“Dark clothes,” Hawthorne adds, motioning to his light blue button-up shirt and grey pants. “Cash. To pay for access.”
Mathias picks up the burner from the table and makes a quick call to order the phones.
Gatlin walks over and sits down at the table. “I’ll make a list of the weapons. I want to include a few extra items like rope, knives, a garrote…” His voice trails off as he begins to write.
I glance through my contacts to find a number, then take the burner from Mathias to make my own call. “Cian. Jamison. I need a favor. Can I get your father’s number?” C. Hoare & Co is one of the oldest banks in London, and it’s been in Cian’s family for twelve generations. While he doesn’t have anything to do with its operations, his father is an active partner and director with full access to the vault.
He’s silent for half a second, then reels off the digits in a tense voice. “He’s not in trouble with the council, is he?”
“No,” I assure him. “I need to make a private transaction. That’s all.”
He heaves a relieved sigh. “Thanks. Thought I was going to have to make a choice. Anything else?”
It’s obvious from the tone of his voice that the council would likely lose in that decision. It’s one of the reasons I trust Cian. Family first. “No, but thank you. Your trust means a lot.” He could have asked the question before he gave me the number, but he didn’t. I hang up.
Phaedra motions to the hotel phone. “Hawthorne, call Sheraton and order clothes. All he needs is a description and sizes.” She waves a hand at Gatlin. “As you can see, he’s got good taste.”
I flick a glance at Gatlin in time to see his face flush. I didn’t even notice, but he’s wearing a pair of dark jeans, a long-sleeve fitted shirt, and custom black leather boots from a well-known luxury designer. All of which is considerably nicer than his usual attire.
He snarls when he sees all of us staring at him. “Stop. It’s jeans and a t-shirt.”
Hawthorne clears his throat and picks up the hotel phone. “I’m sold.”
While he’s on the phone ordering clothes for us, I lean in close to Phaedra. “As soon as we have access to our funds, I’ll reimburse you.”
She shrugs. “Don’t worry about it.”
“It isn’t a request,” I inform her, slightly irritated at her answer.
She lifts an amused eyebrow. “If it makes you feel better, go right ahead.”
Locking my jaw, I stare at her. “I pay for whatever my team needs, and that includes you.” The council doesn’t always give us the funds to do our jobs, but as a de Vere, I use my sizeable fortune to make sure we have everything we need. Something my father and I argue about often.
She places a hand on my arm. “Money doesn’t mean much to me. I have more gold than I can spend in my lifetime, which is saying a lot. Do what you need to do.”
I exhale, my irritation evaporating with her words. “Sorry. Touchy subject.” Looking away from her, I pick up the burner and call Cian’s father to ask him to meet us at the bank tonight at midnight.
26
JAMISON
C. Hoare & Co stands in the middle of the square. Old money. After assuring him it was a completely legal transaction that requires the utmost discretion, he agreed to meet us at midnight.
It’s imperative we get in and out without anyone from the council finding out we were here. Arriving early, we set up a perimeter to secure the building.
“Security guard moving on the second floor,” Gatlin’s low voice says over the comms. “Switching to thermal imaging.”
While he assesses the building, I tap the mic. “Mathias, do you have eyes inside?”
“Affirmative,” he replies a second later. “They really need to upgrade their security.”
“I’ll be sure to let him know,” I tell him in an amused voice. “Ten minutes.”
“No other heat signatures,” Gatlin confirms. “Moving positions.”
Hawthorne and Phaedra are waiting in the car. Courtesy of the hotel, the black sedan matches the rest of the cars on the street. Walking over to it, I open the door and extend my hand to Phaedra.
Dressed in simple but elegant tailored black pants and a matching silk turtleneck, with her hair swept up into a chignon, she exudes timeless sophistication. When she steps onto the pavement, she smiles and moves to the side for Hawthorne.
