Chapter Four
Jason
When the alarm sounded, I flew out of my bed immediately. It confirmed the unease I’d felt all evening, and I knew I couldn’t hesitate for a second. There was someone in my home, and if I hesitated at all, whoever it was would probably get away. I thought maybe this attack was somehow connected to Edward., but would he really have sent someone back to rob me so soon? Wasn’t the million dollars I had allowed him to keep enough for him? He was a greedy bastard, alright. I was getting sick and tired of people stealing from me, and when I got my hands on the man robbing me now, he would be lucky to leave with his life.
Most frustrating to me was that those who robbed me assumed I was just some rich guy who only cared about money, not people. Edward didn’t have to steal from me. Had he simply asked me for money, just told me he needed some help or a raise, I would have given him the shirt off my back. I’d thought of him as family and would have helped him in any way I could. In addition, he was already being paid handsomely—he had no reason to embezzle from me. The betrayal pierced my heart, and it was something that would hurt for quite a while. Betrayal by someone I considered family hardened my heart that much more. Why bother caring if people were just going to take advantage of your kindness?
Before leaving my room, I quickly checked the alarm system. The motion detector showed me where there had been movement. I tore out of my bedroom and ran for the guest bedroom. As I got there, I saw a black shape making its way to an open window.
“Hey you!” I yelled. The thief turned around, looked at me, and then bolted.
To hell with that, you aren’t getting away now!
I lurched forward and yanked him back from his escape route. As he stumbled toward me, I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him in for a choke hold. I squeezed tightly, cutting off his oxygen. It was then that I realized there wasn’t a whole lot of weight in my arms. As my anger waned, I realized that the person I held wasn’t a man at all. The frame was too dainty—and curvy—to be male. By the time it had fully sunken in that I was choking a woman, she had already passed out against me. I immediately let her go. I didn’t want to kill her.
I laid her down gently on the floor, wondering what to do with her. My first thought—I could call the police and let them deal with the situation. But I thought better of that. I wanted to know what this woman had been doing in my home and whether or not she worked for anyone. I didn’t need the police to get that information out of her—I could get it myself.
I pulled off her ninja-like mask, revealing a beautiful face. I studied the rest of her. Leggy and toned with assets in all the right places.
Who is this woman? I wondered.
She was the kind of woman you wouldn’t mind fucking the information out of, but the thought of sleeping with another money-grubbing whore was not appealing. Where did these women come from, and why did they think they could just take whatever they wanted from me? She was just like all the rest, and she had some questions to answer.
I went back to my office, and that was when I noticed the missing paintings. She had good taste, I had to give her that. She had taken only the most priceless pieces in my collection. This girl was one hell of a ballsy chick.
I went to my desk and opened up the top drawer. Inside was a pair of handcuffs—I’d rather not get into why they were there. I grabbed them and headed back to the guest room where the attractive thief was still unconscious on the floor. She wouldn’t be passed out long, so I needed to get her restrained and prepped for questioning.
I picked her up in my arms and noticed again how light she was. I sat her up in the bed, her back against the backboard, and handcuffed one of her wrists to the handle of the bedside table.
I looked at her again and wondered how someone so beautiful could be so corrupt. I gently tapped her face and watched as she slowly regained consciousness. Grabbing a chair that was in the corner of the room, I placed it beside the bed. Then I sat down and waited. Once she became aware of her surroundings, she tugged at her handcuffed wrist.
Glaring at me, she asked angrily, “What the hell is this? You don’t call the cops when you catch a thief? Is this some kind of twisted fantasy of yours?”
I almost laughed when she said it, amazed at her apparent fearlessness. No crying, no pleas to be released. Nope, instead she immediately attacked my sexuality.
“I assure you, my dear, this is no fantasy of mine, and the cops will be called at a later time if I so choose. But I prefer to get my information the old fashioned way—by asking you myself.”
“What makes you think I’ll tell you anything?”
“What makes you think I won’t force you to?” I asked.
She raised an eyebrow and glanced around the room as if looking for a possible escape route.
“Why is everyone trying to rob me?” I asked exasperatedly. “Just today, I had to have my butler escorted out after I found out he’s spent years embezzling money from me.”
She smirked. “Yeah, I saw that. It made for an entertaining evening. Well, hot shot, if it makes you feel any better, I wasn’t robbing you.”
“Excuse me? You’re in my home with my priceless paintings tied to your back, and you expect me to believe you aren’t trying to rob me?”
“Unless you’re an elderly man, then no. Why are you here anyway? Are you babysitting the house while the old man is away?”
I looked at her, totally confused. Old man? What the hell is she talking about? Then it hit me—my dad. The girl thought she had been robbing my dad.
“The man you speak of has been dead for a few years. The announcement was made rather quietly, as was his wish, which may account for some of the confusion. I’m his son, and this is my home.”
She stared at me, stunned. I could see her mentally putting the pieces together, and then she was quickly back to glaring at me again.
“Let me go.”
“No, I want to know who you are.”
“Fat chance of that happening.”
“Look, you were trying to steal from me. Who do you think you are? Those paintings aren’t yours, and the money you would make from them isn’t yours. You didn’t earn a penny of it. You’re taking what doesn’t belong to you. Why don’t you get a real job and stop stealing things that belong to others?”
She snorted in derision. “Oh, and all the money is yours?”
“Excuse me?”
“Give me a break with your poor little rich boy speech, okay? How much of this money did you even earn yourself? You’re living in a home your father earned. You’re living off of money that your father passed down to you. You didn’t earn it any more than I did. Yet you and every other self-entitled rich person out there walks around acting as if you worked tooth and nail for the wealth you have. You’ve done no such thing.”
I sat there, surprised. I hadn’t expected such a speech from her. But the anger inside me hadn’t been quelled, and I was out for blood.
“I’ve known money-grubbing whores like you my whole life. You’re either looking for a rich husband so you can go to ladies’ brunches all day long and not do a damn thing with your life or you go around fucking men for money. Either way, you’re lumped right in with them.”
“When I get out of these cuffs, you arrogant, little prince wannabe, I’m going to show you what kinds of talent I have outside of the bedroom. Believe me, I’m not going to be the one passed out this time.”
Whoa!
As I sat there staring at the girl, I didn’t know what to think. It was beginning to look like there may be more there than met the eye. My anger wouldn’t allow me to let up quite yet, though. I was livid that I was dealing with yet another thief in only a twenty-four-hour time period.
“You’re sure acting pretty tough for a girl who’s handcuffed to a bedside table.”
“Yes, and why did such a tough guy have to handcuff me? Were you scared what I might do to you otherwise?”
I chuckled.
“And for the record, since you like to dump me in the same pile as the rest of the ladies in your life—what was it you called me? a money-grubbing whore?—I haven’t been with a man in eight months. Can you say the same? I’m much too busy working. In case you haven’t noticed, it takes a brain and a bit of skill to make it as a professional thief. I didn’t simply knock over a convenience store with a paper bag over my head.”
This girl was really something else. The more she talked, the more I was drawn to her. There was definitely a lot more beneath that in-your-face surface, and I was curious to know more about her.
“Eight months,” I stated simply.
She blushed deeply. Her eyes flicked away from mine briefly before returning once again. “Well, that is none of your business.”
Although my blood still boiled at having found her in my home, the more I spoke to her, the more attracted to her I became. In fact, she turned me on. Beauty, brains, and fearlessness—you didn’t find that combination often. A small smile played on my lips.
She returned my smile with another menacing glare. She wasn’t about to loosen up at all. I guess I couldn’t really blame her. I had insulted her and treated her with anger the entire time. Never mind the fact that she was literally handcuffed like a prisoner. Maybe not the best idea, but I couldn’t risk allowing her to escape. The art she had tried to steal was invaluable, and I couldn’t afford to lose it. And for all I knew, she’d return and do something even worse.
She was right about one thing—she was no petty thief. This was Mission Impossible kind of stuff. It was clear she had a good head on her shoulders and was quite intelligent. But what in the world was I going to do with her? I didn’t want to let her out of my sight, but I couldn’t exactly keep her a prisoner in my home forever. I contemplated this as I watched her sitting on the bed. What should I do with her?
“What’s your name?”
She laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding, right?”
“Look, little lady. I’m willing to consider letting you go, but not without getting something in return. Now, what’s your name?”
She looked at me with fire in her eyes. “If you try anything, I’ll claw your eyes out.”
I chuckled. “I assure you that’s not what I meant. I may have a business proposition for you.”
She looked at me curiously. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight, so I had a plan to keep her there.
“And what might that be?”
“Name?” I asked again.
“Mackenzie.”
I nodded appreciatively. “So here’s the thing, Mackenzie. You tried to rob me, and I should probably call the cops and have your tiny little bottom thrown in jail. I don’t know how many people you’ve robbed, but I’m sure your capture could help the police figure that out quickly enough.” The glare again. “So here’s what I want in exchange for you not being dragged to jail—I want you to be my assistant.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Are you blackmailing me?”
“You bet your sweet ass I am.”
“I don’t have any experience as an assistant, and I certainly don’t want to have anything to do with working for you.”
“So jail it is then?”
She sighed resignedly. “Fine, whatever. I’ll do it. Now get me out of these cuffs.”
So that was my plan. I had just replaced one thief with another.