Handsome Rob's teasing made the distracted Charlie freeze for a moment.
He hadn't realized that his old friend had seen through his feelings for Stella so easily.
When Charlie had finally tracked down Steve's hideout a year and a half after the Venice betrayal, the first thing he did was reach out to Stella.
A huge reason for this was his desperate need to salvage his image in her eyes.
More than a year ago, it was Charlie's invitation that had lured her father, John Bridger, out of retirement for one last job—a job that ended with him dying at Steve's hand.
Charlie knew that if he ever wanted Stella's forgiveness, he had to be the one to help her get revenge.
He wasn't a killer, and he knew Stella certainly couldn't pull a trigger.
So, he had come up with the perfect plan: bring Stella into the fold and steal the gold back from Steve together.
For a man like Steve—who had betrayed his friends and murdered a mentor for gold—losing that gold would be a fate worse than death. To Charlie, stripping Steve of his prize was the ultimate punishment.
But today, Charlie felt off.
Since waking up this morning, he had been plagued by a persistent sense of dread.
Combined with the fact that he hadn't been able to reach Stella all day, Charlie's anxiety was skyrocketing.
They had a scheduled meeting today to discuss the reconnaissance mission—the plan to infiltrate Steve's villa disguised as cable technicians to map the layout and security. If possible, they even wanted to pinpoint the location of the safe.
Before approaching her, Charlie had researched Stella extensively. He knew she wasn't the type to flake on an appointment. If she said she would be there, she would be there.
But she wasn't here. And she had been silent all day.
At first, Charlie assumed she was busy with a sudden lockpicking job from the police. Or perhaps she was still holding onto her grudge against him for her father's death and simply didn't want to call.
So, he had waited. He held back from calling her, hoping that once the heist was successful and the gold was recovered, the ice between them would thaw, and he could properly pursue her.
But now night had fallen, and there was still no call. No text. Not even an email to cancel.
Charlie felt a wave of discouragement, but it was quickly swallowed by a rising tide of panic.
"Something's happened to Stella..."
The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became.
Ignoring Rob's banter, Charlie stared at his phone. After a moment of hesitation, he dialed the number for Stella's company.
Rob raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.
As a playboy, he knew exactly what was going through the mind of a nearly forty-year-old man pinning for a beautiful, younger woman.
Rob didn't think Charlie had a chance with the icy Stella. But watching the drama unfold was human nature. And hey, maybe miracles happened.
Rob didn't mind watching a good show, especially a romantic tragedy involving an old friend and the daughter of a fallen mentor.
Beep... Beep...
The line connected, but it went straight to a generic recording.
"Hello, you have reached Bridger Safe & Vault. If you have a service request, please contact us during business hours. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please leave your contact information and we will get back to you as soon as possible."
Rob was standing close enough to hear the automated voice.
He smirked. "Hey, are you a virgin who's never talked to a woman before?"
"Look at the time. It's after hours."
"Why don't you just call her cell?"
Charlie's unease deepened. He ignored Rob again, took a deep breath, and dialed Stella's personal cell phone number.
What Charlie didn't know was that at that very moment, inside Steve's villa...
Stella Bridger was sitting at a dining table with Steve.
But while Steve was calmly enjoying a steak dinner with a smile on his face, Stella sat opposite him, her hands bound behind her back, her body and legs tied securely to the heavy wooden chair.
A napkin was stuffed into her mouth as a gag. Her normally vibrant red lips were pale and cracked from dehydration.
Since being abducted at gunpoint outside her apartment that morning, Stella had been dragged here.
When she arrived at the familiar gates of Steve's villa and saw Steve himself waiting to "welcome" her with a team of armed guards, she knew instantly that Charlie's plan had been blown.
Sure enough, for the entire day, Steve had been trying to pry her mouth open. He wanted to know how Charlie and his team had infiltrated his villa the previous night.
He demanded to know how they had managed to steal two massive safes while only exposing one person.
Faced with Steve's interrogation, Stella was bewildered.
She had spent most of her time with Charlie recently. She knew for a fact that while they were planning to steal the gold, they were still in the preparation phase. They hadn't even started the recon mission yet!
But Steve was acting like the heist had already happened.
He was accusing Charlie of stealing the gold right under his nose.
Stella's mind was reeling. She had no idea what Steve was talking about. The only explanation she could think of was that Steve had either gone insane, or someone else had beaten Charlie to the punch.
Having finished his dinner, Steve wiped his mouth with a napkin as if he had just remembered his guest.
He walked over to Stella. Ignoring the furious glare that looked ready to incinerate him, he reached out and yanked the gag from her mouth.
"Miss Bridger."
"I hope a few hours of quiet reflection have jogged your memory."
"What do you have to tell me?"
Despite having not had a drop of water all day, Stella didn't hesitate. Facing her father's killer, she spat at him.
"Pah! You shameless coward."
"My father treated you like his best student. Like a friend."
"And you betrayed him."
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"You already killed John. Why don't you just kill me too?"
Read ahead with 100+ chapters now with daily updates!
Get 30% Off using code: ADED7
@patreon.com/Authorizz