The Heist

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The Heist

Copyright © 2011 by Sienna Mynx

ISBN: 978-1-61333-098-2

Cover art by Dara England

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

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The Heist

Sienna Mynx

Lee’s Girls Series – Volume One

~
DEDICATION
~

For my lovers of the darker side of romance, through the looking glass we go!

Chapter One

It was a little hole in the wall on the Westside of Chicago. If you passed it along your way, you would most likely miss it. Sasha pushed open the door to
The Hamlet
, a pool hall and bar. A haze of smoke swirled under the low, dimmed lights. The place smelled of beer and corn chips. She was certain this was the place. The low-key atmosphere didn’t fool her in the least. Pops made many drops—this was the one spot he never permitted her to enter. And Pops never gave a care about having his kids around a bar. Especially when he had that monkey on his back. It was Lee who Pops and Michelle warned her to stay away from. Through the years, Leith Sullivan was the only thing her sister and father agreed upon.

“You lost?”

Sasha turned, wide-eyed. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She had to chill, be less jumpy. A tall ebony brother strolled over. The cream turtleneck he wore was a stark contrast against his dark skin. He towered over her with a Herculean build.
How tall was he? Eight feet?
Eyes black as night focused on her as if he could read her thoughts. She flashed him a sweet smile that usually stopped men in their tracks.

“I’m here to see Lee.”

The African Adonis paused. Confused, she felt the atmosphere charge as a silent hush filled the club. Her eyes cut around her, taking in every angle. The men at the bar turned their heads. The looks they fixed on her stalled her already skittish nerves. It was as if his name were blasphemous.

“Why?” the African snapped, now directly in front of her. She had to tilt her head back just to take him all in.

“I’m Sasha, Pops Dixon’s youngest daughter. Heard of me?”

Suddenly, the man’s demeanor changed. Instead of restrained irritation, he looked her over with renewed interest. “You’re one of Pops’ girls?”

“I’m looking for Lee. We have business to discuss,” she announced, now bolder from the respect her father’s name brought. The breaking of pool balls cracked behind her. The African’s piercing gaze swept past her and she turned to follow his stare. A man rose from his shot, his clear blue eyes leveled on her. He was different than the brutes at the bar and the giant in front of her.
Much different
. Could he be Lee? She’d seen Lee before, behind the tint of a limo glass, or through the crack of the door when she was forced into a room while Pops and Michelle, her older sister, worked. But never up close and personal. He was always such a mystery.
Wow!
He was so sexy.

Handsome and darkly dressed, he exuded an aura of power and wealth about him that made every man near him nothing but a shadow. His handsomeness was a consequence of his broad shoulders, muscular frame, and rugged features. Lee's hair was black and naturally wavy to the front but tapered low with long sideburns. What she found most appealing was his skin. A natural tan made his face and hands appear as smooth as butter cream. His brows lowered over those icy blue eyes of his, and they focused solely on her. Sasha had her talents and one of her greatest was her instinct. Sharp as a Ginsu blade, she was never wrong about a person; Pops always told her so. The penetrating stare fixed on her from across the pool table said he was someone of little patience. Then he spoke and proved it.

“Send her over, Abahti,” he said.

Sasha’s breath caught. She was right.
It is Lee
. There in the flesh was the person Michelle spoke of as if he were the devil. She said he fed Pops’ addiction for fast-living and high-stakes stealing. What she didn’t admit was that Lee fed hers, as well. Now Sasha was hoping he’d do the same for her.

Sasha shot the African an eye roll and sashayed toward Lee, putting just a hint of a sway in her hips so the hem of her skirt moved in a swirl over her legs. She concentrated on being poised, collected, and confident the way her sister’s alter ego
Chocolat
was when she entered a room. Pops told her to never let them see her sweat. Well, the way Lee observed her with a raised brow, she now appreciated the advice. The man was delicious and mysterious as hell. She liked that.

“Hi, I’m Sasha.” She extended her hand.

Lee dropped his gaze to her welcome then lifted it to her face. He leaned back in with his pool cue and aimed at the white ball. A scratch sent it in a slow roll to tap another. It dropped into the left side pocket.

Sasha lowered her hand, stung by the dismissal. “Um, can we talk? In private, please?”

“Your sister know you’re here?” he asked, rising and circling the pool table. Sasha was thrown off by the question. He not only knew her sister, but possibly the way she ruled and dictated every aspect of her life.

“My sister is wiping down counters and serving corn-beef hash. So I would say ‘no’.”

Lee cut his eyes up at her from the pool table, then made another shot, successfully sinking two more balls. Sasha chilled at the cool glare he gave her.
This is bullshit
, she thought. He was treating her like everyone in the industry did: invisible. She wasn’t going to put up with it.

“I really need to talk to you….”

“Go home,” Lee told her, making another shot. He sent an assortment of colored balls across the green.

“I have a proposition for you. Something that will make you the baddest in the game. The kind of job Pops would deliver.”

Lee stood upright. He tossed the pool stick across the table. He was dressed in a grey turtleneck and dark slacks. He pulled his sleeves up to his elbows. Sasha caught the bling on his wrist and pinky finger. Her gaze lingered on the diamond. A purple jewel, the most beautiful gem in the world. It gave her a rush. She loved diamonds, just like Pops.

Loved them
….

Lee stopped in front of her. “You got balls, kid, coming in here after what your father pulled.”

Sasha sucked down a silent breath.
Think, think, think, quick, say something
. Lee let his malevolent gaze sweep her once more. The room vibrated with tension. Sasha’s heart began to hammer in her chest. She tried to think of the best response. What would Michelle say?

Lee’s scowl faded. “To hell with it. I’ll give you ten minutes,” he told her, then stormed off. Sasha realized she was supposed to follow. She caught up quickly, her long locks swaying around her shoulders, as the men in darker corners watched her silently.

This must be how a rabbit felt in a fox den
.

Through a door detectable only by the few that knew it existed, she entered behind him and followed as he walked along an even darker entrance way. She was going into the heart of his lair with nothing more than her wits. He glanced back over his shoulder at her.

Sasha was both thrilled and terrified about what would happen next. Michelle would burst a blood vessel if she knew what her baby sister was up to. That didn’t matter. She was old enough, and determined to be something other than a schoolteacher’s assistant. She was destined for more.

Lee opened a door at the end of the hall and rays of light fell over her. Sasha felt a sense of relief that the darkness wasn’t permitted to follow her inside. The relief was fleeting. Once inside, her eyes soaked in the place. Leather furniture and a large desk decorated the modest office; the only thing of interest was the large safe to the right of the room.

“A Winchester,” she mumbled. “Perfect.”

Lee was at the bar to the far right—a bar that reached the wall and was fully stocked with everything Pops liked.

“I would offer you a drink, but you aren’t legal, are you?” he asked.

“I’ll be twenty-one in nine days!”

Lee looked at her and then to his whiskey. Taking down another glass, he poured her a shot. She held her breath as he approached, the amber liquid swirling in the glass. Lee held it out before her. Sasha accepted the drink. The amused glint in his eyes only added to her nervousness. Sasha hated alcohol, how could she not? Her father could never handle his drinking. But hey, she could put up a front, right? Besides, if she wanted Lee to seriously consider the offer it was time to pull up her big girl panties.

Tossing it back, Sasha gagged from the immediate burn, covering her mouth. Hell, she had seen Pops take shots plenty of times. The way Lee polished off his, you would think the stuff tasted like Kool-Aid. The acidic taste that torched her throat, which made her want to retch, said otherwise.

“Can I have another?” She stifled her cough with teary eyes and passed him the shot glass.

Lee chuckled. “I think you’ve had enough, for now.” He took the glass from her. “Okay, Sasha, why are you here, and why do I care?”

“
Ice
,” Sasha announced, a hand on the curve of her hip. “You like it, and I know how to get it.”

Lee smirked. “Really?”

“My father was the best in the business. Can you deny it?”

“He’s dead,” Lee said flatly.

“But his girls aren’t, and we know this business inside and out.”

“Your sister isn’t in the
business
anymore. She’s made that quite clear, um, what, three years ago?”

“We’ll get to her in a second. First, you need to understand the value I bring.”

Sasha stepped forward, now confident due to his silence. She opened her purse and removed the article clipping. She put it on the polished surface before him. “The Jesus Stones. They’re here. Pops talked about them all the time. Said it was your first job.”

Lee’s brow rose. “Careful, don’t speak of what you know nothing of.”

“I’m not. It’s a fact, right? Those stones are here.”

“In a lockup tighter than Fort Knox.”

“No, Lee, they are very much attainable, and I can tell you how.”

Lee’s gaze lingered on the clipping. Sasha saw the interest spark in his face. Slowly his gaze lifted to her face. “How old are you again?”

“Old enough. And talented.” She crossed her arms. “I can be very resourceful for you.”

“I’m listening.”

“Pops didn’t only teach Michelle the tricks of the trade. He taught me, too. We’re a team. Michelle is good at technique. She can get in and out of any place without being seen. Nothing is beyond her reach.”

“And what is your talent, Sasha?” he asked.

Sasha tossed her hair, smiling down at him. “Numbers. The first word I said out of my mouth as a baby was a number. There isn’t one code I can’t crack…no sequence I can’t break. Whatever mark Pops and Michelle caught, I was along for the ride to crack the safe.”

“That makes no sense. I’ve seen Pops and
Chocolat
work. You were never a player.”

“I was, you just didn’t know it. Pops didn’t share his tricks with anyone, any of you. I'm his baby-girl. He shared everything with me.”

Lee’s eyes narrowed.

“I mean, I know you and Pops were cool, it’s just that he and Michelle were always really protective over me, is all.” Sasha walked over to the eight-foot tall safe. “I can open it.”

Lee chuckled. “I doubt it, it’s a—”

“It’s a Winchester, model 8459 with a silver magnetic chrome locking sequence and two manual backup locks.” Sasha turned with her hands to her hips. “I can open it. Give me what I need and let me prove it. And after I open it, you start taking me seriously. Deal?”

He didn’t take the bait immediately. She knew he was a founding member of the Order. She understood all about the secret organization of crime lords. Once when Pops was drunk, he told her everything. She also believed Pops loved him, trusted him, more so than the other scumbags that used her father and spit him out. She couldn’t be wrong about Lee. She couldn’t be.