Chapter One
Syd
“This better work or we’ll all end up in jail and have to cancel our tour again,” drummer Ross Walker murmured beside me.
I sent him a bitch please glare before choosing the correct wire to disable the phone line and render the security system—meant to protect the million-dollar Beverly Hills mansion from thieves like us—useless.
We, the five members of legendary rock group Licks of Leather, were on a mission. A highly illegal mission, but a vital one just the same.
“It’ll work,” I assured, sliding the blade cutter over the main wire. “Ready?”
“As we’ll ever be,” Darren answered on a heavy exhale.
“Okay. One. Two—”
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” lead singer Burk Jennings blurted anxiously.
“Yes,” I hissed, tolerance snapping. “I have more skills than banging babes and plucking the bass like a boss. Now, shut up and let me focus so we don’t get hauled off to jail.”
“I told you this wasn’t going to work,” Ross mumbled, tugging at the rubber gloves squeezing his thick fingers. The same white surgical gloves we’d all donned moments ago. “Should I put Reed Landes on speed dial now or when the cops show up?”
“We’re not going to need a lawyer. Well, we might if you clowns don’t shut up and let me do this,” I growled.
“Look, just disable the system and get me inside,” keyboard player Ozzy Page bit out impatiently. “I’ll break into the safe alone and you guys can wait in the car. It’s my woman. My problem.”
“Mia might be your woman, but she’s part of our family. Getting the photos Zattman took of her is as important to us as it is you,” Burk grimly announced. “We’re in this together.”
“Damn straight,” I seconded.
Carl Zattman was a sleazebag wannabe promoter. When Ozzie and Mia broke up years ago, the conman lured her in with promises of superstardom. But instead of promoting her, the sick fuck drugged her, locked her in a closet, and raped her. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the demented prick photographed her abuse in an attempt to keep Mia under his thumb. Once the sack of shit realized she wouldn’t play his manipulative games, Zattman cut her loose. Of course, he’d kept the photos and warned Mia that if she reported him to the police, he’d release them to the press and ruining her chances of becoming a rock queen.
After years of hard work and determination, Mia had achieved her dream of fame and fortune. But the constant worry of Zattman deciding to rip her star from the sky whenever he wanted was taking its toll on her. Once we secured the photos, Mia planned to expose Zattman and send him to the bowels of hell, where he belonged.
“Why do I get the feeling you’ve done this before?” Burk arched a brow.
“Because I have.”
“Really? How many burglaries have you committed?”
Fuck! This wasn’t the time or place to start vomiting up confessions. “Enough to do the job right.”
“Give me a number,” he continued.
“I’ve lost count.” Sadly, that was the truth.
“Ballpark. Ten? Twenty? A hundred?” Burk narrowed his eyes.
I sighed heavily. “Do you want to play twenty questions and risk Zattman coming home or get the photos?”
“Leave him alone,” Ozzy growled.
I flashed the keyboard player a tight smile and wiped the sweat from my brow.
Yeah, I was nervous. No, I was scared shitless. Technology had made leaps and bounds since my last burglary. I had no clue if this particular security system had a fail-safe alarm. If it did, we were totally screwed.
Only one way to find out.
Sucking in a shallow breath, I snipped the wire.
When no alarms began blaring or floodlights pierced the darkness, I inwardly cheered and jogged to the back door. The others gathered around me as I peered through one of the small windowpanes. Muted light from an adjacent room spilled over the stainless-steel appliances of the deserted kitchen.
Fairly confident the house was empty—I’d have confirmation one way or the other in a second or two—I pulled a small pickax and cloth from my pocket. Wrapping the fabric around the metal head, I smashed out the pane of glass above the lock. Though muffled, the clatter was far louder than I’d expected. In the distance, a dog began barking, which only heightened my angst. It was spiking to the same level I could feel rolling off my bandmates.
Though Mia hadn’t seen a housekeeper during her captivity, it didn’t mean that Zattman hadn’t hired one in the interim. I held my breath for long seconds, listening