Page 27 of Prettiest Little Thief
“I’d really prefer to look for myself, if that’s okay.” Batting my lashes at him, he gave me a small, provocative grin.
“If I could, I would,” he replied.
“I don’t see the harm in my friend and I going and searching for it,” Evie chimed in, reaching out and running her hand down the other guard’s arm. He pulled back from her touch, not as flirtatious as the man I was speaking to.
“There are rules in place to protect the items in our museum. You can’t come inside,” he said with a scowl.
Evie’s frisky mask fell, and her nostrils flared with irritation. “Listen, pendejo, we were just in the exhibit. I don’t understand why you’re not allowing us to go get her purse.”
“Evie.”
“¿Qué? Es estúpido,” Evie started to ramble off in Spanish. She was going to draw more attention if she kept on.
“What did you just call me?” the grumpy security guard asked. He knew exactly what she said. She may be speaking Spanish, but she was using common words that any non-Spanish speaker would know.
“I think you know exactly what I said.” She shoved him.
“Evie—” Just as I was going to drag her away from the altercation that would ensue, a loud whistle tore through the parking structure attached to the museum. The four of us all turned and watched as two levels of the lots lit up with fireworks. It was so deafening, I had to cover my ears as the explosions of pyrotechnics continued, one after another. After another. After another.
“Shouldn’t you go inspect the parking structure or some shit?” Evie yelled over the bangs and pops that filled the area.
Both guards started forward. Mister grumpy guard turned and glared at the two of us. “Stay here.” They took off in a jog toward the mayhem.
With the visitors gone and the doors closed, I tugged on the door handle. It didn’t budge. “Shoot. Now how are we going to get inside?”
“You have little faith in me, Roe.” Evie held up the grumpy security guard’s badge with a wicked smile on her face.
“Have I told you how much I love you lately?” I asked.
“Not today, amore.”
“In that case, I love the heck out of you, Evie.”
Using the badge to get into the museum was a cakewalk. Evie and I moved through the building filled with little light until we reached the door to the warehouse I had been in a couple of days before. She pressed the keycard against the scanner. Thelight on the scanner turned green, and a click sounded, letting us know we had successfully unlocked the door. Evie pushed the door open and motioned for me to go in first. “I’ll stay here, just in case those assholes come back.”
With a nod, I continued into the backroom filled with artifacts. The door shut behind me, and a rush of adrenaline poured into me. My heart hammered like a drum against my sternum, letting me know the race was on. I ran to the end of the racks where the box withAnastasia’s Keepsakewas. It was still in the same spot and still out of reach.
In the dimly lit row, I placed my feet onto the bottom shelf and stretched up as far as possible. A grunt surged from my lips as the pull of my muscles begged for mercy, the harsh edges of the shelves digging into my legs and ribs. Enough pressure to cause discomfort even through my parka and jeans.
My fingers clipped the edge of the box, just unreachable. I pressed up further on my tiptoes, desperately trying to grab for it again. With one last groan of exasperation, my fingertips grazed the lip, my hand clasping onto the object before I pulled it down.
The box was surprisingly light, and when I stepped down, I peered inside. Nestled within an ivory cushion was a necklace. A bronze key attached to a lengthy chain. The head of the key had a jewel placed into the metal.
In the darkness, the exact color of the gem wasn’t identifiable. My hands shook as I reached in and withdrew the ancient relic. There was probably hardly any time left. With hurried movements, I threw the box back up on the top shelf and placed the necklace around my head, tucking it in my shirt to hide it.
Quickly running back to the door, I pulled it open, and Evie’s head jerked toward me. “Did you get it?”
“Yes. We have to get out of here.” The both of us made our way back through the museum at a swift pace until we reached the doors, pushing them open and stepping out into the bitter air. The explosions started to die down, and the security guards were still nowhere in sight.
Evie and I took off toward where we told Fox we would meet him, and she pulled her phone out and dialed Fox’s number to let him know we were finished. Even if he didn’t answer, it would ring, alerting him that we were as good as gold.
Raf would be sure to be seen in one of his stolen cars to misdirect anyone who might be on the lookout for the four of us.
We crossed the street and rounded a corner where we would wait for Fox to pick us up. Minutes passed, and Evie and I straightened when we saw headlights heading toward us. A dark car with ultra-tinted windows rolled up to the curb.
“That doesn’t look like our car.” I shook my head, my stomach dropping and breath catching in my throat.
“Maybe Rafael is getting us instead,” Evie said. It sounded more like a question, though. We moved forward, and the doors opened. Two men in black suits stepped from the car, and my steps faltered as I recognized the both of them. They were clansmen. Mobsters. From the Crimson Brotherhood.
