Page 39 of The Thief

“Did you?” I ground out.

“You were always a good liar. I’m not going anywhere, Mercy Breedlove. Not until you give me what’s mine. And if you run, I will hunt you down and make you wish you had never met me.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

He drew in a deep breath, lips pressed tight. I wondered if he might be holding back because of the crowd, especially without knowing if any Vampires were in here, and Vampires were notorious secret-stealers. This guy obviously had one big secret.

“I’ll call you later, and we’ll talk,” I suggested. “Maybe then you’ll have more to say.”

“I want what’s mine.”

“Look, mister, I don’t have anything you want. Even if I did, what’s to stop you from killing me when I hand it over?”

“Perhaps your Packmaster would like to hear all about your crimes. Do you really believe a pack of dogs can shield you from me?”

My blood ran cold. “My Packmaster already knows what I did to your progeny.”

“Does he know the rest?” With a gloved hand, Argento swept a lock of hair away from his eyes. “There is no one as surreptitious at stealing. You managed my finances, then took on clients. Does your alpha know how you funneled their money into my account?”

My stomach twisted into a knot. “I don’t believe you.”

“Once a thief, always a thief. You had access to not only money but material goods. You had access to everything, including valuables in storage facilities and warehouses. After drawing up lists of their most precious things, you intentionally excluded items. You made sure it would take years before they noticed them gone. They believed you when you assured them that their missing assets were never on the original list, that they must have been lost or stolen before you came along. Your clients were grateful to no longer worry about such things when they had Mercy Breedlove in their pocket.”

I sat in stunned silence. I’d always been good with numbers, but when I thought about my review of Calvin’s accounting book, the way I knew how to shift expenses and generate profit was uncanny.

“You might get away with murdering my progeny,” he continued, “but you cannot escape your high crimes. Incriminating myself in this conversation is of no consequence—you will never turn me in.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I have damning evidence. You moved stolen money into a safe, which I have since transferred. There is nothing that will link me to your crimes. Think twice about going to the authorities. What you have done over seventy years is unconscionable.” He leaned in close. “I will destroy your life. Every precious thing you ever want from now until your death, I will ruin. No one can protect you. If your Packmaster finds out what you are—who you are—there will be no forgiveness. He will never trust you. Your crimes are legendary. Your clients do not know what you’ve done, but what if they did? How many enemies can you hide from?”

For the first time, I was terrified of this man. My pack meant everything to me, but a good Packmaster protects his good name. Tak would cut me loose before allowing me to blacken his reputation. While he’d once said that our past was inconsequential, there were always exceptions. The pack had fought for Robyn because she was coerced into a mating ceremony, and the alpha came after Tak. She was a good person.

Clearly I wasn’t.

“I don’t have any money,” I repeated. “Do you think I’d be working in a bar in the middle of nowhere if I had two pennies to rub together?”

He glanced at the doors when they opened and waited for a group to walk past. “You are a professional con artist, so I do not believe you conveniently lost your memory. I think you are protecting someone.” He reclined back, hands on his lap. “Because you may be storing this valuable elsewhere, I’ll give you time to retrieve it. Then you will call me.”

“What item?”

“You know what I speak of,” he ground out.

“But I don’t,” I stressed. “Tell me.”

His eyes went glacial. “I am done with your games. Such a convincing liar, but I am not one of your clients. If you did lose your memory, it would be in your best interest to find it. You are mine. And you betrayed me!” The Mage slammed his fist on the table and shot to his feet.

I jumped at the sound of slides racking on multiple guns. Montana stepped into view with a gun aimed at the back of Argento’s head.

Krys and Salem flanked him, each with weapons drawn. They were positioned so Argento couldn’t flash away.

Montana’s eyes were barely visible beneath his black hat. “Back away slowly and turn around.”

Argento tugged the fingertips of his gloves while a smile played on his lips. What if he had another rare Mage gift, one that could cripple? Or what if he killed my packmates and claimed self-defense? As the situation came into sharp focus, I sprang to my feet.

“Hold on. Let’s just calm down,” I said, holding up my hands to defuse the situation.

Calvin entered the scene with a shotgun. “No one kills anyone in my bar but me. Everyone, put away your weapons.”

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