Drew sat nursing her drink as she watched the club fill up with people. She perked up when she saw the football players that were usually with Logan. However, Logan wasn’t with the group. They sat down at the table next to her and ordered their drinks; no chair was left for anyone to join them. Of all nights for him not to come. She needed to be noticed with him and seen leaving with him to cement her alibi. She sighed as she motioned for Stawcee.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Can you do me a favor and inquire if Mr. James is going to be joining those gentlemen over there?” She motioned at the group of men.
Stawcee grinned. “Yes ma’am, right away.”
Drew rolled her eyes as the woman scurried to the other table. Her heart sunk when she saw the usual man shake his head. Dammit. Now what? She had to think of something. She needed an airtight alibi, and he was supposed to be it. She picked her phone up, found his numbers under her contacts, and dialed him before she talked herself out of it. He picked up on the third ring.
“Hello Drew.” His deep voice sent shivers through her entire body. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m at the club and wondering if you are almost here? I thought we could have dinner together.” She rolled her eyes at the desperate tone of her voice.
“Sorry. I’m not coming tonight. Were we supposed to meet up? Did I miss something?”
“No, we’ve been meeting here regularly. I’m just used to it now.” She leaned forward and put her head in her hand. Now she sounded downright desperate. “But it’s not a problem. We’ll talk soon.” She wondered where he was.
“I decided to stay home tonight. If you would like to come over, I can fix dinner for both of us.”
She sat up quickly, stunned at his invitation. She shook her head slightly. “What?”
“I said, if you want to come over, I can fix dinner for us.” He chuckled. “I’d love to have you over.”
Checking her watch, she calculated the time in her mind. Actually, it would work out perfectly. She could ask him to give her a little bit of time to go home and change, which would give her ample time to replace the emerald and be at his house for a late dinner. It would work even better. She’d brought everything with her she needed, and no one was the wiser. “If you could give me time to run home and change into something a little less formal, and you don’t mind dinner a little late, I would love to come over.” When he didn’t respond right away, she thought she’d dropped the call. “Hello?”
“I’m here. That’s fine. So what time would you be here?”
She glanced up and saw Scott walking toward the back room with Ramsey, laughing at something he’d said. “About eight?” Ramsey glanced back and winked as she gave a slight nod to him. He’d actually gotten Scott to the club earlier than he’d thought.
“That’s perfect.”
“I’ll see you soon.” She hit end, placed her phone in her purse, and motioned for the waitress. “Stawcee, I’m going to skip dinner tonight. Mr. James has invited me to his home instead. Can you please put the drink on my tab?” She spoke loudly enough that the two tables closet to them had heard the conversation. Logan’s one friend had turned and smiled at her before saying something to the others at the table. Alibi planted, check.
“No problem, Ms. Taylor.”
She stood and walked to the elevator. As the doors slid closed, she leaned against the wall, wondering why her heart was racing and her mouth was a little dry. She never experienced symptoms before a heist, but she’d never returned something she’d taken before.
Drew hurried to her limo, climbed in, and once they pulled away from the club, she instructed her driver to take her to the lot where a dark rental car was waiting for her. “Remember, you are not to tell anyone that you didn’t take me all the way to Mr. James house. Meet me at the designated spot in sixty-three minutes.”
The driver glanced into his review and nodded. Drew knew her employees would go to their graves before ever divulging her secrets. She changed quickly into the dark jeans, long-sleeved shirt, and black jacket. She slid on the dark sneakers, hat, and gloves, finishing the outfit just as he pulled up beside the dark, small car in the parking lot. Drew slipped quickly inside, started the quiet engine, and nodded to Charles before pulling out the backside of the lot. Taking one of the side streets, she made her way unnoticed among the multitude of others driving out of New York tonight.
Making better time than expected, she strolled to her entry spot, glanced around casually. She shimmied the lower wall to the property unnoticed, before lightly dropping the short distance to the ground. Staying in the shadows of the trees and house, she made her way to the back door. Making quick work of the lock, she stepped inside and was surprised when she saw the alarm was disabled.
She waited for a moment, heart pounding in her chest. Why wasn’t the alarm armed? She slowed her breathing down. Could some of his staff still be here? Think…then she remembered. Scott had confessed to her he often forgot to set it before leaving if he was in a hurry or excited about a new venture. Scott’s ego had probably caused him to forget to set it before leaving. She was sure Ramsey had played up the game and the stakes. Score one for her.
Scanning the area and listening for any sign of staff milling about, she made her way quietly upstairs to the room that held Scott’s treasures. He told her none of them was allowed on the second floor when he wasn’t home. She slipped off her black gloves and pulled on the thinner gloves that would keep her from leaving fingerprints anywhere. She surveyed the stand the manufactured emerald was sitting on, again searching for any hidden trigger that would set off an alarm just in case he’d suspected something.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted the fake and set it aside before pulling out the soft bag she had safely inside her pocket. She unsealed it and carefully dumped the large, deep green emerald into her hand and placed it back on its stand. She put the manufactured emerald in her bag and tucked it safely into her pocket before retracing her steps and slipping quietly out the door. She was back in her car well before her allotted time was up. Drew sighed, hoping that was the last time she ever set foot in his house.
Driving back to the designated pick-up point, she made sure to stay within the speed limit so she didn’t call any attention to herself. Drew felt nervous about tonight, it had been way too easy. Moreover, there had been no adrenaline rush, no thrill. Here everyone was, spooked from Scott’s bragging, and it had been as easy as taking candy from a toddler. Not once but twice. She parked, grabbed the small bag, and slipped out of the car and into her waiting limo. There would be no trace of her ever being in the car, and it would be picked up by someone tomorrow to be returned to the rental company. Changing into the casual clothes and shoes she had placed in the car this morning, she sat back and spoke softly to her driver. “Make sure my clothes are placed in my room. The clothes I put in the black bag need to be burned tonight. You can use the fireplace in the sitting room.”
“Yes ma’am.” He glanced in the review as she checked her watch. “I will have you there before eight, Ms. Taylor.”
Looking right into his eyes, she smiled. “I’ll let you know when I need to be picked up.”
He nodded once and sped through the night to her destination.