Page 70 of To Catch a Sub

Her mentor Nilus had cautioned her against hubris, and this entire job was hubris personified. Agreeing to have dinner with the lead detective? Coming to a private hotel room with him? Those passed hubris and tipped over into pure stupidity.

“How the fuck did you even lock this from the outside.” The bathroom door rattled, and Colette winced.

For a moment she wavered. He hadn’t said anything. Hadn’t accused her of anything.

But when she came out of the bathroom, he’d been studying the bracelet. He’d seen the identification markings.

Eventually he’d figure out that she’d lifted it from the museum’s collection. Maybe he’d already figured it out and was planning to fuck her then arrest her.

No. Not Landon. He was better than that.

Colette grabbed her ID and keys from her clutch and stuffed them into her bra, but left the bag itself. She was going to need her hands empty.

She couldn’t go out the front door without undoing her makeshift hanger lock, so she’d have to go out the window.

“Colette.” There was command and warning in Landon’s voice, and she shivered with an uneasy mix of fear and need.

“I’m sorry,” she called out, before sliding open the window and slipping out onto the narrow ledge.

* * *

Landon planted his bare foot on the doorjamb, grabbed the handle, and yanked.

There was a crack of breaking wood, and the bathroom door jerked open.

Two broken hangers lay on the floor, part of one still dangling from the inner knob of the main door.

Landon dashed around the corner, scanning the small room.

Colette was gone, though her purse and shoes were still here.

A cold breeze fluttered the curtains.

Landon raced over, sticking his head out the open window. Colette was near the corner of the building, balanced on the narrow ledge that ran just under the window.

“Colette! For fuck’s sake!”

Landon felt sick, sure she was about to fall.

As he watched, she slid down to sit on the ledge.

“Stay there, I’m calling for help,” he yelled, fumbling in his pocket for his phone.

Colette looked back, and he couldn’t see her expression from here.

She pushed off, and Landon’s heart jumped into his throat.

Colette turned in the air as she fell, grabbing the ledge she’d just been sitting on with her hands.

Shocked, Landon watched as she continued to lower herself down, until she dropped gracefully to the ground. She was as nimble as a gymnast…

Or a thief.

She looked up, and he wished he could see her fucking face.

Then Colette disappeared around the corner of the hotel.

Landon yanked his phone from his pocket, teeth gritted.