Hustle (Book 1 in The Hunted Hearts) - SYTYCW Winner #action #comedy #romance

Hustle | Chapter 1

Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved

Hustle By Claire Chilton

1

The Heist

As alarms blared throughout Hawkins Hall, Ellie Phillips dropped the stone tablet she was trying to steal from the glass case in front of her. She winced as it bounced across the Persian rug. Relieved to see that the tablet was still in one piece, she scooped it up and slipped it inside her handbag. The clasp of her outsize clutch barely snapped shut around it.

Her heart hammered as she heard footsteps pounding up the sweeping staircase outside the room. She spun around to stare at the panel of wires that had been concealed behind an oil painting of an old cargo ship.

I cut all the alarms. I know I did!

The professional in her itched to check the schematics and go over the wiring again, but the time for that had passed. She exhaled a frustrated sigh. She had locked the door behind her as a precaution, but she had assumed that she would evade the notice of Hawkins Hall's formidable security staff when she disabled the alarms. Now they were pounding down the door and the police were probably on their way.

Meyer had given her an easy job. All she had to do was get into Hawkins Hall, grab an Incan tablet and get out, but she'd somehow managed to bollocks it up. Well, the only thing to do now was escape. She'd have to figure out what had gone wrong later. She frowned as she scanned the room for an exit route. Strolling out of the building disguised as a guest wasn't a viable option anymore.

She glanced at the window, narrowing her eyes. With the door blocked by angry-sounding security guards, it was the only available exit.

She inhaled sharply as she leaned out into the evening air. It was a four-story drop. Glancing sideways, she saw a narrow ledge beneath the windowsill that led around the corner of the manor house. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to pop the bubble of panic that was growing in her throat.

This is insane.

Something heavy collided with the locked door behind her, galvanizing her into action.

She scrambled through the open window and struggled to balance on the narrow ledge, teetering on towering Louboutin heels. She took a few precious seconds to regain her footing before she closed the window.

The silk frock she'd bought to fit in with the charity-auction crowd did nothing to protect her from the gusts of cold wind that were blasting across the English countryside. She took one tiny step sideways, and then ventured another while forcing herself not to look down.

Just get around the corner, and they won't know you're here.

Her stomach twisted in cold fear as she edged around the corner of the building, clawing at the brickwork for any kind of handhold. She held her breath when she heard the window slide open behind her as she cleared the corner.

She froze in position, breathing a sigh when she heard the window slamming shut.

I got away with it!

Her moment of triumph was cut short when she heard the commotion coming from the grounds below. Security guards, no doubt. But they were down there, and she was up here. Her immediate concern was getting back inside Hawkins Hall.

She pressed herself against the damp limestone and carefully continued her way along the ledge. She almost lost her footing when another gust of cold wind blasted into her. When she threw a hand back against the wall to steady herself, she felt a window frame. Running her hand over the painted surface, she discovered it appeared to be open an inch or two.