Red Handed by Jessa Wilder

Unknown: Come to room 4701.

I blinked down at the text, my nostrils flaring. Come? What was I, a dog? Um, no.

I put the phone back down on my bathroom vanity and finished pulling my hair into a loose ponytail. There probably wasn’t much point in getting ready since I wasn’t going anywhere, but sitting around in my pyjamas felt like giving up.

Even after dinner two nights ago, Nico still hadn’t asked me to do anything. In fact, no one had really talked to me at all. The only thing keeping me from just walking right out the front door was what Rush had let slip about me possibly being targeted. I had a feeling he really meant Sophie was being targeted, since she was the heir to Mount Summer and the one my parents cared about protecting. If she had been threatened, that would explain why my dad had been willing to send us here, cause as of now I couldn’t understand his motivation at all.

If I left and refused to help Nico with his damn laptop retrieval, would he throw Sophie out? Maybe. Until I knew for sure if we’d been threatened, I needed to sit tight. Lucky me.

My phone buzzed again as another text came in from a different number.

Unknown: Don’t overthink it, Firecracker. We’ve got breakfast.

Closing my eyes, I tilted my head up to the ceiling and prayed for patience. I updated the contact to “RUSH GENTLEMEN,” and typed out my response.

Me: Stop with the nicknames. What’s for breakfast?

A third unknown number joined the conversation:

Unknown: Come on Little Thief, I made pancakes.

I rolled my eyes so hard it surprised me they didn’t get stuck that way. That number had to be Beck, which meant the first one was Nico.

NICOLAI: Now.

I bit my lip. I couldn’t decide which I hated more: being ignored or being summoned like a fucking pet. Nicolai Esposito and I needed to have words.

* * *

“I thought I was going to have to come get you,” Rush said glowering when he opened Nico’s door.

“And what if I didn’t want to come?” I planted my hands on my hips and cocked an eyebrow up.

His expression was almost a smile, like he wanted to, but was fighting it. “I’d have thrown you over my shoulder and brought you here myself.”

I flushed a little. Our dance at the gala was still fresh in my mind. For a few moments before I knew who he was, I would’ve gladly taken him up on that, but things were different now. Rush swung the door wide and ushered me into the suite.

“When I tell you to come, I expect you to do it,” Nico practically growled at me.

“Let’s get this clear right now, Nicolai. I don’t take direction well—”

“You will from me. I don’t like waiting and I don’t repeat myself. Get your shit together.” His words were harsh, but he ran his thumb over his bottom lip as he spoke, looking me up and down.

My own sly smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I knew I looked good. My favorite band tee hung off one shoulder, tied in a knot an inch above a pair of too-short black leather shorts. I paired it with flat black combat boots and my baby desert eagles strapped to my sides. “We’ll see, but I think you should be prepared for a battle.”

He stared at me with hooded eyes for a moment, then turned his back, giving me a sharp nod. I couldn’t decide who won that round.

“Good morning, Little Thief.” Beck grinned at me, his lip ring glinting. It was hard to view him as an enemy. “Hope you have a sweet tooth.”

“Fuck yes. I’m starving.”

I let the nickname go, partly because I could already tell I was fighting a losing battle and partly because the food smelled so damn good. I definitely wasn’t above food bribery. I sat on a stool at the kitchen island. Beck handed me a plate stacked high with pancakes topped with whipped cream and maple syrup. I took a giant bite, closed my eyes and moaned, not caring that they were all watching me, hunger in their eyes. Fuck. I needed to remember that attraction and affection were not at all the same thing. If I could acknowledge how they looked and still view them as the enemy, they could do the same to me. It didn’t make them any less dangerous.

“It’s delicious, thank you.” I did my best to ignore the eyes on me and keep my gaze on my plate. “So, are we going to talk about why I’m here now?”

“Not another bite.”

I jerked my head up abruptly as Sophie waltzed into the room, her short blonde hair brushed against her shoulders interrupting before anyone could answer my question.

“How did you know I was in here?” I asked incredulously.

“I could hear you through the wall.” She grinned. “My bedroom is literally right on the other side of that wall.” She pointed toward the couch. “It’s like being in the room.”

“Oh,” I said through a mouthful of pancake.

“You promised we’d go check out the shops along the street and get breakfast.”

My eyes widened. I forgot I’d said that. I shoved one last bite in my mouth before jumping off my stool. “Hate to eat and run, but Sophie gets what Sophie wants.”

“I need you here,” Nico snapped.

“Can’t it wait? You haven’t exactly been in a rush for the last few days.” I grabbed my jacket off the stool. It wasn’t cold enough to need it, but I had to keep my guns covered somehow.

I went to leave, but Nico grabbed my arm, halting my momentum. “Wait, where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

I ripped my arm from his admittedly loose grasp. He wasn’t attempting to restrain me, just stop me. “Wherever the fuck I want? Were you even listening, Grumpy? We’re going shopping.”

“You can’t leave the hotel.”

Sophie linked her arm with mine, flashing a bright smile. “Don’t worry, we’re bringing Connor with us.”

“That’s cute,” Nico sneered. “Rush get suited up. You can go with them.”

Rush nodded, already strapping on his guns. It was a good look on him. His lip tipped up in a smirk, catching me looking.

Beck clapped Nico on the shoulder. “Cool it, man. I’d rather not get my eardrum blown out again. I think she can probably handle it.”

Connor picked that moment to appear in the doorway dressed in baggy jeans and a grey and white t-shirt. “Ready, ladies?” His voice was light, a smile plastered on his face, but it didn’t meet his eyes. He glared at the three Gentlemen. There was enough testosterone in this room to choke a person.

I pointed at Connor. “See, all covered. Don’t wait up.”

* * *

Sophie’s shopping bags took up three extra chairs gathered around our bistro table. Poor Connor spent most of the afternoon lugging them around for her. I honestly wondered how she got people to dote on her like that. It was impressive.

I loved my sister, but she was raised to be delicate and dependent on others. She would never be expected to do the things my parents asked me. Not that I didn't love being a thief, it was one of my top three activities. Up there with eating and…images of the very attractive and very forbidden Gentlemen flashed in my thoughts. Well, it was up there.

We sat at a corner bistro, hiding from the mid-summer sun in the shade of an enormous umbrella. Sophie ate her dainty salad and watched me with raised eyebrows as I stuffed the last piece of my margarita pizza into my mouth.

“Don’t give me that look. You made me skip breakfast,” I said, mouth still full.

She tilted her head in acknowledgment. “Whatever. If you call an entire stack of pancakes ‘missing breakfast.’”

“I do, actually,” I mumbled. “I didn’t get to finish.”

That’s when all hell broke loose.

The vase in the middle of our table shattered into pieces, sending shards everywhere. Sophie and I both jumped back, our chairs clattering to the ground. The group at the table next to us screamed, running wildly for the exit, shouts of, “GUN!” following them out.

Fuck.

I needed everyone to calm the fuck down so I could spot the shooter and shoot him before he got one of us. There was no doubt we were the targets. I dropped to the ground, signaling Sophie to do the same. Thankfully, she dropped like a stone without any protest.

“Pillar,” I hissed, pointing toward a concrete pillar near the edge of the restaurant.

She didn’t need to be told twice, quickly crawling behind it. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth quivered as she tucked her knees to her chest, making herself as small as possible.

I peered around my own pillar as two shots rang out. Fuck. We were pinned down. Where the hell was Connor? I searched the area for him. He was crouched behind a parked car, but looked scared as shit.

Well, I wasn’t just going to stand around and wait to get rescued. That’s how you ended up dead. I palmed one of my baby eagles, supporting the gun with both hands to keep it steady, and took a deep breath. One, Two, Three.

Stepping out from behind the protection of the pillar, I raised my gun. A shot rang out through the space and a sharp burn went through my arm. Shit, had I been fucking shot? Without looking down, I fired off three shots of my own. Breathing hard through my nose, I retreated before the shooter could return fire and pressed my back flat against the safety of the pillar.

I peered down to assess the damage to my arm. I’d barely been grazed. An angry, red burn skated across my bicep, but it was no worse than I’d gotten from my straightening iron. Not life threatening, but fuck, it stung.

Wheels screeched and our van pulled up alongside the street to the right of the cafe, Connor at the wheel. Well, at least he’d finally managed to do something.

“Get inside,” I told Sophie, peering out from behind the pillar to see if anyone was still shooting. Where’d they go?

The cafe stood in total chaos, tables overturned, dishes smashed on the ground. The windows of the restaurant behind us had been shattered, no doubt by a stray bullet. Whoever shot at us was nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t even tell where they’d been standing. If my shots had hit anything, it wasn’t clear. Ducking my head, I dashed to the van.

“Oh my God. Oh my God! Rae, your arm!” Sophie shrieked.

I peeled off my jacket with a sharp wince and looked down at my grazed arm. It throbbed like a bitch. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and my body shuddered uncontrollably. I pulled out my phone and scrolled to the group chat from this morning. I quickly typed out a new reply underneath Nico’s last message.

Me: We were just attacked at Maria’s Pizza. At least one shooter. On the way back to the hotel now.

Immediately my phone erupted with vibrations as seemingly a hundred replies came in at once. I shoved it back in my pocket without reading any of them. The moment we got back, the guys had some explaining to do.