Page 54 of It Takes a Thief
“Fuck your questions,” he snaps.
Standing up to my full height so we’re toe to toe, I challenge him. “What?” I grate out.
He shrinks away from me, suddenly not so tough anymore. I look down at him and growl, “Careful what you say. I hear it’s hard to pick your teeth up off the floor with two broken hands.”
I crack my knuckles, and he stumbles back, eyes widening.Yeah, that’s right, asshole.He knows about my fighting history, so he’s quite aware I’m fully capable of destroying him with one well-placed punch.
Suddenly, his shoulders slump and defeat lines his face. “I was so close. Then you came along and messed up all of my plans.”
“You’re the one behind all the threats against Merritt.” It’s not a question.
“What was I supposed to do? She was dragging her feet and trying to extend her stay in New Yorkagain. I couldn’t let that happen, so I decided to scare her. Make her leave the big, bad city and come running home. I needed her back here so we could get married.”
“So you could settle your debts, you mean,” I crisply correct him.
He shrugs a shoulder. “I owe some people money—”
“Quite a lot of people,” I add dryly.
“—and I could’ve taken care of it, if you hadn’t screwed everything up.”
“You had someone break into her apartment and stick a knife in her pillow!” I bark, trying to contain my fury. “And then you hired some thug to run her down with an SUV. You’re lucky I haven’t killed you already.”
“I wasn’t going to really hurt her,” he whines.
God, this prick isn’t even worth my time.
“She never would’ve married you, anyway,” I tell him, completely dismissive. “She doesn’t love you.”
For a moment, he looks distraught. But then, he studies me, a new gleam in his eyes. “You care for her, don’t you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I answer vaguely.
“Like hell, it doesn’t.” I can see the gears turning in his head, and I don’t like it. “You’re going to help me.”
“The fuck I am. You’re lucky I haven’t beat you to a bloody pulp.”
“Your arrival ruined my plans, but I can still fix this. Flip the script.”
“I have no idea what—”
“I did my research the second you showed up. I know her parents hired your team to tighten their security. A-Squared Enterprises, right?” He scoffs. “Is that even legit or just a shady cover for something else?”
An icy trickle of dread creeps down my spine.He has no idea about any of the heists we’ve done, I tell myself.He’s merely bluffing to get a reaction.
I keep my face steely.
“You know it better than anyone,” he continues, “and that means you can defeat it. If I can’t have the princess, I’ll have her diamond crown. That’s all I want, anyway. A way out of my debt.”
I decide to try my own bluff. “I don’t know anything about the system. Our tech guy set it all up.”
He continues as though he didn’t hear me, “You’re going to sneak in and steal enough shiny stuff to cover my debts. Otherwise, your precious princess is going to die. I have thecontacts to make it happen. One phone call and she stops breathing.”
Whether it’s true or not, his threat makes me see red. Curling my fingers into my palms, forcing myself to remain cool, my voice drops to a threatening snarl. “If you touch one hair on Merritt’s head, you will disappear. Understand?”
That last part isn’t a bluff. It’s a goddamn promise.
Jeffrey moves fast, darting to a side table, and quickly pulls a gun out of the top drawer, turning it on me. His hands shake. “You’re going to do what I say or she dies. And I’m desperate enough to do it, so don’t fucking test me.”
