Read Once a Thief for Free Online

Literally. We seem to have had the same agenda in mind for tonight. Though my plans were, of course, on a lesser scale. Since they outnumber me ten to one, and since they are definitely armed, I chose not to—shall we say—force the issue. It breaks my heart, mind you, because I’m almost certain that what I came here for is now neatly tucked away in one of their boring little leather satchels. But . . .
c’est la vie.
”
    Morgan stared at him. “What did you come for?”
    Quite gently, he said, “None of your business, Morgana.”
    After a moment, she said speculatively, “I don’t suppose you’d let me see your face?”
    “That wouldn’t be my first choice, no. Quinn is a name and a shadow, nothing more. I have a strong feeling that your descriptive powers are better than the average, and I don’t care to see a reasonable facsimile of my face plastered across the newspapers. Being a cat burglar is the very devil once the police know what you look like.”
    “All the surveillance systems in the world that include video cameras, and nobody’s yet managed to get a shot of you?”
    “I have a knack,” he explained modestly.
    “Yeah, yeah. It’s more likely you have a hammer,” she said, eyeing his tool belt.
    “I never destroy things. Break a window or a display case now and then, perhaps, but nothing worse than that.”
    “Stealing priceless things isn’t worse than that?”
    “Well, I meant along the lines of destruction.”
    “And I’m supposed to give you points for that?”
    “I was rather hoping you would,” he replied with suspicious earnestness.
    “Oh, for God’s sake,” she muttered under her breath.
    He had been leaning a negligent shoulder against the stone warrior, his pose one of lazy attention, but before she could say anything else, he straightened abruptly. She didn’t have to see his face to feel his sudden tension, and when he reached out for her she felt a moment of real fear.
    “Shhh,” he whispered, drawing her close to him and deeper into the shadows. “They’re coming.”
    Morgan’s instant of rigidity was just that brief. The man must have ears like a bat; she hadn’t heard a thing but was now aware of the muffled footsteps coming toward them up the hall. A lot of muffled footsteps.
    Quinn bent his head until his lips were near her ear and softly breathed, “Their truck’s parked by a side entrance; they have to pass this room in order to reach it.”
    Morgan was definitely nervous about the possibility of discovery, but even then she was aware of a totally extraneous and illogical observation. Despite Quinn’s implication that if he had known about her charms earlier he might have allowed his hands to wander a bit, the hand at her waist remained perfectly still and had not “accidentally” fumbled en route there. It was to his eternal credit as a man, she thought. Or a credit to his detached professionalism as a thief with more businesslike matters on his mind. Or else he had been grossly exaggerating his admiration of said charms. She wasn’t sure which.
    She wanted to know, though. She very badly wanted to know.
    Pushing the insanely inappropriate thoughts aside, she tried to ignore the disturbing closeness of his hard body as they watched almost a dozen shadowy forms file quietly past the doorway. All the men carried leather satchels and were burdened with various tools. Morgan watched them, and it suddenly hit her that the small brown bags contained the museum’s treasures.
    It was like a kick in the stomach that hurt and made her feel ill. She couldn’t just stand here and watch without lifting a finger to stop them—
    That was when Quinn quickly and silently clapped his hand over her mouth again, and the hand at her waist held her in an iron grip that defied her to attempt any movement.
    She felt very peculiar. How had he known? Surely the wretched man couldn’t read minds? No. No, of course not. She must have given away her feelings somehow. Twitched