Page 57 of It Takes a Thief
“I need you to trust me.”
“Show me what’s in the backpack.”
“Mer—”
“Show me!”
I hear his sigh beneath the gaiter. Then he slowly unzips it, reaches in and reveals my diamond crown.
And all my lingering trust shatters. How could I have been so naive?
“You’re a thief?” I blatantly ask, trying my damnedest to make sense of the situation.
“Yes,” he answers without hesitation. “But it’s not what you think.”
“Give it back,” I demand and hold my hand out.
“I can’t. Not yet.”
“I don’t want excuses, Mr. Decker. I want my property back or I’ll be forced to call security.”
As if on cue, police sirens fill the air. Linc utters a curse and bolts into action, moving around me so fast, I can barely process what’s happening.
“Linc!” I yell, spinning around and racing after him.
For being so big, he’s surprisingly fast and nimble. He’s already whipping around the corner and out of sight before I’m even halfway down the hall. Frustration pours through me and I call him again. But he’s not stopping.
My slippers pad down the stairs as fast as possible, and by the time I reach the main floor, I know he’s already gone. At least, until I hear all the commotion from the veranda. Turning, I run through the house, heading straight for the large glass doors which are wide open. Skidding to a halt on the threshold of the back patio, my mouth drops open.
Linc is on the ground, struggling to break free from several royal guards. Two more jump into the mix and it takes five men to hold him down. And they’re barely managing that feat. Meanwhile, three policemen appear.
“Stay back, Princess,” a voice says near my side. It’s another guard, and he reaches for my arm, but I shrug free and hurry forward.
A policeman yanks Linc’s arms behind his back and cuffs him. Then the guards wrench him up off the cobblestones. Suddenly, my parents are there and one of the policemen opens the backpack and pulls my crown out.
Heart in my throat, my gaze locks with Linc’s.
“What have you done?” I whisper. But he doesn’t respond, just presses his lips together tightly before they jerk him away.
Everyone starts talking at once. My parents, the guards, more police, and it all blurs together. I can’t understand anything that’s happening, but one thing is clear: I was a naive little girl who got duped by her thieving bodyguard. A man who was hired to watch over me, to protect me. But all along, his plan was to steal from me.
Spinning around, I race back through the house until I reach one of the large front windows and peel the curtain back. Red and blue lights flash from the squad cars, bathing the front driveway in an eerie glow. It’s like I’m trapped in some crazy carnival nightmare.
The guards and police are escorting Linc to a squad car, and hurt pummels me. Before they reach it, he manages to break free and make a run for it.Oh, God. I place my hands against the glass, watching the action with bated breath. This time, he doesn’t get very far before they tackle him to the ground.
Hot tears blur my vision as they shove him into the back seat of the police cruiser. A siren blares again and the car pulls away.
None of this makes any sense to me. And the more I think about it, the more confused I get.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’ll always be here if you need me.”
It was one of the last things Linc said to me.
Was it all just bullshit? Or am I missing something?
Swiping the tears away, I decide I need answers. More than that, I deserve them.
A quick look out back and I can see my parents are still talking to the authorities and guards. They’re going to ask me a million questions that I don’t have the answers to…yet. But I will get them.
