Thieves come in all varieties, from the loner to a married couple to a team, from human to paranormal. They all have one thing in common: they want to succeed without being caught.
The four gay romance stories in this box set feature thieves who work together ... or not. Contains the stories:
An Honorable Thief: Ash is a professional thief who retrieves stolen items. He's also a loner until he meets Mark. They become more than friends and Ash agrees to take him along on a job. Mark betrays Ash, taking the item from him at gun-point. Ash vows to find him and get even. What happens afterward may change both their lives, if they can survive a man who wants Mark, A.K.A. Pete, dead.
Art Theft 101: Vampire Philip and his team of art thieves -- shifter Duff, ghost Rob, and human Liddy -- agree to break tradition and help Ian Croft save his kidnapped nephew. Philip finds he's interested in Ian and believes his interest is returned. During the job, Philip finds not love but betrayal. Can he learn to trust once more when he meets Ephram, a fledgling vampire? Or will he be betrayed ... again?
Second Story Men: Amery and Myles are a married couple, and professional burglars. When they break into a house, they find more than they were bargaining for -- two dead bodies. Now all they want to do is avoid being arrested for the murders. Then Fetch, a cop and Amery's ex, shows up with questions they'd rather not answer. Can they help solve the murders without Fetch discovering they were at the house -- and why?
Wrong Side of the Law: Dirk is an ex undercover cop framed for blackmail and kicked off the force. After deciding to turn the tables and become a thief, can he put together a successful team of B&E specialists to steal on demand? And equally as important, can Dirk, who has sworn off love, find it again with team member Maverick? Or will they remain only friends with benefits?
EXCERPT FROM "An Honorable Thief"
With the art gallery's security system taken care of, Ash used his electronic pick to open the door and then slid into the hallway, staying in the small area behind the overhead camera's vision. He gave a nod to let Mark know to join him. Then, after taking a few moments to time the camera's movements, Ash moved quickly to unlock the office door, slipped into the room, and closed it. He used his scanner to search for any hidden cameras which would record anyone who entered the room and store the information on discs to be looked at later. Not finding any, he texted Mark to join him. Moments later, Mark did.
Why here, not the storeroom? Mark texted.
Ash pointed to a standing safe in the far corner of the room before texting, As valuable as the statuette is, that's the logical place to keep it. If I'm wrong, then we play seek and find in the other room.
Going to the safe, Ash studied it before taking the tools he needed from his backpack. It took him a frustratingly long time to open the safe but it was worth it. If he'd been a normal thief he'd have thought he hit the jackpot as there was a cashbox full of fifties and hundreds, and another larger one with jewelry that he knew from his research was going to be part of an upcoming exhibit.
Ignoring the boxes, he picked up a small package wrapped in brown paper. Using the knife he carried in the quick-release forearm sheath, he cut the paper and found cotton batting. He removed it and silently sighed with relief when he saw the statuette. Wrapping the batting around it again, he put it into his backpack, sheathed his knife then turned to Mark and gestured toward the door while texting, Don't worry about being seen. They won't get here in time.
Mark nodded and opened the door. Within seconds they were through it and the gallery's rear door. No alarms sounded, but Ash knew there were silent ones. It wouldn't be long before the cops and probably men from the security company showed up.
"Don't unmask until we get to the end of the alley," Ash said before he headed toward the street. They pulled off their masks when they reached it, and from there made it to where they'd parked with no problem.
Then, as Ash started around his car, he heard Mark say, "I'll take the statuette now, if you don't mind." Ash turned to find Mark right behind him, holding a gun.
"What the hell!" Ash spat out.
Mark shrugged. "I was hired by a collector who is very interested in getting his hands on the statuette. He considered using you to do the job until he learned that you only steal items that were stolen from someone else and that you always return them to their original owners. At that point, he was approached by the man who owns the gallery about buying the statuette; however he didn't like the price Harkins was asking. That's where I came into the picture." He smiled, adding, "I don't have your scruples, so to speak," as he held out his hand. "Please give it to me. I like you, so I really don't want to shoot you unless it's absolutely necessary."
Ash considered trying to grab the gun, but thought better of it. Mark might well carry out his threat and Ash wasn't big on getting shot if he could avoid it. "Here, you son-of-a-bitch," he said, thrusting the wrapped statuette at Mark.
"Now your knife, please."
"Why the hell ...?" Ash debated but only for a second before giving it to him.
"Thank you. It was fun while it lasted but as they say, all good things must come to an end." Mark used the knife to slash the car's front tire then tossed it on the ground under the car. "Tell the lady who owned this I'm sorry. Not that I am but it might make her feel better." He winked, and then with one swift move smashed the butt of the gun against Ash's temple.
The last thing Ash remembered as he hit the ground was the sound of Mark's footsteps as he walked away.
