Page 45 of A Thief to Die For

‘Come back here, little girl.’

It’s both a blessing and a curse that it’s now so dark. He can’t see me, but I also don’t know which direction to go.

My breaths are too loud as his footsteps crunch the ground, rounding the trailer. He’s hunting me.

‘I’ve got your hair,’ he taunts. ‘Do you want it back?’

‘Yes,’ rasps a low voice.

Soren’s feet scuff through the gravel as he spins around. ‘Who’s there?’ he demands.

I stiffen. That wasn’t Petronis.

Then a bone-chilling cry comes from Soren. It abruptly cuts off.

There’s a struggle. A grunt. Then the sound of skin meeting skin in brutal fashion. A body drops to the ground.

I can’t breathe. What happened?

‘He’s out. But not for long.’

Ryland.

Rolling twice, I clear the remainder of the trailer overhead and push to my feet. Pain stabs my ankle. It’s so dark, I don’t even see Petronis’s torch. Why? Did Ryland get to him first?

Ryland helped me.

It’s taking a moment for that to sink in, but as it does, I’m overcome with gratitude. And confusion. How did he know?

I strain to see into the trailer. There’s no time to take more or even retrieve what I threw into the ditch, which is a problem, because if anyone finds it, they’ll know exactly what I’ve been up to.

A groan rises from Soren.

My heart feels like it’s been kicked.

Ryland’s arm finds me and wraps around my stomach, pulling me away. I step on my hurt foot and take in a sharp breath.

‘You’re hurt?’ he whispers, then he’s lifting me into his arms.

‘No, I can push through it. I don’t think I’m that hurt.’ I squirm out of his grasp and lead the way into the forest, running with a hitch in my step. There’s nothing else we can do right now.

This raid was an utter loss.

My stomach twists as we near the edge of the Dresden camp. So many thoughts battle for my attention. ‘I need to get back to the compound.’ They’re the first words I’ve spoken since we made our retreat. Even shucking my vagabond jacket and hood and stuffing them under a log was something we did wordlessly. ‘Soren will launch a search for the thief.’ A female thief. ‘Any minute he’ll sound the alarm; that’s protocol.’

I think of Brother Thomas – should I warn him? No, he’s always prepared for a search. And I was going to surprise him with the new supplies, so it’s not like he was expecting a delivery.

Then there’s Ryland. I glance at the man beside me.

Why did he help me?

What he did could have consequences for him and his deal with Atlas.

‘Can it wait?’ Ryland asks. ‘We should lie low. Clean you up first. Then I’ll take you back on my horse.’

Reluctantly, I admit that’s probably best. I’m a mess. Besides my ankle, my arms and knees burn with scrapes, and I’m almost certain I’m bleeding from my scalp. ‘I suppose I can wait until I hear the alarm.’

‘I doubt Soren will even report it,’ he continues, keeping his voice down. ‘Doesn’t seem like the type to announce that he failed at his job.’