The Bodyguard (Norcross #4) - Anna Hackett Page 0,21
upper level of the house. There.
Sofie smiled. A top floor window was open and she could see a sheer curtain fluttering in the breeze. There was a convenient tree right nearby.
She snuck closer, sticking to the shadows. She quickly scaled the stucco fence and dropped into a crouch on the other side.
She waited, hunkered down on the narrow strip of grass. There was no movement.
Sofie quickly reached the tree, and climbed upward. She was grateful her yoga kept her flexible and in good shape. With a quiet grunt, she edged out along one limb. There were several meters between the tree and the window, but she could make it. She leaped.
Sofie caught the window ledge with her gloved hands and peered over, using all her strength to hold herself.
The muscles in her arms burned. God, okay, maybe she needed to do some more yoga, or get to the gym.
The room was empty, and she climbed in through the window.
It was a bedroom. The king-size bed was a mess of tangled sheets. She heard water running in the adjoining bathroom.
Crap. She dropped to the floor on one side of the bed.
Footsteps. Carefully, she peered around the edge of the bed.
A tall, extremely thin woman in black lingerie emerged, wrapping a silky kimono around her body. Her long fall of black curls hit between her shoulder blades.
She stalked out of the room.
Sofie popped up. She quickly crossed the room and at the door, checked the hallway.
Empty.
She jogged down the corridor, counting the doors.
This one. She checked and found the door unlocked. She shook her head. Dante was careless, considering what he’d stolen.
It was unsurprising; he wasn’t the smartest person she’d ever met.
Behind the door was an office. It was dominated by heavy, dark-wood furniture, and lots of shelves crammed with old books.
There was a simple metal lockbox resting in the center of the desk.
Sofia rolled her eyes. It took her three seconds to pick the lock. She flicked the lid open.
“Hello,” she whispered.
Inside was nestled a necklace, earrings, and a matching bracelet.
She quickly opened her backpack.
She wrapped the jewels in a protective cloth, then pulled out a small makeup bag. It had a false bottom and she set them in place. On top rested a mess of makeup, tampons, and creams.
She slipped the case back in her backpack, then set a small card in the lockbox.
It had a picture of a bow and arrow in it.
Quickly, she headed out of the office. She needed to get back to the bedroom, climb out, and get gone.
She darted into the empty bedroom. She started climbing out the window, just as she heard angry voices heading closer to the room.
Shit. Sofie half fell out the window, gripping the ledge hard, her body slamming against the side of the house.
She peered over the ledge.
The thin woman entered, waving her arms around. Dante followed.
They were arguing, spitting Italian at each other.
Sofie bit her lip. She couldn’t jump to the tree, or they might see or hear her.
Suddenly, Dante grabbed the woman roughly and threw her on the bed. He landed on top of her and they went at each other, tearing each other’s clothes off.
Ew. Dante had a swarthy, handsome face, but a soft body from too much time spent partying and drinking. She had no desire to see it naked.
Sofie looked down. It was a longish drop, but there was a patch of grass below her.
Here goes…
She let go.
She hit the ground and bent her legs. She fell on her ass, hard.
Ouch. Wincing, she rubbed her hip and checked everything. Nothing broken, but she’d have some bruises.
She sprinted toward the fence and climbed over.
A second later, she was free and clear. She lifted her cell phone, pretending to talk to someone about looking for her missing dog.
When she slid into the Tesla, she grinned. As she headed out of Seacliff, she threw her head back and laughed.
She’d done it!
Exhilaration was a little addictive. She had to admit that she liked the thrill.
She had one quick stop to make—to deliver the jewelry back to its rightful owner—then she had to sneak back into her own house.
Sneaking out was harder than breaking into Dante’s house, thanks to Rome.
She yawned. She really needed some sleep.
Sofie quickly delivered the jewels, leaving them on the back doorstep.
She left the Tesla parked a few blocks from her rental house, then she snuck past her guards, and climbed back into the house. She crept upstairs and made it into her bedroom.
Phew. Releasing a