Page 72 of Princess of Thieves

Zayn laughs. “Yeah, that’s the thing. Everybody in the office is talking about this kidnapped girl, Maren something, and yet I can’t for the life of me find any proof she’s actuallybeenkidnapped, you know? But none of my business.” He shrugs.“Except then that one asshole assistant DA is throwing around a name I recognize. Robin Locksley this, Robin Locksley that. Sonow...well, I gotta investigate. Because I know my guy Rob is no kidnapper.”

“Much obliged,” Rob says. I ignore him.

“Assistant DA,” I repeat, a knot in my chest. “You mean Gisbourne?”

“Yeah.” Zayn nods. “That dude thinks he’s God’s gift to law enforcement. Going to fix the system from the inside, all that shit.”

Will taps his chin. “Funny, I seem to recall you saying much the same thing just now.”

Zayn scoffs. “Nah, don’t get it twisted. I don’t give a shit about being king of the world. I just want to help guys like Rob, guys like me, like all y’all, who get screwed over by the system. And I wanna pull a paycheck to do it. That’s it. Gisbourne...that pretty boy DA wants to be on the damn throne, and if he can’t, he’ll burn everything to the ground to get it.”

The room quiets. I glance at Rob, who seems entirely unbothered, but my stomach tightens. It’s all connected, and Zayn’s sitting right in the middle of it.

“You think they’re coming for Rob?” Tuck asks, incredulous, setting down his fork. His face is flushed from both concern and the wine, his boyish eyes wide with disbelief.

Zayn nods. “Yeah. That’s why I came over looking for him the other day.” He glances at Will, wordlessly.

Will, wincing, leans over, rubbing the back of his neck. “Right... about that,” he mutters. “I might’ve been...a little harsh. Apologies.”

“Hey, no big.” Zayn waves it off like it’s nothing. “I mean, you weren’t wrong. I didn’t have a warrant. I just hoped I’d get to Rob and could figure out what the hell was going on. ‘Cause Iknew my boy wasn’t involved inthatkind of mess. Kidnapping some girl...”

His deep eyes drift to me, right as I’ve just taken a huge bite of lamb. I shake my head vigorously.

“No sir,” I say, after swallowing. “I’m here of my own free will.”

“And we’re allveryglad you are,” Will says mildly. But maybe not mildly enough. Something flickers in Zayn’s gaze—an understanding, a recognition. My cheeks get hot, and not just from the wine.

Can he tell that we’re...that I’m...

“That’s what I needed to figure out,” Zayn says, breaking the silence. “Gisbourne’s gunning hard to make this a big deal. The guy’s obsessed with you, man. He’s convinced he can nail you to the wall.”

LJ grumbles, pushing his plate away with a scowl. “I can’t believe this shit.” His voice is low, rough, and it’s directed more at Rob than Zayn.

Rob says nothing, though. He just sits there, jaw tight, the flicker of something darker behind his eyes.

Zayn sighs, shaking his head. “Look, the sheriff and his boys? They’re lazy. You know that. As long as their pockets stay full, they won’t put in the effort. But they’ve got the DA’s office breathing down their necks now. And Gisbourne’s pulling some crafty shit behind the scenes. I don’t know why he’s so obsessed with taking you down, Rob, but—”

“I do.”

Everyone turns to look at me. I swallow hard.

“He knows,” I say shortly.

“Knows...?” Zayn asks. The rest of them don’t. Don’t have to.

“I found this book,” I blurt out, the words coming thick and fast. “In his library. Weird old drawings and stuff. Magical...texts, I don’t know. But about shifters. Clearly aboutshifters, even though I couldn’t read whatever language it was in. And he caught me. I don’t know if he knew thatIknow, but...” I suck in a breath. “If he suspects you’re shifters, then he wants to kill you.”

There’s a long, tense beat of silence.

“You’re sure?” LJ says.

“Positive.”

I feel everyone’s eyes on me, still—everyone’s but Rob. He’s staring hard at the table, his hands clenched into fists. He lets out a slow breath, his shoulders stiff with barely restrained anger.

“That bastard,” Rob mutters, his voice low, almost a growl. “And wants to marry her, too. Y’all know that? That he’s trying to steal her away?”

Zayn’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Wait, wait, wait. Y’all two are a thing?” he asks, eyes flicking between me and Rob. “I mean, nice going, my friend. She’s a real one.”

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