AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And right now, that job was waiting for me in that giant mansion where the Tates lived. I forced myself to square my shoulders. I may not have gotten any sleep, I might be dead exhausted, but damn it, I had to make this work.
Or, you could ask for help.
The hell I would. I had disclosed about my family when I joined Rogues. I just hadn't exactly disclosed that they could be a problem. I’d managed to keep most of Kira’s shenanigans under the radar, thanks to Sam.
Riley was no issue. Rogues knew I sent money home and took care of him. But Kira was a different story. She was a walking, talking powder keg.
But I could make one call and get help on the ground. I made a quick call to Sam from the car and prayed he answered.
He did… on the first ring. “If you’re calling, there is a problem.”
“Hey, I called you two months ago for your birthday.”
“Fair enough. What’s wrong?”
I hesitated. Sam had always thought Kira was dead weight. “Kira is missing.”
There was a pause. “Are you serious?”
“Don’t say it like that. Riley is worried, and frankly so am I. Would you mind just doing a wellness check?”
There was a beat of silence. “You can’t keep bailing her out.”
“I know. But first let me find out if she’s okay. Riley needs his sister.”
“That kid has a sister. One who loves him.”
He was right. Kira wasn’t the best sister, but she was ours. “Can you do it or not?”
“Fine, I’ll go to her place after my meeting.”
“Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”
“You owe me, darling.”
“I know. I know. Next time I come home big braai on me, okay?” Sam loved the barbequed sausages I made, and he was always begging me to make them. I’d pay up next time I was home. At least maybe he would give me more insight about how worried I needed to be.
You could ask Rogues for help.
No, I wasn’t going there. Gabe would be an arsehole and remove me from the mission. Saff would help, but I didn’t want to put her in the middle.
I checked my hair again, smoothing it over my shoulder, and then I stepped out of my car and up the stone steps, my shoes making a sharp clicking sound as I marched. I'd been given a script. It wasn’t like I was going to learn art authenticating in a couple of weeks, but I had an authenticator in my ear, which was why my hair was down and pulled to the side. No way they could see the com unit.
Professional. Cool. I’d worn one of the fitted business suits that came to just below my knee. Burgundy. It should have clashed with my hair, but it didn't. Gabe had been right, dammit.
I knew I looked beautiful, sophisticated, soft. That was the point. When I strode to the door with a broad smile, relaxing my clenched jaw, I shoved away the part of my brain that was trying to think about my sister.
"Mr. Tate, I'm so glad that I'll be able to assist you. Just show me where you have the pieces stored."
He smiled as he led me through the foyer. "You look stunning."
I tucked my head down to give him the impression of being demure as I followed behind him with my laptop bag tucked to my side. For this initial test, I would take a sample of paint, do a couple of scans, take some photos, and well… plant some bugs. Simple. As we went along, I couldn't help but admire the Tate Estate. It was breathtaking.
The sun shone upon the white stone terrace. The gardens burst with every hue imaginable, water cascaded down burbling fountains, and the sweet scent of freshly bloomed roses filled the spring air. The mansion was the pinnacle of luxury, from the gorgeous gardens, to the perfectly manicured lawns, to the glittering chandeliers in every room.
As we walked, the glasses I wore scanned everything. There was a tiny transmitter that sent the video captured to my phone. We worried that the team wouldn't be able to get close enough to send it over the air. If the Tates were in business with who we were told they were in business with, it was very likely the airwaves would be monitored for data transfers, as well as any use of the Wi-Fi network or anything along those lines. So we were keeping it clean.
Jennings Tate studied me carefully. "Are you all right? You seem off."
