Page 90 of Princess of Thieves

At the same moment, Guy’s hand lands on my shoulder—not rough, but firm, a clear signal to stop. His fingers press just enough to hold me in place, and I freeze, my pulse hammering in my ears.

I lock eyes with Rob, searching for some sign that this isn’t as bad as it looks. He forces a grin, the kind of cocky, careless expression that’s supposed to reassure me. “Don’t worry, Maren. These boys have nothing on me. It’s all just a misunderstanding.”

But I can see the fear in his eyes. It’s there, flickering just beneath the surface. He’s trying to keep it hidden, but I know him too well.You’re literally in fucking handcuffs, Rob.

Wait. My mind flashes to when I first got back here, to Will and Rob and the leather around his wrists.

Why doesn’t he shift?The thought slams into me like a punch.Why doesn’t he just turn into a goddamn fox and run?He’s not hurt, right? He could be gone in a heartbeat, faster than any of them could react.

But before I can do or think or say anything more, I feel a tug on my arm, pulling me back from the scene. I turn, and it’s LJ, his face set in determination as he drags me toward Tuck and Will, who are standing in a stunned silence. Zayn has appeared now too, his face grim and unreadable as he watches everything unfold.

“They’ll shoot,” LJ mutters, his grip steady but not harsh. “Stay back.”

I don’t want to. Everything in me is screaming to do something, to stop this, to fight back. But I let him pull me into the safety of the group.

Will’s face flushes red as he rounds on Zayn, his voice a low growl. “This is your fault, isn’t it? You brought them here!”

Zayn’s eyes widen, and he shakes his head furiously. “Are you for real? You think I’d sell him out?” His voice cracks with disbelief and desperation. “I owe Rob everything, man. It wasn’t me.”

“Indeed, it wasn’t Deputy Rashad.” A few steps away, Guy’s cold voice sparkles with amusement. But it isn’t funny.

I spin toward him, my heart pounding. “Then how did you find him?”

“How? Oh, it wasn’t hard.” He smiles, his handsome features turned grotesque in the harsh light of the cruisers and the shadows of the night. “Suddenly, we noticed a whole slew of delinquent property tax bills being paid off in full, in cash. Curious development in a town where people are scraping by.”

I feel the blood drain from my face as his words sink in, but he’s not done. “And then,” he continues, “Sherwood NationalBank flagged an account for a series of large cash withdrawals. Big enough to get the attention of the Feds.”

My mind races.The bank.My stomach twists. “But... it shouldn’t have been over that,” I stammer. “Not in a single transaction.”

Guy turns toward me with a condescending smile, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Ah, but Maren, trying to avoid that limit? That’s a crime all its own. Structuring.”

Shame floods through me.

“You really think cruising justunderthe limit isn’t equally suspicious?” He laughs. “Sweet.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. My heart sinks as the weight of it settles in.It’s my fault.My plan to help the people of Sherwood, to redistribute my inheritance quietly and without a fuss—it’s what led them here. I’ve brought Guy and the sheriff’s men straight to our doorstep.

Tears sting my eyes as I look for Rob, but all I can see is Guy. His smirk deepens, that sick, eerie satisfaction glowing in his eyes as he steps closer to me. “But don’t worry, Maren,” he continues, his voice smooth and venomous. “We know you’d never willingly be part of such a crime. No, you were kidnapped, trafficked, and brainwashed. Forced to do this...forcedby him.” He tilts his head toward Rob, who stands rigid, flanked by deputies.

I want to scream, but the shock holds my throat tight.

“We’ll be seizing the house, of course,” Guy continues, savoring every word. “It’s all tied to the investigation now.”

Behind him, deputies are unrolling yellow tape, flooding into doors with rams and walkie talkies and flashlights glaring.

“And mark my words, as soon as we find what we know is in there...” Guy exhales. “They’ll pay.”

Darkness. That’s it. The darkness I saw before in him, that cruel, obsessive need to destroy anything he sees as a threat. Itwas there when he found me in his library, and it’s here now, burning in his eyes like a twisted hunger.

I swallow hard, feeling my hands shake with anger. “I can’t believe I ever even thought of trusting you.”

Guy smiles wider, that perfect, rehearsed politician’s grin that hides the rot underneath. “I’m the good guy, Maren. You’ll understand that in time. You’ll see that—”

“Over there!” one of the deputies yells.

I whip around just in time to see a flash of red-brown fur darting toward the tree line—Rob. My heart leaps into my throat as I realize he’s shifted, slipping free from the handcuffs in his fox form. He’s running for the woods, fast, nimble, his tail a blur behind him.

For a split second, hope surges in my chest—maybe he’ll make it.

---