Chapter 26
Soren
I freeze in the hallway between the bedroom suites. I woke up a few minutes ago to an empty theater. I figured Maya would be in bed and decided to have a look around upstairs, but the distant crash has my hackles raising.
I wait a moment, trying to determine where the noise is coming from. There’s a scuffle, like something is being moved.
Downstairs.
I take the steps two at a time, but silently. Who’s here?
The bottom floor is quiet when I reach it, but there’s a wariness in the quiet. Like the house knows what’s happened and is waiting for me to figure it out. I pull up the security feed but it’s gone completely black. I’ve been kicked out.
This isn’t good.
The kitchen is dirty but empty. The living room and dining room, the same. The office and observatory—
“Hello.” An enormous man emerges from the shadows, clad in black and confidence.
His shoulders nearly brush the edges of the doorframe as he traps me in the observatory.
He’s got to be close to fifty with his peppered gray hair and the wrinkles around his eyes, but it only makes him more intimidating.
He makes a bodybuilder look like a toddler.
I bring my fists up, prepping for a fight. It’s going to be a dismal one, but whatever it takes. “You need to leave.”
“I don’t think so.” He speaks with an Australian accent. I’ve run into many other thieves on ops, but never this one. I would have remembered. “I’m looking for something, and you’re going to help me find it.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are, or that beautiful girl of yours goes over the side of the building.” His lips split in a menacing grin.
Maya? Or Bella? “Where is she?” If he hurts either of them, I swear I’ll kill him.
I make a move to the back doors, but the man stops me with a click of a gun.
“She’ll be just fine. You will, too. If you play along.”
“Who sent you?”
“We all work for someone.” His nonanswer confirms my suspicion. I should have called the police on Mrs. Morrison. I underestimated her. I didn’t realize just how badly she wanted the painting. Now she’s using Mr. Hartwell’s money to pay thieves to rob him. Cunning old lady.
I clench my jaw. “I don’t have what you want.”
“Now how do you know what I want?”
“Because you’re not the first person to come looking.” My eyes fly over him, searching for a weakness. He’s leaning more to one side… maybe a bad leg? I could take him. I’m sure.
More like 40 percent sure. He’s got a gun, and a bullet travels far quicker than I can.
“But I am the one who will be leaving with it. Now, show me where it is.”
My options are limited. I should have called Liam much sooner. Now I’m too late, and Maya and Bella may suffer for it. I screwed up.
“I don’t know where it is. Only she does,” I say, not wanting to use a name, anything this man might use to hurt us worse.
“Why would she?”
“Because she hid it from me.”
His eyes light up with interest. “Because you want it, too. This just got more interesting. It seems we now have a chance to prove who is the better thief.”
“Trust me, you won’t find it.”
“We’ll see about that. Now move. I’m growing weary.”
“Perhaps you should retire.”
“I’m not decrepit,” he snaps.
“Then try to keep up.” I speed up, hoping to lose him somewhere in the house.
I formulate a plan as I walk. His words were cryptic, but I assume he has Maya or Bella tied up somewhere on the balcony.
It’s nearly freezing, and she won’t be okay for long.
If I can lose him, I can double back and find her.
But I also need to keep him far away from Bella, who I’m hoping he hasn’t found.
The library. He’ll get drawn in by the mess of art, and I’ll be able to sneak out through the secret passageway. At least I hope it’s a passage and not a room.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“I thought I’d practice my model walk. What do you think?”
“You’re so clever.” He sneers, his tone mocking and derisive.
“Someone’s gotta be, and it’s obviously not you.”
He catches up, grabbing the back of my shirt and shoving me sideways.
“Stop with the attitude,” he growls. “You know how this game works, and you made the vital mistake.”
“What’s that?” I ground out through clenched teeth.
“You started caring.”
That’s precisely when my problems arose forty-eight hours ago. When I realized who was here and that I couldn’t leave her. But he’s wrong. Having someone to care about, someone to love, I feel stronger than ever. The only danger is when that person is being used against me, like now.
“There’s no room for that in this business. Now find my painting, or my bullet will find your heart.”
“Are you really that good of a shot?”
He punches at me, but I block him, reaching for his gun, but his grip remains tight.
I stomp on his foot, then throw an uppercut into his chin as he falls forward.
My knuckles crack, pain ricocheting up my arm at the contact with his trunk-sized head.
It doesn’t knock him out like I’d hoped, but he’s off-balance, and I kick his knee.
It’s a cheap shot, but effective. He goes down hard and with a loud groan.
I snatch the gun free of his hand and sprint.
I can’t think of anything except getting to the balcony as I race down the hall and through the wide doors. It’s dark outside, but I leave the light off, so he won’t be able to see us when he comes looking. If I find whoever is out here.
I can’t think like that. They’re okay. They have to be.
“Maya? Bella?” I holler into the wind.
There’s a muffled sound off to the left, and I head straight for it.
I search near the hot tub and patio set but come up empty. No one in the cabana either. There’s a small space between the wall and the cabana, but there’s no way both of them could fit there.
I shine my light anyway.
“Maya…” I breathe a sigh of relief as I spot her small form in the opening, tied to the railing behind her. I drop in front of her, setting the gun on the ground and getting to work on the ties around her wrists and ankles, ripping her gag out.
“Bella! Is she safe?” she asks.
My hands falter. She was supposed to be with Maya. “Where is she?”
“She was in her room. You have to get to her.”
“I will, right after you’re safe.”
“No. Soren. Save her.” Her chin quivers and tears line her eyes. She kicks her feet as if that will somehow help things.
“Stop fighting me, woman. I’ll keep you both safe, I promise.”
She clamps her lips shut, and once her hands are free, she helps untangle her ankles. She stands, kicking something as she does…
The gun. No.
It skids across the balcony and slides under the railing.
I pinch my eyes closed. There goes my one advantage. It’s all right. I can adapt; I’ve never liked using guns, anyway.
I open my eyes and pull Maya up, keeping her hand in mine and peering into the house. I don’t see any movement. But knowing Bella is in her bed helpless, the lack of movement doesn’t bring me comfort. He could be in her room right now.
“What do we do?” Maya whispers.
“We find Bella, and I get you both out of here. Then I’ll deal with him.”
“He wants the painting, right?”
“Yes.” I bump my knee into the corner of the patio chair and silence a curse.
“We can’t let him take it.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ll get fired, and I need this job. I need—”
“I need you to trust me, sweetheart.”
Her grip on my hand tightens; she didn’t miss my slip of the tongue. I can’t help it. Being near her has brought the past back in full force, and I’m tired of fighting it.
I catch sight of a shadow nearing the door, and I pause, but only momentarily. Getting the girls safe is all that matters.
I shove my phone into her hand as I drag her along in the darkness. “Go straight to Bella. Get her out of the penthouse, then call Liam. My passcode is 7502.”
“W-what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to distract him.”
“But what if he hurts you?”
“Just because I let you get the better of me doesn’t mean I’ll let anyone else.” I squeeze her hand.
“Oh, you let me, huh?” There’s a lightness back in her voice, which was my plan. To get her to calm down and think reasonably.
“Yes. I’ll prove it to you later.” I press a kiss to her cheek. “When I reach the other side of the balcony, I’ll make a noise; that’s when you run inside. Don’t look back, okay?”
She nods, and I release her, slinking through the shadows closer to the man. He sees and starts in my direction. Once he’s far enough away from the doorway, I let out a whistle.
He turns fully toward me and Maya sneaks inside undetected.
Now… it’s time to have some fun.