Chapter One
On all fours, Maggie ignored the footsteps coming up behind her, with no more than a fleeting thought to her rear end which was sticking up high in the air as she struggled with a stubborn bolt, the front half of her body wedged behind the wood paneling. Her fingers cramped as she felt around to try and loosen the connection, working blind in the near dark of the enclosure. Nearly there… and then the last of the stuck bolts twisted free. She finished and pulled herself out of the opening in the wall only to find her new client standing there with another man at his side.
Perfect. She hauled herself to her feet and dusted her hands off on the legs of her jeans, trying to ignore the raised eyebrows on her client and the analytical look of the stranger, whose eyes drifted past her face to somewhere just above her head. Casually, she reached up and tried to smooth her hair. Uncontrollable to begin with, it seemed to have picked up a miscellany of cobwebs and dust. She managed to keep her groan from escaping. Nice first impression.
Iain MacCraigh’s lips quirked into an amused smile. “I’m sorry to be bothering ye when ye’re working, but I wanted to introduce ye to Conall Stewart. He’s in charge of computer security for all my businesses and home, so ye’ll need to integrate the work ye’ll be doing here on the museum with his existing systems.”
So, this was the computer genius Iain had mentioned. She wasn’t sure how she felt about having a stranger involved in her project, but at least he was good—really good. Not one to leave things to chance when it came to her work, she’d researched Conall thoroughly after Iain first told her they’d be working together, and she was impressed. Not an easy thing to do.
She considered herself to be at the top in her field, and if she was going to be stuck working with him, then at least he knew what he was doing. As a woman in the male-dominated field of high-end security, she was damned if she’d have her hard-earned reputation damaged by working with someone who wasn’t up to snuff. And she sure as hell wouldn’t risk the Highlander’s Hope, a treasure of priceless value. The system she was putting in for the museum Iain was building would incorporate her most advanced designs and equipment.
With a smile, Maggie shook Conall’s hand as she took him in, her gaze wandering over his handsome form. There was certainly something about the man that had her pulse kicking. “It’s a pleasure.”
His hair was just long and wavy enough to have a mind of its own, the color of it like honey and aged whisky. Yet it was his eyes that held her attention. A warm amber flecked with gold and chocolate, lit from within with a fire and intelligence. He was tall and well-built for someone who sat at a computer all day, and his scruffy stubble made her want to reach out and run her fingers across his strong jawline.
This could be fun—except for the fact that the man looked far too serious for his own good. With luck, she’d get him to pull the stick out of his arse. Life was too short to not take full advantage of all it had to offer—a lesson she’d learned the hard way.
Conall mumbled a half-hearted greeting in response, before giving Iain a quick glance. “I’d like to get started if ye don’t mind. There’s a lot to be done, especially if we’re to have everything ready and in place for the New Year’s ribbon cutting.”
Iain turned to her with a consoling smile, his eyebrows flicking up in a way that said better you than me. “Well then… I’ll not delay ye any further. If ye need me for anything, I’ll be back at the house. Cat will be back later this afternoon, so don’t be too surprised if ye find her snooping around. Good day to the both of ye.”
Once Iain had gone, Conall stood there, his eyes locked on hers. “Maggie Brennan, aye? Twenty-seven. Head of Brennan Securities out of Dublin, Ireland. Co-founded with yer father, Liam Brennan, though he acts as more of a consultant. Ye graduated top of yer class from Trinity at the early age of eighteen, and have won several awards for yer innovative designs and inventions. Three younger brothers, one who works for ye. Unmarried, no children. And ye drive a motorcycle—far too fast if yer speeding tickets are anything to go by.”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, pinning him with an unwavering gaze, amusement fighting with the slight annoyance that wanted to rear its ugly head. So the boy had done his homework. Fair enough. But she was no gombeen.
Her lips tugged into a hint of a smile. “Conall Stewart… Twenty-eight. Founder and sole employee of Stewart Technologies. Graduated from MIT before returning back home to Dunmuir, Scotland, where you were born and raised. You’re specialty is hacking into company networks to find their vulnerabilities so you can then reinforce their systems. Never been married, and ye have no sprogs. Parents are divorced, one younger sister. Ye live alone in a home you own outright, and ye drive your Audi far too slow—if your lack of speeding tickets are anything to go by.”
“Hmph.” He looked her over for what felt like a very long time, but she held her ground and his gaze. When he spoke, it was still with no humor, as if he was tolerating her because he had no choice. “Might as well get started then.”
By the gods, serious as he was, she was going to love pushing his buttons. She grabbed her bag of tools and headed across the room, leaving him to follow as he would. She glanced over at him, a smile breaking through to the surface, unable to remain serious for long.
“So do ye always look like ye swallowed sour milk or is the pleasure all mine?” That got her a glare, and she had to laugh. “I’m just yanking your tail. Curious to see what ye might look like if ye actually smiled a bit. Bet you’d be handsome. Or are ye worried ‘bout the wrinkles? They’ve got creams for that, ye know.”
His mouth pursed into a thin line. “I’m here to work, aye? Not to socialize. So if ye don’t mind…”
Her anger sparked and bristled just below the surface as she stopped and pinned him with an icy stare. Reminding herself that she’d be working with Conall for the foreseeable future, she bit back the sarcastic remarks that wanted to spew forth, and told herself to let it go, knowing she was overreacting.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down a notch or two, though when she spoke it was through gritted teeth. “Just so we’re clear—nothing gets in the way of my work. Nothing. Don’t take my humor and amiable mood for disinterest or incompetence. It’ll be a mistake you’ll regret.”
Was it… could it be? Her eyes must be deceiving her. A smile tugged at his lips. “I’ve no doubt ye could make me regret many a thing, lass. Now if we could get back to work—please—I’d greatly appreciate it.”
If she were being generous, she might even take that as a sort of apology. She grinned, her anger dissipating and her humor back. “Happy to oblige ye.”
As they moved through the construction area, Maggie looked around at the progress being made. Though she was there to tackle the technical end of the security system for the museum, the bulk of the project fell to the construction crew who’d be transforming the old church ruins on the MacCraigh land, and rebuilding them into a museum that would house the Highlander’s Hope and the paintings that had supplied the clues that enabled Cat and Iain to find the bejeweled necklace. There would be additional space reserved for items Cat planned to get on loan from other museums.
With the structural parts of the museum built, she and her brother were laying the foundation and wiring for the systems and tech they’d soon be installing. “With the electrical now in, we’ve run the cables that will support the final safeguards and security measures. We’re using the most current tech so that any disturbances to the system will be detected —whether physical or over the net. If ye have changes you want made to the computer securities, I’m happy to work with ye so the systems run seamlessly.”
Conall wandered, stepping over construction debris and tools, as his gaze took it all in. “I’ll need to see yer security schematics and blueprints. Depending on how ye’ve set it up, there may need to be some changes made.”
She sighed. This was why she hated havin
g others work on her projects. As a security company, they were more than capable of handling the computer end of things, even if her specialty was creating security tech—complicated biometrics, motion and interference detectors, photoelectric scanners, and anything else her mind could dream up.
At least Conall was one of the best in his field. It only made sense that he’d want to look things over. He wasn’t passing judgment on her work, but rather making sure everything operated at an optimal level.
She stepped to his side and looked up at him, liking how the sun streamed through the tall windows and gilded him in gold. “They’re in my work trailer. If ye’d like to join me, we can go over them there. Or I could drop them off at your office.”
“I work from home.” He gave her his business card. “I’d like to see them now, but if you could also get me my own copy, it’d be much appreciated.”
“I’ll drop one off for ye later.” She tilted her head with a smile. “In the meantime, follow me. My bus is out the back.”
She led him outdoors to the RV she used when working away from home. It housed all her supplies and tools, and acted as a workshop, allowing her to make adjustments to her gear and tech without having to leave the worksite. She’d had it custom made to her specifications, and then outfitted it further with her own tech. The vehicle itself had cost her a pretty penny, but it was a necessity when she was constantly away from home. It offered her a bit of familiarity and comfort in her ever-changing environment.
Letting them in past the safeguards, she climbed up the steps with Conall trailing right behind her. Though large and spacious for a bus, it was packed with equipment, forcing them to squeeze through towards the back where she kept all her plans and diagrams. There’d been larger models to choose from, but she hadn’t wanted to run into problems while travelling down the tight winding roads once outside of the city. “Ye’ll have to excuse the tight quarters. I think I over-packed for the job. Didn’t want to need something and not have it.”
With eyebrows raised, he glanced around, though his expression had yet to change much. “Do ye also sleep here?”
She could have laughed at the way he was eyeballing the place. It was clear he didn’t care for the cramped accommodations. “I have in the past, but with this job scheduled to last months, I’ve opted to rent a place not far from here.”
Paging through her blueprints, she pulled out the ones she needed and handed them to Conall. He laid them out on the table and took a quick look. “Do ye mind if I take these back to the museum?”
“Not at all. Just make sure I get them back before ye go, and I’d greatly appreciate it if ye don’t leave them lying around—or show them to anyone, for that matter.” He probably thought she was being paranoid, but she didn’t care. She took plenty of risks in life—just not with her work.
His eyes narrowed with a glare. “Ye’re not the only professional here, lass.”
She beamed at him with a big smile, refusing to get into a pissing match. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. As soon as I dig out the blueprint printer, I’ll get ye your own copy of the schematics and drop and them off. Now if ye don’t mind, get out. I’ve got work to do.”
His lips quirked into a smile. “Ye know, we may just get along after all.”
End of Sample
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A Highland Heist by Cali MacKay is now available for purchase.
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