{"id":27163,"date":"2021-04-29T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/?p=27163"},"modified":"2021-04-28T18:16:15","modified_gmt":"2021-04-28T23:16:15","slug":"wotr21-newrelease-excerpt-it-takes-a-thief-by-sloane-steele","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/?p=27163","title":{"rendered":"#WOTR21 #NewRelease #excerpt – IT TAKES A THIEF by Sloane Steele"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sloane Steele<\/strong> is the pen name for Shannyn Schroeder.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Today we are celebrating the release of IT TAKES A THIEF by Sloane Steele. This is a romantic suspense title, and it is the first book in the Counterfeit Capers<\/em> series.<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Add it to your TBR Pile<\/a>.<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

Purchase IT TAKES A THIEF<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/i>Here:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Amazon<\/a> | Nook<\/a> | Kobo<\/a> | Apple<\/a> | GooglePlay<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

—————-<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n
When catching a thief requires becoming one. <\/em>Jared Towers has skills. One of them is being able to talk his way out of\u2014or into\u2014anything. Audrey Abbott has skills, too. Need something hacked and only the best will do? She\u2019s your girl. He\u2019s charming. She\u2019s reclusive. They have absolutely nothing in common\u2014except for a driving desire to take care of those who need it the most. For Jared, that means assembling a team of thieves to steal back what rightfully belongs to the victims of a crime perpetrated by his own father. For Audrey, it means doing whatever she can to make sure her grandma never has to worry again. And now they have something else in common: the art heist of the century. It was supposed to be all business. Get in and get out, then move on to the next target. But when Jared finds himself falling for Audrey, artwork isn\u2019t the only thing at risk of being stolen… Counterfeit Capers Book 1: It Takes a Thief <\/em>Book 2: Between Two Thieves<\/em><\/div>\n

\"\" <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

At noon, Mia entered the apartment carrying bags of food for lunch. His cousin might not like the people he\u2019d hired, but she was always the consummate host. She glanced around as if to take note of the lack of Data\u2019s presence. Before she could comment, the bell rang.<\/p>\n

He met Data at the door. He didn\u2019t want another scene between Data and Mia. For some inexplicable reason, he was protective of Data. \u201cI\u2019ve sent five grand to your usual account. You need to quit the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need that job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you don\u2019t. You\u2019ll make plenty from us. You at least have to take a leave of absence while we\u2019re doing this. It\u2019s not negotiable.\u201d He couldn\u2019t understand why she was working a menial job that didn\u2019t even utilize her skills, but now was not the time to ask.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this her doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an expectation we have of all of you. We\u2019re under a tight deadline. We need your undivided attention.\u201d He looked closely at her face. She looked even more exhausted than she had yesterday. \u201cWhat time did you start today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFour a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to be able to focus?\u201d<\/p>\n

She crossed her arms. \u201cWhat time did you get up for your day of world domination?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFour thirty, but I\u2019m not the one walking around with dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine. I\u2019ll make sure to apply some makeup tomorrow to look more presentable.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed and shook his head. \u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant. I don\u2019t have a problem with the way you look.\u201d Just the opposite. I want to spend far too much time looking at you. \u201cI\u2019m concerned that you\u2019re not taking care of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m good. I take care of myself just fine.\u201d She pointed to the apartment behind him. \u201cLet\u2019s do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great. Now he\u2019d pissed her off. He needed to take a page from his own book and relax when it came to these players. They\u2019d chosen people who work alone and now they were expecting an instantaneous team, but it would take a little time. Hopefully not too much. He\u2019d have to put his attraction aside because Data no longer seemed all that interested.<\/p>\n

In the kitchen, Mia had a full spread of food. Three kinds of salad, cold cuts, cheeses, a dessert tray. \u201cHelp yourself,\u201d she said as she walked to the couch carrying a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n

While Mia might see it as a sign of weakness to eat in front of Data and Nikki, he dove in. As usual, Nikki piled a plate high with food. He had no idea how she managed to eat so much. Data made a simple sandwich and wrapped it in a napkin.<\/p>\n

Sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, Nikki took a bite of sandwich and said, \u201cShoot. Give us the deets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mia inhaled slowly. \u201cAs you know, we\u2019ve hired you to steal a painting. Data, your job will be to bypass the security system to get Nikki in and out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it? All the buildup for that?\u201d Nikki sounded disappointed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat were you hoping for?\u201d Mia asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. Something more spectacular than steal a painting.\u201d<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Jay brushed his hands together and then tapped on the keyboard. Audrey watched his fingers fly over the keys. She knew it was weird, but she always found it sexy when a man could type without chicken pecking. Admittedly, her standards were pretty low.<\/p>\n

Focus. He\u2019s the boss. Plus, he just got done telling me that I look like ass. She pushed down her obnoxious inner voice and forced her attention to the TV.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a little more than that,\u201d he said. On the screen, an image of a huge house\u2014a mansion really. \u201cThis is the house. Not only will you steal a painting, but you\u2019ll replace it with a forgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nikki sat up straighter. \u201cWell, that\u2019s a little more interesting. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the owner doesn\u2019t realize he\u2019s been robbed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nikki\u2019s whole face frowned. \u201cWhere\u2019s the fun in that? When I get one over on someone, I want him to know. I want to push his nose in my superiority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t about proving your superiority,\u201d Ms. Green said.<\/p>\n

And she would know all about a superiority complex.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what?\u201d Nikki continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoney. Pure and simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audrey listened to what the woman said, but she wasn\u2019t buying it. The Greens were not like her and Nikki. They didn\u2019t need money. They looked like they stepped off the set of a nighttime soap opera. There was more to the situation than they were letting on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s doing the forgery?\u201d Nikki asked.<\/p>\n

Audrey didn\u2019t much care. She knew next to nothing about art. She wouldn\u2019t be able to tell a fake from the original.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot your concern,\u201d Mia said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be providing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019re supposed to trust that this forger is good enough that no one will be able to tell?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll make sure of it,\u201d Mia said confidently.<\/p>\n

The woman was so confident that Audrey wondered if she was the forger.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot to sound like a bitch, or anything, but I\u2019ve stolen plenty of things in my life. Why do I need you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have access to clientele who are interested in this particular painting.\u201d Jay rose with a smile and crossed the room.<\/p>\n

Audrey could imagine him in a boardroom owning everything. He commanded attention. She couldn\u2019t take her eyes off him. He wasn\u2019t a huge guy, maybe five-ten and fit, but not physically imposing. It was the way he carried himself, as if he could do whatever he wanted and no one would question him. And if they did, he wouldn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cMasterpieces are rarely stolen. When they are, they\u2019re usually found and returned quickly. Part of the reason is that it\u2019s hard to fence a priceless work of art.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr you could just ransom it instead of fencing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRansom?\u201d Audrey asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou steal a painting and as soon as they discover it\u2019s missing you call and demand a ransom for the safe return.\u201d Nikki chuckled. \u201cI\u2019ve done it with the same Dali three times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dali? So much for masterpieces not being stolen. Audrey had no reason to doubt Nikki. She\u2019d come across the woman\u2019s name in passing, although they didn\u2019t travel or work in the same circles. Where Audrey flew under the radar, Nikki liked to let everyone know how fabulous she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes this different? As far as fencing it,\u201d Audrey asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe. I have access to the right people,\u201d Jay said.<\/p>\n

When his dark eyes met hers, she saw a spark of excitement.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who won\u2019t care that it\u2019s stolen,\u201d Nikki said. \u201cYou sound like you have a plan, but we get paid up front.\u201d She flipped a thumb toward Audrey.<\/p>\n

Audrey felt an odd kinship with Nikki, like they were in this together. Which in a way they were, separate from the Greens.<\/p>\n

————–<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"\" \u00a0 Sloane Steele<\/strong> is the pen name for Shannyn Schroeder. Shannyn is a part-time English teacher, part-time curriculum editor, and full-time mom, even though her kids are pretty self-sufficient teens. In her down time, she bakes cookies, reads romance, and watches far too much TV. For more information about Sloane\u2019s and Shanyn\u2019s books, visit her main website: https:\/\/ShannynSchroeder.com <\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

Website<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Newsletter<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sloane Steele is the pen name for Shannyn Schroeder. Today we are celebrating the release of IT TAKES A THIEF by Sloane Steele. This is a romantic suspense title, and it is the first book in the Counterfeit Capers series. Add it to your TBR Pile. Purchase IT TAKES A THIEF \u00a0Here: Amazon | Nook … Continue reading #WOTR21 #NewRelease #excerpt – IT TAKES A THIEF by Sloane Steele<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[49],"tags":[1105,1277],"class_list":["post-27163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-suspense","tag-shannyn-schroeder","tag-sloane-steele"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/twinsietalk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/wotr21banner2.jpg?fit=2048%2C1069&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paSW8H-747","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27164,"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27163\/revisions\/27164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twinsietalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}