Crushed (7 page)

Robert smirked, though his eyes didn't leave her face. "Being a thief takes more than just having the guts to cut off all of your hair. I don't expect you'll make it through my training."

"Challenge accepted." Sophie answered, and Teddy giggled next to her. Robert glanced at him and his smile immediately faded.

"If that's how you're going to be, then let me lay down some rules. To start, you are no longer to consider yourself a girl. Part of being a thief means learning how to disguise yourself, and the more ambiguous you are, the better you'll blend in. You will start behaving like a male, and Cleo's taken it onto herself to help you change your wardrobe."

"Excuse me?" Sophie asked incredulously. "I have to act like a what?" She bit her lip, wondering if he was doing this just to be cruel. She'd hoped Teddy had misunderstood Robert's comment about her being like a boy. "There's no other way for me to learn how to disguise myself?"

"It's ridiculous how little you know." Robert sighed, and his smirk faded from his face. "There are people in this business who would be very interested to know that you are the daughter of Susanne and Gerard Parker. People who are more influential than Cleo, and by influential, I mean dangerous. Your parents stole from a lot of important figures, and they've yet to be forgotten."

"Cleo knows about this danger?" Sophie felt her determination begin to falter. She'd just begun to realize how far she'd gotten in over her head. "Why didn't she tell me about it?"

"You know now." Robert's eyes narrowed. "Why? Have you already changed your mind? It's not too late to go home."

Taking a deep breath, Sophie calmed herself down. She was going to have to figure everything out in small steps. This world was new to her, and she was just going to have to take it slow.

"No, I'll agree to your terms. If I need to pretend to be a boy, I will. For the time being." Her reply was as steady as she could make it.

Robert watched her carefully, his smile turning into a frown. He pushed away from the table, and paused in the middle of the kitchen. He looked like he was about to say something before he exited the room altogether.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sophie muttered, clenching her fists. She stood up from her seat as well, and charged out of the kitchen. She wasn't done speaking with him yet, though she wasn't sure what drove her to be this rash. Normally, Sophie was better at controlling her fiery attitude.

As soon as she'd excited the kitchen, Sophie immediately realized her mistake. Robert been hoping she'd follow him, and as she noticed him waiting on the steps she felt herself turn red in embarrassment. She'd played right into his hands. She paused in the middle of the hallway, and tried to ignore him as he began to laugh at her.

"You're just as predictable as I thought you were." Robert, who was leaning against the wall of the staircase, slowly stepped down from his perch. Though his eyes were blank, his body language seemed mocking. "How boring." He whispered, crossing his arms.

Sophie felt like he'd just slapped her. It wasn't so much the insult, as the way he said it. The way he spoke made her seem insignificant, and weak. The word "boring" took so many different forms in her mind, and each of them seemed worse to Sophie than the original meaning itself. It was like he was calling her a disappointment, and not worth his time.

Beyond her wounded pride, his comment made her temper ignite. Exactly what did this man know about her? Who was he to look down at her decision?

"Predictable." Sophie replied, laughing back at him. "We'll see about that." She took two steps forward, closing the distance between them. "You're right, Robert. I don't know the first thing about stealing, and I'm not aware of how this kind of world works. However, you're wrong about one thing. I do have what it takes, and I don't have to prove that to you, do I? As long as Cleo's happy, that's all that matters. You think throwing a few harsh rules is going to break me? Okay, let's see how far we can go with this." She glared up at him with everything she had. "Just watch how far I can go. I have nothing to lose, so I'll do anything to get what I want."

While Robert had initially been surprised at Sophie's confidence, he wasn't the type to back down.

"What exactly is it that you want?" He took another step closer to her, but Sophie refused to budge. They were inches apart now, though neither seemed to realize it. "A life where you can live as you want, wasting away the time as a painter?" He smirked, rolling his eyes. "What a childish dream. I'll tell you what you really want. All you desire is money."

"Money is a means to an end." Sophie answered, not registering his disgust.

"No, money is much more than that. Don't delude yourself into thinking you're working for Cleo for some romantic vision of the future. You just want to get rich as quickly as you can." He pulled away, his eyes glazing over with an emotion Sophie couldn't understand. "In my eyes, a mentality like that is pathetic."

He turned around, and began heading up the staircase.

"I'll call your challenge. Let's see how far you can get before you realize what kind of mess you've gotten yourself into." He paused for a moment, glancing back at her one last time. "Even though we work together, don't trust me. Don't trust anyone for that matter. If it comes down to it, I'll save myself a thousand times over before I extend a hand to help you." He grinned, brushing off his former anger as if it had never existed. "That's the world of thieves. Get used to it."

As she watched him disappear upstairs, Sophie found that she was shaking. She had so much more she wanted to shout at him, but not enough effort to say it. He'd silenced her with just one statement, and she hated how he'd just ended the fight.

More than ever she was determined to see this task through, to prove to Robert, and maybe even herself, that it wasn't as a pathetic a dream as he'd said.

*  *  *

Sophie knew the moment that she entered the kitchen the next morning that she'd started a battle that could last forever. The way Robert smiled up at her from his seat at the kitchen table made her shiver. It was the cunning smile of someone who already knew they had the upper hand.

"Have a seat." He said good-naturedly, with a fox-like smile.

"Thank you." Sophie scowled as she sat down in front of him. They were alone in the kitchen, though Sophie could hear voices coming from another room. Someone had politely fixed Sophie's breakfast for her, which consisted of a stack of at least five pancakes. They were lukewarm and somewhat soggy from the syrup, but she was still grateful for the gesture.

Feeling Robert staring at her, Sophie awkwardly began eating her meal.

"I have a surprise for you today." He began, and she tried not to wince. "Actually, to be fair, it's Cleo's surprise."

"Great." Sophie focused on her pancakes, trying not to seem nervous. She had yet to decide whether she should be concerned about the surprise he was speaking of. "I love surprises." She added quickly, hoping it sounded as confident as she meant it to.

"I doubt you'll like this one." Robert leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Sophie chanced a glance at him and found that he'd stopped smiling. "No, I'm positive you won't like it at all."

"Is it some kind of torture?" Sophie joked, trying to smile away the tension that had settled between them.

Robert let her question hang in the air, and Sophie felt chill bumps race up her arms.

Feeling the need to break the silence, Sophie continued speaking. "Well, even if it is, I won't mind. I told you I wouldn't give up, so no matter how awful the surprise is, I'll deal with it."

Robert narrowed his eyes. "I wonder if it will be that easy." He whispered, looking genuinely curious.

Before Sophie could answer, Rylan interrupted their conversation by walking into the room. He held a pile of clothes in his arms, though Sophie was more focused on his face. It looked like he had eaten something rotten, and was about to throw up.

Walking towards her, Rylan offered out the pile of clothes. On closer inspection, Sophie found that the pile consisted of sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

"Your new wardrobe." Robert explained, as he stood up from the table. "As soon as you finish eating you can change into that." He placed a reassuring hand on Rylan's shoulder, but Rylan brushed it off rudely. Sighing, Robert turned towards the kitchen door. "We'll be having company soon, so you should hurry and get ready. After all, this is your first test."

"What kind of test?" Sophie pushed away her plate, deciding she couldn't eat while being this nervous.

"Oh, don't worry. It's really simple. If the guest finds out who you are, you fail. If you convince him you're a boy, you pass. Easy as that."

Without waiting for a reply, Robert exited the room.

Sophie only realized after he'd left that her mouth had dropped open.

"Sophie." Rylan began, and she turned towards him in surprise. She'd forgotten he was still in the room.

"What's up?" She asked, smiling at him. Her frustration at Robert was hard to ignore, but she didn't want to take it out on Rylan.

"You should stop now. This test… it's not what you think it is." Rylan looked like he was struggling to speak. "Please, don't do this to yourself."

Sophie's smile faltered for a moment. "I expect it to be a challenge. I promise I'll be okay, no matter how scary the guest is." She patted Rylan on the arm, trying to sound braver than she was. "I promised myself I wouldn't quit, and it's only the beginning."

She lifted the clothes he had given her off the table, and motioned to them with a wince. "I might need your help in pretending to be a boy. I didn't take Robert seriously until now, but I guess I have no choice but to put up with this role."

Rylan looked like he wanted to say more, but he closed his mouth determinedly. "I'll teach you what I can." He finally replied.

After thanking him, Sophie quickly made her way to her room to change into the sweats. Despite her initial doubt, it took only moments for her to transform. Without makeup and her long red hair, her face wasn't that much different than a boy's. Her overly thin body was swallowed by Rylan's sweats, and all Sophie had to do was slouch for the full image to take effect. She could almost convince herself that she was an entirely different person. Convincing a stranger wouldn't be hard at all.

Before she could fully take in the image that only a few minor changes had created, she heard the doorbell ring. Her heart felt like it had jumped into her throat, and she froze in place. She wasn't confident she could pull this off, but she was too proud to give up so soon.

A gentle knock on her door was enough to wake her out of her stupor. Sophie ran her hands through her hair one last time, trying to make it as messy as possible. She rushed downstairs after Robert, and came to a sudden halt at the front door.

"They're here already?" Sophie asked breathlessly.

Robert raised his eyebrow, mocking her surprise. "No, the doorbell rang for no reason." He replied with a smirk. "Go wait in the kitchen. I will come get you when Cleo's ready."

"Cleo's here?" Sophie glanced around, feeling overwhelmed.

"She arrived just a few minutes ago. Now go before you blow your cover." Sophie began to turn away, but Robert reached out to grab her arm. "I just want to remind you…" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I might've made this seem like a joke, but I'm serious when I tell you how important it is that this guest not find out who you are. Don't worry about speaking, we'll come up with an excuse. As long as you don't do anything to draw attention to yourself, you should be fine."

"If this is a test, why are you giving me all the answers?" Sophie asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Don't think of it as an answer. Think of it as a friendly suggestion." He released her as he turned towards the door.

Sophie ducked into the kitchen just as the front door creaked open. She braced herself against the kitchen door, trying to hear what she could from the hallway. She could distinctly make out two voices, both belonging to men. Then, without warning, Cleo's greeting came booming from the living room.

As she waited, Sophie noticed that her hands were shaking.

"Nervous?" Gwyn asked from behind her.

Sophie nearly screamed in surprise.