Queen of Thieves

➵ Chapter 4

Jace wasted no time. My phone started to ring the next day, displaying a flurry of texts about where to meet for his research. After my last class, we met at a bar on campus, per my suggestion. Jace didn't question my absurd choice of location to do research. I figured I might be able to get something useful out of him if I got him drunk enough.

We dug through the Internet for more news stories about the vigilante only to come up with nothing new. Resigned, he shut off his laptop and questioned me instead. Whenever I tried to steer the subject away from the vigilante, he'd simply find a way to bring it up again. He fired questions at me the way a machine gun would bullets.

Jace raised his eyebrows at me in disbelief, chewing a mouthful of curly fries that a bartender had brought him, on the house. Probably courtesy of that accent of his. "Are you joking?" he snorted. "How long have the police been after her now?"

"A year," I said, plucking a fry off of his red tray.

"And she uses nothing but that bow and arrow?"

I could feel the bartender staring at me, her eyes searing into the back of my head. Jace had barely acknowledged her, even when she had come by. He had been too occupied with his questions. I threw the pretty bartender an apologetic look before answering him. "As far as I know."

"Why doesn't she use a gun?"

I shrugged, feigning a look of indifference. "I don't know. Arrows might be harder to track or something depending on how you get them."

He considered that for a moment. I could practically see the gears turning in his head. "And she can reuse the arrows. She won't run out."

"True." I checked my watch, trying not to look too eager to leave. "Maybe we should get something to drink."

He looked tempted. "I can't. I drove here." Finishing the last of his greasy fries, he slipped off his stool and grabbed his backpack. "Thanks, Lia. You've been loads of help."

"Anytime." I smiled, watching him leave. The bell on the door jingled as it shut behind him. When his car had pulled out the lot, I left too.

Getting into my Audi, I jammed in my keys and started the car, debating whether or not to follow him. The more knowledge I had on him, the better, right?

Flinging my bag into the backseat, I straightened up and adjusted my mirror. A hand clamped over my mouth and I was practically pulled out of my seat and over the console before I could realize what was going on. "Shh!" Logan hissed. "It's just me."

My windows may have been tinted, but somebody being dragged into the back of their car was probably noticeable. I pushed him away, gasping. "Are you insane?"

He suppressed a smile. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"No!" I grumbled, trying to ease up. "I - What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking we needed a chance to catch up. We haven't spoken in two days. I couldn't exactly walk into a bar filled with people we have classes with to talk to you."

"So you broke into my car?"

"In my defense, it took time. Some might even say it's a romantic gesture."

I shook my head, more hung up on how absurd he sounded. "Well, I say it's creepy."

He shook his head. "I missed you. Besides, we need to reschedule."

"I can't," I said, exasperated. Logan was the epitome of bad timing. "I have dinner with my parents today, I promised them."

"New clients?"