Crushed (49 page)

"Your optimism is impressive." Robert mused. "Even though I never slip up, please keep hoping I do. Hope is, after all, the only thing you have."

"Is it?" Marshall's eyes turned to examine Sophie. "You may not slip up, but what about your friend? I know you haven't forgotten what happened to the other thief you used to work with."

Sophie's heart dropped when she realized he was talking about Rylan's father. This must've been the cop who put him in prison for ten years.

"Don't underestimate me." Sophie shot back, her face calm but her voice icy. Robert tried to silence her with a pointed stare, but she was too stubborn to give up on this fight. "I assume underestimating your enemy is the reason you've spent over a decade chasing after the same criminal."

"I wouldn't test me." Marshall spat, his face contorting in rage. "If I wanted to, I could have every person in this house investigated thoroughly. I wonder what would crop up if I did."

"Try it." Robert dared without sounding the least bit concerned. "If you're willing to risk your career and your life, then go ahead. I'm sure nothing would happen to you."

"Is that a threat?"

"Me, threaten you?" Robert waved his hand in the air. "C'mon. We're all friends here."

"You need to learn your place." Sophie continued her voice low.

Marshall's rage gradually faded. "I know what kind of game you two are playing, and I'm going to end this."

"Same old speech, same old results." Robert joked.

"With your help, we could bring them down." Marshall began, his voice filled with passion. "If you gave us the information my team needs, we would have enough for an arrest."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rob shrugged away the offer. "Even assuming you did have enough evidence against your target, do you really think that would be enough?" He laughed mockingly. "A man of your caliber shouldn't be this naive. The individuals you're speaking of would be able to slip out of your charges easily. You'd only succeed in ticking them off."

"You underestimate our justice system."

"Do I?" Robert raised his eyebrow. "The crimes you're investigating have been going on for over fifty years. A justice system that has let that continue doesn't deserve my trust."

Sophie was amazed that they were able to talk so candidly with the cop. Agent Marshall had the power and reason to lock them up, but Robert continued to taunt him relentlessly.

It wasn't even worth it to pretend like they didn't know what was going on. Marshall knew they were thieves, and he knew about Cleo and Max's operation. Playing dumb was a waste of time, and Robert seemed to be warning Marshall to back off.

"One of these days you're going to regret not helping me." Marshall didn't sound disappointed. He'd probably gotten this reaction from Rob in the past.

"Feel free to prove me wrong." Robert waved his hand in the air. "Maybe if you're organization wasn't so crooked, I'd have more faith."

"You're as crooked as they come, Locksley."

"Well, I never claimed that I wasn't."

"How does it feel to be Cleo's pet dog?" Marshall was changing tactics, hoping to instigate a fight.

Sophie broke into the fight, her anger flaring. "I would rather be a pet than a toothless mutt pretending to be a cop. If you're so big and bad, exactly what power do you have to do anything?" She spat at him.

Robert placed his hand on hers, and smiled up at Marshall. "I really think it's time you left. No matter how worthless your department is, you should at least pretend you're doing your job."

"What right do you have to insult my men?" Marshall's glare was deadly. "You need to learn some respect."

"If you're pissed at our comments, then do something about it. Prove us wrong, and find that evidence you're always looking for. Even if everyone around you is swayed by power and influence, prove that your men are better than that. Until then, I'll say whatever I want about your unit."

Marshall was interrupted by his phone beginning to ring. He scowled as he answered the call.

"Agent Marshall." He barked into the phone. He paused for a long moment, his eyes growing wide. "What?" He shouted, nearly dropping the phone.

"Trouble in paradise?" Robert asked with a lazy smile.

"I understand. I'll be there immediately." Marshall hung up the phone, his face pale.

Robert's smile faded, and Sophie's eyes widened in fear. She hadn't been anxious this entire time because of Robert's confidence, but now he was crumbling. She could see fear in his expression.

"What happened?" Robert asked, clenching his fists tightly. His voice was deadly serious.

Marshall turned away from them without saying a word. He took three steps and paused, hesitating.

"I shouldn't tell you." Marshall's eyes had locked on Teddy. "However, this concerns the safety of more than just you, Locksley." He spun around, his eyes narrowed. "Max's mansion is on fire."

Sophie felt her heart drop to her stomach.

"The whole house is engulfed in flames. Firefighters weren't able to get there in time, meaning the place is beyond saving."

It felt like Sophie couldn't breathe.

"There are no signs of anyone home during the fire." Marshall didn't sound relieved by this.

Sophie understood Marshall's concern without having to be told. Max didn't care if someone was killed during the fire. His art was a million times more precious than any person could be.

"It's too early to determine now, but we suspect it was arson."

"Well, that's a shame." Robert's voice was tight with fear. "I'm actually happy you were here, Marshall. You've just given us our alibi."

Marshall turned back to glance at Teddy. "I think we both know an alibi isn't good enough for Max. You wouldn't happen to know who was behind this?"

"What kind of people do you think we are? We're just trying to peacefully live the American dream." Robert answered, though with no smile this time.

Marshall scowled as he turned away and marched to his car parked on the other side of the street.

The moment he'd driven out of sight, Robert stood from the blanket, his face hard and calculating.

"Start packing." He ordered as he rushed towards the house.

"What?" Sophie followed close behind him, grabbing the papers and the blanket hurriedly.

He paused when he reached the front door, and turned to face her with an expression dripping with fear.

"Sophie, you have to trust me." His voice shook. "This place isn't safe anymore."

"What?" Sophie whispered, her eyes wide.

"We have to leave now. If we hesitate, he could come for us."

Sophie didn't understand what was happening, but she did know that Robert wouldn't lose his cool unless he was one hundred percent certain they were in danger.

"Trust me." He urged, his voice rising.

"I do." Sophie whispered back, closing her eyes and letting her fear sink in.

When she opened her eyes again, she was focused and ready to escape.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The more I thought about it, the clearer it became. Luke was not the only criminal responsible for this mess.

"They're just children! How can you think about splitting up?" Sophie screamed at Robert from the doorway of his room.

"We don't have time for me to go over this again." He answered just as heatedly.

Robert was throwing clothes out of his closet into the duffle bag on his bed. He wasn't paying attention to what clothes he was taking, and momentarily changed course to his bookshelf where he began piling in folder after folder of information into the bag.

An hour had passed since Marshall had left, and the house had exploded in chaos. Robert had given brief instructions to Gwyn and Rylan, who had reacted instantly to his orders. Even Teddy was focused on packing, without having complained once.

It was as if everyone was on the same page. Everyone except for Sophie.

"Well, make time!" She walked towards him, snatching the papers he had in his hands, and tossing them to the ground.

His eyes narrowed with rage mixed with fear, but he could not silence her anger.

"We have to stay together! They're all kids...and Rylan's injured! They can't handle being on their own."

"I asked you to trust me." Robert pleaded as he knelt to the ground, gathering up the papers.

"Trusting you isn't the same as agreeing with you." She argued, shaking her head. "I don't like this plan, and the kids won't either."

"They know the plan." Robert hissed. "You're the only one with the problem. I've taught them what to do if something like this happens."

"You couldn't have possibly planned for this to happen!"

"I know that." Robert closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples slowly. "I know that Sophie. I'm winging it right now because I don't have a choice. They'll be safer away from us then they'll be with us."

"I don't believe that for a minute." She answered, crossing her arms. Sophie knew time was running out, but she couldn't possibly give up on this issue. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving the kids behind.

"Really? How many times have you been shot at while working for Cleo? How many times have you had a gun pointed at your head?" He paused, waiting for her to answer. When she didn't, he continued. "Staying with us is more dangerous than being alone for them. They won't even cross Max's mind unless they get in his way. He'll be coming for us, meaning we're the bait leading him away from them."

Sophie was helpless against this argument. Everything he said was true.

"Rylan will be fine with Dr. Smith. I've known him for years, and he was close friends with Rylan's father. Rylan's not even at the stage where he can walk right now, and the doctor will make sure he stays safe and healthy. Gwyn and Teddy will be right there with him to keep him company. They won't miss us at all." Robert had turned from argumentative to reassuring.

It was hard to swallow this new reality. Sophie wanted more than anything to take the kids with her. She didn't want to lose them again, so soon after returning.

She watched as Robert finished packing, and allowed him to lead her downstairs.

"Gwyn and Teddy are waiting for us in the car. We can't waste anymore time." He grabbed her duffle bag from the steps where she'd left it. "Once we drop them off with Dr. Smith, we have a flight to catch. The farther away we can get, the better off we'll be."

They made it to the front door before Sophie thought of another argument.

"Cleo can help us." Sophie reminded him, reaching out to hold his arm tightly. "Why haven't we tried calling her? She'll keep us protected!" The solution was simple, but with all the chaos of packing, they hadn't even thought of her once.

Robert's face darkened. "We can't trust Cleo."

"What?" Sophie's anger returned. "You've trusted Cleo this whole time, and you choose now to give up on her?"

"Sophie, will you think for a minute?" Robert's voice was rising desperately. "We've known about the fire for an hour. Knowing Cleo's sources she's probably known for longer than that. Have you heard the phone ring? Did she try to contact us at all?"

Sophie's heart sank in her chest.

"Cleo has no idea Marshall came to see us. If she wanted us to know about the fire, she would've called by now." He placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "She doesn't want us to know. She wants us to be in the dark for whatever Max is planning."

"No." Sophie whispered, never considering this betrayal. "I thought we could trust Cleo..."

"I always trusted Cleo because I knew that she needed me. She wanted to use me for my skill, and as long as I was useful to her, she would continue to support us. She wanted to use you too, which is why she helped you escape from Max. It was easy to predict what she would do when she was motivated by greed. Now, she's being driven by fear. No one has ever tried to kill them before."

"Luke didn't kill anyone!"

"Luke made himself more than clear." Robert sounded like he was speaking to a child. "Setting fire to Max's home is the loudest way he could have chosen to declare war."

"That's Luke's war! How did we get brought into this?"

Robert hesitated, part of him knowing they had to leave soon, and part of him needing her to understand.

"When Max's former thief didn't work out, he got rid of him, and started over with Luke. When your parents didn't work out for Cleo, she started over with me." He paused and stared directly into her eyes. "I'm a skilled thief, and you're the only connection to the paintings your parents stole. We're important, but not irreplaceable. If Cleo's really scared this time, investing in us might not be her top priority."

"You're saying she's going to start over with new thieves?"

"Her track record doesn't go against that theory. I'd rather be miles away and safe, than stuck here and dead." He grabbed her hand tightly. "The kids are waiting, and we've run out of time. I know I'm asking a lot of you right now, but it's all I've got. I'm trying to protect all of us, and this is the best I can come up with."

"What do you need me to do?" She asked, defeated.

Staying with the kids had been the core of her argument and her anger. Knowing it was impossible for them to stay together had taken out her fight. They were headed for another chaotic mission that was beginning to crumble before them.

She didn't know who to trust, or who to turn to. Everything was slipping out her hands, and Sophie didn't know how to stop it. How she could turn back the clock so that everything was fixed again?

"Come with me." He replied confidently. "We'll find a place to hide out, and think everything through. Right now, the only thing that will appease Cleo is finding those paintings before Luke can do more damage."

"What about Marshall?"

"If he interferes, we'll just have to improvise. It's what we do best." Robert smiled fleetingly before opening the front door.

As she followed him out to the car, she took one last look at their home.

The large oak doors which had once been so foreboding now looked lonely and forgotten.

Robert had succeeded in rescuing them from Max, but Sophie couldn't help but wonder what they were leaving behind.

*  *  *

The upper-scale hotel room they were staying in now was more luxurious than anything Sophie had stayed in before.

As she stared out of the large glass window that stretched across the main wall of the room, she could not take in the beauty around her. The New York City night skyline was beautiful and serene, but it was also cold and unfeeling.

The whole room felt empty, and there was no view in the world that could've brought back Sophie's upbeat mood.

She didn't turn her head when she heard Robert enter the room. He'd left her alone for the better part of the evening, but her blank stares had finally gotten to him.

"Sophie, talk to me." He pleaded from behind her. His voice was unusually hesitant.

"What's there to talk about?" She replied, crossing her arms. By now she knew the oncoming signs of a fight.

"Let's go ahead and address the fact that you're pissed at me." He moved around the couch, finding a seat next to her. His face was tired and drawn, like he'd aged years in the last few hours.

"Congratulations, you know how to read my facial expressions." Sophie turned to him with a scowl on her face. She was in no mood for this. "If you know I'm pissed then you should leave me alone."

"That's not how it works. We're partners, which means you need to tell me what I'm doing wrong." He kept his tone soft.

"You know why I'm mad!" Sophie tried to keep her voice from rising, but she was failing. "You know I didn't want to leave the kids!"

"You know I didn't have a choice." His answer was too calm, which made her even more agitated.

It had only been a few hours since she'd last seen Gwyn, Rylan and Teddy. Watching their worried faces as they drove away from Dr. Smith's car was heartbreaking. No matter how much logic Robert tried to throw at her, she could never happily swallow the fact that they'd abandoned the kids.

"Well, while we're here enjoying ourselves, who knows what Max is up to." Sophie motioned to the suite which Robert had found during their flight to New York. It was easily over ten thousand dollars a night. "I wouldn't be surprised if he found us here within the next few hours. You really think choosing a hotel this expensive is in our best interest? We're not exactly in the position to blow all of our money."

She'd remained silent for the duration of their flight and their ride to the hotel. Without saying one word, she'd quietly fumed at the choices Robert was making. Her annoyance at him wanting to leave the kids had grown into annoyance towards everything he did. Now that he was ready to hear her argument, she couldn't help letting all her thoughts rush out at once.

Robert didn't seem bothered by her anger. He didn't even seem amused. With every glare she shot him, he took it respectfully, without argument. It was even more frustrating that he'd learned how to deal with her temper tantrums. Sophie would've rather had him fight back, so she had more to vent about.

"I chose this hotel for a reason." He began calmly when she ran out of complaints. "Cleo will obviously be expecting us to hide somewhere cheap. She doesn't know that I've saved up money on my own, and if they are searching for us, they wouldn't start here. This hotel has the added bonus of security. Even if Max did want to harm us, as long as we're up here, we'll be protected by the hotel guards. No gunmen will make it up this far without being caught."

Sophie glared at him, trying to deflect his logic. "Cleo knows that Diana's coming to New York for a meeting. She'll expect for us to have come here."

"If you haven't noticed, this city is quite large. There are many places to hide." Robert obviously knew she was being irrational, and she was beginning to realize it too. "Are you still going to insist on being mad?"

"Right now I need to be angry at something, and you're the closest target." Sophie had lost her fight. Reason had won over her emotions. "I feel so helpless right now...I just need something to punch." She reached for a pillow beside her and buried her face in it. She closed her eyes tightly, willing away the bad things surrounding them.

"If you really want to be mad at me, you can." Robert had kept his distance earlier, but now finally took a seat next to her. He carefully pulled the pillow away from her face. "I'll be your punching bag. Being hit by you isn't so bad."

Sophie scowled and socked him as hard as she could in the arm. He yelped as he leaned away, rubbing his arm in shock.

"You really did it!" He said incredulously.

"See, I knew you weren't being serious. Don't offer yourself as a punching bag if you don't mean it." She stuck out her tongue, while he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Enough. I'm calling a truce." This was the kind of moment she expected him to smile, but surprisingly, his face remained pensive. His lips were drawn into a tight frown which made her nervous. Robert noticed her worried expression and attempted a weak smile. "Would you like me to distract you again?"