Hi lovelies! It gives me great pleasure
today to host Michele Hauf and her new book, “The Thief”!
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post to enter to win some exciting prizes like a print copy of her featured
book, “The Thief,” and a $5 Amazon Gift Card!!
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fabulous giveaway!
The Thief
by Michele Hauf
Pub Date: 4/11/2017
The Elite Crimes Unit works
behind the scenes of Interpol—and employs some of the world’s most talented
criminal minds. Because as everyone knows, it takes a thief to catch a thief—or
to seduce one...
The old farmhouse in the French countryside is a
refuge for former jewel thief Josephine Deveraux. Admittedly, there aren’t many
men in the vicinity, but she has her cat to cuddle up with. It’s a far cry from
her former life, constantly running from the law, and she’s enjoying her peace
. . . until the intruder in the three-piece suit tackles her. He wants her back
in the game, helping with a heist—and he’s not above making threats to get his
way.
Little does Josephine know that notorious—and
notoriously charming—thief, Xavier Lambert, is after the very same 180-carat
prize she’s being blackmailed to steal. To his chagrin, he’s doing it not as a
free agent, but as a member of the Elite Crimes Unit—the team he was forced to
join when his brilliant career came to a sudden end. And little does Xavier
know that his comeback is about to include a stranger’s kiss, a stinging slap,
and a hunt for missing treasure—along with the infuriatingly sexy woman who’s
outfoxing him...
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Chapter 1
Josephine
Devereaux strode through the open front screen door into the kitchen. Creamy
golden evening light spread quiet warmth across the aged hardwood floors. The
old farmhouse had stood on this plot in the southern French countryside for
centuries. She’d had the pleasure of owning it for two years.
Setting
a clutch of fresh carrots pulled from the rain-damp garden into the sink, she
spun at a tiny meow. Behind her, the two-and-a-half-year-old Devon Rex cat with
soft, downy fur the color of faded charcoal batted at the hem of her long pink
skirt.
“Do
you want fish or chicken tonight, Chloe?”
She
opened the refrigerator to find the only option was diced chicken, left over
from last night’s supper. Her neighbor, Jean-Hugues, had butchered a rooster
yesterday morning and brought her half.
The
cat went at the feast she’d placed on a saucer with big elf ears wiggling
appreciatively. Chloe had come with the farmhouse. The couple moving out hadn’t
wanted to bring along a kitten on their overseas move to the United States. It
had been love at first purr for Josephine.
She
smiled at the quiet patter of rain. And then she frowned. “Mud,” she muttered.
And she hated housecleaning. She had never developed a domestic bone in her
body and didn’t expect to grow one.
She’d
spend the evening inside, maybe finish up the thriller she’d found on
Jean-Hugues’s bookshelf. He always encouraged her to take what she wanted—she
was a voracious reader of all topics—and she gave him vegetables from her
garden in return.
Not
that she was a master gardener. Jean-Hugues tended the garden, along with the
few rows of vines that produced enough grapes for one big barrel of wine.
Jean-Hughes was sixty, but he flirted with her in a non- confrontational,
just-for-fun manner, which she appreciated probably more than a
twenty-six-year-old woman should.
Living
so far from Paris made it difficult to find dateable men, let alone a hook-up
for a night of just-give-it-to-me-now-and-leave-before-the-sun- rises sex. But
that’s what grocery trips to the nearest village were for. If the mood struck,
she’d leave in the evening for eggs, bread, and a booty call, and find her way
out of bed and back home by morning.
Sighing,
Josephine forgot about the dirty carrots in the sink and padded barefoot to the
lumpy jacquard sofa that stretched before the massive paned window at the front
of the cottage. The window overlooked a cobblestone patio, which stretched
before the house and also served as a driveway, though no cars used it. She
didn’t own a car. And she never had visitors, save Jean-Hugues, and on occasion
the neighbors who lived on the other side of him. They were newlyweds,
Jean-Louis and Hollie, and they spent most of their time by themselves. And
that was exactly how Josephine preferred it.
She
picked up the book, and the creased spine flopped open to the last page she’d
read.
An
hour later, she had to squint to read because the sun had set. Splaying the
book across her chest, she closed her eyes and breathed in the fragrance of
rain on fieldstones. Chloe nestled near her foot, keeping her ankle warm. The
screen door, still open, squeaked lightly with the breeze. Everything was…
Peaceful?
Was that a word she was supposed to embrace? To somehow understand?
“I
am embracing it. Life is good.”
Or
rather, more different than she could have ever imagined it would be. She set
the book down, but the sound she heard was not of a paperback book hitting the
wood floor. Josephine closed her eyes to listen intently. The floor creaked
carefully above her, where the bathroom was located.
It
did not indicate the aches and pains of an aging house. This house had settled
long ago.
Curling
her hand beneath the sofa, she gripped the cool bone handle of the bowie knife
she’d tucked up into the torn fabric amongst the springs and pulled it out.
Pointing the blade down, she took a deep breath and stood up. Moving sinuously,
she crept around the end of the sofa. Her free hand skimmed over Chloe’s body,
comforting and promising she’d return. The cat purred but thankfully didn’t
follow.
Upstairs, it was silent. Josephine wasn’t
easily spooked by natural noises, but that had not been a natural noise. And
she wasn’t unnerved now. Just…. annoyed.
This
was her sanctuary. No one knew where she had disappeared two years ago. Very
few had known her location before that. But since then, she’d completely erased
herself from the grid. Therefore, whoever was stupid enough to break in was
looking to rob a random person. And they had to know she was home, which meant
the intruder did not fear an altercation.
Tough
luck for that idiot.
On
the other hand, she had only herself to blame for leaving the ladder up against
the north wall after knocking down a wasp nest this morning. Approaching the
stairway, which was worn in the center of the stone risers from decades of use,
Josephine tugged up her maxi skirt and tucked in one side at the waist to keep
from tangling her legs in the long, floaty fabric. The stairs were fashioned
from limestone; no creaks would give away her position. Barefoot, she padded up
six steps to a landing. Ahead, around a sharp right turn, rose another five
steps to the second floor.
Hearing
the creak of a leather sole, she realized the intruder had stepped onto the
stairs. But where was he? Waiting for her to spin around the corner? He
probably thought she was still downstairs relaxing on the couch.
Which
gave her the advantage.
With
her right arm thrust out, knife blade cutting the air, she rushed forward. As
she turned the corner on the stairway, the intruder grabbed her wrist, forcing
it upward to deflect the blade from stabbing his face.
Josephine
yanked her arm back, causing the intruder to lose his balance. His weight
crushed her against the plaster wall, and they struggled on the landing.
Although it was dark in the stairway, she could see that he wasn’t an average
intruder—most tended to not wear three-piece suits. He was about her height and
lean. She did not doubt she could take him out.
He
managed a weak knee to her gut, but she didn’t even wince. She rammed her head
against his shoulder. He twisted his waist, knocking her off-balance. They
spilled backward. Her hip landed his thigh as they slid down the stone stairs.
They
landed on the kitchen floor, Josephine on her stomach, with the intruder on top
of her. The knife flew out of her hand and skittered across the floor, landing
before Chloe’s toes. The cat bent to sniff the weapon.
“Chloe,
no!” she shouted. The cat scampered under the sofa.
The
intruder grabbed Josephine by the hair at her neck and lifted her head. Just
when he would have smashed her face against the floor, she kicked him right
between the legs. His fingers instantly released the pinching hold on her neck.
He swore and dropped beside her.
Scrambling
across the floor, she grabbed the knife and stood, flicking on the light switch
on the wall, and moving to stand over the attacker.
“What
the hell?” she gasped. “You?”
A
man she knew well, and had trusted enough to let down her guard and actually
date, offered her an imperious smile. He swore and rubbed his crotch. “Your aim
has always been spot on, Jo-Jo. Ah fuck.”
His
head dropped. His eyes closed. Passed out from the pain? Josephine inched
closer and leaned over him. With the tip of the knife, she prodded him at the
temple.
The
man’s hand whipped up and grabbed her long hair, jerking her off balance and
swinging her to the floor. He slammed her knife hand on the floor so hard, she
let go. Grabbing the knife, he pressed it against her left breast, right over
her heart.
“I
have a proposition for you, Jo-Jo.”
No
one had called her that in over two years. And hearing it now conjured up dread
and regret. But along with those feelings, there was the sudden rush of
adrenaline that always came with the game. She’d walked away from the game, and
this man’s world of larceny and lies. And she didn’t intend to walk back into
it—or be forced.
“Funny,
your last proposition had me running for the hills.” Away from the engagement
ring he had offered like a tempting sweet. She wasn’t that kind of girl. The
domestic, let-a-man-own-you type. Her mother’s horrible choice in men had
taught her a few lessons. “Never thought I’d see you again.”
He
winced. “Your refusal wounded me, Jo-Jo. But I’m able to put past mistakes
aside. I need you for a job.”
A
mistake? More so on her part than his. But with his narcissism, he’d never care
that she did have feelings, and she could be hurt. Hell, it had taken her two
years living alone in the French countryside to realize that herself.
She
splayed out her arms and closed her eyes in surrender. “Just kill me, Lincoln.
That’s the only way this will ever happen.”
“I
assumed as much. You like living the hard way? Out here in the sticks? I’ll
give you that. But you owe me, Jo-Jo. For saying no.”
“Seriously?”
Since when did a woman owe a man because she’d refused his marriage proposal?
She
closed her eyes, inhaling the cool, ocean scent of his skin as the knife’s cool
metal disappeared from her body. “What the hell could you possibly want from
me?”
“There’s
a pretty bit of sparkle I need you to pick up for me. This Saturday. In Paris.”
Lincoln
was interested in the sparkly stuff? Since when? The man was into money
laundering and securities fraud.
Did
it matter? “Not interested.”
The
knife blade glinted from the light over the kitchen table. “One job and I’ll
never bother you again.”
“Since
when are you into jewel theft?”
“It’s
related to an offensive situation that could cast a black mark against my name.
I’d like to remedy that. But since you know where my expertise is focused, you
should also understand I have to bring in an expert for this particular heist.”
The
asshole could skim a million from a major stock as easily as gliding a knife
over butter. It was that talent that had initially attracted her. He was Robin
Hood, taking from the rich—but he’d never given to the poor. And that had been
a sticking point for her, a woman who had always tried to give away some of her
spoils to those in need.
An
offensive situation? She couldn’t imagine. And she didn’t want to know. “How’d
you find me?” she asked.
“I’ve
kept tabs on you since you went under. Did you actually think you could elude
me, Jo-Jo?”
“Don’t
call me that.”
“It’s
your name, Josephine.” He straddled her hips, and his grip at her shoulder
loosened. He let out a long, deep breath. It reminded too much of soft summer
mornings spent lazing under the sheets against his warm skin. “You never did
like this position,” he said. “Me on top.”
“You
have a thing about being the one in control.” “And you don’t?”
She
was in no mood to discuss her preference in sexual positions, or even to
converse with this man. But she remained still beneath him. The knife blade
pointed away from her; he’d let down his guard. She had only to bide her time.
“You
know I’m not in the trade anymore, Lincoln. If you need some sparklers, there
are other options.”
“Yes,
but I require discretion and quality work. You’re the only thief I know who can
do this job. I’ll even pay you.”
She
scoffed. “I know better. You are not a generous man. Leave.”
He
slapped her face. The smack rung in her ears, and Josephine’s gasp burned in
her throat. But she used the distraction to her advantage, jabbing her knee
into the femoral artery in his thigh. Always a painful spot. The knife clanked
on the stone floor. She twisted her body, slamming him onto the floor, and
landed both knees onto his torso. Grabbing the knife, she lifted it above her
head with both hands, aiming for his chest.
Lincoln
chuckled. His dark eyes twinkled in the cool evening shadows. Yeah, that was a
devastating twinkle, and he knew how to wield it. As he spread his arms out,
and she felt his chest relax beneath her knees, he said, “If I know one thing
about you, Jo-Jo, it’s that you are not a killer.” She tilted her head and
nodded. “Nope, I’m not so keen on taking life.
But
I don’t mind causing a little pain now and then.”
She
slammed her hands down. The knife pierced Lincoln’s Givenchy suit and nicked
bone as it entered his shoulder. He growled as she stood up over him.
“Get
the hell out of my home.” She stepped back and glanced around the room. Chloe
was still under the sofa. “Now!”
Gripping
his shoulder but leaving the blade in, Lincoln stood up, staggered, yet managed
a cool recovery. He swept a hand over his coal-black hair, slicked with pomade.
“You will do this job for me. I will be back.”
He
turned and stalked out, leaving the screen door swinging out over the
courtyard. Spots of blood dribbled on the floor and cobblestones in his wake.
As Josephine let out a long breath, she heard a car roll across the gravel
drive. Lincoln must have had a driver park at the end of the half-mile drive.
He had walked up and insinuated himself in her house as if he was a specter.
It
didn’t matter how he’d gained access. He’d crept back into her life. Not cool.
Josephine’s
instincts kicked into survival mode.
She
ran up the stairs and pulled a duffel bag out from the bedroom closet. Stuffing
it with shirts, pants, bras, and a Glock 42—a .380 automatic—she scrambled down
the stairs, calling for Chloe. The cat scampered out from under the sofa.
“I’m
sorry, sweetie, but my past just stopped by for a visit.”
And
she wasn’t stupid enough to sit around and wait for that return visit he had
promised. Because it would happen.
Ten
minutes later, she’d pulled the rusty ten-speed bicycle she used for grocery
trips out of the garage and pedaled up to Jean-Hugues’s cottage. She handed him
Chloe and bent to kiss the cat’s downy-soft head. “I need you to watch her for
a few days. I’m heading to Paris. I have some things to take care of.”
Like
finding a new place to live. The little apartment she owned in Paris’s 8th
arrondissement served as a safe house. It would provide cover until Dmitri, her
go-to man, could relocate her.
“Is everything okay?” Jean-Hugues asked as he
cuddled Chloe against his neck. He bent his head to allow the cat to nuzzle
against his five-o’clock shadow. “You are not in trouble, Josephine?”
Her
name always sounded whispery and sexy when he said it. Of course she’d let him
flirt with her. She’d considered kissing him once—a deep and lingering taste
from a wise and seasoned male—but had never gone beyond the thankful kiss to
his forehead or cheek.
“No,
not in trouble. Never.”
She’d
not told him why a young, single woman had suddenly moved out to the country to
do nothing more than read and bike, and spend her evenings cooking meals
straight from the garden alongside a sexy old Frenchman. He’d always accepted
that she had some secrets, as did everyone.
“I’m
going to pedal into town and catch a cab to Paris. I’ll be back in a few days
to pick up Chloe. Okay?”
“Of
course, mon petite chat is always welcome. We will have chicken and eggs for
breakfast, oui, Chloe?”
Josephine
stroked the cat’s head, then she leaned in to kiss Jean-Hugues’s cheek. “Merci.
I will not be long.”
*
* * *
Two
days later, Josephine took a cab back to Jean-Hugues’s place. She’d set up in
the Paris safe house and had contacted Dmitri. It would take a week to relocate
her to Berlin. She didn’t look forward to that—she didn’t speak German and the
city was dismal—but it wasn’t permanent. A quick layover that would provide
much-needed misdirection. All that mattered was getting out of France and going
under.
Again.
How
Lincoln had managed to keep tabs on her was incredible. She’d been careful.
Since moving to France with her mother when she was eight, she’d never been
issued a driver’s license or ID card. No internet presence, not even a credit
card. The only phones she used were pre-paid burners. Of course, she should
have expected Lincoln would not let her leave so easily. He’d been infatuated
with her. So quickly. It had freaked the hell out of her. She’d refused his
marriage proposal after dating only four weeks. She wasn’t the marrying type.
Domesticity gave her the hives. Sharing her life with a man sounded so evasive.
Since giving up thievery, she liked to keep her head down and her ass out of
trouble. And Lincoln wanting her to step back onto the scene now was not
keeping her head down.
She
directed the cabbie to turn off the headlights so they didn’t shine through her
neighbor’s bedroom window, then told him she’d be right out. She headed up the
walkway, then stopped.
The front door was open. Instinctively,
Josephine’s hand went to the gun she’d tucked in the back of her leather pants.
While she didn’t like guns, sometimes they were necessary. She pulled out the
small pistol she favored and held it pointed down near her thigh. She stepped
over the cracked stone threshold.
“Jean-Hugues?”
A
groan sounded from the living room. She hurried in to find the old man sitting
on the wood floor before the smoldering fireplace. Blood dribbled from his
forehead and had stained his upper lip. He smiled up at her, but then winced.
“Jean-Hugues,
what happened? When did this happen?” It must have been Lincoln. Had to be. Had
she passed him on the road coming here?
“They
were here not too long ago. I am so sorry, Josephine.
They
took Chloe.”
Heart
dropping, she bent before Jean-Hugues and touched his forehead. He’d been
punched, and probably cut with a ring. Not a deep cut, but it must hurt
terribly.
“A
man with dark hair asked for you. I told him I didn’t know where you were. He
had two thugs with him. Why did they take the cat?” he asked, spreading his
hands. “I don’t understand.”
It
was a means to force her to do the job. Lincoln was a ruthless bastard.
Hurting
an old man to get to her was beyond cruel.
“I’m
sorry, Jean-Hugues. Let me get that first-aid kit out of your bathroom and
we’ll take care of you.”
“No,
I am fine. Just a cut and maybe a few bruised ribs.”
“They
beat you?” She stood and pressed the gun grip against her temple. “That
bastard.”
“Why
do you have a gun, Josephine? Who were those men?” Josephine clenched her jaw.
“My past.”
If I hadn't become a writer
I would have had two career choices: Brain surgeon or jewel thief.
I feel quite
certain both professions aren't too upset I instead decided to go with the
words on the page option.
When I'm not
writing fiction, I read a lot of non-fiction, and am always attracted to
anything and everything on the brain or how to get away with a heist. I mean
seriously, how cool is it to learn about neurological disorders and how the
brain can be damaged yet survive and even change a person's life for the better
(but not always)? Or if the intricacies of the meninges and the Circle of
Willis don't catch my interest I pick up a guide on cracking safes, or picking
locks. Can I admit I have my own lockpicking set? I use it only as a hobby.
(Because honestly, I haven't been able to crack the front door lock yet, so how
do you think I'd actually be out in the real world?) ;-)
There is
something so sexy about a thief in an expensive suit, walking into a crowded
ballroom and assessing each and every person for the ease and value his
attention to them would return. A strand of diamonds around a woman's neck? Who
is she talking to? Does she have a lover on her arm? Is her hair long enough to
hide his actions? Might she take to his flirtations for the few moments
required to pocket the jewels?
Michele Hauf has been writing romance,
action-adventure and fantasy stories for over twenty years. Her first published
novel was Dark Rapture (Zebra). France, musketeers, vampires and faeries
populate her stories. And if she followed the adage “write what you know,” all
her stories would have snow in them. Fortunately, she steps beyond her comfort
zone and writes about countries she has never visited and of creatures she has
never seen.
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