SLEIGHT OF HAND, scheduled for release Monday, March 3, 2025, from The Wild Rose Press, mystery/romantic suspense by USA Today Bestselling Author Shawna Delacorte. Currently available for pre-order.
Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online vendors.
Six years ago, Huntington Wolfe III, heir to a fortune and with a reputation as an international playboy, was a jewel thief. Now, he uses his skills and knowledge as a freelance insurance investigator to recover stolen jewelry, and he has a new case. But when he encounters a beautiful pickpocket at the scene of the next heist, he sets out to discover her identity and what other secrets she might be hiding.
Devastated by her father’s death during a high-speed police chase, Aurora Brentano goes undercover to prove his innocence. At the top of her suspect list is Huntington Wolfe III...until he catches her red-handed in her quest for clues and suggests they work together. She's not sure she can trust him, but they say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
As their unexpected alliance leads to an undeniable attraction, can they bring the true thief to justice, or will they be caught in a web of danger and deceit?
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“It’s two o’clock in the morning,” Huntington Wolfe III growled into the phone. “This better be important.”
“Hunt, it’s Leo Jordan. Sorry about waking you. I’ve got an assignment that’s perfect for you, in addition to being literally in your backyard.”
“What is it?”
“Jewelry. Counting the most recent theft, Excellence Insurance’s portion over five years exceeds twenty million U.S. dollars in insured value and that doesn’t take into consideration what other insurance companies have lost. Each theft has occurred following some sort of society event or charity fund raiser. It’s a circle of the upper crust our staff of investigators can’t seem to get close to even in an undercover capacity. You live and function among the wealthy. You’re personal friends with them. I thought you might have easier access, could get inside without arousing suspicion. The police haven’t been forthcoming with information. I’ve had to go through other sources to be kept up to date.”
Hunt rubbed sleep from his eyes. “My usual forty percent of the insured value for anything I recover, plus a bonus if I provide the proof needed to successfully prosecute those responsible?”
“That’s our deal. I’ll send you all the information I have, along with a contract for your services.”
“There’s a charity benefit in two days that exactly fits the type of events the thief has been targeting over the last five years. I received an invitation, but I find those functions boring and usually decline. I sent a donation along with my regrets for being unable to attend. Now, it looks like I need to revise my schedule.”
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“If Quentin is dead, it certainly came at an extremely convenient time. Add to that the woman working for Prestige Caterers at last night’s soirée, wearing a name tag that said Gwen but drove away in a car registered to Aurora Brentano, and...”
“You think this guy is still alive? It seems to me if he faked his own death to get the cops off his back, it would be stupid for him to continue ripping off jewelry—at least in the same part of the country where he had been plying his trade. If it was me and I’d just faked my death, I’d be out of town so fast you wouldn’t even see my dust. I sure wouldn’t stick around so I could pull more jobs in the same place following the same pattern.”
“Yeah...me, too. Just one of several inconsistencies that don’t make any sense.”
“So, any preference about where you want me to start, or can I handle it at my discretion?”
“First on the list is Aurora Brentano. The car registration shows a San Francisco address. Find out when she left San Francisco, whether she was anywhere else between leaving there and ending up here, or if she came straight to Seattle. I need to know where she’s staying. Scope out her father’s house in Bellevue. That’s the most logical place for her to be.”
“Unless she’s in hiding and staying off the grid.”
“If that’s the case, then it seems to me she wouldn’t be driving her own car with the California license plates. I’m guessing she’s being cautious but doesn’t think anyone’s actually looking for her.”
Johnny nodded. “If her father’s house doesn’t pan out, I’ll check the utilities to see if there’s anything in her name in the greater Seattle area and surrounding towns. If that doesn’t turn something, I’ll hit the motels that rent suites on a monthly basis.”
“Check both names...Aurora Brentano and Gwen York. All I have for Gwen is a pager number that Charlie Gorman gave me, no phone number. Apparently, not even a disposable cell phone. At least not one that Charlie knows about. Locate an existing phone number, and see if you can track a location for her through the GPS chip and cell towers from her phone calls. If that doesn’t work, maybe you can find a local address through Gwen’s pager.” Hunt texted the pager number to Johnny.
After Johnny left, Hunt refilled his coffee mug and stepped out on the terrace again. He stared at the water. Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then slowly exhaled. No matter where in the world he traveled, to what exotic location, it always soothed his soul to return home. He took another deep breath, then once again turned his thoughts to the business at hand.
There’s a lot more going on with this case than just the theft of some high-dollar jewelry. But what? Could the police theory be right? Quentin Brentano did it and now his partner is continuing with the thefts? A partner who just happens to also be his daughter?
The image of delectable Aurora played across the screen of his mind. His breathing quickened. He might have been doing a number on Charlie Gorman in order to get the information he wanted, but he couldn’t deny the way she made his pulse race or the serious impact this woman had on his libido.
No question about it, she represented a definite obstacle to his investigation.
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A shadowy figure emerged from the bushes at the side of Aurora's house. A hard jolt of adrenaline pumped through his veins. With her back to the intruder, she had no way of knowing someone was approaching her. Hunt leaped out of his car and charged across the street at a full run. His heart pounded. His breath came in hard gasps as he gained speed. He had to alert her to the danger even if it meant scaring away the intruder.
“Aurora...behind you!”
The sound of his voice stopped the stranger in mid stride. A moment’s hesitation, and the shadowy figure retreated around the corner of the house and out of sight. Hunt made the split-second decision to go to her rather than following a shadow into the darkness. He was not armed, but the intruder might be.
A moment later, the roar of an engine reached his ears, then the sound faded into the distance as an unseen car sped down the back alley. The look of fear on Aurora’s face told him he had made the right decision.
Her entire body trembled as he pulled her into his arms. She clung to him like someone grabbing for a lifeline. He forced his breathing into a slower mode. He didn’t want to add to her obvious anxiety.
“Are you okay?” He nestled her head against his shoulder as he caressed her back, all the while scanning the surrounding area for anything or anyone that seemed out of place.
“I...yes, I’m...”
He held her tighter, trying to ease the tremors coursing through her body. “Did you get a glimpse of whoever it was? Notice anything that might help with an identification?”
She pulled in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe someone lost? Wanting to ask for directions—”
“Stop it! Don’t do that.” His stern tone cut into her words, matching the determination churning inside him. “Don’t even try to dismiss this as nothing. I saw it. No one walking down the sidewalk. No one spotting you getting out of your car and wanting to ask for directions. Someone had been hiding in the bushes at the corner of your house and came up behind you. This was someone laying in wait for you to come home. Most likely the person you felt watching you.”
He placed a tender kiss on her forehead. “Somebody knows who you are, knows you’re here and not in San Francisco. Do you have any guesses who that might be?”
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Darvi took in a deep breath as they stepped out onto the patio, then slowly exhaled. Rance pulled her into his arms, startling her with his totally unexpected action. The silvery shimmer from the full moon highlighted his handsome features. He held her close, but not too close. A tremor shot through her body. His after-shave tickled her senses, his touch much too inviting. Her carefully constructed façade began to crumble.
For a brief moment, she did not care. Darvi melted into his arms as he drew her closer, holding her against the hardness of his taut body. It had been a long time--two years to be exact--since she had allowed this type of closeness, to experience the sensations that coursed through her at that moment. He excited her senses, made her blood race. Being in his arms felt good. She didn’t want to leave. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. For a stilled moment in time, she allowed herself to become part of him, to feel things she didn’t want to feel. Things that frightened her.
Then she regained her momentary loss of senses. She quickly pulled away from his embrace. A combination of excitement and panic raced through her body.
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He stepped across the threshold onto the porch, Aurora right behind him. In an attempt to stop her from getting ahead of him, he held out his arm to block her path as he swept the surrounding area with a sharp eye. Everything appeared normal, yet a nagging tingle of anxiety told him otherwise.
A ripple of trepidation continued to assault his senses. A moment later, he stepped off the porch.
“Wait a second.” Aurora bent down to adjust the ankle holster.
“What’s wrong?” He turned to see what she was doing.
And a fraction of a second later a shot rang out. The bullet ripped through his jacket. A sharp sting hit his upper arm just below his shoulder, a shot that would have caught him in the middle of his chest a second earlier before he turned toward Aurora.
A sharp adrenaline surge charged through his body. He instantly dropped to the ground, pulling Aurora down with him. He covered Aurora with his body. His heart pounded in his chest, the sound reverberating in his ears. A second then third shot in rapid succession shattered the night air of the normally quiet neighborhood.
Hunt reached for the 9mm snugged into the small of his back.
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