Page 10 of Smoke Screen
“It’s a we-have-a-lot-to-consider-before-taking-this-job one. What pieces are we talking about?”
Phin dragged his phone from his front pocket and checked his notes from the night before. “Three tiaras, two brooches, a diamond necklace and bracelet. The bracelet, one of the brooches and two tiaras are the queen’s. The tiaras alone are worth millions. Forget about the historical value.”
“Does the queen know?”
“Nope. The Thompson’s lied. Said the queen’s pieces were safe. That’s why the feds are keeping it quiet. The Thompsons want to recover the items before word gets out.”
Zeke blew air through his lips. “Good luck with that. The black market is probably already active. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Which is why we should move on it. Phenomenal opportunity.”
“I agree. But even if we take the job and recover everything, the FBI will never give us credit. What’s in it for us?”
“Besides the payday?”
“Obviously.”
Phin set his phone on his thigh and held his hands wide. “Ye of little faith. We may not publicly get credit, but I’ll make sure everyone who’s anyone in DC and Charlotte knows we did it. The jobs will come rolling in. Can we handle a sudden influx of work?”
“We can handle it.”
The half second it took for Zeke to respond didn’t bolster Phin’s confidence. “You sure?”
“Between all of us, we have enough connections and know the market and the players. From the beginning, I thought this was a highly synchronized job. I mean, you just don’t decide to put a ladder up to a window and break in to what amounts to a presidential museum. They had to have gathered intel on security, run scenarios. Practiced. It’s a pro wanting it to look amateurish.” His brother eyed him. “Did you call Ash about this?”
“Figured it’d be better if we called him together. It doesn’t sound like the feds have much. There’s a reason the Thompsons came to us.”
Zeke hit the speaker button on his desk phone. “Let’s call him. We’ll make like we’re checking in. Casually get around to asking about the heist. Wink, wink.”
On the second ring, Ash picked up. “Hey.”
“You’re on speaker. I got Phin here.”
“Good. I was gonna call him. How was Kayla’s fundraiser?”
Ash checking in wasn’t a surprise. He loved his job, but part of him, the natural-born schmoozer part, missed the $10,000-a-plate events.
“It was good. Food was amazing. The view even better. The woman knows how to throw a party. How’d you know I was there?”
“Sources.”
Zeke snorted. “Translation: Mom told him.”
Ash laughed. “Of course she did. Rumor has it Kayla raised a boatload of cash for the new wing in the children’s hospital.”
She’d done more than that. With a simple introduction, she’d potentially brought BARS a ton of clout. “She definitely did that. Packed house.”
“Senator Blakely there?”
“You bet.”
“Did he insult you?”
“Affirmative.”
“He’s such an asshole.”
He and Ash were of the same mind there. Phin considered sharing how Kayla lured Blakely away, but … Nah. Regarding politics and Kayla, his brother had an issue. What that issue was, Phin didn’t know, but more times than not, Kayla’s machinations irritated Ash. Still, the woman was Phin’s friend, and he had no intention of stoking the ready-to-burn fire between her and big brother.
