Page 24 of It Takes a Thief (Ring of Thieves #2)

I couldn’t sleep, so I was wandering the halls, thinking about the man now standing only a few feet away, his big hands reflexively tightening on the backpack.

What is he doing in the vault? And why is his face covered? Not that it matters—I’d know those deep brown eyes anywhere. I’ve been seeing them in my dreams for weeks.

There’s really only one logical answer. My heart sinks, and I couldn’t be more stunned. Or hurt.

“You’re stealing from us?” I search his face, hoping I’m wrong. I expect him to look away, but he doesn’t. He holds my gaze steadily, dark eyes intent. Serious as a heart attack.

“Go back to your room and lock the door,” he orders in a low voice.

“No.” My attention dips to the backpack he’s clutching. “What’s in there?”

He lets out a frustrated sigh and seems to be searching for an answer he can give me. Or maybe a lie I might believe.

“Tell me what’s going on, Linc,” I demand, crossing my arms. “Was this the plan all along? Update the security so you could break in later?”

Suddenly, I feel like such a fool. Utterly betrayed by a man I thought I was falling in love with. God. I want to slap a hand against my forehead and curse his lying ass all the way back to Denver.

Yet, a part of me wants to try to understand. To make sense of what’s happening. The Linc I’ve come to know wouldn’t do this to me.

Would he?

“I’m doing this to save you. To protect you,” he grits out, sounding strained.

I want to trust him more than anything. But I need answers.

“How am I supposed to believe you?” I ask, feeling at a complete loss.

“I need you to trust me.”

“Show me what’s in the backpack.”

“Mer—”

“Show me!”

I hear his sigh beneath the gaiter. Then he slowly unzips it, reaches in and reveals my diamond crown.

And all my lingering trust shatters. How could I have been so naive?

“You’re a thief?” I blatantly ask, trying my damnedest to make sense of the situation.

“Yes,” he answers without hesitation. “But it’s not what you think.”

“Give it back,” I demand and hold my hand out.

“I can’t. Not yet.”

“I don’t want excuses, Mr. Decker. I want my property back or I’ll be forced to call security.”

As if on cue, police sirens fill the air. Linc utters a curse and bolts into action, moving around me so fast, I can barely process what’s happening.

“Linc!” I yell, spinning around and racing after him.

For being so big, he’s surprisingly fast and nimble. He’s already whipping around the corner and out of sight before I’m even halfway down the hall. Frustration pours through me and I call him again. But he’s not stopping.

My slippers pad down the stairs as fast as possible, and by the time I reach the main floor, I know he’s already gone.

At least, until I hear all the commotion from the veranda.

Turning, I run through the house, heading straight for the large glass doors which are wide open.

Skidding to a halt on the threshold of the back patio, my mouth drops open.

Linc is on the ground, struggling to break free from several royal guards. Two more jump into the mix and it takes five men to hold him down. And they’re barely managing that feat. Meanwhile, three policemen appear.

“Stay back, Princess,” a voice says near my side. It’s another guard, and he reaches for my arm, but I shrug free and hurry forward.

A policeman yanks Linc’s arms behind his back and cuffs him. Then the guards wrench him up off the cobblestones. Suddenly, my parents are there and one of the policemen opens the backpack and pulls my crown out.

Heart in my throat, my gaze locks with Linc’s.

“What have you done?” I whisper. But he doesn’t respond, just presses his lips together tightly before they jerk him away.

Everyone starts talking at once. My parents, the guards, more police, and it all blurs together.

I can’t understand anything that’s happening, but one thing is clear: I was a naive little girl who got duped by her thieving bodyguard.

A man who was hired to watch over me, to protect me.

But all along, his plan was to steal from me.

Spinning around, I race back through the house until I reach one of the large front windows and peel the curtain back. Red and blue lights flash from the squad cars, bathing the front driveway in an eerie glow. It’s like I’m trapped in some crazy carnival nightmare.

The guards and police are escorting Linc to a squad car, and hurt pummels me.

Before they reach it, he manages to break free and make a run for it.

Oh, God . I place my hands against the glass, watching the action with bated breath.

This time, he doesn’t get very far before they tackle him to the ground.

Hot tears blur my vision as they shove him into the back seat of the police cruiser. A siren blares again and the car pulls away.

None of this makes any sense to me. And the more I think about it, the more confused I get.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’ll always be here if you need me.”

It was one of the last things Linc said to me.

Was it all just bullshit? Or am I missing something?

Swiping the tears away, I decide I need answers. More than that, I deserve them.

A quick look out back and I can see my parents are still talking to the authorities and guards. They’re going to ask me a million questions that I don’t have the answers to…yet. But I will get them.

I slip back up to my room, quickly change and grab my purse. I’m going straight to the police station and demanding to speak to Linc. It’s time to play the royalty card.

And I dare anyone to tell the Princess of Arcadia no.

∞∞∞

Even though it seems like the writing’s on the wall, I want to hear it from Linc. I need to hear the words come out of his mouth in order to process the situation and move on. Otherwise, I fear I’m going to wallow in questions and doubt for the rest of my life.

Snagging the keys to my mom’s BMW, I head to the small police station. Arcadia doesn’t have a lot of trouble with criminals, but it does have a police force to keep its citizens safe from outsiders and, sometimes, each other.

It’s been so long since I’ve driven a car, and I actually enjoy it. Normally when I’m home, Leo drives me everywhere. And when I was in New York, I took taxis or the subway. But I did get my Arcadia license a couple of years ago—insisted on it, actually—and I’m very proud to have it.

When I said I wanted to learn, my dad and Leo taught me. We drove over every road on this island and they shared their knowledge. We also had a ton of laughs and a close call with a ditch, but to be fair, I refused to run over the bunny that darted in front of us, and I had no choice but to swerve.

Driving aimlessly has always given me a sense of freedom, something I crave, and the Arcadian scenery is breathtaking.

It’s strange because no matter how long I leave, every time I come home, there’s a constant about the island that I find comforting.

The winding roads that end at the sea, the jasmine-covered cliffs, the love of my family and the Arcadian people.

Maybe I’ve taken it all for granted.

Perhaps my home isn’t something to escape, but rather to embrace.

I think I’m having an epiphany as the station comes into view, but I have to save it for later. Right now, there’s a bit of a commotion happening, and I’m shocked to see Jeffrey standing beside the squad car.

Braking, I pull over instead of driving straight up to the entrance and decide to watch the scene play out.

What the hell is Jeffrey Dumas doing here?

My heart pounds and I wipe my sweating palms on my thighs. Jeffrey talks to one of the cops another minute, then the cop opens the back door and pulls Linc out. He quickly shoves Linc into the back of Jeffrey’s car, not even bothering to uncuff him.

What in God’s name is going on?

Jeffrey exchanges a few more words with the cop, then slips him some cash. I make a mental note of what the cop looks like as Jeffrey gets into his car and drives away.

Wasting no time, I follow them, crossing my fingers and doing my best to stay back far enough so they don’t notice me.

Luckily, Jeffrey is pretty oblivious, but not much gets past Linc.

If anyone catches me, it will be him. The dark will only hide me for so long, so I decide to turn my headlights off to make myself less obvious.

Arcadia isn’t huge, and it doesn’t take me long to figure out we’re heading for the small private airport. So many questions are swirling through my head.

Hanging back, I watch them enter the airport. There’s only one reason they’re here. It means they’re flying somewhere. Together, though? Tapping a finger against the wheel, I debate what to do.

I need to get the flight manifest to determine if they’re truly flying somewhere, and if so, where. Turning in the opposite direction, I drive over to the tower. I don’t plan on stopping their flight, but I do plan on following them.

One good thing about being royalty is my ability to get answers fast. It doesn’t take long for me to talk to the tower crew and learn the private plane on the verge of taking off contains five individuals: the pilot, Jeffrey, Linc and two other men I don’t know. Their final destination is LaGuardia.

Without hesitation, I pull my phone from my purse and call our family pilot.

“Hello, Princess,” he answers on the second ring. He’s always on call, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

“Jacques, I need to return to New York immediately.”

“I’ll get the jet ready,” he responds.

“Thank you. I’m already at the airport.”

“On my way.”

“See you soon.” I hang up. My parents are still probably dealing with the police, so I’ll call them once we’re in the air. Mostly because I don’t want them to try and stop me.

Because my mind is made up. I’m following these two back to New York and I’m getting answers.