Chapter 6: Too Good to be True
1599 Words
Riley's POV
Ironically, I feel like laughing. My problems are too many for this rich kid to fix.
He would need to give me a big enough chunk of money for me to have it all solved. Although, what might seem like an exorbitant amount of money to me might be nothing to a man who owns half of New York.
What's a few thousand dollars to him, who is willing to pay a fortune just for a night in a luxury hotel?
My gaze lingers on Theo. I can't help but raise an eyebrow and look at him suspiciously.
“What are my options?" I ask.
His smile grows wider.
“I already told you. The truth, or jail."
I know from his eyes that he's not joking. If I don't give him what he asks for, he won't hesitate to send me to jail.
So again, it's all about gaining his trust.
“Fine," I answer reluctantly.
Sighing, I look down at my hands and look for a place to start. It's not easy at first, but I begin to slowly tell the whole truth, or at least as much as I can about the events that have brought me here tonight. To him.
As I talk, it gets easier. I tell Theo about my father's gambling problems and about Jinx's gang, about how my father bet my sister, and about how Jinx ordered me to steal Theo that night in exchange for returning her to me.
“How did you manage to forge one of the service staff's tickets?" he asks, curious.
Throughout my confession, Theo has been responsive. He interrupted me once or twice, but for the most part he just listened.
“I have my ways," I reply evasively.
I'm not going to get anyone in trouble, I'm not a whistleblower. I don't know what Theo's intentions are, but he could be recording everything.
If that's the case, my own death warrant has been signed.
He questions me with his eyes. My eyes must tell him that I don't intend to say another word on the subject.
His lips pucker and then he asks, “Makeup?"
“Again, I have my ways."
He raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. A tense silence is drawn between us, until he finally sighs.
“Your silence must be protecting someone," he says.
I nod.
“Okay," he inhales slowly. “Tell me what you can without mentioning names. But I need you to be honest."
A grimace leaves my lips. Carefully, I start to speak.
“The right people can get any information, and the IDs of your staff are not exactly confidential data," I affirm.
He looks at me with interest.
I sigh. The more I tell him, the more I sense he wants to know.
“Did you know that you can fake almost anything these days? A good photograph, for example, is capable of revealing a person's data. Even their fingerprints," I say, almost as if it was a random piece of information in the middle of an unimportant conversation.
Theo's eyes sparkle. For a moment he seems genuinely fascinated.
“Was that how they did it?"
I nod.
I know Gus is going to hate me for revealing something like that, but I haven't said his name.
He himself once told me that thanks to the dummies posing with the peace sign, he's managed to clone a few people's fingerprints. All thanks to technology and the quality of digital cameras.
“Impressive," admits Theo.
“I've told you everything that led me to you," I then affirm.
“Not everything," he smiles and looks at me curiously. “When you came into my office you were looking for something."
“Your safe," I admit, nodding.
“How were you going to find it?" he asks.
I shrug my shoulders.
“Most people hide them in the most obvious places. A double compartment on a shelf, an empty book or a double wall. I thought I'd start looking."
“Just out of curiosity," he says intrigued. “Where did you think it was?"
I mentally try to remember the room. I only saw it for a moment, but certain details stuck in my memory. The study was spacious, with several walls lined with books from floor to ceiling.
“I honestly have no idea. I've never been there before." I shrug my shoulders. “I thought I'd start looking. The most logical thing to do would be to have hidden it among so many books.
Theo nods. He looks intrigued, but pleased.
I shift uneasily in my seat.
“Well?" I ask then, and he looks at me curiously. I exhale, exasperated. “You said that if I told you the truth you would help me," I remind him.
“Of course I would. But all in good time."
He stands up and walks toward the bar. His movements are too slow for my taste, but he doesn't seem to notice.
“By any chance, have you stolen anything else before?"
“Why do you need to know?" I ask with a frown.
“Simple curiosity," he answers with a shrug while pouring himself another drink.
“Your curiosity can go to hell," I reply sullenly, a bit tired of his games.
He looks at me, but is obviously amused.
“Good. Let's say it's not curiosity then. Let's say I'm informing myself."
“About what?" I ask with a frown.
“About you," he smiles. His gesture is almost innocent, but there is too much mischief in his eyes. “Now, answer the question, have you ever stolen anything before?"
I hate this guy and I hate his endless questions. But I feel I have no choice but to answer.
I give him a single nod. He mimics my gesture.
“And have you ever been caught?"
“Just today," I answer with a grimace.
“Wonderful," he replies. His smile grows wider.
“Most of the time, I have more time to prepare myself," I clarify reluctantly.
“Of course," he answers, almost like a cat purring.
His slow walk leads him to me. He leaves a glass in my hands with the clear liquor and the slice
of honey. He walks away and sits down opposite me, so that he can see me when he speaks.
“What I want to offer you is a deal. A deal that I think could be convenient for both of us," he
says.
His words intrigue me. The truth is that I expected everything, except that he would offer me a
deal.
“What kind of deal?" I ask uneasily, unsure.
“The kind of deal you propose to a thief," he jokes and takes a sip from his glass. “I need you
to steal something for me. Something important."
“And what will you give me in return?"
The question leaves my lips alone. He must think I'm willing to do it. Instead, I can only think of
what this rich guy who thinks I can steal for him might want.
“The first thing will be your sister's freedom. But I know that won't be enough to get you out of
trouble. From what you've told me, your father is a real pain in the a*s, so I think we can come
to another kind of arrangement."
He is silent for a moment. He sips slowly from his glass and then says, “So, If you get what I
want, I'll give you enough money for you to go anywhere in the world. To disappear off the
face of the earth, so to speak."
The idea is so tempting that I almost have a fit of giggles. It sounds too good to be true.
It must all be a f*cking trap.
“You're f*cking rich, why don't you buy whatever it is you're planning to steal?"
“You'll steal it for me," he reminds pointing a finger at me. “Not everything in this world
has a price. You will understand that there are objects that simply have no monetary value."
“A charming and intriguing speech, but I don't buy it," I assert. “If it's so valuable what you
want, how do I know it won't get me into more trouble than it's supposed to get me out of?" I
counter.
He shrugs.
“You'll have to take my deal to find out. But I promise I'll give you all the tools and time you
need to carry out the robbery."
“Why is it so important to you?" I ask, really curious about this rich guy's interests.
“I have my reasons," he says.
“I was honest with you. If you plan for me to consider it, you have to be honest with me."
He looks at me, his face inscrutable, his hands clasped together. Finally, he nods.
“I want something back. Something of immense value that was stolen from me, but to do so, I
need a thief. If you get it back for me, I'll give you whatever you ask for."
Again, it's too tempting an offer to accept... Incredibly insane, yes, but perhaps it's my only
option.
Theo stands up. He raises his glass in my direction.
“Will you accept to be my thief?" he asks in a slow voice, with a note of seduction imprinted in
his accent that I don't quite recognize.
I close my eyes and inhale slowly.
At this point, I guess I have only one choice.
- Writer
