Page 113 of The Protégé

I was going to ask why he had the tablet and how he had retrieved it, but it didn’t matter. I was in love with the best thief who ever existed. If he showed me a royal crown from some dynasty from the seventeenth century, I’d shrug it off as though he’d just told me the weather for the day.

My goodness. I’d come a long way. I’d always wanted to uncover the truth to a mystery, and Orion Reimann was the biggest mystery in this lifetime for me.

“What’s the gemstone?” I walked over to a purple gemstone sitting by itself inside a glass display. I saw it sparkle from afar.

“It’s the purple taaffeite gemstone, rarer than diamonds.”

“It’s so pretty.” The light purple with a flicker of pink called to me. “And who did you steal this from?”

“I actually bought this at an auction years ago.”

“Oh.” At least I got to see one item he’d purchased. “It’s going to take me some time to absorb all of this, okay? I have a lot of questions.”

“Take all the time you need.” He smiled, looking as though he knew I’d react this way. “Ask away.”

“What’s the significance of The Roc? Who gave you that name?”

“It’s a mythical bird that represents power, freedom, and transcendence. Stories link it to myths from the Middle East and Madagascar. The giant bird has powerful claws large enough to fly away with an elephant. The Condor had a fascination with birds. He thought I had qualities of The Roc.” He shrugged. “He was an interesting man who saved me from myself. I think thievery saved him too.”

The sadness in his voice pricked at me. I kissed him on the cheek. “We’re getting close to finding his killer. He’ll get the justice he deserves.”

“Sam hired an assassin to kill The Condor. But I want the man who directed Sam to do it.”

He knew so much more than me. “When did you find this out?”

“Just recently. You can focus your research on the life insurance scam. I’ll cover The Condor.”

“Okay,” I said, then teased him, “so it was just you and The Condor taking over the world back then?”

“The Raven is my brother-in-arms, but he’s been retired for a while.”

“When do you plan on retiring?”

He considered me, and his pupils darkened. “Not sure yet. But I haven’t felt the urge to steal anything lately. I’ve got what I need and want with me.” He squeezed my hand.

We arrived at a wooden coffee table with a leather loveseat facing it. The table had intricate etchings around it. A gunmetal box sat on the table.

“Have a seat.” He nudged me down, sitting beside me. He reached for the box the size of a shoebox and slid it in front of me. “Of all the things I’ve stolen, there’s one thing that’s the most precious to me. You can’t forget your first.” He tapped the box. “I’ve never shown this to anyone but The Condor. I want to show you how it all began. How The Roc was born.”

Orion didn’t know what this moment meant to me. To see the very thing that created him was . . . sacred and indescribable. I didn’t know why but tears filled my eyes. I did my best to hold them back.

He typed in a code into the lock. When it clicked, he nodded for me to lift the lid.

I placed a hand on the lid, and my hand trembled for no reason. Meeting his eyes, I smiled. “I feel like a thief looking into another thief’s treasure chest.”

“You’re no thief.” A chuckle escaped him. “Not yet anyway.”

Inhaling a breath, I lifted the box to see a black velvet box inside of it. I took the box out, removed the top lid that didn’t have a lock, and gasped. For a moment my heart stopped—and then it galloped.

“Isn’t it beautiful? That leaf brooch was my first steal when I was a teenager. I accompanied my mom to Providence that year.”

Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I met his eyes. “It’s not a leaf. It’s an abstract wing.” I choked. “It’smybrooch.”

“What?” His eyebrows furrowed, looking perplexed.

CHAPTER FORTY

ORION

---