Page 135 of Best Kind of Trouble
She laughs. “And that you’ll continue to be a grumpy bastard for your whole life, but a happygrumpybastard. You’re much more fun when that part’s on lock. But you’re on probation. I’m going to ask Briar for regular reports on how you’re treating her.”
I grumble. Hannah throws a pillow at me. And even though everything’s still so uncertain with the brewery, I feel like it’s going to be okay after all, the way Dottie has been telling me.
Hannah rises unsteadily from the chair.
“Yeah, you’re not driving,” I say. “I’ll take you home.” Unlike Hannah, I haven’t been drinking, other than a few sips of bad whiskey at the diner.
My sister takes a step, shrugs, and grabs the bottle containing the rest of the good whiskey. “That’s fair. You can tell Travis everything too. I know how you boys like to gossip.”
I laugh. “You know what? Maybe I will tell him someday.”
When we get to the door, though, I pause. “Say, Hannah, did you have any idea this would happen?”
She gives me a wry look. “Not really, no. But did I think it was possible?” She shrugs. “I’ve known Briar for months. She’s gorgeous, she’s funny, and she loves beer. Yes, I thought it was possible, and I figured I’d make it crystal clear that if you were going there, you were going to be very damn serious about it.”
She taps my nose with the tip of her finger. “You’re welcome.”
An hour later,I’m back at Sterling Manor, the green fabric wrapped around my head like I’m Rambo.
“Oats in position, over and out,” Otis says into the radio. Sophie would probably slap me, but he needed a call sign, and he made the mistake of asking me to assign one to him.
I shouldn’t have let him help. Cormac, either. I don’t like the thought of either of them getting into trouble on my account. They both insisted, though, and I eventually agreed since I’ll be the only one breaking and entering.
The plan?
I’m getting that “recipe” for Briar. Obviously, Don Sterling can have another one made—he could probably afford to have thousands of them made—but that won’t matter, because wewill have stolen this one from him. I figure she can chop it into firewood. Or have it whittled down to a crown and dipped in gold. Whatever she wants, but itwillbe hers.
When I went into their house earlier, I opened a hallway window. The alarm system was already glitching, thanks to Cormac, who created a device with a very different purpose that also creates interference for alarm systems.
I’ll have to climb the fence, but that’s nothing I haven’t done dozens of times as a teenager. Thankfully, Ole Don doesn’t have any cameras set up. I made a point of looking earlier, and to be honest, also kept an eye out on my first visit.
Otis is my getaway driver, parked down the street from Sterling Manor.
Cormac placed a call to the Sterlings an hour ago, informing them of a gas leak. He also confirmed they’re currently at a hotel, far away from the scene of the about-to-be crime.
I slide into the evergreen trees at the side of the fence, out of sight of the Sterlings’ nearest neighbors. The air is crisp with the scent of broken pine needles.
I’m about to start climbing when I hear a nearby rustling, followed by the sound of someone cursing.
I pop out of my cover and see Cormac, dressed all in black, heading toward me, his curly hair blowing around in the icy breeze. He waves at me, then trips over a root and almost face-plants in the brush.
Jesus fucking Christ. He’s supposed to be safely at home now that he’s successfully confirmed the Sterlings’ location.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss as he reaches me, adjusting his glasses, which have fogged up.
“I wanted to help. I’ve never been invited to commit a crime before.”
All the more reason for him not to join me for this one, but there’s a determined look on his face. I weigh my options anddecide to let him come. The Sterlings aren’t likely to come back tonight, so it’s probably safe enough.
I’ll let him come for his own sake, so he can feel like a badass.
“All right. You ever scaled a fence before?”
“Uh…no. Is that a problem?”
Yes. “It’s like a ladder. You climb it.”
“Okay, sure…” He takes a black beanie out of his back pocket and pulls it over his curly hair. “I had to do that in gym class once.”
