Page 39 of Keep Me (Rebel Hearts Heists 2)
“My sister's safety is always a priority,” River offers, omitting his trademark smile but before I can respond, Kronin begins to talk about the painting.
“It’s pretty easy,” Kronin explains motioning towards the ottoman, “I just need you to go sit there and I will sketch away. I hope you two are comfortable, this could take all night.” Oh wonderful. Taking a fake sip of my drink and handing it to River, I walk towards the center of the room and sit down on the ottoman. My eyes widen as Kronin places his drink down and River’s eyes flare looking at my purse, Kronin paying no mind as he walks towards his easel. I try to ignore the urge to watch as River easily places some Benadryl and eye drops in his glass, the anxiety of the moment seems to stretch on and on.
I have no idea why I assumed that this would be easy. His successfully drugged drink is left untouched as he begins to authentically sketch the picture, using a variety of pencils. I still when he finally stands and narrows his eyes at me.
“We have a problem, my muse,” he laments, “I can’t see your frame.”
River’s jaw clicks as I try to laugh lightly, a similar laugh to the one I used to give Pierce when I was trying to get him to leave me alone, while just agreeing with him.
“What’s the solution to that?” I ask, even though I know perfectly well.
“Take your shirt off!” He claps as if he had just thought of it. I could kill him, thankfully Kaden didn’t give me a gun because right now the temptation to use it would be nearly impossible to resist. But I offer a shaky laugh, instead.
“Get a girl a drink first,” I tease and immediately he turns and picks up both of our glasses, making me give an internal fist pump. Well not for long. I’m thankful we have different patterns on our tumblers because when he hands me mine, I take a massive sip before handing it back to him to place on the ottoman with his before motioning me to take off my shirt.
I can hear Royce freakin’ the fuck out in my ear but I pull off my top, thankful for the tan strapless bra underneath. Kronin’s eyes flare before he looks over at me for an awkward moment and then River clears his throat, breaking a growl. Kronin turns sharply, taking both our drinks. All of the awkwardness is absolutely worth it though as I see him take a massive sip of his drink, downing it essentially.
Thank Jesus.
“Want another?” River offers as Kronin waves him off. The Russian continues to draw, as a chill from the air conditioning rolls over my skin and I curl my toes which feel fairly cold right now.
I have no idea how long I sit there, maybe thirty minutes, when Kronin lets out a yawn and then his face twists slightly, looking uncomfortable. After another while, sweat starts breaking out on his lip before he slowly places down his pencil and stands.
“Everything okay?” I ask curiously.
Kronin nods and runs a hand through his bleach blond dreadlocks. “Would you two excuse me for a moment?”
“Sure.” River nods. Both of us try not to laugh as I hear him slam the bathroom door in the master bedroom shut. I look around noting that there’s a large window and balcony section nearby and as if reading my mind, Kaden’s voice rings in my head.
“I hacked into the bodyguard’s phone, he is about to get a text to go on an errand for medicine.” Kaden’s words have me calming. I cringe as a sound I don’t want to examine comes from the other room.
The next minute feels like the longest in the world, my arms crossed against my chest as I look at my shirt wondering if this is a good time to pull it on. Maybe not. I don’t want him to get mad if he comes out or something. My eyes widen as I hear another very uncomfortable sound that covers the softer sound of the balcony window cracking open.
Apparently, Mr. Bodyguard has taken the bait.
“Rivs,” Royce hisses, “grab her the shirt she came in wearing.”
“I was enjoying the view,” River complains as I blush a bit. Royce rolls his eyes pulling the shirt over me comfortably tugging me into a hug. Blaine is instantly helping Kaden search the space but I wince, having a feeling where the ring actually could be.
I wave them off to hide slightly as I go up to the bathroom door. “Kronin?”
A grunt sounds and I open the door slightly, my face pulling up into a wince. The man is bent over his hips on the toilet, his eyes closed. I crouch down and grab his hand lightly, a snore sounding from his throat. I slip the ring off and get the fuck out of there as fast as goddamn possible.
I immediately hand it off to Kaden as he flashes me a grin, and River winces closing the door. I relax into him as Kaden works quietly, my anxiety is worsening with every passing second as I begin wondering when the bodyguard will come back. Finally, Kaden makes a sound of relief and unhooks the USB, handing the ring to me. I slip it back onto Kronin’s finger and step back out feeling far better. We’re done—thank fucking God.
All of us freeze as we hear the ding of a phone, making Kaden curse. Immediately, the boys are moving past us towards the windows, leaving River and I to sit so we don’t look suspicious. I looked at the brief sketch Kronin is making and find myself actually fairly impressed. Well, I’ll be damned, the man is actually a good artist. I breathe out a sigh of relief as the time ticks by and the door finally opens minutes after my other boys make their exit. They have the information we need, we’ve been successful.
“Where is he?” the bodyguard demands.
I offer an innocent look. “He ran into the bathroom and hasn’t been out since.”
“He seemed uncomfortable but we didn’t know what to do,” River offers as the bodyguard stares at us for a moment before slipping into the bathroom. I hear him grunt and I nearly smile.
He steps back out with a thin smile. “I’m sorry the boss is currently unavailable.” He adds, “He will have me contact you about continuing the piece at a later time.”
“Oh of course.” I frown. “I hope he’s okay.” I obviously don’t.
I happily relax as we slip from the room. River’s smile grows as we walk further and further away from the scene of our crime. I look up at my boyfriend and whisper-yell, “How much did you give him?”
He winces. “Way more than a few drops, probably more than I should have. But the way that motherfucker was looking at you and putting his goddamn hands on you was making me fucking twitchy. It was either knock his ass out or put him completely out of his misery. And since I couldn’t carry a gun, or you know commit murder, without blowing our cover …”
Breathing out I nod. “Good choice, you’re right.”
As we near our hotel room and walk in, I feel a chill roll up my spine like I’m being watched. I look around but don’t see anything. River takes my shiver as a sign that I’m cold. When we reach the living room, all three men look up from where they are looking at a laptop. I feel panic hit me as I have a feeling something bad is coming.
“What did you find?” I ask quietly.
Kaden offers a slight unsure look, “I think we have a problem.”
