessible just by walking around the perimeter. Which was why going up and over seemed the best method.
From there, we followed the route to the rooftop and paused at the edge.
Damon hooked up our rappelling gear. Thanks to Prince Lucas and Galen, we had the best gear available. GT Securities prided itself on being on the cutting edge, but this stuff was next-level.
Damon handed me my gloves, which were as thin as latex and fit amazingly. The grip was strong, and they didn’t slip.
Once we’d left the roof, rappelled down past the balcony, and landed, Damon loosened the rope and let it fall. We would be walking back in through the side entrance of the restricted area. I’d already identified our best route when we had explored the grounds after arriving. We pulled open the map that we had on his phone as we sketched out where we were.
“Are we going to talk about the thing?” he asked in a whisper.
I knew what he was talking about, and I refused to discuss it. I was in work mode. This was easy, just recon. Nothing major to be done right now. Of course he would bring up what had happened earlier. He couldn’t just let it go.
“So we’re not going to talk about that kiss on the balcony?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Damon.”
“Angel, you kiss me like that, and I think we have a lot to talk about.”
Damon
Ari shook her head. “No, we don’t.”
“Don’t be like that, angel. You know you want to talk.”
“What are you talking about? You don’t know me.”
I knew her too well. I’d spent so much time watching her. I wanted her, but not just that, I wanted to steal every single one of her rare smiles. I wanted to be responsible for them.
“Oh, really? Ari, you forget how long ago we met. I know you. You chew on your bottom lip or play with your braids when you’re preoccupied and worried about something or when something is really perplexing you. You’re doing that right now.”
What I didn’t add was that I’d been obsessed with those tics since I was a teenager. I was used to her trying to hang around. I was used to her curiosity about what we were doing and her ceaseless questions. But one moment, she’d been just Paul’s semi-annoying kid, and the next, I seemed to suddenly notice everything about her. Like once I’d seen her, I couldn’t unsee her.
Paul had taken me in and given me a life. No way in hell had I intended to cross that line. But, Jesus, back then, Ari Denton was all I thought about.
I was fascinated by how her skin always seemed to be glowing, how she seemed to be serious one moment, and then her father would make a silly joke or disarm her, and she would give you a smile that brightened the whole damned world.
God, back then, I would have done anything to make Ari smile like that. Sometimes I succeeded, but most of the time, she looked at the world with her serious face on—one that didn’t budge. And while her father tried to keep her ignorant of his activities, whenever he had to go to work or was traveling for a couple of days, that was the look she wore. Concerned. Worried. Ari was no fool. She knew exactly who her father was, and I sensed her resentment toward me even then. Every time we went on jobs, she always said to me, You look out for him . And I had done my best.
Except you failed.
Except I’d failed.
Changing the subject, she said, “It’s this way.” She pointed me in the direction of the side of the house, where security had been stationed in large numbers.
We crouched by the lake, using our heat sensors to scope out how many guards were on duty. She pointed to the device. “See? That’s the concentration at the main auction room right there. But over here, where that big cluster is, I think that’s where most of the pieces are being kept. They’ve got three-man rotations. Nothing at the window, but some at the different entrance points in the room.”
I nodded. “Yeah, so that means that the other massive concentration on the opposite side of the house has got to be where we’re going.”
“Yeah, I think so too. If the Royal Heart is as big and as priceless as they say, then I am pretty certain that’s going to get the most attention.” She pointed at the map again. “And that is the vault room.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. See? That black spot right there, that’s not the wall. It’s a hidden room. That’s a vault.”
I frowned. “Huh, you’re right.”
“I know. It’s called research.”
We stood and started to move, but then I heard voices and we both froze in our tracks.
I dragged her to a space in the wall along this side of the garden, and we both held our breath, waiting. We tucked into the little stone alcove, my body covering hers, and the voices only drew closer.