Page 2 of It Takes a Thief
She merely blinks. Then the prettiest smile curves her mouth upward. “You would never hurt me. Your job is to protect me.”
Well, damn. She does have a point.
With a heavy sigh, I lift the flap of my bag, reach inside and pull out the diamond crown. Handing it over, I dip into a bow and say, “Your crown, Your Royal Highness.”
Sure, it comes out a little snarky, but I’m annoyed she intercepted me before I could make it out of here.So close.Her parents hired us to update their security system, to find and fix any holes after a recent break-in, then to test it out. They challenged my crew to beat our own upgrades.
And I’d been close to succeeding until little Miss I-Smell-Like-Jasmine caught me.
The urge to pin her up against the nearest wall and shove my tongue down her throat makes me clench my hands into fists.
Not happening, Decker.Your job is to protect Merritt Fontaine, not defile her on every surface in this seaside palace.
Swallowing down my annoyance and desire, ignoring the way my dick presses against my zipper, I force a smile. “Well played, Princess,” I concede. She may have won this round, but I have a feeling our match is just beginning.
And I always go down swinging.
Chapter Two: Linc
The next morning, my crew sits down with Alain and Eliza Fontaine, the King and Queen of Arcadia, and we discuss the fake heist. If Merritt hadn’t crashed my escape, I would’ve gotten away. Had it been a real scenario, she could’ve been hurt or kidnapped. From what I’ve learned, the Princess is bold as brass. Utterly fearless. Last night is a perfect example of why she needs a bodyguard—so I can make sure she doesn’t do stupid shit like confront a burglar.
After going over their security system one last time and installing a final update, it’s a wrap. Another job in the books. The royal books.
Three of my partners—Addie Mills, Ryder McKay and Brighton Leroux—prepare to go back home to Denver, while Knox Beckett—another member of our team—has already left with his new woman, Hunter McGrath. They’re currently heading to Chicago to meet his family.
Knox is The Charmer of our little group. He’s pretty-boy perfect, and his devil-may-care attitude and signature smile are designed to disarm. They met when Hunter flew in to rescue him from a job gone wrong. She put up a good fight, but my boy always gets the girl. Despite initially resisting, Hunter is now head over heels for Knox. And saying he fell first and hard might be the understatement of the year. My good friend alreadyconfided in us that he’s going to propose to Hunter in Chicago. I’m happy for him, truly, but I’m also a pessimistic bastard.
Better him than me.
Thinking about getting married is enough to give me hives, and it definitely breaks all three of my well-established rules.No, thank you.
While everyone else is preparing to leave, I’m not going anywhere. Or, at least, I go where the princess goes. Right now, she’s safely tucked in her room, getting ready for bed. Maybe taking off her clothes and stepping into the shower at this very moment.
An image of her naked body teases my senses, and I palm my dick through my cargo pants. Poor guy thinks it’s go time.Not now. Not ever.Merritt Fontaine is off-limits. Strictly forbidden. Completely out of my league.
And fuck all if that doesn’t make her even more attractive.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, I march downstairs to say goodbye to my team. I don’t need to stay glued to Merritt’s side while we’re here because the royal estate is swimming with guards. I know she’s safe. It’s when we step outside the gates that I need to be on high alert. She was nearly kidnapped a couple of weeks ago, and it’s my job to make sure that shit doesn’t happen again. Of course, I’m also trying to figure out if it was merely a random incident—a crime of opportunity—or if an enemy might strike again.
I can hear suitcases rolling across the fancy parquet floor in the foyer and then Addie’s voice carries above the din. She sounds upset, and I instantly go on alert as I step into the large entranceway.
“What’s going on?” I ask, walking over to her, Ryder and Brighton. Along with Knox, they’ve become my family in every way, the only family I have, and I’d do anything for them. So, if someone is causing problems, hurting a woman I consider my sister, you better believe I’ll put an end to it fast. Nobody messes with my crew without the severest of consequences. And that more or less means putting my foot up the offender’s ass.
“Same old, same old,” Ryder says. “The very persistent detective is at it again.”
Ryder, AKA The Diamond Man, is our gems expert, tech geek and all-around funny guy. His family owns diamond mines, so he knows the gem biz. I’ve never met his parents, but I’ve heard stories. They sound stuffy as hell, so I’m not sure where Ryder gets his easygoing personality.
Addie rolls her cobalt-blue eyes and runs a hand through her long, sandy-blonde waves. “Vaughn is going to be the death of me,” she declares.
Known as The Boss, Addison Mills is an antiquities expert. She cofounded A-Squared Enterprises with her mother, Alma “Angel” Mills, who passed away years ago. I never had the pleasure of meeting Angel, but I’ve heard all the stories and know she taught Addie everything about the art of the heist.
In a weird sort of way, I feel like I do know Angel. Like, sometimes she’s in my ear, acting as my own mother, who I lost a long time ago.
“He’s more tenacious than a pit bull,” Ryder mutters in exasperation.
Detective Cole Vaughn has been hounding us—well, mostly Addie—for months now. He’s doing his best to connect us to thefts in the Denver area. Sure, we might’ve been involved insome. Allegedly. But the man has no proof, and we’re always three steps ahead of him.
“We’ve been laying low,” I say. “In Denver, at least.” Can’t say the same for Colombia or Spain. But that’s not his jurisdiction, so he can fuck right off.
