The Heist

could be total exasperation. It could be a simple greeting. Or, as in this case, I’d amused him.
    Ranger smiled ever so slightly and took a step closer to me.
    “Stop,” I said. “Don’t come any closer. The answer is no.”
    His brown eyes locked onto me. “I didn’t ask a question.”
    “You were going to.”
    “True.”
    “Well, don’t even think about it, because I’m not going to do it.”
    “I could change your mind,” he said.
    “I don’t think so.”
    Okay, truth is Ranger
could
change my mind. Ranger can be very persuasive.
    Ranger’s cellphone buzzed, he checked the message and moved to the door. “I have to go. Give me a call if you change your mind.”
    “About what?”
    “About anything,” Ranger said.
    “Okay, wait a minute. I want to know the question.”
    “No time to explain it,” Ranger said. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven o’clock. A little black dress would be good. Something moderately sexy.”
    And he was gone.

We would like to thank Vicki Hendricks for educating us about skydiving, and Twist Phelan, Jack Chapple, and Bill O’Meara for answering, in great detail, all of our questions about sailing the waters of Indonesia.
    This is a work of fiction, and we’ve taken a few liberties with geography, among other things. Any mistakes, exaggerations, or instances of pure make-believe are entirely our fault. And yes, we know there aren’t any female Navy SEALS. But we think there should be.

BY JANET EVANOVICH
    THE FOX AND O’HARE NOVELS
with Lee Goldberg
    The Heist
    THE STEPHANIE PLUM NOVELS
    One for the Money
    Two for the Dough
    Three to Get Deadly
    Four to Score
    High Five
    Hot Six
    Seven Up
    Hard Eight
    To the Nines
    Ten Big Ones
    Eleven on Top
    Twelve Sharp
    Lean Mean Thirteen
    Fearless Fourteen
    Finger Lickin’ Fifteen
    Sizzling Sixteen
    Smokin’ Seventeen
    Explosive Eighteen
    Notorious Nineteen
    THE BETWEEN THE NUMBERS NOVELS
    Visions of Sugar Plums
    Plum Lovin’
    Plum Lucky
    Plum Spooky
    THE LIZZY AND DIESEL NOVELS
    Wicked Appetite
    Wicked Business
    THE BARNABY AND HOOKER NOVELS
    Metro Girl
    Motor Mouth
    Trouble Maker
(graphic novel)
    NONFICTION
    How I Write

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
    J ANET E VANOVICH is the #1
New York Times
bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Barnaby and Hooker novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and
How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author
.
    Visit Janet Evanovich’s website at
www.evanovich.com
Facebook/JanetEvanovich
or write her at
PO Box 2829
Naples, FL 34106
    L EE G OLDBERG is a screenwriter, TV producer, and the author of several books, including
King City, The Walk
, and the bestselling Monk series of mysteries. He has earned two Edgar Award nominations and was the 2012 recipient of the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic.
    www.leegoldberg.com