Chapter 4
Red
The bar smells like stale beer and shitty fried food, but it’s got a clear view of the Santa Monica pier, where Blue’s been spotted.
I lean back in the booth, nursing a whiskey that burns just right, my eyes scanning the neon-lit boardwalk through the grimy window.
Black and Green are bickering over whether we should approach Blue before the party.
“She’s going to be thrown by seeing us there. It could spook her and make the job go wrong.” Green snaps. “I thought you wanted us to help her. Ambushing her could make the whole con go sideways.”
Black rolls his eyes, his hoodie up, hiding the tattoos curling up his neck.
“We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. We need to keep the element of surprise with this girl.
If we approach her before the gala, it could spook her enough that she drops the con and runs.
I can only imagine how much work went into setting this all up.
The last thing we want to do is blow the whole thing on her. ”
I set my glass down with a clink on the scarred wooden table. “I agree. We need to let her run this her way and just be there to provide back up in case something goes sideways. This is her show. Once it’s done, we make our move and show our hand.”
That woman’s been living rent-free in my head since Halloween, when she turned our hideout into a fucking masterclass in deception.
We were just looking for a place to lay low after hitting a hedge fund prick’s safe down the street.
With the cops swarming the neighborhood we lucked out picking that Victorian mansion she was house-siting.
Those blue-green eyes, dazed and soft from the orgasms we gave her, haunt me.
I want her under me again, sassing me until I shut her up with my cock.
She stole from us, sure, but worse, she stole a piece of us and I’m done letting her run.
I can still feel the way we all stilled when I was fucking her ass, my brother in her perfect cunt when I said, “You were made to take us like this. You’re our perfect match, baby.
Such a good fucking girl.” We all felt the truth of that in the moment, including her.
She was quick to mask it when she fired back, “Get your heart out of your dick. Put it back into your chest and fuck me like you promised.” But I know down to my core she felt it too.
Black smirks, leaning back with his arms crossed.
“Oh, we’ll show her our hand alright, straight on her bare, gorgeous ass.
We’re going to leave our mark on Blue in the most pleasurable way possible.
” His smirk fades away. “But we need to be smart about this. Our girl clearly loves a good game and she also plans to win. We need to convince her that our game is the only one she really wants to play and that all of us winning is the end goal. We can’t underestimate her or she’ll slip through our fingers again. ”
He’s not wrong. That night was a lesson in underestimating your mark.
We thought we had her with three against one, masks on, guns out.
But Blue? She flipped the script, made us think we were in control, then left us passed out with a Dear John note.
“Thanks for the treats, sorry about the trick.” It made my pride sting a bit.
I want to punish her, spank that perfect ass red, but more than that, I want her with us for keeps.
She’s our match, our fire, and I’m not letting her slip away again.
Green pulls out his laptop when he gets a notification, fingers flying as he responds to whatever just came through and then shuts it down with a satisfied grin.
“We’re in. We need to get to the catering company and pick up our instructions and costumes.
” He lets out a chuckle. “Get this, it’s back to masks for this job.
So who wants to be an elf, reindeer or Santa? ”
I grin as I nod at Green and picture her in some slinky dress, working her mark with that sassy smirk while we move around her with masks on so she has no idea she’s being hunted.
“Perfect, we crash the party as wait staff. Get eyes on her, and figure out her play. Once she’s done, we turn it around.
She took from us… we take from her.” But even as I say it, we all know it’s not just about the money.
I want her on her knees, begging for us, admitting she felt that spark too.
She’s ours, whether she knows it yet or not.
Green’s grin turns wicked, his dimples making him look like a devil in disguise. “And then we remind her what she’s missing, what could be hers all the time. I’ll bet she’s been dreaming of us.”
Black scoffs. “Dreaming? More like cursing us. Girl’s got a mouth on her, and I’m not just talking about her sass.”
His eyes darken, and I know he’s remembering her taste, same as me.
I ignore their banter, my mind on Blue’s defiance and the way she melted under my hands. She’s a puzzle I need to solve, a game I’m gonna win. But this time, we’re playing by our rules.