Steamy Sisters (Steamy Springs) Page 5

  “You OK?”

  “Yeah. I was just thinking about work,” said Caleb, shaking himself out of his daydream. “We’re under real pressure to catch this guy.”

  “Is he dangerous? Anyone get hurt?”

  “Doesn’t seem to be. He usually waits until everyone’s out. But who knows, maybe he’s carrying. Why? You worried?”

  “Not really.”

  “You’re at home alone at the moment, then?”

  “Just for a week.”

  “Where are your folks?”

  ”They always get out of town when the Economic Forum’s on. I don’t think my father likes all those bankers and politicos too much.”

  Caleb nodded as he took in the information. “You want me to stop by?”

  “I guess you could do,” said Jessica. “For a little while.”

  “I’m working late tonight, but maybe I’ll call round before I get off duty. Okay?”

  “Sounds good. See you later then.”

  “Looking forward to it,” said Caleb, as he started the engine and nodded goodbye.

  Jessica realised that she had enjoyed her little flirt with Caleb. It was fun. Sometimes the guys at her college could be a little too earnest. Flirtation seemed to be a problem for them. Unless they’d had a gallon of liquor beforehand, and then flirtation just turned into a kind of drunken rambling. Not their fault though, they were the generation who’d been indoctrinated with political correctness. A lot of the fun had been taken out of life. The sexual dance between men and women was as old as time, and something natural and joyous. Pity there were too many humorless creeps around, trying to remove all the joie de vivre from people’s lives. Caleb was a bit different. Small town guy. Kind of old fashioned in some ways. A little rough around the edges, but with a good heart. Good looking. Sexy. Definitely sexy. Maybe she wouldn’t mind him getting his hands on her lingerie after all. It was a pity she hadn’t just bought some new pieces.

  She hurried back to her car, and mentally went over her plans for the evening . She felt both excited and nervous at the same time. Caleb was a good guy, and she hated herself for what she was about to do. But, nevertheless, it had to be done.

  Chapter Two

  The sun was setting over Steamy Springs. Night had come. Jessica pulled the curtains across the windows of her large bedroom suite, and removed her robe. Light from the adjoining bathroom bounced off her golden skin as she bent down to take the item from the shopping bag.

  She sat on the edge of her bed, naked apart from a pair of sheer, seamless french knickers. She put her long, lithe legs into the new garment and then slowly pulled it upwards over the rest of her body. She fastened the zipper. The black catsuit fitted perfectly, accentuating every curve of her body. Her hips nicely rounded, her breasts full and firm and held securely by the tightness of the suit. She then wiggled her toes into black climbing shoes, and tied the laces.

  She’d had to buy the new catsuit because her old one had ripped the night before, whilst climbing down from the upstairs window of the banker’s lodge. Growing up in these mountains, climbing was second nature to her. She’d been doing it all her life. Cat burglary, however, was something she’d only gotten into in the last few years. Nothing beat the thrill. And, it was all in a good cause.

  Jessica tied up her hair, put on some thin gloves, and put a rolled up ski mask on her head. She’d pull it over her face later. She slung a black pack across her shoulder and headed for the door.

  The Chase’s lodge was on the slopes above the town, surrounded by trees, and not visible from the road. The house she was about to break into was only about five minutes away on foot. She could make it without being seen fairly easily, but getting in there was going to be tougher.

  Tonight’s victim was Charles Szabo, a Wall Street financier who seemed to be behind just about every big corporate takeover of the last few years. Especially if they were hostile. He had a reputation as a ruthless operator, and it was usually bad news for the workforce if he took control of the company. He was just the sort of person Jessica despised. He got rich from destruction, not creativity.

  She slipped out of the house and, in her black outfit, seemed to disappear into the dark night. She quickly reached Szabo’s palatial lodge. Twelve bedrooms, fourteen bathrooms, two indoor pools, and only occupied for about ten days a year. She knew the layout well. Her Father’s company had built it, and it had been easy for her to get access to the architect’s plans. She’d been in it once before. After it was completed, but before it was sold.

  Despite the size of the house, she knew that Szabo liked to live simply when he was in town. He didn’t have permanent staff, and used the cleaners and security people from one of the resorts many service companies. He also came without his wife or any other family members.

  Jessica pulled down her ski mask, covering her face, climbed over the perimeter wall and jumped down into the garden. It was a thirty second sprint across open lawn to the house. Jessica hesitated. There were probably motion sensors, and security lighting, at the very least. She didn’t want to risk having to deal with anything like that. She edged across the side of the grass lawn, keeping in the shadows provided by the tall trees.

  Her eyes scanned the house for any signs of life. There were a few lights on downstairs and some of the upstairs windows were bright. Then she found what she was looking for. What every burglar prays for. An open window on the first floor with a curtain fluttering from it in the warm evening breeze. And a convenient balcony she could climb up to. It was too good an opportunity to miss, and she doubted that any other part of the house would provide a better access point. She crept within spitting distance of the house and dived the last few feet, crouching on the floor, waiting for an alarm to ring out or a floodlight to illuminate the grounds. Nothing. This was going to be easier than she thought.

  The lodge walls were built of local stone and had a rough, rustic quality to them. Ideal for climbing up. Jessica reached up the wall with her hand and found a stone to grip on to. She tried a few places with her foot and eventually found a spot which she could stand on. Little by little she scaled the wall until she reached the balcony. She pulled herself up and on to it, and quickly stood flat against the wall at the side of the balcony door. She peered into the room beyond. It was bathed in a gentle light from a floor lamp, and, to her relief, there was no-one there.

  Jessica’s mind raced, assessing the situation. Was there anyone in the house? There were a few lights on and the balcony door had been left open, but the house seemed quiet. The Economic Forum had a big gala dinner going on at one of the hotels tonight. All the big shots would be there. She was guessing that Szabo would be there too. And, anyway, she hadn’t come this far to back out now. The risk was part of the thrill of doing it. It was now or never.

  She took a deep breath, steadied her nerves, and slipped quickly inside. She moved over to the bedroom door and out onto the landing. She paused for a minute to listen for a sound, and to let her eyes get used to the gloom.

  Her night vision now improving, she glided through the first floor of the house, her feet barely making a sound on the thickly carpeted floors. She knew where she was heading. To the master bedroom. It had a dressing room off of it, and she guessed that if there was any jewellery in the house it would quite likely be in a safe or strongbox in one of the closets. If there was nothing there, she’d have to head downstairs and find Szabo’s study.

  It was a huge, rambling house with many wings, and hidden corridors. The master bedroom took up the entire west wing of the first floor, and Jessica quickly located it, her memory of the house serving her well. She put her hand on to the door handle and was about to ease it open, when she suddenly stopped. There were voices. Someone was inside.

  “Shit,” she murmured to herself. Her heart stepped up a gear and she clamped her mouth shut, muffling the sound of her breathing. She inhaled through her nose and calmed herself. Panicking now would get her caught. You needed ice cold nerves
in this job.

  There was nothing for it, she was going to have to retrace her steps. Maybe get back out on the balcony. Wait for whoever it was to leave, and then try again. She wasn’t going to give up so easily. She guessed it was Szabo in there. And if anyone deserved to have some of his valuables stolen it was him. Talk about ill gotten gains. She may be a thief, but not as big a crook as Szabo. He’d pocketed billions over the years from insider trading and manipulating stock prices for his own end. His takeovers had led to the loss of tens of thousand of jobs. The deals were always sold as being good for the company. They were only ever good for Szabo.

  She put her ear against the door and listened again. She heard some music and then some voices. It was a TV show. Someone was watching television. Or maybe, they’d just forgotten to turn it off. She was in two minds as what to do. She’d come this far. It was worth taking a risk.

  She pushed the heavy wooden door very slightly and peered into the room. There was a small bedside light on, but the room was mainly illuminated by the glare from the TV set. There was nobody in the bed, and the entrance to the dressing room and bathroom beyond looked dark.

  She pushed the door further and went inside. She quickly took in the layout of the room. The bed was unmade, with a quilt half on the floor. But, other than that, it was tidy and looked almost unlived in.

  Hurrying into to the dressing room, she turned on the light and worked her way through the closets. Most were empty. Two at the end, near the bathroom had clothes in. Suits. Shirts, Ties. Nothing much casual. She opened the final closet and stood back in amazement. It was packed full of the most hardcore gear she’d ever seen. Black leather straps, knee length lace up boots, masks, bullwhips, chains, sex toys, something hanging up that she could only describe as a gimp suit. Shit, he could open a store with this stuff. She rooted around a little, pulled out some DVDs and looked at the covers. Lots of half naked men in black leather who looked to be doing weird things to each other. Jessica could hardly suppress a giggle as she looked at them. So Szabo liked men did he? No wonder he never brought his wife here, or have any live-in staff. Gave him plenty of time and space to indulge his tastes. Don’t suppose Mrs Szabo would be too happy to find out about this. Or maybe she knew already. Maybe she joined in somehow.

  Jessica put back the DVDs in the same place, and closed the door. It had been an interesting and unexpected discovery, but she still hadn’t found what she was searching for. She’d been sure there would be a safe somewhere in the closets. But nothing.

  She rolled back the sleeve of her suit, and looked at her watch. She still had time to check downstairs. But she needed to get back for when Caleb arrived. If she managed to find any valuables tonight, or if Szabo somehow realised that someone had been in the house, at least she’d have some sort of alibi in Caleb.

  She made her way downstairs, not bothering to sneak, now confident that there was nobody at home. She checked through the maze of rooms until she came to what looked like a library. She wasn’t going to risk putting on the ceiling light so she took a small torch from her rucksack, ready to use when she needed it.

  A six drawer walnut desk was at the end of the room. Jessica looked through them one by one. Lots of paperwork. A diary. Keys. Personal organiser. Some pens. An old cell phone. Nothing exciting. She stood up and checked the painting on the wall behind the desk. A portrait of Szabo himself. What an ego that guy had. She pulled the bottom edge of the frame away from the wall and checked to see if there was anything behind. Nothing. Szabo must have a safe or strong room in the house someplace. But where was it?

  It was then Jessica noticed that a section of the fitted bookshelves that lined the walls of the room appeared to be at an odd angle. She knew straightaway what it was. A concealed doorway, and Szabo had been very careless to leave it slightly open. Perhaps he’d left in a hurry. Or, maybe he was in there.

  She pulled the shelving section outwards and it opened smoothly. She shone the torch inside. There was a short corridor and some steps leading down at the end of it. She walked in.

  At the bottom of the steps was a large metal door. She’d found it. He must have had the cellar converted into a strong room. She tried the handle on the door. It was locked.

  There was no way she could bash it down. This was the real deal. He’s obviously gone to a lot of expense to make sure no-one could get in there without the key. And there was a digital combination lock on it. That wasn’t necessarily a problem. She had a little gadget in her backpack that could deal with that. It would just take a bit of time. She checked her watch again. She’s be cutting it real fine if she did it now. It was too much of a risk. If she came back tomorrow night or later in the week, she’d have more time. Szabo was around all week. He was giving talks at various events during the Forum week. He was delivering the keynote speech at some party on Thursday. And, she’d discovered, he’d be giving a press conference on Friday. Jeez, that guy was so full of himself.

  Reluctantly she went back up the stairs and closed the bookshelf doorway. She took a deep breath, collected her thoughts and decided she would leave it till later in the week. Right now, she just had to get back for Caleb.

  Jessica left the house the way she had got in, and hanging from the balcony, she let herself drop the last few feet to the ground. Within a minute she was back over the wall and heading home. As she traversed the hillside back to her house, she could see a vehicle winding it’s way up the narrow road towards the Chase property front gates. It was Caleb in his SUV. She’d have to be quick. He’d be buzzing the intercom any moment. She sprinted to the house, fumbled with the back door lock and let herself in. Kicking off her climbing shoes, she pushed them with her bare foot into a closet and threw her rucksack and ski mask in too. No time to change out of the catsuit, though. She looked at the mirror in the front hallway, let her hair down and wiped a slight sweat off her brow with her sleeve.

  The intercom sounded. She looked at the video screen. She answered, slightly breathless. “Hi Caleb. I’ll just open the gates. Come on up.”

  “Sure thing,” replied Caleb. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You sounded a bit out of breath.”

  “Just finished a workout.”

  ‘Okay. See you in a second.”

  There was a knock at the front door. Jessica answered, and she gestured for him to come in.

  He looked her up and down and his face lit up in a big, toothy smile. “Nice outfit. That what you bought at the store today.”

  “Could be.”

  “Put it on just for me, did you?”

  “I was working out in it.”

  “Interesting choice of exercise wear. Looks real tight. What are you training for? A pole dancing career?”

  “Very funny,” she replied, hand on hip. “And, yes, it is tight.”

  “In all the right places, I see.”

  “Thank you. You been working out as well?”

  He ran his palm over his hair and checked it for moisture. “ I just took a quick shower when I got off duty.”

  “Do that for me, did you?”

  “Never know when you’ll get lucky. Best to be prepared.”

  Jessica felt a sudden urge to kiss him. She wasn’t sure why. She hadn’t really expected anything to happen tonight. But the thrill of her little escapade to Szabo’s lodge, her feeling kind of sexy in her catsuit, and, she guessed, just the fact that Caleb had cared enough to come over after a long shift to make sure she was okay. She couldn’t help but love him for that. Plus he looked pretty hot. And she’d always loved that smile of his. He was the one lawman she might be willing to give up her cat burglary career for. What the hell. She liked to live dangerously. “You just gonna stand there and admire me from a distance, or you gonna to help me get out of this thing?”

  Caleb needed no further encouragement. He stepped towards her, his hands reaching towards her hips. “That’s what we law enforcement officers do, you know.”

  “W
hat?”

  “Help women out of tight situations.”

  “Chivalry isn’t dead, Sir Caleb.”

  “Wait till you see my lance,” he said, as he pulled her towards him.

  Chapter Three

  Charles Szabo let the applause of the audience wash all over him. He loved the limelight, and never more than when it was an audience of his peers. The biggest names in world finance, as well as senators and congressmen, Fortune 500 CEOs, and foreign leaders. They were all here tonight to listen to what he had to say about the world economy. He’d been bullish, of course. He always was. He’d told them exactly what they wanted to hear. More deregulation. Freeing up the banks. Letting them do whatever they wanted to do. No holds barred, buccaneering, free market capitalism. He loved talking about money, and they’d loved it when he announced the details of his latest deal. He couldn’t wait until his keynote address on Thursday. Even the President would be there.

  Once the cheers and the clapping had died down, he went back to his seat, and knocked back a glass of whiskey. He glanced at his Rolex. He’d have to suffer the dinner for the next hour or so. But then he’d leave. Once off stage, he usually didn’t care to stay too long. It didn’t interest him to listen to anyone else’s speech. Why would he? He had the answers. The more thoughtful politicians and economists, with their talk of more regulation and increased taxes for the rich, were idiots. What the hell did they know? He’s once joked with a Senator that he’d be more than happy to pay double what he was paying in tax right now. And as he was currently paying no tax at all, double a zero, and you’d still get a big fat zero. Taxes were for the little people.