Heist

Chapter 2

GRIFFIN

It was an oddly humid day for the middle of October. The streets were bustling- children running around, couples eating dinner on patios, dogs chasing cats, teenagers shopping.

Griffin strode passed the clay buildings, gazing about as he walked. The damp heat wasn't bothering him, but he decided to head into a shop anyway. He pushed the door open and a pleasant-looking brunette smiled at him from the counter. She greeted him and continued to chat with a blonde woman, who was oddly wearing shades indoors, while ringing up her items.

Griffin realized he had walked into a delicatessen and was about to retreat when he vaguely recognized the blonde. She gave him a small, forced smile as she rushed out of the door. He frowned at her scent, but didn't pursue her. Instead, he strolled over to the counter to ask the brunette about nearby restaurants.

"There's quiet a few shops and restaurants in this area that are pretty good. I recommend La Cantina. It's a few blocks away. Amazing atmosphere. Amazing food," the brunette gave him a wink and helped the next person in line.

Griffin thanked her and walked back out into the busy street. He was hit with a wave of nostalgia as he realized who the blonde was and he took off in pursuit of her, but her scent stopped in an alley at a dead end. He swore a string of curse words that would have put a sailor to shame and scolded himself for not following the woman straight away. Sighing, he headed back to the hotel.

It wasn't a far walk, about fifteen minutes or so along the uneven brick road. When he got to Sapphire Hotel, Nicole, the receptionist grinned at him. He flashed her one of his panty-dropping smiles and took the elevator to his room.

Nash and Thatcher were sitting on the couch watching a hockey game. Griffin rolled his eyes at them and closed the door.

"How'd your sightseeing go?" Nash asked, not bothering to look up from the screen.

Thatch took a whiff of the air and turned around so fast in his seat, the guys thought he pulled something.

"Where were you?" He demanded.

He stood up, sniffing like the dog he was as he walked toward Griffin, who knitted his eyebrows together and pursed his lips. Thatcher looked like he lost his mind.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You smell like my mate," he replied. "Where did you go?"

"I was at the plaza. There were so many people there, honestly, I'm not sure who it could have been. What does it smell like?"

"Like sugar cookies," Thatch said softly.

Griffin nodded. "Hm. Well, let's walk around and see if we can find her."

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MARIPOSA

Mare stepped out of the shower and wrapped a thick towel around her body. She wrapped another around her hair and looked in the mirror. Her butt was slightly rounder than most and the towel didn't quite wrap around all the way so she had to tuck in an end under her armpit. She shrugged at her reflection and sprinted to her room, water dripping on the porcelain tiles lining the hall.

Penny was lying on her bed, her head hanging off the edge as she stared upside-down at the door. She was dressed formally in a deep purple sequined dress and her hair curled, which was floating loosely and brushing slightly against the carpet. Mare chuckled and pulled out a long, strapless, aqua and silver dress and underwear from her backpack. She went into the closet to get dressed while Penny waited on her bed. She quickly put on some makeup and spun around to check herself out. She blew her reflection a kiss and headed back to her room.