Page 27 of It Takes a Thief (Ring of Thieves #2)

Three Hours Earlier

E nroute to LaGuardia, I know I need to come up with a plan. I don’t know what Jeffrey is up to, but he has the man I’m falling in love with in handcuffs. He must’ve forced him on that flight to New York, and I need to know why.

I’m not sure if she can help, but I call Addison Mills, Linc’s boss at A-Squared Enterprises.

She gave me her personal number at our first meeting and told me to call if I ever needed anything.

Something about the way Addie spoke and presented herself—so confident and in control—makes me believe she can accomplish anything. And, right now, I need a miracle.

She answers right away, sounding as calm and collected as I remember. “Princess Merritt, is everything okay?”

“No!” I launch into an explanation of everything that has happened—from Linc leaving without saying goodbye to him breaking in later and stealing my crown to the promptly suspicious arrival of the police.

I tell her how they carted him off to the station and how Jeffrey gave a cop money then took Linc, still in handcuffs, straight to the airport.

“And now they’re heading for New York,” I say, trying not to sound frazzled.

“You’re sure that’s their final destination?”

“Yes, their flight manifest said LaGuardia.” I suck in a breath, trying not to cry. Doing my damnedest not to fall apart. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I think Linc is in trouble.”

“Okay, I’m going to have someone waiting on the ground. The moment they land, I’ll have them followed. We’ll get Linc. Don’t worry.”

“Who can help?” I know her team lives in Denver which means there is no way they could make it to New York in time. And, if they’re flying commercial, then forget it.

“I’m calling in a favor,” she tells me. “Hang on, I’m adding someone to the call.”

A moment later, a deep voice lazily drawls, “Heyyy, tootsie pop. Please tell me this is a booty call.”

“You’re incorrigible, Laurent. And, for the record, I’ve never made a booty call in my life.”

“That’s a shame. Way to dash a guy’s dreams.”

“We need your help,” she says, cutting straight to the chase. “Please tell me you’re still in New York, scouting out potential jobs.”

“We?” he echoes warily. “You know I’m not much of a team player.”

“You’re on the phone with Princess Merritt Fontaine of Arcadia. Princess, this is Laurent, a friend of mine. Linc is in trouble, cuffed on a plane, and they’re heading for LaGuardia as we speak.”

“Hello, Princess,” Laurent greets me smoothly. “Lucky for you, Addie-Baddie, I’m still currently holed up in the fabulous Towers at the Lotte Palace. Although being waited on hand and foot is getting a little tedious.”

The famed luxury hotel is not unfamiliar to me.

My parents stayed there and they raved about it being first class all the way.

It’s a spectacular place and caters to important guests, specifically those staying in the Towers, a glamorous collection of bespoke suites on the hotel’s top fourteen floors.

“I’m sure,” Addie states dryly. “Can you get to the airport and follow them?” She gives him the landing time and plane information.

He sighs. “Of course, I can . Do I want to? No.”

“You owe me for helping you pull off that museum heist.”

Heist? Pieces begin to connect in my head—pieces I don’t want to connect.

Like how their team is so good at challenging, defeating and then upgrading security systems. How Linc broke into the vault twice and would’ve gotten away with my crown—and whatever else he could fit in that bag—if I hadn’t caught him.

Hell, if he’d really wanted to escape, he could’ve plowed right through me.

We both knew I was no match and powerless to stop him.

I frown. What am I missing? There’s more to this than just an attempted theft.

“So, to be clear, you’re calling in your favor?” Laurent asks.

“Yes, I am officially calling it in,” Addie states.

“Marvelous. I’m going to get changed and grab a café . I suppose I shouldn’t use the hotel’s Maybach car service. Why do I have a feeling this favor is going to make me get my hands dirty?”

“Laurent—”

“I said I’d help, and I will. Don’t get your culottes in a twist. Au revoir .”

There’s a click, and Addie sighs. “He’s…French,” she says as if in explanation.

“I don’t care if he’s a Martian,” I respond. “As long as he leads us to Linc, I’ll owe him.”

Laurent upholds his end of the bargain because the moment I land, he texts Addie and me Linc’s location.

I hightail it out of the city and drive straight to the middle of seemingly nowhere.

But then I spot all the cars and hear the crowd yelling and cheering.

I park, jump out and run straight toward the action.

My stomach drops when I see the cage covered in barbed wire.

The closer I get, shoving my way through the rowdy onlookers, the quicker I realize it’s an underground fight.

But it doesn’t possess the fun atmosphere like the one Linc took me to.

This one feels heavy and ominous, the onlookers wearing expensive suits rather than the casual attire worn to the fight Linc took me to.

Dread washes over me, because I don’t think they’re here to drink cheap beer and cheer on their favorite contender.

I think they’re here to see a blood bath.

I push up to the front and zero in on Linc battling it out with the biggest man I’ve ever seen. Oh, my God.

“Linc!” My fingers twine through the chainlink fence and, a moment too late, I realize I shouldn’t have yelled his name.

My distraction causes him to momentarily lose focus, and the behemoth slams into him like a freight train.

Then he lifts his meaty fists and begins hitting Linc furiously.

A cloud of dirt fills the air as Linc twists and turns, trying to escape from underneath the beast’s heavy weight and savage blows.

“Oh, my God,” I gasp, completely shocked by the brutality of the fight. Blood splatters, and I want to look away, but I can’t. I’m absolutely glued to the scene playing out. It’s utterly barbaric, and far worse than I expected. “Leave him alone!”

Massive fists keep hitting Linc, blood flies, and I feel like I might vomit.

“You could’ve prevented this,” a voice taunts from beside me. “All you had to do was marry me.”

I glance over and see Jeffrey’s smug face, and it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever wanted to do serious bodily damage to someone.

“Let him out,” I order.

“Sorry, Princess, ” he sneers. “Your orders don’t work here.”

Rattling the fence in frustration, I turn my attention back to the fight and remind myself Linc is a former professional and has a ton of experience. Maybe the other guy does, too, though, and that worries me.

Breathing hard, my heart thumping madly, I believe in Linc with every fiber of my body. “Linc is going to win,” I say in a confident voice.

“Either he wins, or he dies,” Jeffrey states offhandedly.

I spin to face him. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a fight to the death,” he informs me with a nasty smile. “And Bonecrusher never loses. You might not want to watch, though, because your precious Linc is getting his ass kicked.”

Bonecrusher? What the fuck.

“Nooo.” I let out a sharp breath, turning back to see Linc trying to break free. But the other fighter is sitting on top of him, a giant, seemingly immovable force, and he pummels Linc’s face and chest with fists bigger than my head.

Suddenly, Linc grabs a handful of dirt and whips it right into his opponent’s face.

The other man bellows out a rage-filled roar, falling back and clawing at his eyes.

Linc takes advantage of the opportunity, shoving him away with flat palms. The man topples to the side, and I let out a happy shriek, jumping up and down.

The next thing I know, Linc rolls away and clambers back to his feet. The giant is on his knees, still rubbing at his tear-filled eyes, when Linc launches a kick that connects to the center of his chest. He goes flying backward and lands on his ass.

Linc circles around, fists up and ready, while the mountain of a man lumbers to his feet, lets out the most inhuman sound I’ve ever heard, and charges. Linc sidesteps him, simultaneously swinging his fist upward, connecting a solid blow to the giant’s side, causing him to let out a pained howl.

All around me, the crowd goes wild. I frown, and my enthusiasm and relief at seeing Linc on his feet and kicking ass aside, I don’t understand the appeal.

Two men trying to beat each other to a bloody pulp makes me sick to my stomach.

I want to scream at them to all leave, but instead, I turn on Jeffrey and seethe, “This is all your fault.”

Then I pull my hand back, form a fist and slam my knuckles into his nose. He lets out a yowl and blood gushes down his face and all over his crisp button down. Oh, shit. I think I might’ve just broken his nose. Do I regret it, though? No, not even a little.

“That’s what you get for messing with the man I love,” I tell him.

“You bitch,” he snarls, stepping forward, lifting his closed fist.

Oh, shit. He’s going to hit me.

Before I can react, a large hand wraps around Jeffrey’s, twisting his wrist until something snaps, and Jeffrey drops to his knees with a surprised shout.

“Don’t you know you’re supposed to bow down before royalty?” a deep, velvet-smooth voice asks.

My mouth drops, and I look into the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen.

With a head of thick dark hair and a slash of high cheekbones, the man is extremely good-looking.

I have a feeling he knows it, too. He sends me a dimpled smile meant to make women’s knees wobble.

“It’s nice to meet you, Princess Merritt. ”

“Laurent?”

“The one and only.” He yanks Jeffrey back up to his feet. “Excuse me while I take out the trash.”

“Thank you!” I call out as he moves away, dragging Jeffrey by his broken hand. He’s holding his gushing nose with his other hand, but I have zero regrets.

“At your service, Princess.” He sweeps over in an elegant bow, and I might’ve laughed if Linc weren’t still in the ring fighting for his life.

“Wait! We need to stop the fight,” I tell him.

“The police are closing in as we speak,” he assures me. “Which means I need to disappear.”

“But—”

“Tis the life of a thief, I’m afraid.” He gives me a cavalier grin, dimples popping again, then shrugs and yanks Jeffrey away. I didn’t even get his first name.

Almost immediately, red and blue lights flash nearby as police cruisers screech to a halt. Oh, thank God. As chaos erupts and people begin to flee the illegal fight, I race over to the cage door and shove past the big, tattooed guy guarding it. “Move!” I yell.

Throwing the door open, I race inside the cage.

“Linc!” I scream. His head jerks over in my direction, and I’m running straight for him when the giant he’s fighting lurches toward me. He grabs me around the waist, lifts me up off the ground and hauls my back up against his dirty, sweat-soaked and bloody chest. His thick arm wraps around my neck.

Hanging in his hold like a ragdoll, clutching at his enormous forearm, I cry out. The look on Linc’s face can only be described as abject horror.

“Get back or I’ll break her in two,” Bonecrusher threatens, squeezing his forearm against my throat until I choke. He’s cutting my air off, and I dig my nails into his skin, trying not to freak out. My wide eyes stay on Linc. If I’m going to die, he’s the last thing I want to see.

Linc lifts his taped hands in surrender. “Let. Her. Go.”

But Bonecrusher just laughs, tightening his arm until I can barely draw in a breath. He’s going to strangle me.

Tears blur my vision. I’m going to die, and I never even got the chance to let Linc know so many things. Like how I know he never stole from me, not really, and that everything he’s done has been to protect me. And, most importantly, that I love him with all my heart.

“Make me,” he challenges.

“You’re fucking dead,” Linc states, and his murderous tone sends a chill down my spine.