Queen of Thieves

➵ Chapter 3

After the surprise thief from the previous night, there was absolutely no way I would go to the museum without my bow. I had left it at the barn with the rest of the Circle's weapons, but when I went there, it was gone. Just my weapon. Professor Keen had clearly gone out of his way to assure that I wouldn't go off on a heist. Reluctant to go home without doing what I was supposed to, I sat down on a crate, tracing a finger over the intricate patterns that Logan had carved.

I knew that when I went home, I would be asked why I got back so late. Like so many other nights, I would lie. What would happen if I told them the truth? It wasn't like they were my real parents, they wouldn't care if I got hurt. Maybe they'd be angry about the risk of me soiling their name, but that would be it. They'd taken me in the second they realized what I could do for them. When they saw what I was capable of they thought they'd utilize me. I'd been a girl, desperate for a home, at the time, I was grateful for any offer that arose.

I still was grateful. They'd been kind to me, they'd taken care of me. I couldn't possibly ask any more of them. But they hadn't actually loved me. A fact that I knew I had no right to complain about, especially not all the effort I'd put in to make it so. Still, the ease with which I had been able to reinforce their degree of emotional indifference toward me stung.

"You look distracted, Lia."

I looked up at Professor Keen, wondering when he'd stepped into the barn. "I need my bow. I have to go wipe-"

"-the museum's cameras. I'm well aware. Logan told me. I've already had it taken care of." The old man came forward, sitting down with a groan. I could have sworn I heard his back crack. "What's on your mind?"

I crossed my arms, careful to avoid his eyes. "Nothing."

"I have known you for quite some time, Lia. You can't con me into believing one of your lies. I know you."

Defensiveness started to creep into my voice. "No, you don't. You know my past, but that's all." Both of us knew that I had omitted certain details when he'd found me that night, but he never pushed me to talk about it. He knew what I was holding back was vital, it was the only reason I agreed to join the Circle and take him up on his offer.

"That's true. I brought you here and recruited you because I knew of your talents. Your parents were talented people, but very righteous. They refused to join the Circle during their time."

"Which parents?" I asked warily, although I knew quite well he was talking about my birth parents.

"Their righteousness was their downfall."

My fists clenched unconsciously. "I know, you've told me this a thousand times." If the old man told me one more time that he thought my parents were idiots, I would snap. Sometimes, it felt as though he just wanted to get a rise out of me. "I don't need a repeat, alright? I was there. I saw what happened to them. Besides, I joined the Circle. I'm not them."

Professor Keen reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. There was a thick puff of smoke, strong enough to elicit a cough from me. "Aren't you?" The smoke fogged up his glasses. When it didn't clear off on its own, he wiped the lenses off on his shirt.

I unknotted my fists, dropping them into my lap, and met his gaze. "Do you expect me to spill my heart out to you, Professor Keen? Because that's all you are. My teacher. You said it yourself, the only reason I'm here is because you wanted to put me to use. Just like my adoptive parents."

He shook his head, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "You misunderstood. I recruited you for your talent. But contrary to your belief, I really do care about you, Lia. Just as I did for your parents."

"Then show them some respect. They didn't die because they were weak."

"'Yes, they did. Denial won't change that."

I stood up, grabbing my bag with trembling hands. "I need to leave." Water seeped through the ceiling, dripping onto me. "You should probably take care of that leak." I yanked up the hood of my coat, walking out.

➵

Walking around in the city was dangerous so late at night. It didn't matter how strong you were. It didn't matter who you were. You had to be clever about not allowing yourself to show any vulnerabilities. Check to make sure you weren't being followed. Don't walk in the dark. But, most of all, pay attention.

I was seething, walking down the pavement with my hands, once again, clenched tightly at my sides.

If there was one thing that wasn't on my mind that night, it was paying attention.

Rain pelted down mercilessly on me, seeping through my coat and numbing me to the core. The dark skies would light every couple moments with a sudden blast of lightning. I barely heard the booming thunder that would come later. When I was preoccupied, it was a dangerous thing.

A black car pulled over beside me and I stopped walking once the tinted window rolled down. "Lia?"

My fists unclenched. "Hello, Jace."

His eyebrows were knit together. Had I not seen that glint of curiosity in his eyes, I would have thought he was worried. "This rain is torrential. Do you need a ride?" It was a friendly offer, but no doubt with an ulterior motive.

"Accepting a ride from a stranger sounds like a sure way to get killed."

He rolled his dark eyes, but spared me a smile. "You say that you're intuitive. So tell me, am I a psychopath?"

I pushed my sopping hair out of my face. "No, but you do strike me as a kleptomaniac."

His smile faded. "Are you getting in or not?"

"I think I'll be fine." I stepped back and started running as the rain grew more violent.

His car kept tailing me. "It's three a.m, Lia!" he shouted. "It's dangerous!"

"I'll be careful!"

As I turned a corner, his car blocked my path. "Are you afraid of me?"

"I like the weather!"

"In the rain?"

I tilted my head back, letting the rain fall on my face as I looked up at the sky. It didn't seem like it would clear up anytime soon. Maybe this was the perfect way to keep tabs on what Jace was up to. I did promise the Circle that I would keep an eye on him.

He threw open the door and I climbed in, shivering. He turned up the heat for my sake. "Don't you have a car?"

"I do, I just prefer walking sometimes."

He made a sound of acknowledgement.

I twisted around in my seat, my hair dripping all over his leather, and looked in the back. There was a stack of old newspapers and a worn out backpack. "You read the paper?"

Jace shrugged. "Just doing some research for school."

I caught the headlines on the papers, feeling my stomach drop. "What is it on?"

"The vigilante," he told me. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "You've been living in New York, mind helping me out?"

Research for school? Why would a photography student have to keep up with current events like those? It seemed far more likely that he was staking out the competition. He was doing research on me, just as I was doing on him.

"Just because I live here, it doesn't mean that I'm best friends with that psycho."

"Maybe not. But you'd know far more than I would, seeing that I have been here for a month." He parked in the driveway, but left the doors locked. "Mind helping me out?"

"Why are you digging up dirt on her?" I asked. "Thinking about applying as her sidekick?"

He smiled at me, amused. "Yes or no?"

This could have been the only way to keep an eye on him and assure that he didn't find out about me.

"Sure," I said. "Count me in."