a problem. If he is who we think he might be, then let's not invite trouble for ourselves. Let's have our ducks lined up before we talk to Garreth."
I nodded and looked back at Ryder Stone. "He didn't deserve this."
Amelia nodded. "I know. Whatever the hell is going on, we're going to figure it out. We owe him at least that."
Chapter Nine
Nyla
The plan was simple. Lucas, of course, didn't like this plan. He wanted the big, showy thing, where he'd break in under cover of night in full-on cat burglar mode. But there was no need for that. We were going to walk in the front door.
Besides, this way it was a three-man team only. And if we were careful, we would be catching Lord Jameson right as breakfast ended. He'd already told us once that he was a creature of habit.
He took his coffee in the sunroom every day at nine. So turning up at nine or ten for an audience would mean that he would be available and one of us could grab his spoon. If we weren't able to go into the sunroom, Lucas could slide in as a staff member and do it on the off chance we needed him to.
In the back seat, he grumbled. "This isn't fun."
Amelia laughed as she glanced back at him in the rearview mirror. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but you're only here on the off chance that we can't do this ourselves."
"Yeah, but I mean, honestly, a gardener? Look at me." His expression soured with derision.
I glanced over my shoulder and looked at his uniform, chuckling. "What? You look well fit. A sexy worker for sure."
He lifted a brow. "I'm not buying it."
I bit back a laugh. "No, really. You should really get one for you and Bryna to spice things up."
He lifted a brow. "Honestly?"
Amelia and I broke out into a fit of cackles which only made him grumble more as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.
"It doesn't matter how you look. We might not even need you."
"Please, please let me take something. Anything."
I shook my head. "No. Hello… Interpol in the house."
He blinked in mocked innocence. "Oh, sorry. Was I supposed to pretend that I didn’t spend the better half of my life as a thief?"
Amelia frowned. "Do you mind not bringing that up every two minutes? Because it gives me an enormous amount of conflict in the chest area, and I don't know what to do with these feelings."
It was his turn to chuckle. "I know, you're not used to hearing things like this, and I'm freaking you out. Just think of it as broadening your horizons.”
She just rolled her eyes and stopped the car. "No, you’re not. Go on and get out. We're here. Be mindful, they have cameras starting about a hundred yards out."
He nodded. "All right. I'll see you back here. Here's hoping I can get in through the side."
And with that, he opened the car door and headed straight into the massive property toward the gardens. With any luck, no one would even stop him. Hell, no one should even notice.
It was Wednesday. We'd already checked the schedule of when the grounds crew turned up to deal with the west end of the property. Different days of the week, they handled different ends on the massive hundred-acre estate.
"You think he can handle it?" Amelia asked.
I lifted a questioning brow to Amelia. "What? Strolling in and stealing something?"
She laughed. "No, remaining unseen."
I coughed as I laughed. "You know what, that’s doubtful. He'll probably complain for weeks, but you know, he's fine. I think he's happy to be part of this one."
"How well do you know him anyway?"
"Not well. I met him in a few meetings, when this whole thing with East started, but he wasn’t implicated in the Grimwald Authenticators investigation. I honestly thought he was just royalty. Rich playboy."
Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose. "How is it we're working with thieves?"
"Are you asking me? I started out trying to put the whole lot of them in jail."
“We are certainly working in the gray areas now.”
My stomach flipped. This wasn't Amelia. She’d only been dragged into this mess because she cared about me. "I tried not to think about it. I reminded myself that there was a crime committed and that a punishment should be enforced. Their friend died because of these people. Sure, they stole from these rich twats, but there was a bigger picture.
Amelia’s brow furrowed, and she tapped