back, listening. No sound of anyone in the hallway, and as I stuck my head out to look, I didn’t see people either.
“All clear?” he asked, and I turned to see his state of dress had basically returned to what it was prior to our reaching the upstairs.
“Looks to be.” I slid through the doorway first; James followed. We crept down the corridor, the burgundy carpet runner along the floor muffling my heels. I tried to lag behind him so I could slip into another room and remain upstairs while the party ended, but to my dismay, James stayed at my side. Ugh. I hated clingy.
“You know, I think I’d like to stop in the powder room.” So go away. “There must be one around here somewhere.”
“Would you like me to help you find—”
“No, thank you. I’m sure I can manage. You go on back downstairs, and perhaps we can finish this up after the party.” I smiled as sweetly as I could and prayed he would just go away so I could start stealing.
“Yes, I’ll definitely look for you, darling.” He leaned over to kiss me once more.
Perspective, Zara, perspective ... I turned my head, dodging his kiss so he only managed a peck, and then I turned in the opposite direction of the main staircase. One step, two step, three step ... I glanced back. He was gone.
I took a few minutes to gather my thoughts. So where the hell was I? Probably the row of bedrooms and private family quarters.
So there should be an official office, study, and library around here somewhere . I doubted I would find O’Connor’s safe, but there would probably be several other items of value.
I skipped the office and went straight for the study. I kept the lights off as to avoid anyone spotting me from the outside, instead relying on my sharp, vampire night vision. It certainly came in handy sometimes. Or at least the times I couldn’t manage to sneak in a penlight in my cleavage.
Once I had the two nylon bags out and unfolded, I rifled through the shelves, taking the marble, platinum, gold, and jewel encrusted pieces that adorned the place. I didn’t do art collecting or any of that crap—had no talent for spotting those kinds of valuables—but I could usually tell a cheap knockoff from the real thing. Expensive shit was usually uglier than fuck, so I snatched the hideous pieces that would fit in my bags. With the room bare of anything of significant value that was small enough to carry, I pulled the picks and tension wrench from my hair and went to work on the desk drawers and locked cabinets.
I slung the first full pack onto my back by the thin—but sturdy—straps attached to it, and exited the room. Six rooms down the hall and ... I paused at the sixth door at the back of the house and tried the knob.
Locked.
I got out my picks again, and just as I was sliding the tension wrench into place, voices sounded at the other end of the hallway.
Shit . I bolted toward the next door and slipped inside before whoever was coming could see me.
“What are you doing?”
The hard voice sent a fresh chill wiggling along my spine. I turned to see Sean O’Connor himself standing by his office desk, file folder poised in his hand. Behind him, his wall safe lay wide open. I grinned. Two birds, one really strong, fast, deadly stone. Sweet.
“Can you believe I got completely lost?” I giggled. “You should probably, like, hand maps out at the door or something.”
“You aren’t supposed to be up here.” His voice was smooth and cold; it might have scared another person into backing out of the room immediately. Not me, however.
“I know, it’s not very polite of me,” I admitted. “But, see, there’s this really big stack of bonds and cash and stuff in that safe behind you, and I would very much like to have it. There’s a Porsche I’ve been eyeing for the past few months, and that bit of extra cash there would definitely be a big help.”
“I don’t think so,” O’Connor replied with a glare.
“No? You’re sure?”
He
“All clear?” he asked, and I turned to see his state of dress had basically returned to what it was prior to our reaching the upstairs.
“Looks to be.” I slid through the doorway first; James followed. We crept down the corridor, the burgundy carpet runner along the floor muffling my heels. I tried to lag behind him so I could slip into another room and remain upstairs while the party ended, but to my dismay, James stayed at my side. Ugh. I hated clingy.
“You know, I think I’d like to stop in the powder room.” So go away. “There must be one around here somewhere.”
“Would you like me to help you find—”
“No, thank you. I’m sure I can manage. You go on back downstairs, and perhaps we can finish this up after the party.” I smiled as sweetly as I could and prayed he would just go away so I could start stealing.
“Yes, I’ll definitely look for you, darling.” He leaned over to kiss me once more.
Perspective, Zara, perspective ... I turned my head, dodging his kiss so he only managed a peck, and then I turned in the opposite direction of the main staircase. One step, two step, three step ... I glanced back. He was gone.
I took a few minutes to gather my thoughts. So where the hell was I? Probably the row of bedrooms and private family quarters.
So there should be an official office, study, and library around here somewhere . I doubted I would find O’Connor’s safe, but there would probably be several other items of value.
I skipped the office and went straight for the study. I kept the lights off as to avoid anyone spotting me from the outside, instead relying on my sharp, vampire night vision. It certainly came in handy sometimes. Or at least the times I couldn’t manage to sneak in a penlight in my cleavage.
Once I had the two nylon bags out and unfolded, I rifled through the shelves, taking the marble, platinum, gold, and jewel encrusted pieces that adorned the place. I didn’t do art collecting or any of that crap—had no talent for spotting those kinds of valuables—but I could usually tell a cheap knockoff from the real thing. Expensive shit was usually uglier than fuck, so I snatched the hideous pieces that would fit in my bags. With the room bare of anything of significant value that was small enough to carry, I pulled the picks and tension wrench from my hair and went to work on the desk drawers and locked cabinets.
I slung the first full pack onto my back by the thin—but sturdy—straps attached to it, and exited the room. Six rooms down the hall and ... I paused at the sixth door at the back of the house and tried the knob.
Locked.
I got out my picks again, and just as I was sliding the tension wrench into place, voices sounded at the other end of the hallway.
Shit . I bolted toward the next door and slipped inside before whoever was coming could see me.
“What are you doing?”
The hard voice sent a fresh chill wiggling along my spine. I turned to see Sean O’Connor himself standing by his office desk, file folder poised in his hand. Behind him, his wall safe lay wide open. I grinned. Two birds, one really strong, fast, deadly stone. Sweet.
“Can you believe I got completely lost?” I giggled. “You should probably, like, hand maps out at the door or something.”
“You aren’t supposed to be up here.” His voice was smooth and cold; it might have scared another person into backing out of the room immediately. Not me, however.
“I know, it’s not very polite of me,” I admitted. “But, see, there’s this really big stack of bonds and cash and stuff in that safe behind you, and I would very much like to have it. There’s a Porsche I’ve been eyeing for the past few months, and that bit of extra cash there would definitely be a big help.”
“I don’t think so,” O’Connor replied with a glare.
“No? You’re sure?”
He
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