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And in her defense, she’d almost gotten away with stealing that pack of Oreos from the Gas n’ Guzzle. If she hadn’t been starving and could’ve waited until she got outside the store to start eating them, the store clerk would’ve believed her. But it was hard to say someone else had stolen the cookies when you had Oreo debris all over your fingers and face.
But she’d laid a convincing lie—delivered with the skill of a master thespian—at Natty’s feet, and the woman had immediately stomped all over it. She was like a human lie detector or something.
Tenley knew she shouldn’t worry about it. Knox obviously trusted this woman with his life. So, having her in on the truth of their plan was most likely not going to be an issue.
Still…it made her wonder if she was going soft.
Getting caught in a lie was bad enough. But crying when Knox was reunited with his dog? Practically swooning when he smiled at her?
What the hell was the matter with her?
See, this was why liking a mark was a bad, bad idea. And the sordid, sad truth was that she did like Knox.
Here was a good, honest guy who’d been framed for embezzlement, but did the time without complaint. He didn’t even want revenge, for Christ’s sake. All he wanted was his dog and enough money to start a new life, far from the bad memories of his old one.
It was selfish of her to stay. The ten percent of his inheritance they’d negotiated wouldn’t mean anything to her lifestyle. She didn’t need it. But she never did anything for free. Not even for a guy she liked.
It was something she’d learned from an early age. Everything was transactional. There was no such thing as unconditional love. Even in families.
Hell, especially in families.
So, helping Knox for free was out of the question. And leaving at this point just felt…wrong. She’d committed to helping him, after all. It certainly wasn’t because she thought he looked freakin’ adorable sitting on the floor, cradling a giant black Lab in his arms like a baby.
Natty handed her a cup of Earl Grey and took a seat across from her at the tiny, fifties-style dinette table between the kitchen and living room. “So, tell me the whole story,” she said with a stern, motherly tone that made Tenley feel a little squirmy.
Knox gave Layla a kiss on her furry black head. “Nat, I told you—”
She held up her hand. “Shush, boy. I’m talking to Tenley.”
By the time the story—the whole story—stopped spilling from her lips, Tenley wondered if Natty had put truth serum in the tea. She’d caught Natty up on everything that had happened in her life since she first set eyes on Knox, including getting handcuffed to their hotel bed. It was…embarrassing.
And through it all, Natty watched her every expression, listened to her every word, and studied her like she was a bug stuck to a board in a science class. It was eerie, and honestly, Tenley was jealous. If she could do what Natty had just done to her, she would be completely unstoppable. And there was very little chance that she’d use her power for good instead of evil.
When she finally, blessedly, fell silent, Natty nodded thoughtfully, set her tea down, took a deep breath, and…cackled so loud it startled a fart out of Layla.
Tenley glanced over at Knox, wide-eyed and panicked. Holy crap, she’d just broken his best friend. Was he going to be pissed at her for breaking his best friend?
But Knox just shook his head fondly and waited for Natty to compose herself. It took several minutes.
When Natty’s laughs died down to occasional guffaws and she’d wiped away all her tears, she said, “Well, now I see why you lied to me at the door. The lie was more believable than the truth!”
Harsh. True, but harsh. Tenley gave her a palms-up, what-the-hell gesture. “You’re not wrong. But I’m sorry. For the lie, I mean.”
“Oh, honey, no. I get it,” Natty said. “Anything you can do to help Knox get what’s his is appreciated.”
She leaned forward. “So, I know you haven’t worked for Thadeus for a while, but how much do you know about him?”
“I know a lot,” she said. “And I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
And suddenly, Tenley felt back in control. Back in her element. Because there was no one better to have on your side in a con than a smart woman with an axe to grind—and that’s exactly what Natty was.
She tented her fingers like Mr. Burns. “Excellent. Tell me everything.”
CHAPTER 12
Tenley looked ridiculously adorable sitting in bed in his pool house with Layla draped over her legs, a pen tucked behind her ear, and a notebook full of plans and schemes in front of her.
Knox was learning more about her every minute he spent with her, and he wasn’t sure that was a good thing. Because the more he learned, the more he liked her. And something told him that for most people, liking Tenley ended with them losing their money, their jobs, or whatever else she wanted to take from them.
