Thief of Mine (15 page)

“Oh, I can change your mind. Marco, come here,” Camille
ordered, a sneering smile on her lips. She intended to have some fun with Kit’s
little girlfriend.

Stella’s eyes widened as the most gigantic man she had ever
seen approached her. He was all muscle and she could feel the heat rising from
his body. Oh God, what was this about? Camille she could handle, but this guy?

“Please show dear little Stella here that Kit Kincaid is not
the be-all and end-all when it comes to men. Show her how you persuade your
women to behave, Marco.

The man called Marco smiled wickedly at Stella, who in turn
gulped loudly. The massive expanse of his chest was impressive as it tapered
down to taut, lean hips and the largest bulge in the man’s trousers. This man
was all pumped up muscles and promise. Stella had heard that black men were
well hung but she never imagined it was true, and not to this extent. What was
he going to do to her? The sudden fear of getting raped sent a chill of dread
up her spine.

“I realize this is some perverted game of control to you,
witch woman, but you aren’t going to succeed. You cannot humiliate me.” Stella
did not doubt that Camille could hurt her and possibly make her want to cry but
there was no way she would be humbled before this baggage.

“It’s not about humiliation. I just want to have a little
fun while we await your knight in shining armor.” Camille could see the panic
on Stella’s face and she was enjoying it. Stella was completely bound and helpless
to prevent anything they chose to do to her. It amused Camille to have control
over people. “Don’t worry, dear, Marco won’t rape you. What was it you said? He
‘bats for another team’. But he does like to tease women. Show Stella what a
tease you are.

Stella stiffened in alarm as the man called Marco pulled out
a knife. He was going to cut her and there was not a damn thing she could do
about it.

“Even if you cut me I’m not going to rat on Kit.” She
watched as the long blade of the knife made it’s descent on her body, skimming
lightly over her stomach as he followed the paintwork on her naked body. There
was nothing teasing in his grip on the knife or the look of intent in the man’s
eyes.

Camille was enjoying the scene before her. And she had a
feeling Kit was somewhere close by. She was always sensitive to his presence.
What was he feeling? Why wasn’t he stopping what was happening?

“Kit doesn’t care enough about you to stop this.”
Come
out come out wherever you are, kitty kat.

“You don’t know Kit.” Stella’s eyes widened in fear as the
tip of the knife circled one of her nipples. She tried to keep her breathing
shallow to stop the rise and fall of her breast towards that knife.

“I know enough to know he would save his ass over yours.” Camille
could see this woman was hooked on the blond man. She could also see that Marco
and his knife were going to have no effect in making the bound woman give in to
their demands. She reluctantly admired Stella. The ones full of attitude were
always hard to break. Camille clicked her fingers and Marco stepped back.

Stella breathed a sigh of relief. Nipples were safe.
Excellent. She had grown mighty attached to them and the pleasure they gave
her. She had surprised herself at her own balls at not flinching. She could
hold her own in high school now—twenty years too late of course.

“Okay, we both know I’m not going to help you. So what is
the point of all this other than to disgust me or give Marco here some
employment? And what is this paint stuff about? Run out of canvas did you?”
Stella had to get back on track. She had won a small victory by not showing
fear. Now she had to get out of here in one piece.

“The signs on your body are spells calling forth your lover
to save you.”

While some magic in the universe was unexplainable, a witch
finger painting on her body was nothing but sick.

“I have no lover.”

“You’re not a virgin,” Camille responded with a knowingly
smile. “Don’t worry. No one in here as touched you…yet.”

It should have occurred to Stella that they weren’t alone
but it didn’t. She turned her head to see another two other men watching her.
Correction, leering at her. They had clearly enjoyed the little floor show they
had just witnessed. The fact that they hadn’t touched her didn’t make her feel
comfortable. They certainly looked like they had every intention to do so. And
who would stop them? Camille? Hardly. What the hell had Kit seen in this woman
other than fucking her for greed? These thief people were a breed of their own.

A sudden noise stopped whatever Camille planned to do.

“Ah, your lover has arrived.” Camille was not surprised. She
was quite pleased Kit had come as soon as he had.

As relieved as Stella was at the thought of Kit saving her,
she was appalled that he was walking into something he wouldn’t be able to get
out of easily. He was outnumbered, and these people were nuts and nutty people
were inclined to pretty much do whatever they wanted. This alone made her
scared for Kit. God knows what they planned to do to him.

Kit had arrived just as Marco had moved his knife towards Stella’s
breasts. Kit had not rushed in for fear of him slicing into Stella in surprise.
But he now had every intention of beating the crap out of him for daring to
torture his woman, Stella belonged to him. It had made his heart swell with
love and pride as he watched her, down but not out, trading insults with
Camille.

“Let Stella go.” Kit demanded, holding out the idol toward
them. “You can have the idol.” Two of Camille’s coven rushed over to him and
grabbed it. Kit did not care what they did to him as long as they let Stella
go.

“Let him go.” Camille commanded her followers. “Bring the
idol to me.” Greed shone in her eyes. What she wanted was well and truly in her
grasp and nothing else mattered.

Kit shrugged the men off him, handing them the idol.

As the idol was handed to Camille, her eyes glowed with
greed. “It’d beautiful and it’s all mine.”

Kit couldn’t care less about Camille and the idol. The only
thing that mattered was Stella. He walked calmly yet quickly over to her. He
had to get her out as soon as possible.

“You okay, princess?” Kit looked at the artwork on her body.
The symbols were vivid and erotically painted around her taut nipples and over the
inside of her thighs.

“I’m swell. I’m just lying here like a kindergarten
experiment.” Stella turned to look at him. She was glad to see him but worried
at the same time. “You shouldn’t have come.” He had endangered himself for her.

“How could I not?” Kit ran a soft finger down her face.

Camille looked up from the idol.

“That is so sweet.”

Kit turned on Camille. It sickened him that he had let this
part of his life touch Stella.

“You have what you want Camille. Let Stella go.”

“Take her by all means. She’s too prissy for me.”

Stella was just about to let Camille know exactly what she
thought of her but a look from Kit silenced her. He was right. Escape first,
then start a vendetta with Camille.

Kit pulled a pocket knife from his trousers and cut the
bonds holding Stella. He helped her off the stone table. Kit pulled off his
sweater, leaving him bare-chested, as he pulled it over Stella’s head. The navy
blue knit fell to her knees.

“Back away,” Kit whispered to her.

“What?” Why was Kit whispering and pushing her gently to a
nearby window?

Camille and her followers were too intent on the idol to
realize their exit was being made by less that conventional means.

“Why aren’t we walking out the door like normal people
would?” Stella watched as Kit slid the window open.

There was a slight drop to the ground but he was sure Stella
could make it without injury.

“In the short time you’ve known me have I ever done anything
conventional?” Stella shook her head. “It’s going to get messy in a moment.”

“So someone is coming through the front door,” Stella
guessed as it was the only logical conclusion and Kit was planning on neither
of them being there. “Are you talking violent messy?”

“I plan to beat the crap out of Marco.”

“Oh well, that’s okay. Can I stick around and punch
Camille?”

Kit smiled at her words.

“Maybe another time, princess. You need to go now. I’ll
follow in a moment.” Kit helped Stella onto the window frame and watched as she
swung her legs over.

“Be careful.”

Kit smiled at her words.

“I know, you’d say that to anyone,” he responded before she
could. “Get going.” He watched as Stella dropped safely to the ground.

Stella found her footing and looked around her. There were a
lot of bushes. Where were her pruning shears when she needed them? Suddenly,
the sound of police sirens screamed into the night. Stella ducked down. She did
not want to be seen wandering around in only a man’s sweater in whatever part
of Brisbane this was.

“Bloody hell…” she murmured as she watched the police stream
in, kicking doors and yelling. Kit was inside. The idol was inside and that
equaled big trouble for anyone found with it. Stella agonized over what to do.
She didn’t want Kit to be taken by the cops, especially as he had just saved
her. Stella wanted to hate Kit but she couldn’t. He frustrated her. He admitted
he was a liar and a thief. Yet there was just something about him that she
could not let go of. And it had nothing to do with sex. It was…what?

“Oh frig, I love him.” The realization hit Stella hard. She
slapped herself in the forehead. When did the love thing creep up on her or had
it always been there lurking, waiting to be recognized for what it was? Could
you really love someone after such a short time? “Oh God, I don’t know,” she
muttered to herself. Why her? She hadn’t been looking for love. And why Kit
Kincaid, gentleman thief? What was she supposed to do now? Save his ass in some
sort of daring, not-thought-out move? Or did she let him save himself? The
theory was if you loved someone you were supposed to help them. Of course, the
theory was just that and it did not explain the practicalities of actually
saving the person.

“Bloody hell, why isn’t life ever easy?” Stella muttered to
herself as she moved slowly over to the window and looked inside. Lots of cops,
Camille and her entourage. Stella was pleased to see the witch was nabbed. No
doubt she would have lots of new friends in jail to body paint. Stella searched
the melee. She noticed Marco had a furiously bleeding nose. That had to have
been from her thief but where exactly was Kit? Had they taken him? Was he hurt?
What the heck was she supposed to do?

“Hey,” Kit snuck up behind Stella and whispered into her
ear.

Stella, in turn, hissed out a shriek and slapped his bare
chest. He had given her the fright of her life. She turned on him in a mixture
of anger and confusion.

“What are you doing out here?” As thrilled as she was to see
him in one piece and not in police custody, that didn’t mean he should be
allowed to sneak up on her like that.

“Worried about me, princess?” Kit looked down a Stella, so
small, cranky and vulnerable looking.

“No, not at all. I figured you were big and ugly enough to
get yourself out of whatever that was.” Stella pulled down hard on the sweater
as she felt the night air on her legs.

Kit smiled knowingly at her defensive scowl.

“You were worried.”

“The cops…”

“I know…”

It now made sense to Stella why she had exited out the
window and not the door. Kit had known the police were coming.

“You called them. You planned this.” What were the chances a
thief would willingly call in law enforcement?

Kit liked that about Stella. He did not have to explain
things to her. She understood a situation straight away. She would make a great
thief.

“Yes, I did. I wanted Camille caught with the idol, so I
placed an anonymous call as any good upstanding citizen does.”

“Upstanding my ass.” And why was he grinning like an idiot
at her? It was all his fault she had been dragged into this in the first place.
“You could have been taken by the cops.”

It felt nice to Kit to have someone worried about his
welfare. He wanted to return that favor.

“I’m a thief remember? I’m good at not getting caught.” He
pushed a stray hair back from Stella’s face. “Were you checking if I was okay?”
He remembered how he found her looking anxiously through the window.

“I was wondering how much it would cost to bail you out of
jail.” She shivered slightly, telling herself it was the night air and lack of
clothing and nothing to do with the soft fingers on her face.

“You would do that for me?”

“Possibly…if you called…if there was no one else.”

“As a friend?”

Why did this have to be so complicated? The reason was
obvious of course. Kit Kincaid was not someone that could be dismissed lightly
or forgotten easily.

“Something liked that.”

Kit leaned down and looked into her Stella’s eyes.

“So you’re saying you would save this thief’s ass if he were
in trouble?”

Stella threw her hands in the air in frustration. All she knew
was she needed to go home and put on some clothes. This was the second night in
a row she had been running around half naked with him.

“I don’t know.”

“Yeah you do, princess.”

Stella looked at him warily. She was tired. She didn’t want
to get into a discussion about the possibility being in love with Kit. She
needed time to analyze, agonize and eat chocolate. What if it was just the
stress of the moment that had her thinking gooey thoughts about love?

Kit noticed the sudden look of realization on Stella’s face.
He smiled broadly.

“You’ve just worked out you love me.”

Stella snorted indignantly at his stunningly correct
assumption. Thief and mind reader—add card shark and they were bound for Las
Vegas to win a fortune.