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He waited for Jess’s disapproving expression—but there wasn’t one. Her lips just curved into an encouraging smile.
“He had his hands in a lot of illegal pies. He was muscle-for-hire or anything anyone would pay for. But above all, he was a talented thief.” Adam glanced around the room. It felt so strange to talk about this. He’d never discussed his origin as a thief with anyone. “I started helping him with jobs when I was ten. By the time I was eighteen, I was a full-on partner, helping him find and plan jobs.” He sighed, remembering the urge to stretch his own wings. “When I was twenty-one, I started doing my own. I was more comfortable with the newer technology. I could do jobs that were more physically demanding.”
Jess’s eyes were wide, but she just nodded at him to go on. “We had some really good years then. We worked independently, but we got together on holidays and stuff. Like families do.” Shit, was that a catch in his voice? What the fuck?
“Then what happened?” she asked.
And...no. Nope. Sorry. Memory lane was closed. Maybe he’d broken a few of his personal rules for this woman, but he couldn’t discuss what happened next. A hurricane of images and emotions flashed through his mind: the look of excitement on Tony’s gnarled face when he talked about “the huge job,” the terror in his own gut when he realized his fuck-up, the cuffs around Tony’s wrists, the bewilderment when the DA told Adam he—alone—was free to go.
He hadn’t talked about it with anyone ever. As tempting as it might be to unburden himself to Jess, to soak in some of the sympathy he knew she’d offer, tonight was not going to be the exception.
“I’m going to get us another round.” He stood, tossed her a crafted, dazzling smile. “Then I’ll tell you about being a thief.”
* * *
An hour and two bourbons later, Jess said, “This is freaking fascinating. You literally have a ‘Five Step Process’ to successful thievery.”
Adam nodded. “Let’s see how close you were paying attention.” He raised his eyebrows in mock-sternness. “What is Step One, Ms. Hughes?”
She raised her hand like a school kid. “Ooh ooh! I know! Pay your hacker an obscene amount of money to infiltrate the databases of the world’s biggest insurance agencies. He finds policies on jewels worth over $100,000.”
“Well done,” he said, enjoying the role of school-master. “And how often is this step taken?”
She batted her eyelashes. “Annually.” She hiccupped and they both laughed.
We’re drunk, he realized from a distance. But he didn’t much care. “Step Two?”
She furrowed her forehead. “Oh! Narrowing down the list to suitable targets. The jewels have to be able to be...ah...”
“Fenced,” he supplied.
“Fenced,” she repeated. “You also look at the owners. They cannot be royalty or politicians or any other sort of over-protected individuals.”
“Correct.” He smiled at her over his drink. “Although exceptions to that rule can and have been made.”
Her eyes lit up, but before she could ask for details, he demanded, “Step Three?”
Now, her face went serious and sweet. “My favorite step. Researching the target to get a sense of the person. If the person is, as you so delightfully put it, an obvious asshole, move on to Step Four. If person seems genuinely okay, remove from target list.”
Her doe eyes were making him uncomfortable, even in his inebriated state. “Don’t go putting me on a pedestal, Blondie. I still steal things for a living, even if I do prefer to steal from jerks. Step Four?”
She matched his brisk tone. “Plan the job.”
“Which may include what activities?”
“Tailing to get a sense of routine. Procuring blueprints of the owner’s residence or workings of their security systems.” Hiccup. “May involve building a team. May involve bribery.” Hiccup.
He had to laugh. “You have a hell of a memory. And a case of the hiccups. We’re finally to Step Five. Also known as ‘The Fun.’”
Jess finished her drink with a long swallow. “Step Five is Executing the Job. May involve breaking and entering. May involve role-playing.”
“Hooray, you remembered everything.” He laughed again as she gave a tipsy little bow. A month ago, he couldn’t have dreamt up an evening like this. Sharing secrets with a beautiful woman. One that made him laugh, one that challenged him.
He knew the evening was a time-out. There was inevitably trouble ahead. As a couple, he and Jess weren’t made for happily ever after.
But was it so wrong to want a little happy right now?
Something in her mind had caught Jess’s attention. There was a line between her eyebrows as she rested her face on upturned palms and stared off into space. Just lean forward and kiss her.
