Page 60 of Save Me
“Perfect,” Callum says, sitting back and taking another sip of his beer.
“I’ll get Vogue up to speed on the job,” I add, rising and leaving the boys behind. This has to go off without a hitch, especially with double the merch. It won’t be any less difficult, but it will take more time, and time is always,alwaysof the essence.
23
VOGUE
I’m brushingout my hair when there’s a soft knock on the door. “Yeah?”
Thayer opens it and leans in the doorway, sexy as fuck. “Can we talk?”
“That doesn’t sound good,” I murmur, placing the brush down and turning to him.
He chuckles. “It’s nothing bad, but you wanted a glam job, we’ve got one.”
“Oh?” My ears perk up at that. “What is it?”
He edges further into the room and sits on the window seat overlooking the garden. This room is huge and luxurious, but it doesn’t feel like mine. Not yet.
“This masquerade party we’re throwing for Crestmont is at a gallery in the city. There’s a job, which has just turned into a double job: two paintings taken from the vault.”
“The vault,” I ask, more intrigued now than ever. “How?”
Thayer’s eyes spark with that thrill of planning something risky yet meticulously crafted. “We’ve got blueprints, access codes, and a window of time when security shifts change. Not to mention, the party itself is a perfect distraction.”
I nod. “What do I need to do?”
“Same as you did before. Lookout. I need you to keep your ears and eyes open for anything suspicious while I crack the vault. It will take me a bit of time.”
“How much time?”
“Up to five minutes, depending on if they’ve switched out the codes recently or not.”
I exhale slowly, considering the tight timing. “Five minutes in a situation like that is an eternity.”
Thayer gives me a knowing look, his confidence never wavering. “I know you can handle it. You’ve proven yourself more than capable.”
There’s a sense of pride bubbling up inside me, mixed with the thrill of the challenge. “Of course I can handle it. Just tell me when and where, and I’ll make sure we’re golden.”
He grins, that signature smirk that suggests he knows something I don’t. “If shit starts to hit the fan, you give the signal, and we abort. No heroics—we can’t afford for this to go south.”
“Noted,” I reply sharply. A beat passes before I add softer. “No fucking up.”
“Once we get the merch, I’m going to need you to take one of them, roll it carefully and slot it into one of the transportation tubes. Once you have it, hand it off to Quen, who will make sure it gets where it’s going. Don’t worry about me. That’s your job as soon as you have the item in your hands. Okay?”
“Okay,” I say, with a nod. “So, when is this?”
“A week.”
“And it’s a masked ball?”
“Yep.”
“Fun.” I give him a grin which he returns.
“It’s going to be epic. We are going to rise to the top, baby girl, and you will be right there alongside us.”
He rises and gives me a kiss on the top of my head. As he leaves, I’m left alone in my room—this gilded cage that doesn’t quite feel like home yet. I walk over to the window Thayer was sitting at and look out into the darkness beyond the garden. This place is beautiful, no doubt about it, but it’s what it represents that makes my stomach flip-flop with both anxiety and anticipation.
