I almost leap into my car and speed out of the parking lot. I already told Dane Sterling I'd be late. I hadn't been expecting to talk to the damn owner when I called in to work, but he was nice enough. Now I'll have to call him and tell him I won't be there for at least two or three days, if all goes according to plan. I'm not so sure how nice he'll be after that.
I bring my car to an abrupt halt, and I hop out before the engine even has time to register I've cut it off. Dad jumps a little when I barge through the door, and I scour the space for Brody, making sure he's nowhere around.
"Raya?" he asks worriedly. "What's wrong?"
I spot Brody through the back window. He's perched up on the palm tree while he smokes. That's plenty far enough away.
I turn back toward my father, feeling serious, ready, and a little pissed. "I need your help."
"Of course. What's going on?"
I take a deep breath to utter the words I never thought I would.
"We need to set up a con."
Chapter 18
The Conman's Daughter
The look of pure shock on my father's face would be funny any other time, but I don't feel like smiling right now.
"Raya, I can't help you run a con. You can't go down the same path-"
"Kade's family's vineyard is being stolen from them as we speak," I say to interrupt, rolling my eyes. "I want to steal it back."
He visibly relaxes, making me frown. I can't believe he thought I just wanted to swindle away some cash.
"Then that's a different story. Give me the details."
Very quickly, I toss out everything I know in short, rushed spurts, keeping an eye on Brody the entire time.
"What sort of security do they have?"
"State of the art, but I think we can run through it with a simple hack."
"And you think his will is in the safe?" Dad asks while jotting down different key points.
"I know it is, but it's an Annex Goliath. A decoding device will send it into total lockdown. If I don't manually get the code right on the third try, we'll need drills-"
"Absolutely not," Brody interjects, startling the hell out of me and making Dad groan.
I just checked on him like two seconds ago.
"You have me bugged, don't you?" Dad growls, glowering at the FBI nuisance who's fucking with my plan. Brody just smirks while cocking an eyebrow that screams smug bastard. Then Dad c
ontinues, "I can't believe I didn't pick up on them."
"I'm better than the others," Brody releases with his haughtiest tone. Then he turns more serious while looking toward me. "No drills, no breaking through the security system. If you want to do this, I'll set up a sting operation, and we'll do it legally. Your father can't afford to get a strike this early on, and he'd happily go back to prison just to fix this mess your boyfriend is in."
"She's not breaking in to rob the place. She's stealing it back," Dad says in my defense, making Brody groan.
"Raya, make him understand," Brody says, looking toward me to be the voice of reason.
I cross my arms over my chest and offer him what has to be an incredulous look. "Make him understand what? I don't understand either. We're not breaking the law; we're upholding it by keeping the bad guys away from the good guys' stuff."
Brody scrubs his face with his hands as if he's exasperated, but I'm confused. How are we doing anything wrong?
"Look," he groans. "If the marriage certificate is real-"