“What about the others?” Arie’s voice pierced the quiet. “And you?”
I held up a hand. “Settle down, I’m getting to that. The rest of us are here to find a Jinni. The heist is just a necessary part of our work.”
Arie pressed her lips together, raising a brow.
“Naveed and I grew up together. He’s been with me since we started. We want to find a Jinni for the same reason—and no,” I added when her mouth opened, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But Gideon said it was revenge?” she said anyway. “How did he know that? Was he right?”
“You’re stubborn, you know that?” I rested my chin on my hand as I half-smiled at her. I didn’t want to think about it. “Does that normally work for you?”
“It does,” she allowed the tiniest smile in return. “What about Bosh then? Isn’t he a bit young to be running heists? What if he were caught? His family would never forgive you.”
“He doesn’t have any family,” I replied, shrugging. “He says he wants to find a Jinni who can help him locate his father who abandoned him in a village when he was a baby. But I think...” I hesitated. Why was I sharing so much with someone who was still a stranger?
She blinked, breaking my gaze. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
“That’s alright,” I said. Something made me feel like I could trust her. “I think that... we’ve become his family in a lot of ways. He’s been with us for four or five months now, but it feels like he’s been part of the group forever. He doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Oh...” she whispered. We were quiet for a long moment. I didn’t feel the need to break it.
The door to the roof burst open and Bosh stepped through first, followed by the others. Naveed held a tray of cups filled with tea and he set the tray down. Everyone took a cup.
“I was thinking, maybe now that we have Arie we could do the ‘Dancing Chicken?’” Ryo said without preamble as they all came to sit with us, pulling up chairs.
Arie blinked at the strange name for the con, and I held back a laugh. We’d been planning the heist for weeks now; we already knew every second of how the job would go down tonight. But the men still liked getting a rise out of her.
“I vote we do ‘Parade of Princes,’” Daichi chimed in, grinning, which made Ryo mutter about how he always disagreed with him. I leaned back and stayed quiet. Let them get this nervous energy out of their system.
“Which one is that again?” Bosh spoke up, “Is that where they line up or the one where we—”
“We stick to the original plan,” Illium interrupted them, his deep voice carrying over the racket. He looked to me for confirmation and the others turned my way as well.
I switched the warm tea to one hand so I could lean on the other. “We keep the plan,” I agreed. “We’ve had Ryo in place for almost two weeks now. He knows most of the kitchen maids. Among other things. Now that Arie’s here, I have the perfect role for her.” I’d come up with the idea last night, but hadn’t told any of them yet.
“Me?” she said, biting her lip, which only drew my attention there. “What will I do?”
I mulled over how much I should tell her. Her eyes flashed to my face as if she could sense me holding back. I just popped a sugar cube in my mouth and smiled. “We’ll need you to be our driver.” That’s all she needed to know for now. Keep it simple for her first heist. It wasn’t technically the job I had in mind, but somebody had to drive the wagon. The men glanced at me curiously, but didn’t say anything.
“Do you know how to drive a wagon?” Bosh asked her eagerly.
“Um... no?” Arie was still frowning at me like she didn’t like something I’d said.
“She’ll learn,” I said as I took one last sip of tea and stood. “We only have a couple hours left to get ready.” Everyone tried not to tense at that, but the nerves always came into play around this point.
“Naveed and Bosh, it’s time for you both to go collect the horse and wagon. Illium will finish mixing his concoctions. Ryo, you’ll go ahead of us to the castle and charm your way inside. Take Daichi with you. Teach him the ropes.”
“But he’ll get in the way,” Ryo complained. “You can’t flirt with a woman when someone’s watching, it’s just not right.” He stood too, moving back across the roof.
Daichi bristled, following him. “What’s not ‘right’ is the way you constantly lie and manipulate. Have you ever kept a promise you made to a woman? Hmm?”
“Absolutely!” Ryo huffed. “I phrase my words carefully so there’s never any real lies. It’s an art really. A skill.”
“Teach him this supposed ‘skill’ then,” Illium growled from his corner, still finishing his tea. “It’s not an option.”
“Naveed’s intel says we’ll need two men to lift the bar for the back door,” I explained calmly, interrupting the fight about to break out. “Unless you’ve been lifting tree trunks in your spare time, you’re too weak on your own.”
Ryo grumbled to himself. “C’mon,” he said to Daichi, opening the door. “Let’s go.”
“I’m going to run an errand in town,” I added before they disappeared. “Don’t forget. Right before the dinner hour. You’ll hear the cue.”
“You got it, boss,” Daichi said and Ryo nodded. The door closed behind them. Our plan had officially begun.
Chapter 16
Kadin
“THE PRINCES LIKE TO have guests to dinner to show off their wealth,” I told Arie as we rode in the front seat of the wagon down the road toward the Aziz Castle. She rolled her eyes slightly, but was too focused on the road to come up with one of her usual fiery responses. Her fingers clenched the reins so tightly I thought they’d lose circulation. I reached out and gently pried them loose, flipping her hands over and lowering them to rest in her lap so she could cradle the reins instead. “Don’t worry, the horses won’t rip them out of your hands,” I teased. “We got the nice ones.”
She snorted, but her posture softened slightly. “It’s not the horses I’m worried about. I can handle any horse. It’s this ridiculous plan.” She didn’t know the half of it yet.
Her frown deepened and no matter how much I teased her after that, she didn’t lighten up. Earlier, when I’d gone out on an errand, I’d mulled over how there was something off about her. Usually I could read people better than a book, but it felt as if Arie was written in a completely new language.
“Don’t worry about the plan,” I said now, when she asked about it yet again. I waved off her concerns. “We could do this in our sleep.”
“Yeah,” Bosh chimed in from the wagon bed as Naveed and even Illium nodded. “We’re the best of the best. That’s why Kadin picked us, right boss?”
“That’s right.” I grinned at him. He wasn’t wrong actually. The kid could pick any pocket and pilfer any object. He could probably steal a spoonful of food directly out of a starving man’s mouth without him ever noticing.
“King Gaspar is hosting a dinner party tonight for all the nearby nobles and neighboring royals, so he, his guards, and all the castle staff will be thoroughly distracted,” I continued. “Naveed made sure to learn exactly how many guards will be on duty tonight. Illium came prepared.”
I didn’t need to check with him or even look back. Illium always came prepared. “Stop here.”
Arie pulled the reins and the horses slowed until the wheels stopped rolling. I hopped down and held out a hand to her.
“What’re you doing?” She didn’t move.
“I’m trying to help you down.”
“But, I’m the driver.” She scowled, tightening her grip on the reins.
“And you drove,” I agreed. “Now you’re a walker. It’s the second stage in the master plan. Come on, trust me.” I leaned over the side so my hand was just inches from her own.
For a minute, I thought she was stubborn enough to challenge me further, but she set the reins on the holder and stood, clut
ching her skirt in one hand and placing the other in mine, before climbing down carefully. Once on the ground, she snatched her hands away. I hid my disappointment, taking my bag from Illium.
“Your turn to drive,” Illium told Bosh, not moving. The older man knew my plan and he was good with secrets; mostly because he didn’t care. He and Naveed could fill Bosh in after we left.
Bosh hopped up into the front seat, eager to drive, while Illium and Naveed continued to lounge in the back.
“Good luck.” I nodded to them as Bosh clicked for the horses to take off down the road once more.
“You too, boss,” Bosh called back cheerfully, and they were off.
“Why aren’t we going with them?” Arie asked me, frowning. “And why are they dressed like servants, but we’re not? I’m not going any further until you explain.”
“You have cute frown lines,” I told her as we strolled down the road, unhurried. It was true. She also had a dimple in one cheek when she was trying not to smile. “They’re going to need them to blend in once they’re inside.”
“Aren’t we going to need to blend in too?” Her voice fell in disappointment as she added, “You’re taking me off the crew, aren’t you?”
“Not at all,” I reached down to the side of the road to snap off a long piece of stiff grass. “You and I are taking the easier way in.”
“Easier?”
“Mmm,” I nodded, chewing on the prairie grass, an old habit. “Daichi and Ryo are going to unbar the door on the castle keep and drop a rope out the outer tower window. Naveed, Bosh, and Illium will all be scaling the wall to get inside. I figured you and I could just walk in instead.” Unlike the other men, I was dressed in my finest. “That reminds me.” I lowered the sack from my shoulder. “I got you something.”
With a flourish, I tugged a huge pile of red fabric from the bag, struggling to find the top and botching the unveiling a little.
She gasped. “What’s this?”
Feeling quite pleased with myself, I grinned and held it out to her. “Try it on. Humor me.” I returned to the road while she stepped behind the trees on the side, switching her torn grey dress for the brand new one.
“How’s this?” she asked, sounding breathless.
When I turned around I accidentally let the piece of grass fall from my mouth. “Very nice.” She looked stunning. Standing there in the road, her raven hair flowed down her back, free and wild, and the red dress made her look fiercely beautiful. “We’re gonna need to do something about your hair,” I said, clearing my throat, and stepping up to her. “I grew up with sisters. Trust me.”
She frowned at the idea of my doing her hair, but didn’t protest. The simple crown braid only took me a few minutes. Playing with her hair felt intimate. And absolutely nothing like doing my sister’s hair. “There, done.”
She touched a hand to the loose braid, brows rising. “I’m impressed.”
“You should be. You look beautiful.”
She blushed at the compliment—or possibly my gaze. “So. Walking in, you say.”
“Only for another minute or two,” I said, turning to glance behind us. “In fact, I think I see our ride coming now.”
Chapter 17
Arie
A NOBLEMAN’S CARRIAGE APPROACHED.
“What do you mean our ‘ride’?” I hissed.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Kadin smiled at me. His eyes were warm molten-gold in the light of the setting sun. “We’re going to attend the celebration.”
I scowled. “You know perfectly well you didn’t tell me.” How had he kept this from me? Was he so confident of his plans, he hadn’t even needed to think about it? At least, he hadn’t in my presence.
“You only just met me,” I reminded him. I could not be seen at this dinner. What if we ran into guests who recognized me? “How do you know I won’t betray you all?” Surely that would change his mind. “I’ll have to sit this one out.”
He only shrugged. “I think you’ll be fine.”
My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to find the right words. “What—how can you—why would you trust me?”
“I don’t know,” he said, scratching his chin where there was a shadow of a dark beard forming on his jaw. He pretended to consider me intently. “You have a very trustworthy face.”
I snorted.
“Besides, usually when someone is running from something, they don’t like to draw attention to themselves.”
I froze in place on the road, heart pumping in terror. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t until just now.” He stopped as well, grinning at the shock on my face, as he raised a hand to wave down the carriage that drew closer. The driver pulled on the reins to stop as the nobles poked their heads out the window to see what the fuss was about.
“Hello there,” Kadin called easily, smiling at them as he strode up to the carriage. I trailed after him. A local Shah, his wife, and their daughter peered out at us. I didn’t recognize any of them and blew out a soft breath of relief.
“I do apologize for the inconvenience,” Kadin was saying. “But our carriage broke down and we’ve been forced to walk to the party. It’s terribly undignified. I don’t suppose you’d have room for two guests? We’d be happy to compensate you for your troubles.”
I raised my brow at Kadin’s sudden fine manners, so composed and believable. Despite never having heard of him, they immediately accepted his explanation, inviting us in, and within moments the carriage was moving again.
I sat next to the parents, while Kadin sat across from me, perched on the edge of the seat beside the daughter with his hands on his knees like the perfect gentleman. His clothing was as fine as theirs, but the way his hair fell in front of his eyes and that five-o-clock shadow made him seem just the tiniest bit wild and out of place.
He asked their names, which I promptly forgot, and acted as if we were all good friends who’d known each other for years. I was thankful he charmed them with a steady stream of small talk, because I couldn’t say a word.
I studied Kadin as he chatted away amiably. Who was he really? He didn’t fit the mold of any man I’d met before.
Less than an hour ago, I’d volunteered to go to the horse gate to stay with the animals while the men gathered their things. The poor horses had stood in the heat along the side of the one thoroughfare through the city that was large enough for a cart and two beasts, heads drooping, too tired to move.
“They’re working you too hard, aren’t they boy?” I murmured to the closest horse, rubbing the soft white spot on his muzzle. He closed his eyes at the attention, soaking it up, and I moved to scratch the soft fuzz on his shoulder and neck, missing my steed back home.
The other gelding was a soft brown color with dust patches all over from neglect, while my stallion back home was a deep inky black that shone from daily brushing. “You like that, don’t you?” I smiled at them, as I pet them both, relaxing for the first time in a while. The first horse nuzzled me back. “I like you too.”
“You’ve said nicer things to those two in the last five minutes than you have to us in the last two days,” Kadin spoke up from behind me. I whirled around to face him, swallowing.
“Animals are better than people,” I said, pulling myself together. “They deserve it.”
“People aren’t that bad,” he argued. He stood in front of me, arms crossed casually. When I finally glanced up at him, those golden eyes pinned me in place, studying me curiously.
“They are, actually,” I said. No malice, just the truth. I stepped around him. But I only took a few steps before I heard his fascination with me. I had intrigued him all the more by pushing him away. I sighed.
Before I could think about it, I paused, angling to look back at him over my shoulder. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
I turned to face him fully, crossing my arms just like him, although admittedly a lot more defensive. “Don’t be interested in me,” I said, raising my chin a
nd keeping my tone cool and self-assured, though I didn’t feel it. I’d never called a man out like this before. It felt good, so I added, “You’re just like every other man, admiring my body and my face.”
“Yeah,” he surprised me by agreeing immediately, a slow smile spreading across his face. “I definitely am.”
Despite my frustration, I blushed.
“A man can like more than one thing, you know,” he added, still wearing that smirk. “I was also admiring your way with animals and how you’re a bit prickly in the mornings.”
“Well,” I faltered, mouth opening and closing, not knowing quite what to say. “Don’t.”
He just stared at me, one side of his mouth twisting up in that crooked smile. He took a step closer until he was nearly toe to toe with me.
I tried to swallow but my mouth was dry.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” he said with a smile. And this time, he stepped around me to climb up into the wagon. The rest of the crew approached as I stood in the street, confused.
I hid my red face in the horse’s neck. “What just happened?” I whispered to the beast, but he was too busy falling asleep to pay me any attention.
Now I sat across from this enigma in the carriage, and I couldn’t help but admire him. Not only was he handsome and intelligent, but he seemed kind. Was it a façade or was it real? I couldn’t tell.
“The Lady Dusa and I are so grateful to you both for rescuing us,” Kadin said, pulling me out of my thoughts. Had he picked that specific name intentionally? Dusa was a common name, so maybe it meant nothing... but it also meant ‘sweetheart.’
An Aladdin Retelling: The Stolen Kingdom Series, #1 Page 10