To Catch a Thief

by Nana Malone

  "Mate how are you?"

  "Come meet my friends."

  "Randal," Ollie's voice was cool mellow, "this is my beautiful girlfriend, Rian."

  "Rian, I’m happy to meet you. Any friend of Ollie's is a friend of mine."

  There was something strange about their exchange. It was loud and boisterous, but something in his delivery rang false. This was part of the ruse. Without warning, we were on. Well then. So much for trying to back out at the last moment. This Randal character pulled us through the crowd to a central poker table. "Colton. This is my mate, Ollie Wexler and his girlfriend… What was your name, Rian?"

  I force a smile and just nodded with Ollie gripping my hand hard.

  "Pleasure," Ollie said.

  Randal continued, "As I told you, Colton, Ollie is a hell of a poker player."

  Was that true? Could Ollie play poker?

  The man sitting at the table had on one of those linen suits, and his shirt was unbuttoned way down past what seemed at all appropriate. So gross. Curly chest hair sticking out in tufts. I had to fight my gag reflex.

  The man stood and shook Ollie's hand. "Ah, Randal's been talking about you all night. I'm glad you could make it. And who's this again?"

  Ollie smoothly tugged me with him. "This is my girlfriend, Rian."

  He smiled. "Rian. What an unusual name."

  I smiled and nodded. "Pleasure."

  This Colton Cox character was one of those men who didn't pay attention to things that weren't important to him. Which probably worked in my favor. I did not want to be remembered by this man. It was better to stay hidden. And so I did. I tucked in behind Ollie, praying to God this would all be over soon.

  Colton took us to another table. "I've grown a little bored with the poker game. Join me in craps?"

  Ollie laughed. "Not really my ideal game, but I'll shoot a few dice."

  Then Ollie did the unexpected and put a stack of money down. I tried to bite my tongue. Where had that come from? How much money did he have? Jesus Christ, what was that, ten thousand pounds? The money was quickly transferred into chips, and he tugged me next to him. "Oh darling, would you like something to drink?"

  I smiled at the waiter who seemingly had appeared by magic. "Ah yes, actually could I have a…" Ollie squeezed my hand hard. "You know, actually I'll order for the both of us. Can we have two Fifth Avenues, please?"

  I turned to Ollie with a smile. "Is that what you would like darling?"

  He nodded. "Yeah, and we’ll have matching sets."

  I laughed. As if I was a daft cow who would laugh at stupid jokes.

  Jesus, I knew he said my one job wouldn't be difficult, but I wanted to know what else we were supposed to be doing. I should have known the whole plan. I could help or move it along. Just standing there in my heels after a night of standing in the very same shoes lacked a certain appeal. A vastly unpleasant one. Finally, I sat and just watched Ollie play, losing some, winning some. He leaned over at one point and said, "Go on sweetheart, blow on the dice for me. Bring me good luck."

  His eyes, those silvery-gray eyes that were normally so chilly, were molten hot. The charge between us was electric. When I stared back at him, I could almost hear his sharp inhalation of breath. Oh yeah, why was this turning him on? I leaned forward and blew on the dice, and he grinned at me. Part of me wondered if he could be having fun with this. This was such a different Ollie. One who smiled and charmed and chitchatted about business and entertaining pursuits with this random man. I did my best not to look bored. Who was Colton Cox? Where did he come from? What could Ollie need from him? Since Ollie was apparently stealing something, I wondered what he was going to steal from this man and what the repercussions would be. Should I stop him?

  He's already told you, butt out.

  Our cocktails arrived, and I actually didn't mind the drink. It was a little dry and heavy on the alcohol for my usual taste, but it wasn't terrible. Things finally got interesting when Colton Cox sat back and said, "I'm bored. What else do we have?"

  Someone came forward with a list of games.

  That was when Colton paid me a little too much attention. "Ah, Mr. Wexler.”

  Ollie grinned at him as he stacked his chips. "Yes?"

  "My understanding is you like a good gamble. Rumor is you made a fair penny on that winning horse in the Kentucky Derby."

  Ollie grinned at that. "Wow, honestly it was a lucky bet. I do like the horses though. To make an educated bet, you need to study the pedigree, lineage, training, and the jockey. Honestly it comes down to the jockey, but all those things being equal, it's a game of chance. Always a gamble of course."

  "One that paid off for you. Are you a gambling man by nature?"

  He pulled me in close then wrapped his arm around me. "Not really. I like a certain measure of guarantee."

  Colton laughed at that and eyed me once again. “What do you say we gamble on your girlfriend there?”

  I bristled at that as I lifted a brow. "Excuse me?"

  Colton held up a finger. "I'll bet you ten thousand pounds in cash right now that you're not leaving with her tonight."

  I could only stare at him. "Excuse me?"

  Colton laughed. "I have a sixth sense. I think after she spends some time with me, she might find me a more amicable companion."

  Ollie laughed at that. "Oh well, you know it's nice to wish things, but just because we want them doesn't make them true."

  I opened my mouth to say hey assholes, I’m standing right here. But Ollie squeezed my hand once more, willing me to be quiet. I could practically feel the vibrations coming off of him.

  Then he did the unexpected. He pulled me in close, wrapping his arm around my waist, his fingers sliding over the fabric of my dress and heating my skin underneath it. I felt electricity shooting up my spine, and then Ollie leaned in and gave me a dusting of his lips on mine before nipping the bottom one. "Now darling, you're not going to abandon me, are you? Who are you going home with?"

  "You."

  He grinned at that then leaned in and kissed me deeper. When he pulled back Colton Cox was watching me with rapt attention.

  Who the hell are these people?

  Colton looked disappointed that they weren’t going to bet on whether or not I was leaving Ollie. "Then what should we do? I'm bored already, and we haven't even pushed away from the dock yet."

  Ollie just laughed. "I'm willing to bet on whatever you would like."

  Colton smiled smugly. "How about your girlfriend plays with us?"

  Ollie returned his smile. "You already tried that. I'm not betting with her."

  "Not necessarily with her. Why don't we say this. Your girl picks a number. No conspiring now. She’ll write down her number on a piece of paper. I'll wager a million pounds against a night with her that I guess closer."

  My eyes went wide. The fuck? How the hell was I supposed to control Colton's number?

  Ollie shook his head. "No bet. Like I said, I'm not wagering with her."

  Colton slapped a hand down on the table. "Everybody wagers with everything. You think she walks out on the beach in a bikini with her arse on display, and you're not gambling on whether or not she's going to come home? Then you are incredibly naive." Colton then tapped me on the shoulder. "My darling, forgive us, but I need something fun to wager on. Something I actually want to win." His gaze slipped over my body, and my stomach turned. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

  "I have faith in Ollie."

  Ollie's eyes went wide. I did more than we’d agreed upon, but I had to say something. What? Was I supposed to just stand there and let them bet on me like I was a piece of meat?

  Granted, to most of these uber-privileged people, I supposed I was a piece of meat.

  Ollie laughed uneasily. "No, I'm not betting with her."

  Colton sighed. "Just think of it as my own little indecent proposal. A million pounds against a night with her. All you have to do is guess right."

  Ollie shook his head. "No
deal."

  "Oh come on. I like this game."

  Panicked, I stared back and forth between Ollie and Colton, and said, “I don’t want to play this game.”

  Colton laughed. "My darling, don't worry. We'll have fun together. More fun than he could give you."

  "I…” Ollie squeezed my hand then. A silent note to be quiet and just say yes.

  How could I say yes to this? Ollie could lose. What if Colton guessed the right number? Then what was I supped to do?

  But Ollie was squeezing the life out of my hand, so I had no choice really but to listen. Ollie leaned forward and kissed me softly.

  "I like her,” Colton said. “She's prim and proper. When was the last time I saw prim and proper in this place? It would be so much fun corrupting her." He leaned over and ran a finger down the side of my jaw.

  I tried to hold back my shudder of revulsion. "I guess I don't see the appeal of being corrupted."

  Colton laughed. "Oh, sweetheart, it's not about you. It’s about whether or not Ollie trusts in the power of true love."

  Ollie grimaced but then nodded. "I'll take your bet."

  My eyes went wide. What the hell was happening?

  I realized this must be part of the game, but this game was dangerous. This game might very well result in me being handed off to a man I didn't know who was going to be very, very disappointed when I would not comply.

  And then Ollie leaned forward. "Sweetheart, it'll be fine."

  Colton cheered. With a gleeful clap of his hand, he looked like a little Napoleon getting his way. All around me, other women were giving me sympathetic glances. One of them just look stricken. I watched in horror as people stepped closer, wanting to witness the spectacle of my demise.

  Colton clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention. "Okay, my dear, write down a number. Any number you want between one and a hundred. Who’s here and can keep things honest? Randal, since you introduced me to my new friends, and possibly my new paramour, why don’t you do the honors?"

  There were murmurs and laughter all around. I just felt ill, and my stomach pitched. Keep it down girl. Keep it down. Do not vomit. Ollie will get you out of this. Even though I was afraid and knew I didn't want to be part of this, even though Ollie had lied to me dozens of times, I somehow trusted him in this. I had no choice. He was my one ally, and I trusted him to keep me out of the paws of this man. God, I hoped I was placing my trust appropriately because I was terrified. I was on a yacht off the coast of Monaco in the Mediterranean, and no one knew where I was.

  Colton proffered a card from one of the dealers that was blank on the back. "Excellent. Take one of these cards and write a number on it. Close it tight and stuff it in the envelope.”

  Everyone watched me as I wrote down a number, stuffed it in an envelope, and handed it with a shaky hand to the man named Randal.

  Ollie leaned forward and kissed me. "It'll be okay."

  Colton was laughing the whole time. "What fun. Gosh, I want to get the number right." He kept looking at me. "Darling, why don't you do a twirl?"

  I lifted by brow. "I'm not twirling for you." I just couldn’t with this guy.

  That only made him laugh harder. "God, the spirit this one has. She's the perfect one to ignite my enthusiasm for the evening. Darling, I can't decide if I love your spirit, or I want to break it. Either one could be fascinatingly pleasurable."

  I swallowed hard as Colton and Ollie wrote down their numbers on cards and handed each one to Randal.

  I didn't trust Randal. What if he changed the numbers? What if something went wrong with this plan?

  Colton laughed at my stricken expression. "Come on now. I'm not entirely a monster. I will let the lovers have five minutes to say goodbye."

  Everyone around laughed like it was a big joke, like we were dealing with a little emperor and we were there to amuse him.

  Everyone around us clapped as Ollie tugged me to his side and dragged me out to the balcony. I couldn't breathe. I could not breathe. All around us, the ocean waves lapped at the yacht, and I wanted to hurl. "Ollie, this wasn’t part of the plan."

  "I didn't know. I'm sorry. Rian, I'm so sorry."

  "Am I going to have to go with him?"

  "Not if everything goes according to plan."

  "According to what plan? This was not my plan. I didn't come up with this plan. I'm blindly tossed into this plan."

  He pulled me close. "We're supposed to look like we're saying goodbye."

  "But you keep telling me that we're not."

  "We're not. Just trust me, Rian."

  "You recognize I have no reason to do that right?"

  "Yes I know. Just hold on."

  And then he pulled me even closer and tucked me in. My head fell under his chin, and he held me tight. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry for everything. For before, for what I said to you the other night, for this moment right here. I'm sorry for all of it. I wish you didn't have to deal with any of this shit."

  I held onto him. He leaned back and traced his knuckle over my cheek, bringing it down under my chin and lifting my face up. "I should have told you back then, but from the moment I saw you at the fair, I wished you weren't my brother's. I wished we could have been together, and then none of this would have ever happened to you. You wouldn't have known anything about Max, and you wouldn't be in this situation."

  "Ollie?"

  "Yeah, Rian?"

  "Make me forget."

  My words were soft, and I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted him to do, but for a brief moment when he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, sliding his tongue over my bottom lip and begging for entry, I could forget. I could escape this place. Forget the fear that had driven me into it in the first place. Ollie fisted a hand in my hair and prolonged the kiss, nipping on my bottom lip, sucking on my tongue, licking into my mouth. He absolutely meant this kiss as a goodbye. When he pulled back, he was panting, dragging in harsh breaths. But he loosened his hands out of my hair and leaned back before pressing a quick chaste kiss on my lips again. "This should work. If it doesn't, I will get you off this boat myself, even if I have to fight every single person on it."

  I searched his face. I could see that he meant it. He would fight to get me back. And somehow that was the moment when I knew everything would be okay. He took my hand again and led me back inside to Colton, who had gathered his nearest and dearest of his bloody rich friends all around.

  "Ah yes the moment awaits. My darling, don't worry, I'll be gentle." He laughed. "Or I won't."

  I shuddered. "Maybe I'm the one who needs to be gentle."

  Colton's brow lifted. "Oh, feisty. I like her."

  Ollie held on tight to my hand as Randal stepped forward and pulled out the cards from Ollie’s and Colton’s envelopes. He opened one of them. "First guess is the number seventy-two.” He opened the next one. “Second guess is the number fifty-five."

  My jaw hung ajar. Holy shit. Fifty-five? There was no way.

  Randal asked, “Which gentleman had which bet?”

  Ollie stepped forward. "I guessed seventy-two."

  Colton laughed. "I guessed fifty-five. Looks like Ollie will get the back half, and I will get the forward half. So how about it, Randal? Bring forth our card."

  It had been a while since I'd been to church or since I'd prayed about anything. But at that moment, the level of prayer in my soul was magnificent. Willing Randal to not try to screw Ollie over. Willing everything to go as it should. And it did.

  Randal’s voice was low. "Rian’s number was seventy-six." The entire room erupted in cheers and applause and hugs for Ollie.

  Not one person hugged me. Ollie pulled me forward wrapped an arm around my shoulder as Colton just shrugged. "You win some you lose some. See my steward. He'll see that you get your money."

  I just watched as he sauntered off to another game as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't just gambled with my life.

  I leaned into Ollie. "Why do I want to sa
y a Lannister always pays his debts right now?"

  Ollie choked out a laugh. "Rian, behave."

  "Not much fanfare that we won."

  "Well, a couple people congratulated me."

  "Yeah, you… as if I don't exist."

  "The good news is, Rian, we're done. You just stick by my side and stay away from him for the next thirty minutes. I got what I needed, and as soon as we’re back in port, I’ll signal that we want to get the hell off this rust bucket."

  "Did this really happen?" I whispered softly.

  Ollie nodded. "It did. And we survived it."

  Nineteen

  Oliver

  When we returned to London, there was this tacit agreement that I was taking her home. After everything we’d been through, it seemed only fair. She’d saved my life… and Tessa’s.

  The hotel had provided cars from Heathrow. Since my flat was mere blocks from hers, I just rode with her because I wanted to see she got home safe. It was the least I could do.

  Right because her safety is paramount. That’s why you essentially walked her into a human trafficking scenario.

  Bloody hell, that had been unexpected. Everything else had gone according to plan. At Rian's door she stuck her key in the lock and turned to face me. "Well, this is me. I can't say this has not been an adventure."

  I nodded slowly. "This is you." I ran my hands through my hair. "Rian I—"

  She shook her head. "Ollie, I can't."

  "Look, I know I lied to you. And you were right to be worried about Max. You were, and I should have just said it. But what was I going to do? I just… I don't want this to be the end."

  "Ollie, I just can't. All of this is too much. There's a lot you still don't know about what happened when I went home. And I just needed you to be honest with me. This feels like we're supposed to be together. But maybe what you want isn't always what's good for you."