To Have and to Heist(82)

“You got us this far,” Jack said. “Don’t give up just yet.”

“Fine.” I kicked the wall and instantly regretted it when pain shot through my foot. “Ten minutes. Not a second more.”

I quickly mobilized my crew. Rose initiated a new trivia game. Chloe jammed the system. Anil went to search the ground floor areas Jack had missed. Gage ran down to the walkout basement so he could get outside quickly if the guards caused any problems. That left Jack and me to search the upper floor again.

“I’m surprised you didn’t run away as soon as you saw the safe was empty.” I opened one dresser drawer and then another, sweeping my hands through piles of socks, underwear, and shirts. “You seem to have a strong sense of self-preservation and little ability to be part of a team.”

“I told you who had the necklace,” Jack said with a huff. “I brought Gage to keep you all safe. I set you up to get the wedding planning gig, and I gave you six orgasms in four hours.” He lay on the floor and peered under the bed.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve had more orgasms in less time.” By myself. But he didn’t need to know that.

Nine minutes and no safe later, a gunshot cracked the silence. My breath caught in my lungs and I prayed it was Gage shooting and not the other way around.

Ding.

Through sheer force of will, I managed to lift my phone and read the message from Rose.

“We have to go.” I shook myself, forcing my body into action. “Mr. Angelini lost his patience and abruptly ended the rehearsal dinner. They’re already in the limo and on their way home. Emma’s going to take a detour, but she won’t be able to stall for long.”

We met Anil in the front hallway. “I have good news and bad news,” he said. “The good news is that I found the safe. It was in Mr. Angelini’s office behind a false bookshelf just like I saw on YouTube. If I hadn’t seen the video, I—”

“We don’t have time.” I yanked open the front door. “They’re already on their way home. Tell me the bad news later.”

Gage was waiting by the van. “I fired a shot over the water to distract the guards. They’re both on their way to the beach, and they took the dogs with them.” He opened his jacket to show his holstered weapon. “It’s been a good night.”

“What are you talking about?” I climbed into the van. “We failed. There’s nothing good about that. All the work, all the planning, all the stress. It was all for nothing.”

“We’ll get $250,000 for the wedding.” Chloe shifted in her seat to make room for Gage, Anil, and Jack. “And you texted that you’d figured out how to help Bella escape. That’s not nothing.”

“$41,666.66 each plus good karma,” Anil said. “If he pays us under the table and we don’t have to pay tax, it’s worth even more. Ask for cash, preferably unmarked bills.”

“The system is back on,” Chloe said when we were all safely inside. “I’m sure he’ll send the guards to check the house. Two jam alerts would worry anyone.”

We lay on the floor of the van side by side in silence. Gage beside Chloe, Jack beside me, and Anil at the end.

“I’m sorry.” My throat tightened, disappointment welling up in my chest. “I thought I’d anticipated all the possible outcomes.”

“It’s not your fault,” Chloe said. “You couldn’t have known Cristian would bail on us, or that Rose wouldn’t be able to keep them entertained, or that Mr. Angelini would insist on leaving early, or that he would have a decoy safe. We did our best. And if I have to go to prison—”

“You will never go to prison,” I told her. I would confess to the theft if I had to, although I couldn’t tell her because she’d never agree.

Jack’s hand slipped around my waist, and he hugged me from behind, as if he knew what I was thinking. I should have been annoyed since I still hadn’t forgiven him, but we were lying on the floor of a van with two security guards running around outside, a Mafia family on the way home, no necklace, and a failed heist under our belts. Sometimes you just have to be gentle with yourself.

The atmosphere in the van was thick with disappointment and unfulfilled promise. No one spoke until the limo returned forty minutes later.

“It’s over,” I said into the silence.

Doors slammed, followed by the low murmur of conversation. I caught a few words, uttered by two male voices.

“Gunshot over the water . . . probably from the other side of the lake . . . boater . . . nothing out of the ordinary . . . glitch in the system.”

The voices disappeared. Steps faded into the distance. Emma knocked on the door to let us know the coast was clear. Chloe did a last check of the outdoor cameras, and a few minutes later we were all in the limo and on the road.

“We didn’t get it,” I said when she lifted an eyebrow.

“No big surprise.”

“Why is it not a surprise?” I leaned forward over the seat. “If you thought we’d missed something, why didn’t you speak up?”

“The odds were against us,” she said. “Too many variables. Too many things to go wrong. In my experience, things like that are doomed to fail.”

“I like surprises,” Anil said. “One year my family pretended they’d forgotten my birthday. I felt sad all day, but then I walked in the door and ‘Surprise!’ They’d invited my friends and our family for a party. It was so amazing, it made up for the bad day.”