by Elle, Leen
"I know what Max does, and I'm pretty sure I know what you are. You probably feel like nothing can touch you, right? You think that Max's influence will protect you. I'm here to remind you that you're wrong."
"Brave words coming from a cop. I don't have any idea what you're talking about." Sophie didn't have to be told how she should handle this situation.
If the agent was on Max's trail, he would never find anything large enough for an arrest. However, it would be easy for him to dig up something on her. Max was a wealthy, influential man who could get away with murder, but she was a dispensable pawn.
"My team has been working to bring him down for over a decade. We're getting closer to that goal. You wouldn't have any information to help us now would you?"
An emotion Sophie couldn't place crept into her heart. She didn't know why the agent irritated her so much, but she hated the sight of him.
"You've been working on this case for ten years and you still have nothing?"
If you really knew how to do your job, my parent's wouldn't be dead. You would've arrested Max a long time ago, instead of letting him continue to play his sick game.
"Sorry if I'm not willing to trust someone whose that useless." Her voice was edged with hatred.
The agent grew silent for a long moment. He seemed to be considering Sophie's reaction.
"You don't seem to have the best relationship with your boss."
Sophie stood from her chair, feeling a burst of confidence.
"I don't have to answer your questions. Either arrest me, or let me go."
"I can keep you for trespassing." He reminded her. "I have enough evidence."
"If it's answers you're looking for, you should know that arresting me is the last thing you want." Her mind was quickly considering her options. She couldn't afford to let him to lock her up, and Max couldn't find out what she was up to. She simply had to keep playing her role the best she could. "Assuming Max is the kind of criminal you think he is, using me against him will only result in my death."
The agent's smile faded as he examined her face.
"I was kidding." Sophie grinned, reaching out to pat the agent on the shoulder. "Learn to take a joke. You watch too many action moves, my friend."
She walked around the desk, heading for the study door. Agent Marshall didn't try to stop her.
"I might only have fourteen special agents working for me, but we're the best in our field. Max hasn't been easy to catch, but we're working as hard as we can to bring him down. If you have any information...anything that could help, contact us. We're known as the Art Crime Team, a branch of the FBI." The agent's voice had a sad edge to it. As if he thought he was helping her.
"Instead of asking for my help, why don't you start doing your job." Sophie turned and gave him a frosty smile. "If Max is the person you think he is, he shouldn't be allowed to roam free."
"I'll keep that in mind. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we meet." The officer stood from the desk. "Do you have a name?"
She smirked at him from the doorway. "Sure, I do. You can call me Jane Smith."
Agent Marshall flashed her an irritated glare, but she turned around before he could say anything else.
She headed for the East Wing, the only area of the house she felt comfortable. Her thoughts were racing as she hurried away from Max's study.
She'd thought having one crazy man keeping tabs on her was too much. Now, adding to the problem of keeping herself safe from Max, she had to keep herself away from the police as well.
Robert had always made it clear that the police were hanging behind each crime. He'd been able to play it off like he could fool them every time, but he knew that they'd been watching his every move, waiting for him to slip up.
It wasn't hard to accept that the FBI would have a branch dealing with art theft, but Sophie had been naive in not considering their existence before now. Max and Cleo made it look so simple to get away with their crimes. It hadn't crossed her mind that another force could interfere with her work. A force that was larger than just museum guards, or the local cops.
Rylan had also reminded her that she wasn't untouchable. He'd told her about his father, who had gotten caught for stealing various paintings. He'd been given a ten year sentence...which was enough to make Sophie shiver in fear. She couldn't imagine being locked up for that long.
Sophie didn't know whether Agent Marshall would try to follow her. She'd assumed their conversation was over, but if he really wanted answers, nothing would stop him. She'd also made some sharp jabs at him regarding the lack of results from his case. In his shoes, Sophie wouldn't have let those comments slide. Hiding out in the East Wing was only a temporary safeguard.
Every door she walked through was unlocked. Max had made a strong point with his gesture by allowing Agent Marshall to search every corner of his home. It was almost arrogant the way he left everything exposed.
The moment she reached the East Wing, she felt her heart begin to calm down. Unexpectedly, she'd made herself a haven in her room. Even if it was just momentary, she needed to feel safe.
She opened the door to her bedroom, and stepped inside. Almost instantly she realized something was off.
Before she could react to the strange feeling in her stomach, she felt small hands wrap around her body.
She fought against her captor, struggling against them with everything she had. Her efforts were useless, as the captor had already gotten their hands around her face. They pressed a cloth-like substance over her nose and mouth, and she held her breath as long as she could, knowing what was coming.
Soon it was impossible to resist breathing and she reflexively inhaled the chemical soaked into the cloth.
Sophie knew what was happening the moment the cloth was pressed to her face. As her mind grew dizzy, she tried to fight off her drowsiness. The moment the chemical knocked her out, she would be done for.
Agent Marshall couldn't have made it to her room before she did, and only one kind of person would've laid in wait for her return.
There was no escaping the fact that Max was behind this.
Her last thought before she lost consciousness was of a clear blue sky. She hadn't realized how much the symbol of freedom meant to her, until she knew she was going to die.
* * *
"Between cops and assassins, I can't catch a break." Sophie said groggily as she shifted her body against the ropes that tied her down. "You would't have a glass of water would you?"
Her captor didn't look up as she spoke. The woman was trained enough to know not to play along with Sophie's attempts at a conversation.
Sophie had been asleep for what felt like hours. When she'd woken, she found that she'd been dragged back to Max's office, and roped down to a chair. The culprit behind the attack was a maid which Sophie had seen on more than one occasion. She'd never said anything to the girl, but her face was familiar.
For the last half hour, Sophie had tried and failed to communicate with her captor. If there was even a one percent chance she could escape without meeting Max, she had to try.
Waiting for him meant waiting for certain death. His messy office was all the proof he needed that she was a spy. From the way her captor was treating her, Max must've given the maid strict orders not to move a muscle.
Now that Sophie had time to think, she knew she'd been reckless. Jumping into her search without considering the situation was stupid. She'd been burning with so much eagerness to get back to Rylan, she hadn't thought her plan through.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy to break into Max's office. Of course there would be consequences.
Unfortunately, the consequences Sophie was looking at were the kind that could end her life.
She wanted to stop time to take in everything that had happened. Time was moving too quickly, and she was having trouble keeping up.
Rylan, the search for the letter, Agent Marshall, and now this. Robert had been right when he'd said this life was unpredict
able. She could go weeks without seeing anything happen, then have hell forced over her in the span of a few hours.
Her body grew weak as she came to terms with her situation. Until this point she'd be running on adrenaline, but it was wearing off. She was tired, hungry, and thirsty, along with being terrified for the threat that was heading her way. It was a miracle she didn't have a headache.
"How long until he arrives?" She asked, her voice now defeated. "The least you could give me is that."
The maid looked up, judging whether she should tell Sophie or not.
"He should be here within the hour." She answered in a whisper, sounding just as terrified as Sophie.
Shit. Sophie bent her head forward, clenching her eyes closed.
Everyone had told her this would happen. They'd called her insane, and listed out the risks of working for Max.
She'd become spoiled in having lived through risky situations in the past without feeling the repercussions. The fate she'd been lucky in avoiding for so long had finally caught up.
Working for Max hadn't even been worth it in the end. She was going to die empty handed, leaving behind her family and her mission without any closure. Cleo would never find the paintings. Robert, Luke, and the kids would never escape this world, and the future she'd wanted so much for herself would never be realized.
It was with these terrified thoughts that Sophie greeted Max.
He walked into the room casually, as if nothing was wrong in the world.
She stared at him with a strained expression, too weak to hide her fears.
The maid exited the room at his command, and the door locked behind her.
Max reached into his gray suit, and pulled out a pistol. He aimed it at Sophie's head and fired three shots.
Sophie screamed as the bullets hit the bookcase behind her head, shattering the glass onto the floor.
"I told you not to steal from me." Max whispered. He pulled the trigger again, and Sophie cringed as she felt the bullet soar passed her ear. "I told you I'd kill you."
He positioned the gun directly at her head, and put his finger on the trigger.
Sophie felt tears come into her eyes as her heart stopped.
"Being Susanne and Gerard's daughter, I thought you had more sense than to get caught."
She took a small breath, her eyes widening. He knew all along?
"Of course I knew." Max spat, his eyes filled with rage. "You honestly thought I wasn't able to see through your disguise on day one? They could dress you up as a boy, but that doesn't hide the obvious fact that you're a girl. I'm not an idiot."
Sophie was too terrified to be shocked by this realization.
"Luke made it even more clear when he spoke about you. He tried to lie to me, but I'd already figured it out. I hope you two enjoyed your game."
"I was searching for your paintings." Sophie whispered. She wondered if she could still persuade him not to kill her.
"No, you were searching for Cleo's paintings. I was supposed to be left out of the deal."
"That's between you and her." Sophie kept her voice as calm as she could. "I'm only a thief."
Max cackled, "Only a thief?" His eyes narrowed. "That doesn't mean you don't have a brain to think for yourself. Save yourself the breath, I'm going to kill you anyway."
There was nothing in the world she could've said in reply to that.
"I might never find the paintings, but neither will anyone else. If I truly wanted to find them, I wouldn't have killed your parents. Now, just like I murdered them for betraying me, I'm going to murder you."
Sophie felt like throwing up. She'd never been this afraid in her entire life.
The tense silence was broken by the sound of Max's phone beginning to ring. It was his private line, which was connected directly to his study.
He reached for the phone with one hand, the other still holding the gun at Sophie.
"Make it quick." He ordered.
He waited for a moment, listening to the reply on the other end of the line.
"Cleo?" He asked, his facing twisting with a sick smile. "How ironic that you would be calling right now. I'm having the most interesting conversation with your thief."
Another short silence, but this time Max's whole expression had changed.
"You sent her to spy on me, Cleo. You know what I do to spies." He gradually lowered the gun as he focused on the conversation. "I don't care if killing her would insult you. This is between me and her."
He turned his eyes to Sophie as Cleo spoke to him on the other line.
"He wouldn't dare." Max hissed into the phone. "Giving the police that information would hurt both of us." His eyes bulged out as he began to shout. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T CONTROL HIM? HE'S YOUR THIEF!"
It seemed like it took Max all he had to contain himself.
"Does he not know that I will kill him?" He stood in silence as Cleo explained the seriousness of the situation to him. "Fine. I understand. What does he want?" Another short pause. "That's it?"
Max pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at the ceiling pensively. He seemed to be analyzing the request Cleo had made him.
"If I let her go, this is not over. We're going to make a deal for the paintings. She works for both of us now."
Cleo seemed to agree on the other end of the line.
"We'll be in touch soon." Max hung up the phone, turning his focus back on Sophie. "It seems you have friends in high places."
Sophie's heart felt a twinge of hope.
Max dropped the gun on his desk as he left the room without another word. A few minutes later the maid had returned, and began untying Sophie from the chair.
"What...what just happened?" Sophie asked, her voice shaking.
"You're free to go. He's allowing you to return to Cleo."
"Why?"
"I don't know the details." The maid stepped back when Sophie was free. "I can't explain how lucky you should feel right now."
The maid did look shocked at the turn of events. Sophie doubted anyone had ever escaped after Max had decided to kill them.
"Leave before he changes his mind." The maid offered out the keys to the car Sophie had used to drive here.
Dizzy, exhausted, and scared, Sophie stumbled from the room.
It was a miracle she was able to make it to her car in one piece. Her shock did not wear off until she was miles away from Max's house.
She couldn't believe she'd been allowed to go free. It was so impossible...but here she was, driving away to safety.
Her composure snapped the moment she'd pulled onto the highway. She was forced to pull over to the side of the road. Exiting her car, she bent down into the grass and threw up. Her body was shaking so much she couldn't control it.
Despite the roar of the highway, she heard her cell phone begin to ring from the car. She scrambled to find it, and when she answered, her voice was half choked with panic.
"Sophie?" A familiar voice asked.
"Cleo?" Sophie couldn't explain how relieved she was to hear her boss speak. "Cleo." She began sobbing into the phone, having no control over herself.
"I knew it was going to be like this." Cleo hissed on the other end. "I told you so does not begin to cover it."
"Thank you." Sophie felt so grateful she couldn't help but continue to cry. "Thank you for saving me."
"Don't. I was ready to let you die."
Sophie paused, her tears freezing.
"Robert begged me to save you." Cleo sounded confused. "I've never seen him like that before. He literally fell on his knees to beg me. I didn't know someone like him could get attached."
It all fell into place so easily. The person Max had been speaking about with Cleo had been Robert.
"What did he do?"
"He's risked everything. Threatening me is one thing, but Max will not forget it. If you two don't find those paintings, you're both in the same boat now."
"That idiot." Sophie whispered.
"You're one to t
alk." Cleo cleared her throat. "Anyway, come home immediately."
"I'm on my way." She replied, climbing back into her car.
"Do you need someone to come pick you up?"
"No, I'll be okay." Sophie straightened her back as she pulled back onto the highway.
"Fine. Drive safe." Cleo hung up the phone.
Sophie wasn't nearly healed from her experience with Max. However, the fastest route to getting better awaited her at her families' side.