The Cocky Thief (Stolen Hearts #1)(8)

They turned down a hall to the left and Austin made sure to keep up.

“It’s unfortunate that Chris couldn’t make it,” said Stranger. “I was hoping to catch up. It has been too long since I’ve talked to him. How are his girls doing?”

Fuck, Austin hated testing questions. Luckily, he was more than prepared for this one. “Allison is doing great. She’s just taken the lead in the school’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. The oldest of the daughters to be married off, I think.” Chris Luther only had one daughter, so Austin decided to keep quiet rather than correct Stranger. Theoretically, Stranger was one of the firm’s biggest clients. Which meant that as long as Austin was there, he needed to remain in firm ass-kissing mode.

Stranger led them into a wood-paneled office with bookshelves filled with books that had probably never been touched. “You brought the paperwork, correct?”

“The foundation of any strong marriage.” Austin tapped his briefcase.

Stranger grinned. “This was her idea, just so you know. I would’ve asked her eventually, but she wanted me to be sure that she was going into this for the right reasons.”

Austin had his doubts about how firmly Stranger believed that. Mainly because he was telling a complete stranger. “That’s great to hear,” said Austin. “Trust is one of the most important factors in any relationship.”

“True!” Stranger pulled open a cabinet and poured himself a glass of a brown liquid. “Brandy?”

Logically, he should say no. But this was a power play. Stranger needed to feel that he had the advantage, even if that meant Austin had to raise his blood alcohol level. “Sure.” Besides, he wasn’t planning to steal anything in the next few hours. At least nothing hard to steal.

Stranger poured him a glass and set it on the edge of his desk before he took a seat behind the computer. Austin followed suit and sat across from him as he took a deep drink of the brandy.

“You know I’m going to have to call Chris, right?” said Stranger.

Austin smiled. “I wouldn’t expect any different.” He calmly took another drink of the brandy. “I can give you his personal number if you want.”

“Oh no. I’ve got it already.”

Of course, he did. Just at that moment, two other men entered the office. Both wore suits, but neither looked like businessmen. For starters, the blond on the right looked as if he could bench-press a truck and the bald guy on the left had some nasty-looking burns on the side of his neck that would immediately identify him as a threat to everyone he met.

Obviously, Stranger was serious. So if Hart didn’t pull through on his end of the deal, Austin was a dead man here and now. But if he looked nervous, he’d be raising suspicions even more, so he took one more sip of his drink and settled into his seat. Normally he’d look at his phone during awkward moments like this, but if Stranger saw him go for his cell, he’d think Austin was trying to contact someone. So he decided to go for his default setting. Smart ass. He looked over his shoulder to the blond. “If you’re taking orders, I could use a mojito after this.” The guard just glared at him, but didn’t say anything. “Fresh mint only, though. None of that synthetic crap.”

Stranger let out a chuckle but didn’t tell Austin to shut up. At least the mark had a sense of humor. Austin could appreciate that. But then he was dialing and Austin stayed quiet. Just a few more seconds...

“Hey, Chris. It’s Greg here. I was just getting better acquainted with your man here.”

Austin took a drink, finishing the last of the brandy, hoping the glass would hide his emotions. He could lie with the best of them, but everyone had tells they couldn’t control.

“Austin Raye, yep. Okay, buddy. I appreciate the confirmation. You get better now, you hear?”

Stranger hung up and Austin smiled at him. “I got the all clear then?” Good job, Hart. He didn’t know what the son of a bitch had done, but somehow he got Luther to cover for them. Cheers to that.

“Chris sounded like shit. Hopefully it clears up soon.”

“One can only hope.” Austin set his empty glass back on the desk.

“So, here’s the deal. I invited Chris here as a friend. Now, this whole week is going to be packed with one thing after another. All this shit Isobel wanted. I had a room set up for Chris, but if you’d rather get the paperwork out of the way and get out of here, I can arrange that.”

Austin picked his next words carefully. “That’s generous of you, but honestly, if I went home before the big day, the partners would have my ass. So, if you don’t mind, I might just be hanging around a little longer.”

One side of Stranger’s mouth hooked up. “Don’t mind at all, Mr. Raye. Welcome to the vineyard.”





“Oh, I can’t wait for you two to see your rooms! It’s just gorgeous out here. Tonight will be the welcome dinner and tomorrow will be the rehearsal, so you will need all the rest you can get to keep up your stamina.”

Jennifer and Mel exchanged a look and for a second it was as if they were kids again, following their mother on yet another eccentric adventure and never knowing what was around the corner. But then Jennifer got another look at Mel. The jeans that didn’t fit and the circles under her eyes. She wore a cheap-looking silver heart pendant necklace and Jennifer could only hope it wasn’t a gift from Ben.