Page 18 of Nest of Thieves
Unfortunately, Edmund has a chauffeur for his town car, and I have to endure his petting and kisses, pretending to giggle and enjoy his advances. I avoid his tongue for the most part, but he hulks out a few times and tries to tongue punch my throat. We arrive outside of his home and I pull away, eagerly sliding out of the car. Edmund is right on my heels, chuckling under his breath.
“Naughty little thing. Is blonde your natural hair color?”
Gag me now.
“Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself.” I toss a saucy wink over my shoulder and stop in front of his door, running my hand over his arm and pressing into his side. I hold my clutch against my chest and count down from sixty.
Edmund slips his key into the lock and lets us inside. He taps in his code to disable the wall-mounted security system. I step back and slip my clutch behind my back, grabbing the needle and popping the cap off. Edmund turns and prowls toward me, pressing me into the wall. I gaze up at him and bite my lip.
“Oh, Edmund,” I whisper.
Who the fuck names their childEdmund? I pity his next date, though after me, he may never date again. I take solace in knowing I’m saving women from him and his pro but anti-eco opinions.Oh, I love the green movement, I just hate everything about it.
Edmund dives in for a rough kiss. I dramatically moan into his mouth, letting him nearly gag me with his tongue. When his kiss almost makes me puke, I stop fucking around. I stab the needle into his neck in one swift motion that speaks of years of practice. He yelps and rips his mouth away from mine.
“Thank fuck.” I run the back of my hand over my mouth and toss the needle aside.
Edmund’s eyes widen and he clutches his neck. “You bitch.”
“Three. Two. One.”
He thuds to the ground and I scoff. Like clockwork. Releasing a heavy sigh, I glance around. Dark-stained wood floors. Elegant crown molding. Pretty accent rugs and gold-framed paintings. Edmund spared no expense when he decorated his home.
Eyeing the camera in the hall, I set my clutch on the credenza. There are a few more throughout the house according to the file. My disguise was warranted. I squat down next to Edmund and poke his unconscious body.
“Ready for a little trip?” I slip my heels off and stare at him. He’s a big guy. The safe is on the first floor, so at least there’s that. I grab his arms and drag him toward the office that’s situated behind the dining room.
“Work with me here, Edmund.” I grunt and bend my legs a little more to gain better leverage. His Oriental carpet is soft under my bare feet, but he’ll wake up with a nasty rug burn. The least he deserves for trying to take out my tonsils with his tongue. I kick open the office door and pull him around the desk, bumping into the rolling chair with my butt. The wheels are like a loud rumble of thunder in the otherwise quiet abode. Good thing Edmund lives alone. He left his desk lamp on, and the soft yellow glow is sufficient for the job I need to do.
Squatting in front of the compact safe situated next to a filing cabinet, I study the front. A small keypad for the code and a biometric device for his fingerprint. I grab my phone from my clutch and pull up the email, reading through the personal details. I need four digits.
He was born in 1978.
His middle name is Matt.
His pin number is 3234.
Guess we’ll start there.
I set the phone aside and lift Edmund’s hand and press his thumb to the pad. A red light scans over his skin, blinking in green twice before a soft click sounds. One of two locks down.
“Here goes nothing.” I tap in his birth year and hit the pound sign.
The numbers light up red.
“Shit. Okay. 6-2-8-8,” I whisper the numbers from a telephone keypad that match Matt and press pound.
Red again.
“Couldn’t have been easy, eh, Edmund?” I glare at his unconscious form and hold my breath while I try the last number.
Green.
Bingo.
Another soft click and the door pops open. I scan the contents of the safe, hoping the ruby is sitting right on top. It isn’t, of course it isn’t. There are stacks of documents. Various jewelry boxes and a small handgun.
I eye the gun. Should I push my luck and take it too?
