Page 83 of Princess of Thieves

Three steps up to the front porch and I scan around for a hiding place. I end up tucking the bag behind a potted plant, just enough poking out so that it’s visible when you come up to the door.

No one sees me. And by the time I’m back in the Mustang, it’s like I was never there at all.

The Mustang winds up the familiar drive toward the mansion.Almost home, I think, and the thought takes me aback.

But it shouldn’t. I have a key now. This place is my home as much as any place ever has been—maybe more.

This place is mine, or at least it feels like it could be.

And I think I’m okay with that.

I throw the Mustang in park and walk inside, the air cool after the heat of the day. The door closes behind me with a satisfying click, and I pause for a second, savoring the quiet.

“Anybody home?” I call.

“Pool,” comes the reply, and I head out back.

It’s such a casual scene, like the whole world isn’t on fire around us.

Rob’s sitting with his feet dangling in the water, shirt off, sunglasses on, looking effortlessly cool. Will is perched on an Adirondack chair, flipping through some old magazine, while LJ stretches out on a chaise longue, eyes closed, and Tuck prods at the grill off to the side.

I don’t say anything at first, just stand there for a second, taking it all in. The normalcy of it. The simplicity. After a day spent handing out wads of cash in a stupid disguise, this scene feels almost surreal in how normal it is.

But then again, so does everything lately.

As I step fully outside, LJ’s eyes fly open, like he was just waiting for me to get back. He’s the first to reach me, his strong arms wrapping around my waist as he presses a soft kiss to my neck. I shiver involuntarily, still not quite used to the way he disarms me with his touch.

Then Tuck’s there, giving me a warm, lingering hug that reverberates with all the quiet excitement of his mind going a mile a minute. “Missed you,” he murmurs into my hair.

“I wasn’t gonethatlong,” I protest.

Will, not to be outdone, swoops in with a mischievous grin, planting a quick, teasing kiss on my lips. But before I can even respond, Rob’s there, pulling me away from Will and into him. His kiss is firm, possessive, and I melt into it for just a second before he pulls back, raising an eyebrow at me.

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t run off on your own.”

I sigh, trying to keep my frustration in check, lest I get any prying questions. “If I’m going to stay here,” I say, meeting his eyes head-on, “you need to be okay with that. All of you do. You need to trust me.”

The words hang in the air for a moment, tension pulling taut between us. Rob stares at me, jaw clenched, but finally, he exhales.

“Fine,” he mutters. “But next time, at least tell someone you’re leaving, okay? Don’t make me sic LJ on you.”

“Hey,” LJ mutters. “I don’t take orders from him,” he adds, to me. I giggle.

Tuck, of course, is already shifting gears. “Now that you’re back, I’ve been thinking,” he says excitedly, “There’s so much more we can test with your power. I’ve been researching new techniques, and some exercises you can try to—”

“Maybe later,” I tell him, softening my refusal with a smile. “It’s been a long day.”

Will, always one to probe for information, raises an eyebrow. “Oh, has it? Of what?”

I give him a knowing look. “Girl shit. Getting my nails done. Buying tampons. You know. The usual.”

His face flickers with surprise, then realization that I’m bullshitting him, then a friendly scowl. “Little minx.”

I stick out my tongue and sink into a chair by the pool, listening to the sounds of the water and the easy banter around me.

Maybe it’s shady of me to refuse them the details. But I don’t want to fuck it up. The families need to be safe first, to get things squared away and secure. I want to be sure this scheme of mine actuallyworkedbefore I let the guys in on what I’ve done.

I lean back in my chair, sipping a glass of water as I watch the guys bicker over how to start the grill. It’s like watching four giant predators circle their prey—tons of instinctual confidence,yet somehow no clue about something as simple as cooking over an open flame.

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