Page 13 of It Takes a Thief
“That’s right. I think my parents are overreacting and being overprotective.” She tilts her head, studying me. “We’ve gone over this.”
“Yeah, we have, but I’m thorough like that. Humor me.”
The light turns red and I stop the car and begin tapping my index finger on the steering wheel. Something isn’t adding up, and it’s been bothering me that this job has been unusually quiet and easy. Since I came on board, there hasn’t been one single threat. Which, okay, is great, but my gut is on edge.
“It happened here in New York.” I’m really just thinking aloud, and Merritt nods. “Before that, there was never a problem?”
“No, never. There’s been no need for security because no one knows who I am or is familiar with Arcadia. There are a lot of famous faces here, but trust me, I’m not one of them. I blend right in.”
No, she could never just be another face in the crowd. Her beauty and elegance make her stand out. People may not know she’s royalty, but Merritt Fontaine shines in every possible way.
“Tell me again what happened.”
“I left yoga class with my friend, Charity, and we were going to get smoothies at this café we like. Out of nowhere, a man plowed into me. I fell and he reached down, helping me back up. At least, that’s what I thought he was doing. Until he started pulling me away from Charity, tugging me toward a car. I cried out, trying to pull free, and Charity started hitting him with heryoga mat. She began screaming ‘Police!’ and he ran away.” A shrug. “I think it was just a random, weird thing.”
“Not a targeted attack?”
“No. He took off fast and nothing has happened since.”
“So, you tell your parents, they freak out and bring you home. A day later, someone attempts to break in and steal your crown.”
“He snuck in through my bedroom window. I don’t know what his intentions were, but he must’ve seen the crown on my dresser and grabbed it. I woke up and yelled for a guard.”
“You also attacked the intruder,” I remind her in a tight voice, “which was a foolish thing to do. What if he’d been armed or hurt you or—”
“I just reacted and I threw my phone. It hit him in the face. Lucky shot. He dropped the crown and ran.”
“And he was wearing a mask.”
A frustrated sigh. “Yes. I couldn’t see his face at all.”
We’ve gone over all this before, every single detail, but sometimes retelling an incident might trigger a new memory. Plus, I like to make sure I have everything correct. I don’t have enough intel to determine if the attempted kidnapping—because that’s what I’m calling it—and the break-in at the palace are connected. They happened in two completely different countries that are very far away from each other.
If nothing else happens, I can chalk it up to a coincidence. But being away from the guarded palace and in a big city puts me on edge. Danger could come at any time from anywhere, and italready has at least once. I plan on sticking to the princess like a fly on shit.
“So, ah, I forgot to tell you that I’ll be stepping out this afternoon,” Merritt says.
I arch a brow. “Wherever you go, I go.”
“You can’t go,” she insists.
The GPS indicates that her apartment building is coming up on the right. I ease up on the accelerator and hit the blinker. “You sure about that? Because it’s literally my job.”
She lets out a frustrated sound and shakes her head. “Linc, please. I won’t be long and—”
“Where are you going?” I ask, getting suspicious.
She clears her throat. “On a date.”
A surge of jealousy pummels through me. I slam on the brakes a little too hard, and she jolts forward against the seatbelt. A date? She doesn’t have a boyfriend. Just last night she was askingmeto be her fake fiancé.
“You just got back. When the hell did you have time to arrange a date?” Incredulity laces my voice, as well as some frustration. I don’t want to spend the next two weeks watching her act like she’s the star of The Bachelorette.
“I’m on a dating app,” she explains. “I was talking to him on the plane.”
While I must’ve been sleeping.
It’s completely illogical, because Merritt Fontaine doesn’t belong to me, but for some reason that really pisses me off.
