Page 58 of It Takes a Thief
I slip back up to my room, quickly change and grab my purse. I’m going straight to the police station and demanding to speak to Linc. It’s time to play the royalty card.
And I dare anyone to tell the Princess of Arcadia no.
∞∞∞
Even though it seems like the writing’s on the wall, I want to hear it from Linc. I need to hear the words come out of his mouth in order to process the situation and move on. Otherwise, I fear I’m going to wallow in questions and doubt for the rest of my life.
Snagging the keys to my mom’s BMW, I head to the small police station. Arcadia doesn’t have a lot of trouble with criminals, but it does have a police force to keep its citizens safe from outsiders and, sometimes, each other.
It’s been so long since I’ve driven a car, and I actually enjoy it. Normally when I’m home, Leo drives me everywhere. And when I was in New York, I took taxis or the subway. But I did get my Arcadia license a couple of years ago—insisted on it, actually—and I’m very proud to have it.
When I said I wanted to learn, my dad and Leo taught me. We drove over every road on this island and they shared their knowledge. We also had a ton of laughs and a close call with aditch, but to be fair, I refused to run over the bunny that darted in front of us, and I had no choice but to swerve.
Driving aimlessly has always given me a sense of freedom, something I crave, and the Arcadian scenery is breathtaking. It’s strange because no matter how long I leave, every time I come home, there’s a constant about the island that I find comforting. The winding roads that end at the sea, the jasmine-covered cliffs, the love of my family and the Arcadian people.
Maybe I’ve taken it all for granted.
Perhaps my home isn’t something to escape, but rather to embrace.
I think I’m having an epiphany as the station comes into view, but I have to save it for later. Right now, there’s a bit of a commotion happening, and I’m shocked to see Jeffrey standing beside the squad car.
Braking, I pull over instead of driving straight up to the entrance and decide to watch the scene play out.
What the hell is Jeffrey Dumas doing here?
My heart pounds and I wipe my sweating palms on my thighs. Jeffrey talks to one of the cops another minute, then the cop opens the back door and pulls Linc out. He quickly shoves Linc into the back of Jeffrey’s car, not even bothering to uncuff him.
What in God’s name is going on?
Jeffrey exchanges a few more words with the cop, then slips him some cash. I make a mental note of what the cop looks like as Jeffrey gets into his car and drives away.
Wasting no time, I follow them, crossing my fingers and doing my best to stay back far enough so they don’t notice me. Luckily, Jeffrey is pretty oblivious, but not much gets past Linc. If anyone catches me, it will be him. The dark will only hide me for so long, so I decide to turn my headlights off to make myself less obvious.
Arcadia isn’t huge, and it doesn’t take me long to figure out we’re heading for the small private airport. So many questions are swirling through my head.
Hanging back, I watch them enter the airport. There’s only one reason they’re here. It means they’re flying somewhere. Together, though? Tapping a finger against the wheel, I debate what to do.
I need to get the flight manifest to determine if they’re truly flying somewhere, and if so, where. Turning in the opposite direction, I drive over to the tower. I don’t plan on stopping their flight, but I do plan on following them.
One good thing about being royalty is my ability to get answers fast. It doesn’t take long for me to talk to the tower crew and learn the private plane on the verge of taking off contains five individuals: the pilot, Jeffrey, Linc and two other men I don’t know. Their final destination is LaGuardia.
Without hesitation, I pull my phone from my purse and call our family pilot.
“Hello, Princess,” he answers on the second ring. He’s always on call, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
“Jacques, I need to return to New York immediately.”
“I’ll get the jet ready,” he responds.
“Thank you. I’m already at the airport.”
“On my way.”
“See you soon.” I hang up. My parents are still probably dealing with the police, so I’ll call them once we’re in the air. Mostly because I don’t want them to try and stop me.
Because my mind is made up. I’m following these two back to New York and I’m getting answers.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Linc
