To Have and to Heist(112)

“They’re good people. They wanted to feed me.”

“They want to feed everyone,” she said. “After we found the book, they made us stay for lunch.”

Jack sat up straight and shook off my hand. “You had a big celebratory lunch and left me to be tortured and die in a meat freezer while you stuffed your faces with pakoras and vindaloo?”

“My, aren’t we testy today.” I stroked his forehead and eased him back on the pillow. “You were foremost in our minds. We made a plan to rescue you while we were eating, knowing we’d need that energy if it came to a fight. It also took Chloe some time to get a clear reading of the license plate on the SUV. And I had to call Garcia and ask him to track it.”

“Garcia.” He spat out the name, his gaze on the ceiling again. “Your police boyfriend.”

“He’s a detective and a friend.” I gently turned his face to mine. “That’s all.”

“You and Garcia aren’t—”

“No. I’m a one-man kind of woman.”

“And this one man . . .” His eyes lit up. Hopeful. Intent. “What’s he like?”

“He’s brave.” I pressed a kiss to his forehead. “He’s strong.” Another kiss, this one on his cheek. “Funny and sarcastic.” Kisses down his jaw despite the bristles. “Selfless.” A kiss on the corner of his lips. “Loyal and honorable.” Another kiss on the cheek. “A team player.”

Jack gave a satisfied rumble. “He’s always worked alone.”

“Not anymore.” I brushed his hair back from his face. “No one wanted to be left behind when it came time to save him. Everyone wanted to help. He was part of a team, and the team looks after each other.”

“How is he in bed?” His voice dropped to a sensual rumble.

“Incredible.”

“The best you ever had?”

“I wouldn’t want him to get too cocky.”

Jack laughed. “He’s cocky now.”

“Maybe I should go,” I teased, pulling away. “You are in a hospital, after all, and I’m not the only person who wants to visit.”

“No.” He lay back on his pillow. “Tell me more. What happened to the necklace?”

“Chloe got the information for claiming the reward from the Dark Web. We did the exchange behind the museum at night. Everyone wore a mask so there was no chance we’d be able to identify each other. Chloe set up a Swiss bank account and we handed the necklace over as soon as she verified the money was there. The next day Garcia called me to let me know the necklace had been found in a storage drawer in the museum and all charges against Chloe and me had been dropped.”

“Did you give everyone their share?”

“Yes, we did. Rose gave Cristian part of her money because he did save us when we were in the office, and he was the first to volunteer to come and find you. We also got paid for the wedding gig. I was terrified when Mr. Angelini called me to the house, but he just wanted to pay me and thank me for our service. He said we’d done a good job despite the fact someone had stolen some priceless statues from his office, and his daughter had poisoned the priest, betrayed him by having secret affairs with both Gino and Ben, run away with something valuable, and was now being charged with attempted murder, accessory to murder, and various firearms offenses. I think he was actually proud of her. He said she was her father’s daughter.”

Jack’s laughter filled me with joy. There had been moments in the last two weeks when I’d thought I would never hear it again.

“Mr. Angelini wasn’t even angry when I told him the marriage wasn’t valid,” I continued. “He said it saved the groom from having to get an annulment. And do you know the best part?”

“What was the best part?”

“He said he’d give us a five-star review and recommend us to his friends!”

Jack brought my hand to his lips and kissed each one of my knuckles. “I thought the wedding planning gig was a one-off for the heist.”

“Chloe and I are going to give it a go for real,” I said. “I loved being in charge. I loved sourcing things and talking to the vendors. I loved organizing everything and working with the team. I loved dealing with last-minute emergencies, and I loved seeing it all come together at the end. This is what I’ve been looking for since I started college. This is my passion. I’m going to take it on full time. Chloe is coming in part time. She decided to be brave and find her passion, too. She sent out some résumés and within days she got a fantastic job as a white hat hacker. Everyone else in the crew said they’d be happy to pitch in with my business as a side hustle while they follow their own dreams.”

“I had dreams,” Jack said, his voice quiet, his gaze drifting to the window. “I used to dream about a normal life—a house with a garden, a job in a museum, friends without criminal records, someone to love—but then there was a night when everything went wrong. I had to make a terrible choice and Mr. X will never forgive me.”

My mouth opened and closed again. I’d given up my expectations of Jack sharing anything about his mysterious past. “Jack . . . I’m so—”

“How about the others? Are they still around?” He was getting tired now. His eyes were beginning to droop, and his face had softened.