Crushed (55 page)

In exchange for warning you about our plan, I want to selfishly request you to do one thing for me. I have a daughter, three years old at the time I write this letter. Everything I do now, I do so that she may have a brighter future. She is now in hiding with people I trust more than anyone else in the world. These people have risked everything to keep her safe, but this protection will be only temporary. She will one day become Cleo's target, because of what I've done. The job of finding her will fall on your shoulders. When Cleo orders you to track her down, I ask that you not listen. I know this is a big request from someone you do not know, but as a mother, I beg you to please help her. Please, do not let her fall into this life as a thief.

When I first entered this business, I was a nobody. I spent almost ten years being a thief, and now I leave as a mother of a beautiful girl. I'm afraid that I will not be able to remain a mother to my daughter for much longer. The life I've chosen has forced me away from my child, and I doubt we'll ever have a "normal" life again. One of the effects of working in the business is the ability to predict outcomes. If I had to predict what will happen to me after stealing from Cleo, I know my life will not last much longer. I must acknowledge reality, and that is simply the writing on the wall. How much I accomplish until that point is the legacy I will leave behind for my little girl.

Thank you for listening to me, whether you've really heard what I've meant to convey or not. This letter was created purely to help, and I hope that my message has reached you in some way. I wish you all the luck in the future, for that is all I can give you now.

S. Parker

*  *  *

The letter was both more and less than Sophie had hoped for. She hadn't thought her mother's voice would become so clear to her while reading, but she'd also expected it to hold more information about the paintings she'd stolen.

She was overwhelmed by the feeling of closeness she had to her mother. It was strange that just one letter could make her feel so connected to a woman she'd never had the chance to know.

"Your mother's letter reached me at the time when I needed it the most." Robert's eyes softened as he watched Sophie. "When I found the letter, I'd felt like I hated every person in the world. It was her love for you that opened my eyes, and washed away my anger. Her feelings of wanting to protect you... I understood that, and instantly trusted her."

"When did you find it?" Sophie asked.

"The first day I moved into the house. It was seven years after she'd written it, but it hadn't been touched for years."

"The house was abandoned for long time after your parents' betrayal." Diana explained.

"Do you think Cleo's seen it?"

"Yes, she has." Robert lowered his gaze. "Everything in the house was searched immediately for evidence to where they'd escaped. Cleo didn't think it had anything useful in it, so she left it in the room."

Sophie glanced down at the letter, feeling like it was a miracle it'd managed to find its' way to her now.

"We've learned very little." Sophie mused, scanning the paper for any hidden information. "Still, I think I have an idea." She turned to Diana. "We've exhausted all our options, so it's time to start finding new ones. Can you research my parents? I want to know where they lived before they became thieves, and anywhere that was significant to them. Is there a way for you to find that?"

Diana thought for a moment, her eyebrows crinkling. "Slavsky tried the same method, but I may be able to find you more answers. I remember stories your father used to tell me, and Richard may know more." Noticing Sophie's confused expression she quickly explained. "Richard is Rylan's father. I may have to pay him a visit in prison."

"Any little fact will help. I want to compile a list of places that could possibly hide the paintings they stole. Even if I have to check them all one by one, I'll do it."

Robert could not hide his awe at the serious edge to her voice. "What's gotten into you?" He asked in surprise.

Sophie motioned to the paper, her lips set in a firm line. "My mother made her goal clear through this. She wanted to use the paintings she stole to find a way to bring Cleo down. It may not have been what we wanted from the start, but right now we're on the same page she was back then. They died before they got the chance to succeed, but we'll finish the job for them."

Her confidence was overflowing now. Knowing she was fighting her parents' old battle made her that much more determined to win against Cleo and Max.

"What if we're killed?" Robert asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Nothing worth obtaining was ever won without risk." Sophie replied, lifting her chin.

Robert grinned broadly at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Well said, darling." He glanced at Diana who was smiling as well. "Looks like we've finally found the direction we needed."

"It's about time." Diana replied.

Nothing had been solved by Susanne Parker's letter, but she'd managed to inspire them to keep on trying, despite the odds.

Sophie turned her eyes towards the blue sky above her and smiled.

This small burst of hope would be all she needed to win this fight.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

While we escaped from Cleo and Max, I don't think I'll ever believe that we can escape from the consequences of our actions.

The moment they'd returned to the hotel room, Sophie collapsed onto her bed. Her exhaustion had peaked, and she didn't even bother to change clothes. As long as she could sleep, she would be happy.

It'd been close to twenty-four hours since she'd gotten any rest, and her mind was shot. She could barely process what Robert was saying.

After saying goodbye to Diana, they'd come straight back to the hotel. All planning was to be postponed until they were well-rested, which no one argued. Everyone was on edge from the events that had happened during the day.

Just as Sophie closed her eyes, she felt herself lifted into the air. Instead of struggling, she slowly opened one eye and groaned in protest.

"Calm down." Robert whispered, smiling down at her. "I'm just moving the princess."

"Sleep." She whispered, closing her eye again.

Robert chuckled as he placed her under the covers of the bed, like she was a child. "I understand, I'll let you sleep."

While she didn't like being moved, she had to admit she was more comfortable now than she'd been before. She peaked as he covered her with the blankets, hiding a small smile so that he wouldn't see.

"Goodnight." He bent down to kiss her once on the forehead.

Sophie sighed in content, and her eyes followed him as he walked to the other side of the bed.

"Hey." She said, sitting up hurriedly. "You're not planning on...?"

"Looks like someone's more awake than I thought." Robert smirked as he stretched out beside of her on the bed.

She scowled, nudging him roughly with her foot. "You have your own bed. I don't like to share."

"Sleep." He groaned, turning his back to her as he closed his eyes.

"Very funny." Sophie muttered, her eyes narrowing. She felt like he was purposefully trying to mess with her. "I can't sleep with you here."

Robert turned back towards her quickly, a smirk on his face. "Is that so?" He whispered, laughing.

Sophie scowled again, pushing her hand against his face. "Stop with the teasing. I'm too tired to fight back."

"Then don't fight it." Robert smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him. "Call me protective, but I can't fall asleep without knowing you're safely next to me."

"Wow, this white knight thing is really getting to you." Sophie sighed, deciding she might as well let him stay. His chest was better than any pillow she'd ever had.

"I like the perks of being a good guy." He closed his eyes as well, still smiling. "Goodnight, again."

"Goodnight." She whispered back, yawning as she snuggled closer to him.

Just as they'd both begun to drift off, Robert's cell phone began to ring.

"No." Sophie groaned, feeling like she was going to scream. "Don't answer."

Despite her command, Robert pulled away from her.

"What if it's bad news?" Sophie glared at him, hoping he would listen. They'd both ditched their old cell phones when they'd left the house, and Robert had bought a new one on the way here. The only people who knew his number were those concerned with Cleo and Max. It wasn't hard for her to worry what the caller had to say to them. "Can it not wait until later?"

Flashing her an apologetic look, Robert answered the phone.

"Hello?" His voice was suspicious. He obviously thought bad news was waiting on the other side of the line. In seconds his serious frown was replaced with a relieved smile. "Of course we're fine, Gwyn. Everything's going according to plan, I promise."

Robert winked at Sophie slyly, and she let herself relax. She was also relieved to know it was Gwyn, despite being slightly irritated at the interruption.

"She wants to speak to you." He mouthed, and she offered out her hand to take the phone.

"Gwyn?"

"Sophie!" Gwyn's voice was filled with concern. "I was wondering if Robert was lying about everything being okay."

"No, he was actually being one hundred percent sincere. Crazy, huh?" She stuck out her tongue when Robert glared down at her. "We're both fine. How are things on your end?"

"Everything's good. Rylan's doing well, and Teddy hasn't caused any trouble yet." Gwyn paused for a long moment. "We miss you guys."

"We miss you too. Hopefully, we'll be back soon."

"You have a plan?" Her tone rose with excitement.

"Something like that." Sophie wanted to keep talking but her eyes had already begun to close.

"Why do you sound like a zombie?" Gwyn asked suspiciously.

"I'm really tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."

"Oh, sorry for calling!"

Sophie instantly felt rude. "No, we're glad you did! It's good to know Cleo and Max aren't causing trouble back home."

"Well, I'll be able to manage things here for a few..." Gwyn's voice was cut off by the sound of a loud beep. Sophie pulled the phone away and glanced at it in confusion.

"Hold on, Gwyn, I think we have another call." Sophie turned to look at Robert, who quickly stole the phone from her hands.

He pressed a button and automatically switched over to the other call.

"Hello?" His eyes focused on something in the room that Sophie could not see. His expression stayed frozen with focus, which made chills run down her spine. "I understand. Thank you."

Robert ended the call without switching over to say goodbye to Gwyn.

"It's a good thing we didn't unpack." He stood from the bed and rushed into the living room.

Sophie, not knowing what was happening, followed after him, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. When she'd exited the bedroom, she found her duffle bag being hurled at her.

"Take that to the balcony." Robert ordered, voice serious. In less than a minute he'd collected all of their belongings, and begun carrying them towards the sliding door that took them outside.

Sophie followed him, her shock barely registering. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Sophie, you know the drill by now." Robert paused long enough for her to see his fear. "I hired a man downstairs to keep watch for us. He just called to say that three suspicious men just entered the hotel. They bypassed security and are heading our way."

"He's positive they're coming for us?" She wanted to look for any reason for this new turn of events not to be true.

"I'd rather be safe than dead." Robert opened the sliding door, and stepped out onto the balcony. One by one he took their bags and hurled it over the side of the railing.

"Rob!" Sophie nearly screamed, running to the edge to see where he'd just tossed their belongings. They were on the tenth floor of the hotel and a busy road laid at the bottom of the drop.

Surprisingly, another balcony hanging two floors beneath them caught their bags. Her heart stopped racing just in time for her to see Robert pulling out a long cord from the remaining bag he held in his hands.

"Explain!" She commanded, placing her hands on her hips.

He smiled fleetingly before walking to the edge of the balcony. "We can't stay here anymore."

"Now you're just repeating yourself." Sophie gripped his arm tightly. "I thought you said Cleo's men wouldn't be able to find us here."

"I underestimated them. If Cleo's truly found us, they aren't here to chat. I don't feel like getting tangled up in a murder tonight, so I thought I'd try my hand at escaping. Have I explained enough, or should I continue and wait for them to get here?"

Sophie was about to argue when the sound of someone knocking at their door caused her to jump. "No way." She whispered, her hands beginning to shake. Like always, this was happening too fast for her to handle. "What do we do now?"

"We improvise." He motioned to the cable he had in his hands. He fastened it with a clip to the side of the railing, and slipped into a harness-like contraption.

"You have to be insane." Sophie almost shouted. "You're honestly about to jump over the railing?"

"I am, but unlike your tone implies, I don't plan on dying." He motioned down to the floor where he'd dropped their bags. "I'm going to use this cord to lower myself down, and all you have to do is pull it back up and follow my lead."

"There's no way in hell..."

"Look, I've base jumped, skydived, and free climbed before. This is much safer than any of those stunts by a wide margin. Trust me."

"I trust you." She picked up the cable in her hands and shook it in his face. "This is what I don't trust."

The knocking on the door grew louder as they continued to speak.

"If you haven't noticed, we don't have a choice anymore. It's do or die at this point, darling." Robert glanced down at the road below, swinging one leg over the railing before she could protest.

The cord was stronger than she'd imagined. Robert easily glided down the side of the building, releasing the cord out of a belt attached to the harness. It only took him a minute to find his footing on the balcony of the floor below them.

Sophie followed his instructions and pulled the harness up when he'd discarded it.

"Before you come, turn off all the lights." Robert instructed calmly.

Sophie didn't think as she rushed to do what he said. The knocking had briefly subsided, though she could hear someone messing with the door to their room. They were searching for a way to break in, and they were getting closer to that goal.

"Close the balcony door, and lock it from the inside." He reminded her, finally guiding her through how to put on the harness, and tighten the cable so that it wouldn't release all at once.

"Where did you get this thing?" Sophie asked as she fumbled with all the straps.

"I had it specially made. I've honestly never had to use it before now."

"You haven't tried it out before?" She nearly shouted.

"I said I've never had to use it, meaning not during work. Of course I've tried it out."

She knew he was lying, but decided to play along anyway. It was beyond the time to argue.

Sophie slipped one leg over the railing, and shakily pulled the other one over. She was standing with her feet balancing on the edge of the concrete, and her heart was racing.

There was a reason she'd never had an interest in extreme sports like skydiving. This much risk was out of her league, and she didn't know if she had it in her to let go. She glanced down to see cars racing by below.

One mistake would send her falling to the street, or even to the hard concrete where Robert stood. Either way, she would end up breaking something, if not everything in her body.

"I don't want to rush you, but you have to hurry." Robert's voice was strained.

"Please, don't die." Sophie whispered under her breath, closing her eyes tightly. Summoning up all the courage she had in her, she jumped from the balcony.

The second she spent falling through the air was hell. Her stomach twisted with the sensation, and she felt like screaming, even though she knew she couldn't.

When the cord tightened she realized she was only a few feet from where she'd just been standing. Everything was fine, and she wasn't dead, yet.

"Come on, Sophie." Robert urged from below.

She began to release the cord from her belt, which lowered her faster and faster to where Rob was standing. When her feet touched the ground, she felt like throwing up.

Robert helped her out of the harness, and severed the cord with a knife he'd had hidden in the bag.

"There's one hurdle we've gotten over." He muttered, hurriedly grabbing all of their bags. Sophie helped him with her duffle bag, and watched as he broke the lock to the balcony door.