Chapter Thirty-Three Like Thieves in the Night
Adelina
I’m no stranger to high-pressure situations, but this really takes the proverbial cake. I knew this day would come, but now that it’s at our doorstep, I find myself rethinking absolutely everything.
My virus is perfect. I’ve tested it over and over again, ironing out every little bug, optimizing every function. I’ve done everything that I can, my role for this reverse heist (as West once called it) officially fulfilled, yet I can’t help but feel like there’s more to do.
My laptop dings, the notification informing me that everything has been successfully uploaded to the USB.
It’s nothing out of the ordinary. Just your run-of-the-mill USB purchased from a local office supply store.
After removing it (always be sure to safe-eject, people), I turn it about in my hand.
It’s wild to me how our entire plan hinges on something so incredibly small.
Taking a deep breath, I open the door to West’s room, only to find him video calling someone. How inconsiderate of me. I really should have knocked.
“Sorry,” I say in a rush. “I’ll come back.”
West waves me over, shaking his head as if to say Don’t worry about it. “You got to play soccer at lunch?” he asks. “How was it?”
“It was fun!” Jack replies, bright and bubbly. “One of the boys scored on his own goal.”
West laughs. “Oh, well. Mistakes happen.”
“Who’s that, Uncle West?”
I hold my breath. I’d been trying to stand out of frame, unwilling to disturb.
West grins up at me. “Would you like to say hi, Adelina?”
My heart skips. Being introduced to his kid feels like a huge deal. “If you’re sure that’s alright.”
“Yeah. I want you to meet her.”
My cheeks heat. In a strange way, I feel almost honored. Being introduced to his niece is no small thing.
I take a seat next to him on the edge of his bed.
West tilts the phone and I suddenly come face-to-face with an adorable girl with bright-blonde hair and chubby cheeks.
I know they’re niece and uncle, but their resemblance to one another is uncanny.
If West is the sun, then Jack is a dazzling smaller star.
“Hello,” I say. “Your uncle has told me so much about you.”
“How do you know Uncle West?”
“We, uh…work together.”
Jack gasps. “You’re a superspy, too?”
I give West a questioning look, to which he replies with an almost pleading expression. “That’s right,” I say slowly. “But you have to keep it a secret for us, okay? No one can know.”
“Okay,” Jack replies with a giggle. “When are you done with your mission?”
“Very soon, sweetie,” West says. “Day after tomorrow, in fact.”
Jack’s face lights up. “Really?”
“Really, really. We’ll be on the plane headed straight home afterward.”
“Then we can all spend the day at the park together. Just like you promised?”
West nods. “That’s right, kiddo. Now, make sure to eat your vegetables and brush your teeth really well. I’ll be checking with Marley when we get back.”
Jack sighs like she’s just been assigned the most impossible task in the world. “Okay.”
“I love you, Flapjack. I’ll be home soon.”
“I love you too.”
When the call ends, I shake my head. “A superspy? Really?”
“What?” West says with a shrug. “It’s a brilliant cover and I won’t be told otherwise. If people ask her, they’ll chalk it up to an overactive imagination. I can’t have her telling everyone I’m a thief, now can I?”
“I guess you have a point.” I laugh softly, handing him the USB. “Thirty seconds. It needs thirty seconds to upload. If you replicate your time from earlier, it won’t be a problem. Plug it in and ditch it if you have to. The virus will take care of the rest.”
“Thank you,” West says warmly, pocketing the USB before taking my hand. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“I’m kind of in the middle of the last thing you wanted me to do.”
West grins, but it quickly fades into something far more serious. I almost hate to see it. “If anything goes wrong tomorrow—”
I shake my head. “Stop it.”
“Adelina.” He stands and gives my hand a light squeeze. “If anything should happen to me tomorrow, I’ve opened an account under Jack’s name. I’ve managed to squirrel away enough for her to live comfortably. Will you make sure she gets it?”
“West—”
“Please. You’re the only one I trust to do this.”
My throat closes up. The fact that he’s telling me all this…I’m sure he’s only being cautious, making the necessary preparations, but I don’t like that he has to make them at all.
“It won’t come to that,” I say.
“If it does—”
“If it does, then yes. I’ll handle it. But it won’t come to that, right?”
He nods, bringing his free hand up to caress my cheek. “Right,” he replies before leaning forward to kiss me.
But I pull back before he can. My guts are in knots and the world around us feels like it’s about to fall apart. I crave the heat of his hands, eager to distract myself with his touch and smell and attention, but before I allow myself the chance to indulge, I need so much more.
“Promise me everything will be okay,” I say.
“Adelina—”
“Promise me.”
His brows furrow in thought. “I wouldn’t want to lie to you.”
My stomach flips. “That’s not what I want to hear at all.”
“I’m confident,” he says quickly, like it’s a consolation, “we’ve prepared the best we can.”
I struggle to stand on bones made of jelly, making my way over to peek through the crack in the window curtains.
The night is peaceful. Maybe a little too peaceful.
In twenty-four hours’ time, we’ll be in the thick of it.
I know West is right. We’ve done everything we can to give ourselves the best possible chance at success.
We’ve planned, practiced…and now all that’s left is the execution.
The bedsprings creak as West rises too, stepping forward to close the distance I’ve created. He wraps his strong arms around me from behind, dipping down slightly to press a tender kiss to the crook of my neck. “We’ve always been aware of the risks,” he says.
“I know,” I murmur, turning to face him. I rub my palms over his broad chest in slow circles, almost as though the gesture will somehow soothe my own anxiety. “It just feels real now, you know?”
“There’s no point in worrying yourself sick over what may or may not happen. Focus instead on trusting me to see our plan through.”
“I do trust you.”
West nods slowly. He takes his thumb and lightly strokes my bottom lip, the warmth of his skin as comforting as it is tantalizing. “Will you let me take your mind off things? Don’t think about tomorrow. Concentrate on me. On us.”
My heart stutters for an entirely new reason. Caught beneath his heated gaze, I can’t help but nod, the coil in the pit of my stomach growing tight. “Okay. Okay, I can do that.”
He pushes his thumb forward and parts my lips. I obediently open my mouth, allowing him to press his thumb against the flat of my tongue. West smiles, something ravenous in his green eyes.
“Don’t think,” he commands, voice deliciously low. “Just get on your knees.”
There’s nothing forceful about his hold.
Far from it. I’m free to move as I wish, but I won’t.
It’s the implication of control that sends heat to pool between my legs.
All I have to do is turn off my brain, finally allow myself to relinquish all my worries and stress.
I trust West to take care of everything else.
I kneel before him, looking up expectantly. I dare to suck on his thumb, relishing the obvious strain against the front of his jeans.
“Undo my belt.”
It’s so easy to follow his instructions. Especially when he looks at me like that—like I could never do anything wrong. With slow, careful movements, I make quick work of his belt buckle and unzip the front of his pants. West is already hard, his want seeping through the cotton of his boxer briefs.
“Take my cock out, Adelina.”
I squeeze my knees together and ignore the hot, throbbing sensation between my legs. Dear God, his voice is downright sinful.
And I fucking love it.
Hooking my thumbs over the band of his underwear, I do as I’m told.
His cock springs free, long, swollen and weeping at the tip.
An electric giddiness washes through me.
On top of being kind, funny and frustratingly clever, of course he’d also be well-endowed.
Whatever higher power there may be, they clearly have a favorite among mortals—and that would be Westley fucking Porter.
I lean forward, but West shakes his head and applies the faintest bit of pressure against my tongue with his thumb. I frown deeply, my confusion clear.
“I don’t think you want it bad enough,” he says with a chuckle, finally removing his hand so that I’m able to speak.
“You’re a relentless tease,” I grumble, wrapping my fingers around the base of his shaft. I give him a slow, deliberate stroke, enjoying the way West tilts his head back and moans.
“You like it.”
“Maybe I do.”
He combs his fingers through my short hair. “Go on then. I want to see you wrap those pretty lips around me.”
Electricity crackles through my veins. I want that too. I want it so much that there isn’t an inch of my body that doesn’t ache.
I take him into my mouth slowly, losing myself in the heat of his skin and the weight of him in my hand and the low, satisfying rumble of his languid moan. Hollowing my cheeks, I suck in earnest, working my way down his length until I can’t bear it anymore.
“Fuck,” he hisses. He grips onto my hair at the roots, guiding my head until there’s no question—he’s fucking my mouth and undeniably enjoying it. “Adelina, you’re a fucking dream.”