The Cocky Thief

Chapter 19

Austin would pay a lot of money to hear the conversation between Isobel and Hart while he'd been gone. The cop and the con woman couldn't have had that much to talk about.

But whatever awkward silence there had been at the hotel room Hart had procured was cut short when Austin knocked on the door and Isobel saw Jennifer. Mother and daughter ran to each other and exchanged a tight hug.

"Mom, I don't know where Mel is. She never picked up the car and she hasn't returned any of my calls."

Isobel didn't hide the worry that crossed her face. She was dressed similar to Jennifer, in loose jeans and a denim shirt that was completely different from the put-together person he'd seen at Stranger's vineyard. Her hair was in a messy bun and, like Jennifer, she wore makeup designed to make her look worse, not better.

Not surprising that she and Jennifer used the same techniques considering Isobel had most likely taught Jennifer everything she knew. It was a strange fact, but crime families tended to stick together. The illicit activities either drove a wedge between family forever or bonded families in ways that square families would never know.

Austin had no family, so he couldn't comment.

Isobel cupped Jennifer's face and looked her in the eye. "We'll get through this, okay? We're going to find your sister and get her back. Our friends are going to help us." She glanced back to where Scott Hart leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"We're helping you?" asked Austin.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," said Hart. "You did your job to the best of your abilities. If you want to sit back and do nothing while Stranger and Sterling kill Melody, that's on you."

Austin clenched his jaw. "I need to talk to you in private."

"We'll be right back," said Hart as he and Austin walked into the hallway of the hotel. It was a cheap place that didn't look as if it had been redecorated since the eighties, but it probably took cash, which was good enough.

"What the fuck?" he snapped when the door was shut.

"You're the one who wanted to find your girlfriend. Now that I'm offering to help her, you're mad?"

"You didn't care about them a few hours ago. What did Isobel say to you? Hart, I know you're new to this, but she manipulates people for a living. It's what she does."

"I'm not being manipulated. Believe it or not, I just don't want Sterling to be responsible for the death of another innocent woman."

"Melody Murray isn't innocent." But that's not what caught his attention the most. Hart had said "another." Who else did Sterling kill? That was the reason for this whole thing, wasn't it? Hart wanted his revenge. "I already did my job. You can't keep me here." He wasn't going to be Hart's errand boy any longer.

"You're right," he said, somehow being more annoying as he agreed with Austin. "You're free to go right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a thief. No one is expecting you to stay and help the greater good. Take that USB drive, make some money off it and then move on to your next job. No one here will think less of you."

"If I walk out of here right now, it will be because I'm smart. If Stranger or Sterling has that girl, it's already too late. People don't go against him and live. We're lucky we got away and I'm still not sure we're in the clear."

"Then go. I need to get in there with them and help formulate a plan." Without saying anything else, Hart turned and went back into the room. Except the son of a bitch didn't just shut the door. He flipped the silver bolt mechanism out so it held the door.