Stolen Skye (Book One, The Skye Trilogy)

by Nina Loard

  He brought me down to sit beside him, putting his arm around me.

  “Evelyn, Marko and I went our separate ways a long time ago. He was close to others in my family, but I barely knew him, I guess. What you did was done in self-defense and in defense of me. He would have killed me for the diamond. After what he did to you, tried to do to you in the van, I would have killed him myself.”

  We sat there silently for a moment as I let him comfort me.

  “What about your family?”

  “You let me worry about them. Today, all we have to do is get on a plane.”

  “How did you find us?”

  “Your necklace. I had Raven place a locator in it the other day, just in case. Brinks tracked you and Alex dropped me off at the bike. Getting through the Paris streets after midnight on New Year’s Eve was much faster on two wheels.”

  “You were right. You are good at improvisation.” I smiled, remembering his words in the gallery.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t figure it out myself, Evelyn. It never occurred to me back then that I would ever have the need to look within my own family. I knew something was amiss, but I couldn’t see it.”

  “I don’t see how you could have known. What happened with Alex and the crown?”

  “We simply returned it to him. Alex scrambled to make a statement to the authorities, saying his undercover security recovered the crown. It’s all over the news.”

  “What about Marko and… what I did?” I flinched, remembering the way his body fell to the ground.

  “We found the suspect alone, dead on arrival, in an abandoned parking lot. There are no leads and no weapons were recovered. We ditched the van. Anyway, it’s over.”

  He’d covered it up for me. I was grateful, but I knew enough to know an unsolved murder involving a crown jewel couldn’t be put to rest so easily.

  “What do we do now?” I turned into him to look up into his handsome face.

  “We go to the Isle of Skye.” He removed his arm from around my shoulders. Slowly, we both got up from the couch, and I went back into the bedroom as Ari made us some coffee. After I woke Finn with a kiss, the three of us sat at the table and tried to restore ourselves with caffeine. We were to meet the jet at noon. Finn stood and turned on the television. We didn’t have to wait long for the story. Police had discovered one suspect, shot dead, who had dramatically robbed the Louvre of the Imperial State Crown. After more detail, the piece ended with the announcer affirming that security for the exhibit would be heightened over its stay in Paris and in the cities to follow; all museums anticipated record-breaking crowds.

  The newscaster then reported that Viktor Cherkev had been released from custody as a crowd gathered to protest the decision. His mugshot appeared on the screen, labeling him a mafia king-pin. I was pointing at the television before I understood why.

  “I know him.” Finn and Ari looked at me funny.

  Finn laughed. “How, old boyfriend?” Viktor was not very attractive — bloated, scarred, angry, and near twice my age.

  “I don’t know. I’ve met him before.” How would I have crossed paths with a mob boss?

  Ari assured me, “You’ve seen his photos all over London. Plus, you’re probably still groggy from the concussion. I wouldn’t try too hard to figure it out.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” I replied, putting the thought out of my head. I had bigger things to worry about. We finished our coffee and Finn escorted me back to my room to make sure I was okay. I assured him I was, and just wanted to rest some before the flight. I pleaded with him to go wake Brinks and make sure he didn’t need his bandage changed due to the blood. He kissed me once more and then closed the door behind him.

  After a long, hot shower, I felt more awake, but no calmer. Being alone in a quiet room wasn’t helping. I got myself ready very quickly and knocked on Bounce’s door. She answered, looking as if she had just showered as well. I noticed one side of her face was still puffier than the other. I hugged her tightly, unsure of what she had been through. We held onto each other in the doorway without speaking. She eventually pulled away and I followed her into her room.

  “Are you okay?” I asked cautiously.

  “Yes, just stiff. How ‘bout you?” She worked her jaw a bit to loosen it.

  “Shaky, but the cuts aren’t deep. I’ll be fine.” We sat across from each other by the window. I wanted to ask her what happened, but I wasn’t sure how to begin.

  After a brief pause, she started for me. “He followed me. I suppose with Alex and Ari both here and the exhibition, he figured out we were up to something. Brinks let me know when Finn was in the building, and at the right time, I pulled the van to the side. Before I knew it, he attacked me and then I was knocked out. I came to while he was talking to you and figured out the rest. I’m sorry I didn’t stop him sooner, but I had to wait until he was completely distracted.” She looked at me with such sorrowful eyes that I tried my best to console her.

  “Bounce, you saved me. He didn’t get far and I never would have gotten free otherwise. Maybe he would have killed Ari, too. Please don’t apologize.”

  “I didn’t tell him anything, I just want to make sure you know that. I never shared anything with him. Thank goodness nothing ever really happened between us. That would have been even more horrible.”

  “Like Ari said, it’s over.” As we sat quietly, one thing kept pulling at me that I had remembered in the shower. Marko had said that I should’ve been killed before. He obviously wasn’t beyond murder, so I wondered what could have stopped him back then. It was especially troublesome to me that instead of saying it was his mistake to let me live, he had used the word “we”.

  Incapable of understanding anything at the moment, I resolved to talk to Finn and Ari about it later. I offered to get Bounce some ice to bring the swelling down. After retrieving a bag and finding the ice machine, I returned to her room to find Brinks and Raven with her, comforting her as I had done. They both hugged me as I joined them. Bounce placed the ice against her face and we sat around her.

  “Raven, thank you for getting me out of my clothes and into the shower. Finn told me what you did.” She wasn’t someone you naturally saw as a caregiver, so I wanted her to know I was appreciative.

  “Brinks offered, just so you know, repeatedly.” She nodded to him and we all laughed quietly. “Well done, Evelyn, on the pull. I knew you could do it.” Raven smiled at me, proud no doubt of her protégé.

  Brinks wiped at his eyes, still a little sleepy. “I almost passed out when I saw you on the camera coming out of the gallery with the Curator. Raven called just after to let me know she was burnt and you were getting the key. Between that one and the call Alex got, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”

  “What call did Alex get?” I remembered Ari having to leave me in the gallery to help Alex with something.

  “Louvre Security had caught a man on camera lurking in the lower level parking lot. He was in shadow, but resembled Ari. Alex wanted to make sure security saw Ari with him at the same time and knew he was working for him contractually. Turns out it must have been Marko, waiting for Bounce to move the van. Security went to take a closer look. Bounce was already on her way. Ari called me, and when he heard Raven was out and thought there was a potential second operator in the building, he called an abort, running to get you in the gallery. However, you and Finn were already in play. He went back to get Alex once he saw you with the Curator. I think my nerves are completely shot.”

  After we talked some more about the night, convincing each other we are all going to survive, we each went off to pack. As I zipped my last bag closed, a valet knocked on my door to collect them. Soon, we were all together in the lobby, anxious to leave Paris behind. A chauffeur stepped forward as Ari led us toward the registration desk.

  “Mr. Cameron, my name is James and I am here to escort you and your friends to the airport, courtesy of Mr. Remus and the United Kingdom. The charges for your stay have been tak
en care of as well, as an expression of his gratitude. Please follow me.” James led us out to a black stretch limousine and I followed the others as they climbed inside. After Ari shook hands with James and thanked him, he settled into his seat. “Mr. Cameron, there is also a satchel for you in the trunk.” With that, James raised the partition and drove us to Le Bourget Airport and the waiting jet.

  As I looked out the limo window, I doubted I would ever see the streets of Paris again. The beauty of the city was undeniable, but it had also become sad and sinister to me. I searched my mind for the best memory that I could take with me and I pictured the snow falling and Finn. I leaned in closer to him and held his hand. He squeezed mine tighter in response. At least out of everything, I had found something that I could hold on to. Thinking he was dead, feeling the rage his loss had triggered within me, the shattering grief, all of it had made me realize how much he truly meant to me. Whatever it was that we were headed toward, I knew we would face it together. My past had never meant less to me. Finn was someone I had grown to love, there in the present. Nothing could change that.

  Captain Kelly and the crew greeted us merrily and wished us a Happy New Year. We returned the pleasantries, but a little less emphatically. Ari was the last to board, carrying an unfamiliar leather satchel and his own black briefcase. The bag had a small, gold lock joining the two zippers together. As the engines roared to life and we took our seats, Ari opened his briefcase and pulled out a matching gold key. After opening the lock on the satchel, he partially unzipped the bag, exposing stacks of money. Brinks let out a long whistle as Raven turned to look at us sitting behind her with a wide smile. Apparently, Alex had made good on the payment arrangements. As Ari zipped up the bag and stood to place it above him, he knocked over his briefcase in the process. A small black jewelry box landed in the center of the aisle, getting everyone’s attention.

  Bounce was the first to speak. “Don’t tell me, you finally found the biggest diamond in Paris?” Brinks and Raven joined in the teasing, demanding to see the ring. Begrudgingly, Ari knelt to retrieve it and opened the lid of the box, exposing an exquisite, platinum ring that very modernly held a suspended, large diamond in between two bands. He looked up at the others, as they expressed their approval. Slowly, his eyes met mine as he snapped the case closed. I felt the blood drain from my face. I quickly looked away from everyone to hide my expression.

  As I heard him put his briefcase back together and buckle his belt, I did the same. Soon we were in the air, everyone expressing happiness over leaving France. I sat silently during our ascent as heavy gray clouds began to obscure the city below. Finn took my hand and kissed it. I managed to smile at him and then turned back toward the window. Tears slowly trickled down my cheeks as I realized nothing was ever going to be the same between us. Finally, so many things made sense, but the memory of them now brought nothing but heartache and more confusion.

  There had been a very different ring. He had knelt beside me, unexpectedly taking my hand. On the stone floor of a small chapel in Scotland, Ari had asked me to marry him, his cheeks flushed with anticipation. With only complete and honest love in my heart, I had said yes.

  ###

  Before and After

  “Will you make a horrible decision and marry me?” Ari knelt before me on the cold floor of the ancient church, a full smile breaking across his handsome face. He held my freezing hands in his as he puffed out the words. Despite the chill of the Scottish afternoon, my heart was warm as I nodded in reply, too moved to trust my voice.

  He slipped a ring on my trembling hand, staring at it a moment as it rested there before beaming up at me once again. “It was my great grandmother’s and it fits you perfectly.” The diamond shone against my skin as I fanned my fingers, delighting in the feel of wearing something that was so completely his. He stood and kissed the ring before drawing me to him. When our lips met, I felt the familiar fire chase away the cold, flaming outward from my very being. The kiss was soft and reverent at first, but quickly grew deeper and more demanding, as every touch we shared seemed to. I coiled my body around him, running my hands through his thick hair and bending him closer to me. Lost in him was the only place I ever wanted to be.

  It took us several passionate minutes before we remembered that we were only steps away from the altar in the church near his childhood home. We forced ourselves apart and he helped me steady myself as he kissed my forehead. “I thought proposing here would be appropriate since our first kiss was in a cathedral. Truth be told, I’ve been carrying this around all week, working up the nerve to strike.”

  “What? You, nervous? Impossible.” I smiled up at him as he took my hand and led me back down the aisle toward the entrance.

  “True. Few things concern me, but your answer was definitely one of them. I wasn’t sure you’d want me. In fact, I’m still worried you’ll reconsider if I stop kissing you long enough.”

  “Well, to be safe, we should just keep kissing. The things I do for you.” I stopped him and began to wrap my arms around him again.

  “Evy, I want to hear you say it. Say you’ll marry a thief and make me believe it.” He smiled down at me while he removed my arm from around his neck. He was being playful, but I saw how much he needed the words.

  “Ari, thief… knight… and Lord only knows what else, I’ll be happy to marry you and be your wife. Nothing would thrill me more. You are everything that’s wild and wonderful in my life and I’ll never be able to want anyone else. I love you.” The tears came and I didn’t try to stop them. He wiped one gently away before pulling me into a tight embrace. I rested my head against the heat of his chest, feeling his deep intake of breath hinting he was emotional as well.

  “I feel like I’m stealing you away from the life you’re supposed to have, but I’m not going to let that stop me. You have to be mine, Evelyn… only mine, and I love you.”

  “Yes, Ari, only yours… forever.”

  And then the memory, the dream, was gone.

  ***

  It had taken only one memory to knock my world off its axis. The flight to Scotland passed as if I’d been drugged. I was outside of reality and barely able to respond when spoken to. Looking at Finn was intolerable and catching glimpses of Ari was worse. I wanted to scream or cry or burst from the plane, but none of that was going to help me. Ari and I had loved each other and as unsettling as it was, the memory had ignited feelings in me I didn’t know were there. Whatever had caused him to hide the truth, however much I loved Finn — none of it mattered. A hidden, dark part of me still belonged to Ari and it was impossible to reconcile.

  I needed to speak to him and pry out some answers, but I’d lost my chance. Though we’d all departed the jet when we landed, Ari had stayed behind with the flight crew, having a conversation. It took me a minute to realize why. He was going on to London to make peace with his family regarding Marko’s death. He knew we’d want to go with him and he waited until we were driving away to walk slowly back onto the plane alone. He was still protecting me and hiding the fact that I’d killed Marko in his defense. More and more it was troubling me though… what was he protecting me from?

  If you enjoyed this story, please recommend it and share it with friends. For updates on the sequel “Broken Skye,” LIKE us at https://www.facebook.com/StolenSkye.

  Acknowledge ment

  Thank you for reading my first story, written in three months, mulled-over for a year and ignored for two. If it weren’t for a loving support group who gently pushed me, this would still be sitting on my old laptop. Thank you to my dear husband, Kirk, and sweet Kimmie for reading all 600 pages of the early version and still encouraging me (and loving me.) Without your faith in my ability, I’d have never gotten farther than those first few chapters.

  Ed Aymar, author of “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead,” was my only link to the literary world and regularly counseled and consoled me. He’s a great person and a wonderful writer. I’m lucky to call him a friend. https://www.faceb
ook.com/EAymarWriter

  To my secret agent readers – thank you for being such lovely friends and for making me feel so good about something so scary.

  Thanks as well to Jennifer Gracen, my fabulous copy editor. http://jgce.wordpress.com. And thanks to the very helpful and speedy people who create fantastic book cover art at Indie Designz. http://www.indiedesignz.com/

  Finally, I thank my family who raised me to believe that I could sit down at a keyboard and just decide to write a book. My whole life and anything I create within it starts with them. Kirk, Jack, Patsy, John, Meredyth, Clay, Logan, Chris, Helen, Jan, Tanya, Brandon and Vangie – thank you for always being there and believing in me. Bruce, I know you’re cheering for me. Jackson, you are always by my side.

  About the A uthor

  Nina lives to write about the adventure of love. She spends her time imagining brave, witty characters and all the ways that they can be challenged and tested. Sweet, gentle romances do very little for her. Nina prefers to write about the gut-punching type of love that drives people to places unknown - the mysterious, dark side of attraction that complicates everything and never surfaces at the right times. Though we all want a happy ending, where’s the fun in that? She thrills at making her characters work for it. Now she’s wondering if she isn’t slightly sadistic.

  Nina was graduated from Boston College, though regularly slept through her 8 AM English class. However, she has been writing for business or pleasure most of her life. Though she has entered no writing contests, won no awards and never published a word, she is an avid reader. It wasn’t until she was in her forties that she decided to write for someone other than herself. The outcome is the novel “Stolen Skye.” The book stayed hidden in a folder on her laptop until she shared it with a few friends. With their encouragement, Nina sent her manuscript to several literary agents who told her that her writing was great, but that she was an “unknown” and needed a following before they would consider publishing her book. Nina welcomes you to join her team of supporters!