Chapter 6 #2
He turned his head so he could stare at the ceiling.
His phone was stuck in his back pocket, so he couldn’t check the time.
The last thing he wanted to do was fall asleep and wake up eight hours later, but Serena needed sleep and he sure as hell didn’t want to jostle her awake.
He pulled the covers over her shoulder and closed his eyes. He’d rest a few minutes . . .
Buzz, buzz, buzz
The gentle vibration on his ass cheek jerked his eyes open.
Serena lay plastered against him, her arm now looped around his neck and her knee so far across his thigh that the lower half of her body straddled him.
He eased out from under her, letting her cheek slide to the pillow beneath his shoulder. She didn’t stir.
He pushed off the bed and fished his phone from his pocket. The first thing he checked was the time: 4:30 a.m. Damn, he’d slept more than two hours. Serena let out a deep sigh, and he backed out of the room and made his way to the main-floor office.
The house had way more space than he needed, but when it had come up as a foreclosure, he couldn’t resist the investment.
He dropped into the office chair and opened the message on his screen.
Rhett.
Dude, I hope you’ve given it some thought. Let me know where you’re sitting and I can contact some trustworthy uniforms.
Shit. He trusted Rhett, but couldn’t put his friend in a tough position. Now that they had agreed to steal from Titus, the rules had changed. He’d taken his newly polished record and traded it in for a criminal’s.
Again.
No. He’d only involve Rhett if it came down to it, and for right now, Milo had things under control.
But if they wanted to rescue Dani unscathed, they’d need backup.
They’d need at least one other person to be on lookout.
Because he sure as hell wasn’t sending Serena into Titus’s den alone.
There was only one person he could think of who was qualified to help.
He was dangerous, a bit of an asshole . . . and Dani’s worst enemy.
He scrolled through his contacts, selected the name of a person he hadn’t talked to in years, and hit Call.
Serena was going to kill him.
Serena stretched her arms above her head and yawned. The chilly air outside the blankets made her tuck her limbs back into hibernation. Her cheek sunk into soft material, threatening to lull her back to sleep.
No, can’t sleep . . .
She frowned. Why the hell couldn’t she sleep? She forced her eyes open, and the sight of the unfamiliar masculine bedroom shot her into a sitting position.
Dani!
How long had she slept? No light shone through the blinds, so it was still night. She felt rested, though. God, that better not mean she’d wasted too many precious hours. She threw back the covers and charged out of the room. Where was her phone? And where was Milo?
She headed toward the glow of light on the main floor. Milo sat at an office desk, his hair disheveled, his T-shirt wrinkled, and his dark stubble much thicker than it had been the last time she’d noted it. She fished her fingers through the messy end of her ponytail.
“What time is it?”
“Almost five.”
She glared at him. “You were supposed to wake me.” Her tone held no venom, despite her annoyance. As much as she wanted to wring his neck for letting her sleep so long, she needed to get focusing on the heist.
Her gaze dropped to Milo’s caramel-colored coffee in a mug on the desk. Her mouth watered.
Milo stood. “Here, have a look at these blueprints. The kidnapper just sent them. I’ll fix you a coffee.”
She took his vacated seat and scrolled over the email. “Did you send this email address to your FBI friend?”
“Yes. That and the number he called from. Though I doubt the kidnapper is dumb enough to lead us to them that easily.” Milo disappeared toward the kitchen.
She pressed her lips together and clicked on one of the attachments. It had been years since she had to map out a job, but her memory kicked into high gear. She immediately sought out the location and the number of exits in relation to their potential entry point.
Milo returned a minute later and handed her a steaming white mug. “What do you think?”
She made a face. “On paper it looks feasible. He’s only a few minutes away from the interstate, which will help us make a smooth getaway.”
He rested his hands on the back of her chair and leaned forward. His chest brushed her shoulder as she forced herself to click on the second attachment.
“Here’s his schedule.” She tapped her thumb on the side of the mouse and winced. “Everything he has planned is during the day. We need to get in at night, when there’s less staff.”
Milo grunted.
She lifted the mug and took a sip of the perfectly sweetened brew. “Getting into his mansion will be hell. He has three live-in staff—his assistant, head maid, and chef. On top of that, he has five other full-time staff who come and go between nine and five Monday to Saturday.”
She set the mug down and lowered her head to her fingertips. Milo’s large palms covered her shoulders and kneaded her muscles.
“We can do it.”
She sucked back a laugh. “No, we can’t. You don’t understand. Dani is the backbone of every heist I’ve ever done.”
He stopped his massaging and swiveled the chair around, forcing her to stare at him. “You’re the ground agent. You do the hardest part of the job.”
Tears tingled the corners of her eyes. She was too tired to hold them back. “It’s not that . . . it’s her. I’ve always had her in my ear keeping me calm. Not just with jobs, but with everything. When I know she’s watching and leading me through darkness, I can get through anything.”
He dropped to one knee and nestled his palms on either side of her thighs. “Dani is lucky to have you. You’re going to do this, and I’m going to help you.”
She rubbed at the corner of her eye with her palm. Part of her wanted to scream “Why now? Why weren’t you there when I needed you before?” but she couldn’t. She couldn’t hate Milo for the past. At least not right now. Right now, she had to save Dani, and she needed Milo’s help to do it.
“It’ll be tough with just the two of us. When Dani and I did Alban’s heist, we still had our team in the background to help with getaway and research.”
One of Milo’s hands moved from her leg, and his fingernail scratched over his top lip. “About that . . .”
She narrowed her eyes at him. He squinted at her through one eye in that familiar don’t-be-pissed-at-me look of his. Her blood slowed.
“What?”
He cleared his throat. “I, uh, called in some help.”
She sat forward. “You did? Great. Who?”
His gaze shifted to the ground and back up. “Brock Wheeler.”
She felt the muscles in her face go lax. “Brock? The same Brock we used to work with?”
His wince deepened. “That’s the one.”
“Oh my god.” She stood and paced the small office. “You’re out of your mind. Dani will lose her shit.”
“Well, Dani isn’t in a position to argue.”
She glared at him. “He agreed to this? He knows what we’re doing and why?”
“Yeah, I just got off the phone with him.”
Her skepticism grew. “At four in the morning?”
“He’s not much of a sleeper,” Milo said, shrugging.
She let her breath hiss through her teeth. “What did he say?”
“He was appalled by what’s happened to Dani. He’ll be here around nine, so you can grill him then.” Milo stood and hooked his hands around her elbows. “Look, we need all the help we can get. Whatever differences you have with Brock, set them aside.”
She tapped her foot on the ground. It wasn’t about her differences with Brock. She’d never had anything against him. It was Dani’s differences with him she defended.
He was Dani’s ex-boyfriend and rival. But he was the best of the best at what he did, like Dani. This heist wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about being the one on top. All that mattered was getting Dani out alive. And if that meant recruiting Brock, so be it. She’d deal with Dani’s wrath later.
The thought made her cringe.
“All right.” She jabbed her finger against the wall of Milo’s chest. The muscle didn’t give. “He’d better not be late.”