arrest but also public exposure. You seem to be a thief of unusual resources.”
Yes, well. It helps if the FBI officer who catches you is someone you’re becoming romantically involved with. I didn’t think I could count on that for future jobs, but I declined to raise that issue with Sandor.
I watched his face carefully. It occurred to me: might he already know about Jack? He seemed to possess a lot of information. A prickly discomfort returned. I disliked it when strangers knew things about me.
“One other thing,” Sandor said, leaning forward once again. “I should probably mention that you will be compensated handsomely, should you decide to take this job. We’re a family of great means. If you were to help us, we would appreciate it to the highest degree.”
Now I liked the sound of that.
“In fact . . .” He dug through his canvas bag and pulled out a Cerruti leather checkbook. “This is a show of good faith. No strings attached.”
He scribbled onto the check, ripped it from the book, and slid it over to me. My eyebrows elevated. Five thousand US dollars.
“Just so you know, this is simply a gift. Yours to keep. However, if you accept our request, we’ll be paying you many times this.”
I knew I should walk away. I knew I should turn it down. But when I thought about what this job could mean to me . . . I wasn’t so sure. I thought about what happened the last time I turned down a job, when I refused my sister, all those years ago. If I took this job now, might it not help heal that old wound? And what about the sheer challenge of it? I wondered . . . was I even good enough to pull off a job like this?
I chewed my lip. “I need some time to think about it,” I managed to say.
He rubbed his face, then nodded. “Fine, I understand. We’ll give you twenty-four hours to consider it. But after that, we’ll need a commitment.”
He slid an envelope adorned with an embossed Venetian mask toward me and I opened it. It was an invitation—engraved on heavy, cream-colored card stock—to a masquerade ball.
“Your appearance at this event tomorrow night will signal that you have accepted this assignment.”
Chapter 6
Mel’s face darkened. “You’re crazy to even consider it,” she said with characteristic bluntness. She turned away from me with exasperation and went to my refrigerator to rummage for something to eat.
I turned to Sophie. Her blue eyes were wide with concern. Sophie’s face had always been a plate-glass window without drapes or blinds—you could see her every emotion through it. “Sorry, Cat, I’m with Mel on this one.”
I had just told my two best friends about my strange rendezvous with Sandor earlier that evening. They came over as soon as I called. I needed some help getting my head straight over it.
I knew they were right, of course. I should just forget about Sandor’s offer. So why couldn’t I get it out of my mind? I fidgeted with the sofa cushion. “The thing is, I really think this job could be the one,” I said at last.
“Oh, not that again, Cat,” Mel said from the kitchen. She held up two containers: cocktail olives and ajar of mayonnaise. “By the way, these items represent the entire contents of your fridge. How do you live?” she said with a disparaging tone.
Mel was not a thief; she was a pediatrician. Which, as it happened, was the perfect career for her—except for the fact that she didn’t like children. To Mel, children were grubby, snotty, squirmy little creatures. Naturally kids adored her. My personal theory was that Mel actually loved kids, deep down. And they could sense that. They were like dogs, I figured. They could sniff out a person’s true emotions.
“It sounds dangerous,” Sophie said worriedly, sipping her wine. Her armful of bangles jingled as she lifted her glass. “You don’t know anything about these people. And I have to tell you, Cat, I’m not getting a good reading from your chakra energy right
Yes, well. It helps if the FBI officer who catches you is someone you’re becoming romantically involved with. I didn’t think I could count on that for future jobs, but I declined to raise that issue with Sandor.
I watched his face carefully. It occurred to me: might he already know about Jack? He seemed to possess a lot of information. A prickly discomfort returned. I disliked it when strangers knew things about me.
“One other thing,” Sandor said, leaning forward once again. “I should probably mention that you will be compensated handsomely, should you decide to take this job. We’re a family of great means. If you were to help us, we would appreciate it to the highest degree.”
Now I liked the sound of that.
“In fact . . .” He dug through his canvas bag and pulled out a Cerruti leather checkbook. “This is a show of good faith. No strings attached.”
He scribbled onto the check, ripped it from the book, and slid it over to me. My eyebrows elevated. Five thousand US dollars.
“Just so you know, this is simply a gift. Yours to keep. However, if you accept our request, we’ll be paying you many times this.”
I knew I should walk away. I knew I should turn it down. But when I thought about what this job could mean to me . . . I wasn’t so sure. I thought about what happened the last time I turned down a job, when I refused my sister, all those years ago. If I took this job now, might it not help heal that old wound? And what about the sheer challenge of it? I wondered . . . was I even good enough to pull off a job like this?
I chewed my lip. “I need some time to think about it,” I managed to say.
He rubbed his face, then nodded. “Fine, I understand. We’ll give you twenty-four hours to consider it. But after that, we’ll need a commitment.”
He slid an envelope adorned with an embossed Venetian mask toward me and I opened it. It was an invitation—engraved on heavy, cream-colored card stock—to a masquerade ball.
“Your appearance at this event tomorrow night will signal that you have accepted this assignment.”
Chapter 6
Mel’s face darkened. “You’re crazy to even consider it,” she said with characteristic bluntness. She turned away from me with exasperation and went to my refrigerator to rummage for something to eat.
I turned to Sophie. Her blue eyes were wide with concern. Sophie’s face had always been a plate-glass window without drapes or blinds—you could see her every emotion through it. “Sorry, Cat, I’m with Mel on this one.”
I had just told my two best friends about my strange rendezvous with Sandor earlier that evening. They came over as soon as I called. I needed some help getting my head straight over it.
I knew they were right, of course. I should just forget about Sandor’s offer. So why couldn’t I get it out of my mind? I fidgeted with the sofa cushion. “The thing is, I really think this job could be the one,” I said at last.
“Oh, not that again, Cat,” Mel said from the kitchen. She held up two containers: cocktail olives and ajar of mayonnaise. “By the way, these items represent the entire contents of your fridge. How do you live?” she said with a disparaging tone.
Mel was not a thief; she was a pediatrician. Which, as it happened, was the perfect career for her—except for the fact that she didn’t like children. To Mel, children were grubby, snotty, squirmy little creatures. Naturally kids adored her. My personal theory was that Mel actually loved kids, deep down. And they could sense that. They were like dogs, I figured. They could sniff out a person’s true emotions.
“It sounds dangerous,” Sophie said worriedly, sipping her wine. Her armful of bangles jingled as she lifted her glass. “You don’t know anything about these people. And I have to tell you, Cat, I’m not getting a good reading from your chakra energy right
Similar Books
