Page 48 of Prettiest Little Thief
“Are you two a thing now?” I asked.
“Yeah, are you?” Monroe’s voice came from behind me as she entered the kitchen. She took a seat on one of the chairs at the island.
Fox and Evie looked at each other. “We haven’t decided.” Fox replied and cleared his throat.
“You meanyouhaven’t decided.” Evie put some distance between them. Some frustration apparent. “I’m going to head out.” She strode over to her friend and wrapped her in a hug.
“Evie, you don’t have to go.” Fox stepped closer, but she stepped back.
“I’m fine, Fox. I just have some errands to run.” She spun on her heel and left before he could respond.
“You know she’s not fine, right?” Monroe raised her eyebrows at my best friend.
“Yeah. I know.” Fox’s jovial attitude turned sullen in the blink of an eye. “I’m going to go… work.” He trudged out of the kitchen, leaving a trail of dismay behind.
“How sad,” Monroe commented.
“He’ll be fine. He just needs to get his head out of his ass.”
“Like you?” She giggled, her brown eyes full of playfulness.
“Exactly. Like me.”
Monroe bit her lip but kept silent. This was the moment I had dreaded from the start of all this.
I cleared my throat. “I ordered our food. It should be here soon.”
“Hmmm.” She folded her hands on the counter in front of her and stared at me expectantly. “Is that what you really wantedto tell me? Or are you procrastinating getting down to the nitty gritty of why you’re so fascinated withAnastasia’s Keepsake?”
I paused for a moment and rubbed my hand across my jaw.“The reason there is so much importance surrounding the chest and key… I need to find it so that I can offer it in exchange for my sister’s freedom from her husband.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Monroe
Lucas’s confession was the last thing I would have ever expected. In truth, I thought it had something to do with a billionaire’s greed. To have a priceless relic in his possession. Everything I thought I knew about him changed at that moment. My heart clenched at the anguish so plainly on his face.
“Why do you have to get her out of the marriage?” I asked.
“Her husband was a man of my father’s choosing. My dad pulled her from the relationship she was in for control.” He ran a hand through his sandy hair. “He didn’t approve of her romantic choice because he wasn’t from a rich family. On top of the arranged wedding, my brother-in-law is a piece of shit.” He heaved himself into the chair beside me.
Despair rolled off of him in waves, drowning him.
I gripped his hand. “I’m so sorry. Have you been able to talk to her? To see her?”
Lucas shook his head. “At first, I was able to visit, but then I lost my shit when I saw the bruises and how thin Sarah was. I was going to kill him, Monroe.” His icy gaze locked on me, and his thumb stroked the back of my fingers. “After I beat the shit out of him, Christian cut Sarah’s contact off with me.”
“I’m guessing he won’t let her leave.” I frowned.
“No, he won’t let her leave.” There was silence for a few moments as all of what Lucas told me settled over me.
The pain of loving a sibling you can’t help must have made him feel so hopeless.
“That’s not all.” He licked his lips. “I told you my parents died, but I didn’t tell you how.”
“I’m listening.”
“When I found out about Sarah’s arranged marriage to Christian, I confronted my dad. He was pissed off that he couldn’t push me around anymore because I was bigger. Stronger. So, he pulled out a gun.”
