Chapter 7

"What are you doing?" Marco asks when I push my small nightstand over.

"Getting papers and money." Using a metal nail file, I pry the baseboard open and reach up inside the wall. I start pulling out Ziplock bags of cash, important documents we might need, and some pictures.

Marco picks up the bags and inspects them before shoving them into my purse. I've saved every penny I could from cleaning homes since my father never gave me money. I think he let me work so I'd stay busy but didn't think I'd make enough money to do anything major with it. He might be right because I'm not sure how far this will get us.

"Should I pack a bag or something?" Marco keeps glancing at the door.

"I don't know." I put the baseboard back and fix my nightstand so everything is in place.

I'm not sure what Luke is saying out there to my father, but he sure knew who he was. That can"t be good, and now I'm not sure what to make of Luke. One second I think he might be a stand-up guy, and the next, he's shaking hands with my father

"Should we make a run for it?" He steps closer to the window.

"That fire escape is a death trap."

"What do you think they're talking about? Are we still going with him?" Marco's expression is full of hope.

"I don't know," I say again and then sit down on my bed. Marco sits next to me, and I grab his hand.

"I hate this," he huffs. "I hate him."

"Me too," I agree, squeezing his hand.

"Kelly." My father shouts my name from across the apartment, and it makes my stomach clench. I hate when he does that.

Putting my purse back onto my shoulder, I whisper to Marco, "Stay behind me."

We walk out together, and when we get to the living room, I see everyone is still there. Thankfully no one is bleeding, so that's a plus. Jackson looks pissed, and his round face is flushed red. It goes all the way up into his receding hairline, reminding me of a cartoon.

"Come with me," my father orders as he walks toward his office. I peek over at Luke, who is staring at me, but his expression is unreadable. "Now!" my father barks, and I jump, rushing after him.

"Why didn"t you tell me about Luke?"

"I didn't know I was supposed to." To be fair, I'd only met him once, and based on that single encounter, I didn't think he cared for Paul.

"He's taken a liking to you." He grabs my chin hard before turning my face from side to side. It's like he's trying to see why he would be interested in me.

It takes everything in me to not smack his hand away and remain calm. Sometimes I think he does this as a dare to see if I'll react to him. He tightens his grip, but I don't cry out in pain. After a long moment, he finally releases me.

"Can I go back to my room now?"

"Did I dismiss you?"

"No, Father." He smirks at my quick response, and I'm reminded how much I hate him.

"You're going to go entertain this potential new fiancé for the night."

Holy shit, does he mean sleep with Luke? He never said anything like that about Paul.

"I want you to get close to him. Get any information that you can."

"Okay," I agree because I don't have much of a choice. "Can I take Marco?"

"No." He shakes his head.

I"m reluctant to ask again because I could piss him off and he could change his mind about letting me go. I can't leave Marco here with him, so I try to be subtle. "You know Marco, he's good at being a distraction. He's a kid; people like to talk to him. He might get something out of him I can't."

My father stares at me for a long moment like he's weighing his decision. He knows if he lets Marco leave that he won't have control of him. But on the other hand, if he sends him along, he might get something useful. I'm not surprised when money is what wins out.

"Fine."

A knock sounds on the office door, and I see Luke standing there.

"Are you done?" Luke's eyes stay on my father, not sparing me a glance. Who the hell is this man and do I really know what he might be after?

"Bring her back before midnight," my father orders as he looks me up and down like a prized horse he's trading.

Luke crosses his arms over his chest and sighs. "And if I have the clean money wired tonight?"

"Then you can have her for the whole night." My father smirks, and I want to vomit. "That should be worth something."

Luke doesn't look at me as he walks farther into the office and holds out his hand to my father. "Deal."

"Just remember if you want more, we'll renegotiate a price tomorrow." He shakes his hand, and once they're finished, my father nods to me. "Go with him."

"Shall we?" Luke leads me out of the office without waiting for my response.

In the living room, Marco is standing where I left him, but Jackson is pacing back and forth. I don't dare meet his eyes as I take Marco's hand.

"Come on, Luke is taking us out for a few hours," I tell him, and disappointment flashes across his face.

No one says a word when we step onto the elevator or when we exit the building. Luke is totally silent as he takes us to his car down the street. We get in, and as soon as Luke pulls away from the curb, Marco speaks.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

I want to believe him, but he was a little too chummy with my father. To my surprise, Luke takes the corner a little too sharp, and then he speeds up. The sound of the engine is loud, and I grab on to the handle of the door.

"What the hell?" I say, and he does it again before blowing through a yellow light just as it turns red.

"Making sure we're not being followed," he says as he checks the rearview mirror. "And you're not going back tonight."

"What? Really?" Marco perks up from the back seat.

"Or tomorrow morning." Our eyes lock for a long second before his go back to the road.

"He knows who you are," I remind Luke. My father is going to kill him.

"So he does." Luke slips in and out between a few cars before taking a quick turn and then another.

"This is so cool!" Marco says excitedly. "How did you learn to drive like this? Can you teach me?"

"No!" I snap before Luke can respond.

"It's part of my job."

"As a thief?"

"I've never stolen anything in my life, sweetheart." A smirk plays on his lips. I want to believe him, but this isn't a fairy tale. Knights don't come rushing in to save the day, and I'm sure he has his own agenda.

"Then what are you going to do about my father? He won't take this lightly and not because he's actually worried about us. His ego will have him hunting you down."

"I do the hunting, Kelly." Luke hits a button on the dash then keys in a code. He slows down as he comes around another corner and I've lost track of where we are. There are buildings all around and up ahead I see a garage door opening. Luke pulls in, and the door is already closing behind us. We're enclosed instantly, and everything goes black.

"Where are we?" I ask, hating the dark.

Lights flicker on, and Luke opens his door. "One of my safe houses."

"Are you like a spy or something?" Marco asks before jumping out. I go to chase after him, but Luke's hand comes down on my thigh, halting me.

"I lied," Luke admits.

I should be scared, but for some reason his touch is calming. "What did you lie about?"

"That I've never stolen anything." He leans toward me, and I watch him lick his lips. "I just stole you."