Steal: A Bad Boy Romance (17 page)

CHAPTER 24

~ J
AMES
~

She looks so cute when she’s helping other people.

Kat
sat in a garden, surrounded by children as she showed them how to transfer a
potted plant to the ground. A smudge of earth on her cheek matched the brown
stains on the old shirt she wore. It was offset by a gorgeous smile that
wouldn’t go away.

I
leaned against a tree several paths over, content to watch for the time being
and enjoy the sunlight and warm breeze.

The
children around Kat were at the perfect age for the demonstration—old
enough to not fidget endlessly and wander off, but young enough to be entranced
by the act of planting a living thing into the rich, warm soil. They were too
far away for words to reach me, but I could see Kat answering questions with
the patience and calm that comes with experience.

Going
three months without seeing her face had been torture.

I have no idea how I went over
ten years without seeing her. I must have been insane.

After
the planting demonstration wrapped up, Kat led the troupe of children to an
outdoor sink and hose area to wash up—most of the little hands were dirty
from playing in the soil. That final task complete, she passed off care of the
little ones to their teacher, who loaded them onto a yellow school bus in the
parking lot.

Kat
re-entered the building, and I wavered between following behind her or sticking
to the original plan. Always one for a dramatic entrance, I convinced myself to
hold off—it was nearing the end of the work day, so she would leave soon.

Her
car was parked around the front of the building, close to a tall row of hedges.
I hid behind the tall leafy plants as she walked up to her car. The car didn’t
start, and Kat hit the wheel several times with her hand.

A
small pop
signaled
the hood release, and then her
door opened as she came around to open it.

“Come
on, Carly, not this again. Damn it.”

I
stepped out from the hedge and stole up behind her. “Having car trouble?”

Kat
whirled, eyes wide. “James?”

I
held out my arms, and she jumped into them, our bodies joining in a joyous
collision as our lips met. I kissed her as hard as I could, drawing energy from
the connection like a man dying of thirst diving into an oasis.

She
pulled back to look into my eyes. “I can’t believe it’s you! How did you get
out? They said it would be twenty years before you were let go!”

Kat
didn’t give me time to answer the question, using her hand on the back of my
head to pull me back for more. I chuckled but didn’t stop her, backing her
up until I’d pressed her against her car.

When
we came up for air again, I replied. “Like I told you, I wanted to clean my
slate and start fresh. If I thought I’d be gone for good, I wouldn’t have let
them take me.”

“How,
though? You can’t just tell the government you don’t deserve to be in prison
and then they let you go.”

I toyed
with the idea of keeping it a mystery, but I’d promised I would tell her
everything she wanted to know.

“I
told you the last time I saw you that I only ever stole from men who deserved
it. Awful men. I didn’t just steal money from those men, I also stole
information. Emails, documents—data that proved how corrupt or criminal
they were. Not to sell to the black market like Nick would have done, but as
insurance in case I was ever caught.”

She
tilted her head and looked up at me. “Insurance? Did you blackmail someone in a
powerful enough position to let you go free?”

I
shook my head. “Nothing so complicated. I made a deal with the FBI. I gave them
all of the data in exchange for them dropping the charges against me. Let me
walk free and clear my name in return for a dozen big shot criminals on a
silver platter.”

“And
they took the deal?”

“To
a degree. I had to serve a three month nominal sentence, but that’s a small
price to pay for having my name cleared and not having law enforcement after me
any longer.”

“Wow.”
She pulled me closer. “I can’t believe it was that simple.”

I
thought back to the long days of negotiation and haggling. There were moments
I’d been certain I’d made a tremendous mistake, but I’d steeled my resolve and
they were the ones to crack first. “Simple enough. Tell me about you—what
have you been up to?”

The
first thing I’d done upon release was track down every piece of information
about Kat from the past three months, but I wanted to hear it from her. Listen
as she told the story, read the passion in her eyes as she spoke.

“I
left ARCANE, as I guess you know if you found me here. The company
disintegrated after Nick was arrested and the company accounts were drained.
The investors wanted nothing to do with it, so they dumped all the data to the
feds and walked away.”

I
nodded. “That makes sense. No point throwing more money after a brand that
isn’t salvageable. People wouldn’t want a company securing their data that was
involved in a scandal like that.”

“Exactly.
I was surprised at how many job offers poured in from most of the big tech
companies in the Bay area after ARCANE collapsed. It must have been a
headhunter’s
biggest fantasy come true. You’d think there
would be stigma associated with having worked there, but the consensus pins everything
squarely on Nick.”

“That’s
good,” I said. “One part of the con that worried me was what would happen to
the employees once the company collapsed. So, with all those job offers, what
made you decide to come and work at a park?”

Kat
smiled, the expression transforming her face from merely pretty to radiant.
“It’s been such a dramatic change from the
startup
lifestyle. I love it and haven’t regretted it for an instant. I come here and
get to relax, care for nature, and show children how amazing it can be. It’s
not as ambitious of a charity effort as I want to get into someday soon, but
it’s what I needed after everything that happened.”

“I’m
so happy for you. You were far too stressed at ARCANE, and it wasn’t all
because of Nick’s influence. Your own personal balance is so much more
important than a line on a resume.”

“I’m
glad you think so. Although ARCANE paid much more…” Kat gnawed on her lip.
“Hey, what happened to the money you stole from Nick and ARCANE? Did they make
you give it back?”

I
winced. It was still a sensitive topic. “I couldn’t give it back even if I
wanted to. The only reason things went to shit the way they did was because my
partner Addison stabbed me in the back. She called Nick and warned him there
was someone at ARCANE stealing from him, and she called the FBI and gave them
the tip. She also drained the account for the job—there wasn’t a cent
left by the time the feds let me check.”

“You
had a partner? I had no idea! That makes much more sense, now. I never
understood why Nick showed up that morning—he never went in on the
weekends. It explains the FBI showing up, too.” She looked away and spoke
softly. “I just thought you must not have been very good, and they found out
somehow.”

“What?
You thought I was a shitty thief? All this time?” My jaw dropped. I was torn
between feeling insulted and cackling. “I am one of the best con artists of the
century!”

“Oh,
really? Then why hadn’t your name ever come up on TV?”

I
shook my head. “They only knew about a tenth of the cons I pulled, and even
those weren’t all connected to the same name. If it wasn’t for Addison spilling
the dirt, the FBI would have spun their wheels for decades.”

“I
wonder where she went.”

The
question had haunted me for my entire sentence. “Wherever she is, I hope she
doesn’t run into trouble.”

“Really?
After she screwed you over?”

I
shrugged. “She was a good girl, I think she just got scared and thought this
was the best way out for her. I have a feeling she’ll turn up at some point.”

We
lapsed into silence for a moment, enjoying the sun and each other’s nearness.

“So
does this mean you have to find a job, now?” Kat asked. “You won’t be stealing
anymore, will you?”

I
put my arm around her shoulders. “I think I’m retired from the game. It’s been
a long time since I did it for the money, anyway. I just liked hurting those
who abused their wealth or power.”

She
looked up at me. “You mean you got rich by robbing people?”

I
grinned. “Let’s just say that neither of us have to work if we don’t want to.
We could travel the world and volunteer to help people in need if you want to.
And I know you well enough to know that your soul just did a happy dance.”

Kat
hugged me close. “You’d really come and do that with me?”

“I
wouldn’t dream of anything else.”

EPILOGUE

~ A
DDISON
~

I took a sip of my strawberry
mojito, the icy drink providing a delicious contrast to the extreme heat of the
afternoon. Sunglasses were a necessity under the Croatian summer sun, and from
behind their dark tint I observed the tourists wander down Split’s promenade,
the Riva.

This is the fucking life.

No
more worries or stress. No hiding in condos. Just endless sun and heat, and the
freedom to take advantage as much as I wanted.

And enough money to do it for
the rest of my life.

The
ocean breeze rustled my long, red tresses. With one more look over the
harbor
, I turned back to my current book. Long sips of the
mojito worked with the canopy overhead to keep me cool and content.

A
figure out of the corner of my eye blotted out the sun for a moment before
sitting across the table.

I
stuck my finger in the book to mark my spot, annoyance at the interruption
giving my voice an extra push. “Excuse me, this is a private table.”

The
man was in shadow, but his clothing gave away his gender. I couldn’t make out
his face because of the blinding sun lighting the Riva behind him.

Maybe he doesn’t speak English.

I
searched for the little Croatian I’d picked up, but couldn’t put together the
words I needed to convey my meaning.

“Hello?
Please leave, this is my table.” I made a shooing motion with my hands.

The
man leaned forward until his features became visible.

It can’t be…

“What,
no room for an old friend, Addison?”

The
book fell from nerveless fingers and hit the ground in a sad clump of paper.

“James.
You should be in prison. How did you find me?”

I
craned my neck around. If he’d come with friends to take me out, they could be
all around me. I tensed up, ready to run away at the first hint of danger.

“Relax,
Addison. I’m not here to get revenge.”

His
voice was as easy as it ever was, but that never meant anything with James.
Every part of him was under perfect control—his expression, his voice,
the content of his speech—all to portray the image he wanted.

“How
can I trust you?”

His
chuckle rumbled across the table. “Trust me? Did I ever stab you in the back,
Addison?”

I
winced. “I regretted it as soon as I made the call, James. It looked like you
were ready to set up house with Kat, and then what use would you have for me? I
didn’t want to be a loose end for you to tie off.”

“Loose
end? We were friends. I would have even called you my best friend.” The
disappointment in his tone was heavy, amplified by the control he exerted over
his voice. “That’s why I won’t screw you over like you did me, even though I
easily could.”

I
swallowed hard. “Why are you here, then?”

He
grinned, the white teeth catching some of the abundant sunlight and glimmering.
“While you have a nice gig here, it’s only a matter of time before you get
bored out of your mind. And I know you can hack and program from anywhere, but
what’s the point if there’s no real purpose behind it?”

I
shifted in my seat, uncomfortable that he could read my mind so well. Lazing in
the sun was great, but even after just a month my overactive mind was going a
little crazy from the lack of challenge. “So, what? You want me to help you out
again? Reunite the team?”

James
shook his head. “Not exactly. Kat and I got married a few days ago—this
is actually the first stop on our honeymoon. You should be flattered that I
chose Split mostly because you’re here. I just stepped out of the apartment to
stock up on more wine. I’m out of the game for good, now.”

“What,
then? Did you show up to rub it in my face that you can get shoved into a pit
of manure and climb out without a single piece of shit on you?”

He
stood and placed a business card on the table in front of me. “Not
exactly—although the look on your face when I sat down was delightful.
No, a friend asked for the smartest hacker I knew. I’m not sure what he’s
after, but I know you’ll like him. If you get bored and are looking for the
experience of a lifetime, this is the one.”

The
card was jet black. Completely. I picked it up and flipped it over, finding the
other side the same inky shade. There was no text on either surface.

“What
kind of joke is this?”

I
looked up to find myself alone once more at the table.