Page 43 of Prettiest Little Thief
I shrugged. “Maybe. But then you would still be stuck in jail.”
Monroe stared at our intertwined hands. “I still don’t know why you wanted to give me a get out of jail free card. Well, it wasn’t really free, but you know what I mean.”
For a moment, I thought about it. She was right, I could have used the people I know. “Maybe I wanted to see how desperate you were to avoid jail time.”
“Rude.” She rolled her eyes.
“I’m an asshole, I know.”
She laughed, and it was a beautiful sound. Her eyes lit up and her dimples appeared. Monroe Whitlock fascinated me, and I couldn’t pinpoint why.
Maybe it was because she was a criminal but still so happy-go-lucky. A hundred-mile difference from the felons I had done business with. Sweet and gorgeous with seductive, whiskey-colored eyes. Feisty only when she needed to be.
I didn’t believe she would be in the position she was in if she hadn’t made a last-ditch effort to save her mother from cancer. She gave up her life to try to keep her mom from death’s door. It was something to be admired. And it softened my hard exterior, because I would have done the fucking same to keep my own mother Earth-bound.
Her grief didn’t get in the way of her kindness, even as the memory was brought to the surface every time she had to steal,lie, and cheat to survive. She hated every second of it but did what she deemed necessary so she wouldn’t be murdered by the Crimson Brotherhood.
“I still don’t understand why you want to help me, or why this chest and key are so important to you.”
“In time I might reveal that to you.” I released her hand and pushed to my feet. “For now, worry about healing.”
“But I still have so many questions.” Her brows furrowed.
“And when the time is right, I will tell you.”
“You’re frustrating.” She pouted.
“Patience, Monroe. Everything will make sense eventually.”
In truth, I wasn’t ready to give her the full story about my family. Instead of calling off the arranged marriage, Sarah had married Christian a week before Dad committed suicide. It enraged me to the point of nearly beating the shit out of my new brother-in-law. If Fox hadn’t stopped me, I would have killed him with my bare hands.
Christian was a known womanizer and abuser. But his family had money and a well-known name in our community. My sister fell into his web and was trapped in the wicked snare of her husband. My last hope to free her was procuring the relic and offering it in exchange for my sister’s freedom.
In a way, Monroe was like Sarah. Trapped. Unable to move forward because of the toxic people who held her back. Charles and Christian had a lot in common. Both of them used people and punished them when things weren’t brought to them when and where they wanted.
“I’m going to head out for a bit, but Fox and Evie are here,” I said, changing the subject.
Monroe nodded.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Monroe
For the next two weeks, Lucas waited on me while I healed from my injuries. The change in his behavior led me to the moment I was in. I decided I was going to accept his offer for marriage in return for protection and the payoff to the Crimsons. And I would assist in the retrieval of the chest.
He still had not disclosed why he needed it so badly, but maybe if I put that as a stipulation, I could understand why.
I shimmied myself into a pair of jeans and a casual T-shirt with an alien on it, having done my makeup for the first time in what felt like forever. Then I made my trek through the house to find Lucas.
Voices flowed through the downstairs as I descended the steps. Lucas and… and a woman.
With soft footsteps, I crept closer to the office and strained my hearing.
“You cannot possibly think marrying a stranger will make things better, Lucas.”
“I don’t remember asking for your input. Since when have I given a fuck about what you or anyone else thinks?” he responded.
She laughed humorlessly. “You’ll care when the business takes a shit because you married a criminal.”
