Page 21 of It Takes a Thief
“I’ll be back,” I tell her. “I need you to stay in here, lock the door and don’t touch anything.”
“No! I-I don’t want to be alone with…that. Please, let me come with you.”
“Of course,” I relent, hating the fear in her voice. Turning toward the bed, gun still in hand, I reach for her with my opposite hand, threading my fingers through hers. Then I walk over to read the note.
“Sorry I missed you, Princess.”
The words make my nostrils flare and my grip on her hand reflexively tightens. Whoever did this is going down. Every single cell in my body vows to find the fucker and end him.
Nobody threatens her. Not on my watch.
“Let’s check the rest of your place out. Then I’m calling the cops and my team.”
After thoroughly searching Merritt’s apartment, it’s clear the intruder is long gone. The police arrive and I explain the situation, including the attempted kidnapping on her two weeks earlier. They bag the knife as evidence, ask a bunch of standard questions and assure us they’ll be in touch.
I hate to think it, but now we have confirmation the earlier attack wasn’t an isolated incident. Something more sinister is at work here, and I’m going to find out what.
After the cops leave, I sit down on the couch beside Merritt. She’s huddled against the edge, arms wrapped around a throw pillow, and obviously distraught.
“Everything will be alright,” I tell her, hating how scared she looks. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I’m in full-on bodyguard mode as I call Addie, putting the phone on speaker.
“How’s it going, Linc?” Addie says in greeting.
“Not great.” I tell her about the break-in and the calling card the asshole left sticking out of Merritt’s pillow.
“And the alarm was set?” she asks.
“Of course. I’d planned to install some upgrades, but it’s not a terrible setup. It should’ve done its job.”
“So, how did someone get in?”
“I don’t know, but Merritt and I are about to have a long talk.” I send her a pointed look.
“I’ll call The Man and update him. Keep me posted.”
“Copy.”
After disconnecting the call, I turn to face Merritt. Before I can start grilling her about every person in her life and who has access to this place, she asks, “Who’s The Man?”
Good question. None of us, including Addie, really knows. He’s just this mysterious person who often has jobs for us and provides high level intel, including codes and exclusive partyinvites, and safehouses where we stay. We’ve never seen his face, and whenever we speak, he’s in the shadows, face scrambled. Angel, Addie’s mom, told us to trust him, and so far, he hasn’t given us a reason not to.
“You know how Charlie had his angels? Well, The Man has us.”
“You work for him?”
“No, I work for Addie’s company, A-Squared. But The Man sometimes provides us with work. Your case, for example.”
“Me?”
I nod. “He connected us to your friend, Rose, and mentioned a princess in need of a bodyguard. We assumed it was her, but then it turned out to be you.”
She listens carefully, soaking it all in. “I didn’t think I really needed a bodyguard. Until now. If you hadn’t been here…if we hadn’t gone to get pizza…”
A visible tremor racks her slim body.
“Don’t go there.” I slide closer. “I’m here, and no one is going to hurt you.”
