Diary of a Teenage Jewel Thief

by Rosie Somers

  And Uncle Samuel is healing. I’m still pissed at him for working with Petrov, but in the end, he came through for us. Taking a bullet to the shoulder to save my life seems like a fair punishment for almost getting us killed. And he swears it will never happen again. He’s even quit drinking. Hopefully it sticks.

  Will brought my journal over yesterday, and it’s nice to have it back, even if it is being held together by duct tape. I don’t know how Will found it, but I’m not complaining. Petrov’s probably going to go away for a long time, and we turned the evidence over to the Italian authorities. He’s gone, and with him most of the fear and anxiety I’ve been harboring for so long. Even though it’s going to take a while for me to get used to the fact that I don’t need to constantly be looking over my shoulder for potential signs of danger anymore, I already feel relief.

  My mother’s been following up with the carabinieri, and it looks like they have enough evidence against Petrov that he will never see the light of day as a free man again. It’s a safe bet they’re actively dismantling Petrov’s syndicate even as I write this.

  And now that everything’s out in the open with Will, I can finally be myself. The idea is so foreign to me that I still catch myself trying to hide my past when we’re together. Then I remember that he knows, that he’s like me, and I can relax again.

  The one feeling I can’t seem to shake, though, is that unbalanced, slightly adrift feeling that plagued me when we first arrived in New York. In fact, the only time I didn’t really feel it was when I was caught up in Petrov’s clutches. I’m beginning to worry that it might not be as easy living a normal life as I’d hoped. Maybe you can take the girl out of the thieving, but you can’t take the thieving out of the girl. Maybe I’m hardwired to need that extra excitement in my life. I don’t know. All I know is being a normal teenage girl doesn’t look quite as appealing as it did a month ago.

  As promised, Will knocks on my door at seven a.m. on the nose, almost as if he was standing outside the door watching the time until exactly then. I hear his knock from my bedroom and rush to get to the door, but by the time I do, my mother has already opened it. “Come on in, Will. Marisol will be ready soon,” she says even as I round the corner at the other end of the gallery.

  Will looks as hot as ever in dark jeans and a blue hoodie with a logo from some sports team or another—they all look the same to me. His dark hair is tucked behind one ear and hangs over his cheek on the opposite side. And holy hotness, his smile is practically brighter than the sun, all self-confidence and charm. My sidewalk Romeo. “Morning, flower.”

  “Morning.” I try hard not to stare, but it takes considerable effort for me to peel my gaze off Will and place it squarely on my mother, who’s standing behind him looking a little too smug.

  It feels weird, having Will pick me up at my front door instead of meet me at the corner, maybe because having my mother watch us leaves me feeling conspicuous and shy.

  Will grabs my backpack from the floor next to the door and swings it onto his shoulder, probably intending to carry it for me. Yep, that’s my Will.

  My cheeks heat at the realization that I now think of him as my Will, but my embarrassment lessens when he wraps an arm around my shoulders in a casual hug and presses a kiss to the top of my head. A month ago, I would have been embarrassed to have a boy kiss me, even so chastely, in front of my mother, but after everything we’ve been through, this small intimacy feels natural regardless of our audience.

  “Have a good day. I love you.” She kisses me on the cheek, then ushers us out the door.

  “Love you, too, Mom,” I reply as I follow Will to the elevator. A moment later, I hear the front door click shut. She’s apparently giving us privacy, but really, she’s probably watching us through the peephole.

  Even though my building’s elevator is spacious compared to many, it feels small with Will riding next to me. After pushing the button, he stands against the back wall next to me, just inches away, and his proximity reminds me of our ride to his roof the night of our date. And once I start thinking about the rooftop, my mind wanders back to the kiss, and then on to the life-altering, world-shattering kiss he laid on me after Petrov was taken into custody. My stomach clenches nervously, and my cheeks heat. In my head, I’m reliving every second of that kiss, the feel of Will’s lips, his body pressed against mine. But outwardly, I’m tense, holding my posture straight and my expression even straighter so I won’t let on where my thoughts have wandered to.

  Will hasn’t mentioned the kiss since it happened, and that realization is enough to jar me from my reverie. Did he not enjoy it? Maybe I’m a bad kisser.

  Will clears his throat like he’s about to say something, but the elevator jolts softly to a stop and dings our arrival on the first floor. A second later, the doors part to reveal a lobby already bustling with activity. Instead of saying whatever was on his mind, he places one hand against the door closest to him to hold it open and motions with the other hand for me to lead the way out of the elevator.

  The street outside my building is even busier than the lobby, and I have to stick close to Will, practically hanging on his arm, to avoid being plowed over by other pedestrians on the sidewalk. Will waits a minute or two before using the closeness to his advantage. He wraps an arm around my shoulders protectively. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

  Despite the chill in the air, his words warm me, and I bite back a smile. “Me, too.”

  “I have to admit, going back to school now, after everything that happened last week…it feels a little…anticlimactic.”

  I stop walking to face him. He’s basically putting voice to the thoughts I’ve been trying to deny. Maybe I’m not so weird after all. “Yeah,” is all I say back, though.

  “I guess I kinda miss the excitement. I mean, my father’s taught me the art of grifting and all, but I’ve never been in the thick of things like we were in Italy. Is your life always like that?”

  Great, now he’s going to find out just how not like that my life really is, and instead of scaring him away with my criminal past, I’m going to bore him away. Well, I might as well rip the bandage off quickly. “No, not usually. Even when I was actively pulling off heists, it was months between them, and most of the work was prep—locating schematics, planning logistical details, reconnaissance…”

  “Still seems a heck of a lot more interesting than homework, which is how I usually spend my free time.” He winks at me.

  “Yeah, now that you’re not spending your time picking up cute girls on the sidewalk outside of school,” I tease.

  He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against him. “Exactly. I need something to do now that I’ve landed the girl of my dreams.”

  “Girl of your dreams, huh?” I bite back the silly grin threatening to break out across my face.

  “You know it.” His lips land on mine, pressing gently, and I respond in kind. I lean into him and give myself over to the kiss fully. A little thrill shoots down my spine as his tongue slips past my lips. I pull back enough to break the kiss without putting any real distance between our bodies.

  “Mmm, I’ve been wanting to do that since I woke up this morning.” He leans in to kiss me again. I part my lips to fully kiss him back, but he pulls away with a sigh. I lean toward him, my body trying to fill the void between us of its own volition. In that moment, my entire world has become Will-centric. He is the sun, and I am little more than a satellite orbiting him, caught in his gravitational pull. And his ego is so big, he probably knows it, too, I realize when he beams a satisfied smile at me.

  “Hey guys!” I hear Trin’s voice before I see her and Lacey strolling up behind Will. I’m suddenly very aware of every person passing us on the sidewalk, every bystander potentially gawking at us, and maybe Will is, too, because he places several inches between us but is still holding on to me.

  “Hey! What are you guys doing here?” It seems like the most logical question, since they live the opposite wa
y from the school.

  “Trin made me walk all the way over here for a cup of the world’s most delicious coffee, as she put it.” Lacey holds up a steaming to-go cup from the café Will likes to frequent, and Trin takes a long swig from her own cup, looking utterly unashamed.

  “We’re just about to grab some ourselves,” Will announces and spins me in that direction.

  “See you guys at school!” I call as I let Will lead me toward the caffeine. Trin and Lacey share a matching look of amusement. Trin tries to say something, but Lacey is quick to tug her away.

  Will wraps an arm around my shoulders and places a soft peck on my cheek. “I could stand here kissing you all day. But then we’d be late to school.”

  “I thought you wanted more excitement in your life.”

  He looks at me for a moment, considering, then says, “I’ve been looking through the copies of your father’s journals, the ones that you left with Giada instead of delivering to Petrov. Petrov really messed up a lot of lives.”

  I had the same thought when we were first scanning my dad’s books. The idea that Petrov had hurt so many people and my father had been forced to help had been a heavy thought in my mind after that. “He did,” I respond.

  “What if we try to track some of them down… You know, try to make amends. Or at least help them out a little?” He sounds unsure of himself, like he doesn’t know how I’ll take the suggestion.

  I think it’s a wonderful idea but a flawed one. “I wouldn’t know where to start. I’m a thief, and you’re a grifter. We’re not exactly skilled at tracking people down.”

  Will smiles wide. “I think maybe Vincenzo and Giada might help.”

  “Oh?” He clearly knows something I don’t.

  “Well, it was actually Vincenzo’s idea.” And now he’s looking at me hopefully.

  “Well, I guess it’s settled then. We’ll be weekend warriors, unsuspecting high school students by day, and we’ll Robin Hood the night away.” I stretch up to give him a peck on the lips.

  “But for now, school.” He loops his fingers through mine, and we set off.

  So I guess I’ll never truly escape my old life. But I’m starting to think maybe that’s okay.

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  Acknowledgments

  First, I want to thank my amazing CPs, Kara and Kat for their unflagging support. You girls keep me going when I feel like I just can’t do it anymore, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.

  I also want to thank Jessica and everyone at Entangled for taking a chance on Jewel Thief. And my eternal thanks to Stacy for taking this MS on and whipping it into shape in what I’m sure is record time. It’s been a crazy journey getting to this point, but the trip is half the fun!

  About the Author

  Rosie Somers is a YA author who lives in Florida, soaking up the year-round sunshine. She can often be found in her favorite spot on her favorite beach, nose-deep in a good book.

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