“So, we’ve got ourselves an ambitious thief. That’s exactly what we need.”
“He’s going to build a crew.”
Silence falls between us.
“Who.”
“That’s what I don’t know. Hence the problem at hand.” Marlin sighs, as if my question made the situation ten times worse, “It will have to be someone on the outskirts. No one else would dare to steal from the Dragon. Especially not after-
“The Cartier family turned to ash.”
“Precisely.”
I muse over the information, watching the thief in question stop and chat with a few people idling around his car. He smiles and laughs with ease, making friends and connections as easily as most men lie and cheat.
Interesting.
“Is he starting from the top or working his way up?” Glancing over at Vector, I find him scrolling mindlessly in my passenger seat.
“From the reports I’ve read, Deville is a gambler. He likes to hit big and leave before the chaos ensues. Think smash and grab but on a much larger scale.”
“How long is he planning on staying?”
“His mother bought the Cartier Mansion and renovations are already underway. In any other instance, I would say he’s going for the Drache Manor first and leaving the rest to chance.”
Marlin pauses, giving me the chance to finish his thought.
“Because he’s got a home base, he’ll be spreading this one out. Hitting the smaller houses and working his way up to the bigprize.” Running a red fingernail over my steering wheel, I tap it thoughtfully, “The council members will be the last on the list. He’ll hit them all within a span of a few days, if not a single night. Be gone by morning.”
“Never to be seen again.” Amusement bleeds through Marlin’s voice.
He’s always loved a good storytelling.
“Vector.”
Pale blue eyes swing in my direction. I offer him a sweet smile, one that has his pretty eyes narrowing, “Give us your take on the situation. How would you approach it?”
Silence falls along the line, Marlin’s surprise echoing loud and clear. Our last brawn had no use besides dismantling physical disputes, and even then, he often came up lacking.
But there’s something about the angry lacrosse player that makes me think he’s got a little bit more potential.
“Control the narrative.” At my curious stare, Vector’s broad shoulders lift in a shrug, “You’re wondering what house he’s going to hit first, right? Make the choice for him.”
“And how do you suppose we do that?”
“Do I look like a plan maker to you? Ask the suit for an execution strategy. He’s got more than enough ideas to go around.”
It’s risky, having a man like Vector Vin as a pawn. His drug use alone makes him unpredictable, and once you throw in the anger management, there’s a list of reasons why the beast should have stayed in a holding cell instead of relocating to Wolf Hollow.
He’s a man looking for a fight. A battered soul ready to take on the world.
Most people don’t understand the motive behind a person like that.
But I do.
“Did he just call me a suit?”
A snicker falls from my mouth, “A rather adequate description, don’t you think?”
