Robin and Her Merry Men (5 page)

“No. There is too much riding on this, and the risk would ruin you.”

“Listen, I know a few people who would kill to own the Hope Diamond, and would pay double its worth without question. I also have access to my family’s art collection. Monet, Picasso, we have them all. A simple sl
e
i
ght
of hand and they will never know a reprint from the original. Here, call me tonight. We can meet somewhere safer and discuss it.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to her. She tucked it in her bag and smiled. More loot meant more money to give. It was a bad idea, but she didn’t have many options. Her resources with the black market were thin, and sure to pop up on someone’s radar. If he could unload it without raising any red flags, she had to accept. He grinned, knowing he had her.

“Don’t look so smug. Okay, yes I need help. I’ll call you tomorrow with a place and time. I have to get out of here. My ride is waiting.” She smiled and slid out the window, using a repelling
line to glide down effortlessly. Before she took off in the dark
,
she shot him one last look and grinned. He waved and shut the window behind her, covering her tracks. Things just got a whole lot more interesting.

*****

Robin had to shake her head to clear her thoughts before she got caught. She hurried to unhook and retract her line and ran through the bushes just as voices came around the corner of the mansion. She took advantage of her high tech gadget
s
and removed her heels, quietly slipping away undetected. Just
as
it was planned, Mary waited on a side street with the car. When she spotted Robin
,
she opened the door to help her in and sped away into the darkness.

“So, did you get it?”
Mary asked excitedly.

“Yep. And, I think I may have a way to get rid of it without jumping through hoops.”

“So…
care to elaborate?” Mary turned left at the light and drove
the side streets just in case they were followed. She turned a few times just for good measure.

“He was there.” She braced herself for the sure line of interrogation to come.

“Who? Oh my God
,
him
him? What did he say? Was he was sexy up close? You didn’t hurt him did you? Please
tell me you didn’t kill him!”
Mary rattled, finally stopping for air.

“Yes, and
he
is Little Johnny
Naylor
—
minus the braces and glasses. He recognized me.”

“Shit! So, where do
you
want to
go? I can’t take you home now.
D
id he see you get in the car?”
Mary freaked.

“No,
it’s fine. He wants to help. Go figure! He gave me his card. It seems his family has an astounding art collection he would like to contribute, and knows buyers.” She couldn’t help but laugh at Mary’s expression. Her eyes bulged out of her head, matching her gaping jaw.

“Wow. And…
you trust him? What if it’s a trap?”

“Then he’s stupid. He c
ould have busted me twice now. And…
”
s
he hesitated, knowing her next words would send Mary in a fit of hysterics
,
“
h
is
kiss said otherwise.” She winced, waiting for the flood of questions.

Mary turned and stared at her, gasping. “He kissed you! Why the hell didn’t you lead with that! How was it? Was it a ‘bend over and fuck me now’ kiss or a ‘nice to meet you, let’s snuggle’ kiss?”

Robin giggled, rolling her eyes. “It was a ‘please fuck me now before I spontaneously combust you
hunk
of man meat’ kiss.”

“Hot damn! Of all the places to find a date, you hook up in the middle of
a robbery! Tell me more! I want full details!”

“He definitely isn’t the timid little geek he was in school. Little John is Big John in all meanings of the se
nse. He is…intense.”

“When are you supposed to see him again?” Mary pulled into the apartment complex and parked, turning in her seat.

“I don’t know. Listen,
don’t read too much into this. I don’t have time for a relationship right now
,
Mary. This is strictly business.
I have
to go. Call you tomorrow?” Mary handed Robin her keys and they got out.

“You better. Be careful, okay?”

“Always. Love you.” Robin hugged her and walked toward
her car, grinning. “You can mix business with pleasure, ya know…
Just think about it.” She winked before she got in and started the engine.

Robin unlocked her door and sent a final wave before she walked in to her apartment, shutting the door behind her. Before she could relax there
was still the matter of her loot
to tend to, and there was only one place to secure it.
Her cubby.

Since childhood, Robin had learned that having anything private in a house full of maids and frequent guests was impossible. So, like any kid, she created a trap door and
cubbyhole
in her floor. Even now that she was on her own, her little trick came in handy for things just like this. She kicked off her shoes and headed down the hall, stopping at her closet. After
sliding
the shoe rack and shelving over, Robin lifted the fake panel in the wood flooring, opening up a space big enough to crawl into if she were ever in danger. The whole setup had been manufactured so she could roll everything back into place from the inside, giving her the ultimate hid
ing
spot
. Carefully, she wrapped the huge diamond in a scarf and tucked it in a hidden shelf along the top of the cubby.
Once her gear was all tucked away and no trace of her nighttime extra
-
curricular activities, she slid the lid back and put everything back in place as if she were never there. Since she was already in the closet, she shimmied out of the confining dress and slipped on her favorite yoga pants and oversized t
-
shirt before heading to her favorite spot on the couch to catch up on missed episodes of
Psyche
. It was her favorite show, but also gave her tips on what not to do and how to cover her tracks
,
more than any textbook or
research
she had poured over night after night before starting her second job.

Remote in hand, she plopped down, only to jump up at the buzzing of her phone. “Damn it
,
”
s
he growled. Robin grabbed the bl
inged out smart phone of
f the counter and returned to the couch, determined not to move again until she got through at least one episode. Her thumb slid across the screen to unlock it,
revealing an unknown number. Curious, she opened up to read:
Answer your door.
Robin reached under the couch cushion to her left and pulled out the .357 mag pistol and chambered the round while kicking of
f the safety. She silently tip
toed to the door and peeked out the
peephole
, spotting her creepy stalker standing nervously fidgeting. “
John. What the hell is he doing here?”
After unlatching the almost compulsive amount of deadbolts and chains, she whipped open the door, keeping the pistol in her grip
,
concealed out of his view.

“What the hell are you doing here and how did you find me?”

“Nice to see you too. Can I come in?”
h
e asked amused.

“No. I don’t let strangers in. Now answer me.” Her eyes narrowed, showing her growing irritation. John couldn’t help but grin. She had spunk.

“I hardly classify us
as strangers…
unless you get off on kissing random people on the street.”
He pushed the door open and proceeded to walk around her, only to get a gun shoved in his chest. “What are you doing! You have a gun? Have you lost your ever-loving mind
,
woman? Put that thing away before you hurt yourself!” His amusement quickly turned to ir
ritation
.

“The only one who will hurt is you. I have a license. Now, it would be in your best interest to answer me before
—”
His lips crushed against hers, silencing her. Instead of the playful coaxing as before, this time he took. Robin was caught off guard, melting instantaneously. Her tongue had a mind of its own, meeting his with equal enthusiasm. Somehow she didn’t notice h
e
shut the door, but
finally snapped to her senses when he reached for the gun. With one hard shove and
a
knee to the groin, John crumpled over in pain. His grip released, flying to preform CPR on his
man junk. As if it would help.
Robin almost laughed at the sight of him. He was a large man, reduced
by
the most common
force
of woman
:
self defense.

“Your sweet little
ass is going to pay for that,” h
e groaned through clenched teeth.

“Yeah yeah. Now. Why. Are. You. Here.” Her tone was sharp and condescending.

“I came to warn you.” He finally pulled himself together enough to hobble to the couch. “Vancover has every force possible out searching for his prized trophy. Everyone on the guest list is undergoing a full home search and questioning. They just hit my home an hour ago and should be headed this way any minute now.” John still seemed pouty about his ‘bruised ego’, keeping his eyebrows drawn together.

“Shit. Well, they won’t find it. It isn’t a good idea if they find you here either. You need to go.” She walked back to the door to show him out when a pounding on her door made her jump. Robin jumped into action, stashing the
handgun
back in
its
rightful place and grabbed John with both hands. “Come on! You have to hide!” He looked at her confused but got up and hurried into her bedroom closet, watching in disbelief as she opened her cubby and motioned for him to get in. “Hurry!”
s
he whispered.

“You’ve got to be kiddin
g me. I won’t fit in there!” h
e exclaimed in a
whispered
yell.

“Shhh! Yes you will
,
damn it
,
now get in!” She gave him a friendly little shove, hustling his limbs in before she put things back into place and ran to the door. She took a calming breath and asked, “Who’s there?”
s
s
sweetly as she could without sounding winded.

“Police. Open up.” Robin rolled her eyes at their stereotypical response but opened the door, plastering on her sweetest smile. Two uniforms met her gaze.

“Robin Hoode?” The tall one asked as if trying t
o
o hard to sound
authoritative
.

“Yes? Can I help you
,
boys?” She added an extra bat of her eyelashes, laying on the feminine charm thick.

“Good evening
,
ma’am. We need to ask you a fe
w questions, can we come in?” t
he shorter, older one said. He
had to be in his late forties given the chrome dome on the top of his head.

“Sure! Would
you like something to drink?”
Robin offered, cocking her weight on one hip.

The tall one opened his mouth to speak when baldy cut him off, obviously disappointing the young pup. “No, thank you. Were you at the Vancover’s party this evening?”

Straight to the point. This one’s going to be a challenge.
“Of course I was! Anyone who is someone was on the guest list. Why, this is the event of t
he century! I didn’t stay long.
”
She lowered her voice to an almost whisper before continuing, “I started my monthly early and had to run home before I became the subject on every tabloid.” Both men flushed at her reference for her
menstrual
cycle just as she anticipated.
Bingo.
Robin found t
heir weakness and played off of
it. She casually strolled over to the freezer and pulled out a container of Rocky Road ice cream and fetched a spoon, offering them some. “I have plenty, would you care for a bowl?”

Once again, the tall one started to accept but stopped when baldie shot him a dirty look. The older man seemed to be playing into her girlie girl roll and already was on the verge of annoyance. “No, ma’am
. Now, what time did you leave? Can anyone vouch for you?”

Robin took a huge bite, tilting her head in thought. “Mmm, it must have been around eight or so. We were there for cocktail hour but didn’t stay for dinner or the unveiling. To be honest, it would have been a bore anyway. My family owns bigger and better jewels than Vancover could ever get his paws on. Did you see what he was wearing? It looked like it came from a department store! My father wouldn’t leave the house to fetch the paper in anything less than a Stuart Hughes. It was embarrassing! Mary and I rode home together. We couldn’t believe it. Even the champagne was ge
neric.”
She tossed in that rich bitch valley girl accent just a tiny bit to deliver her performance. She kept her eyes on them, watching for any sign they saw through her act between bites of ice cream. Just when she thought she would have to flash some cleavage, the middle
-
aged man nodded. “Min
d if we have a look around?” h
e asked, already scanning the room from where he stood.
Robin choked down her temper and shoved a huge glob of chocolate in her mouth to hide her impatience. “What’s all this about?”