Read Online Royal Captive by Dana Marton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dana Marton
Tags: Suspense
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sat up and climbed out, careful not to rip the cardboard. If the men thought Lauryn and he had escaped the ship, they wouldn’t begin a search.
If they figured out the prisoners’ ruse and realized that the two of them were still on the ship, they’d mount a manhunt for sure.
He put everything back together, then went straight for those screws in the metal wall panel. “Just give me a second.”
But whole minutes ticked by before he had her out of there, then even more time passed as he rushed to screw the panel back into place. She was stretching her limbs in silence as he worked. They could hear voices by the time he was done, one of them the captain’s.
He stuck his head out the door. The hallway was empty. The men were still around the corner.
“This way.” He grabbed Lauryn’s hand and dragged her in the opposite direction.
Chapter Five
Lauryn held her breath as she squatted behind a barrel at the end of the hallway that held the crew’s quarters. She hoped her growling stomach wouldn’t give her away if anyone was in hearing distance. She hadn’t had any food or drink in two days.
But the hallway seemed deserted.
“I’ll go and see what I can find,” she told Istvan behind her.
“I’ll go with you,” he countered.
It had been his idea to come here and look for food after they found the kitchen well-attended and impossible to get into without drawing attention. He seemed to think that the crew must have had at least some snacks in their bunks.
Ready to see for herself, Lauryn darted forward in a low crouch. The door of the first cabin was open. Nobody in there. She was inside the next second and moved to the side, keeping in cover of anyone who might step into the hallway from one of the other cabins.
Istvan was right behind her, pausing for only a moment to survey their situation before heading for the bunks. Four were crammed into the small cabin, the bedclothes he turned over smelling stale, carrying the odor of unwashed men.
Lauryn saw something under one of the bottom bunks and went for that, came up with a half-empty bottle of cola. She searched through a canvas bag next and found a fancy chocolate bar, probably a gift from one of the crew to his sweetheart back home. He could bring her another one next time, Lauryn thought and lifted that, too. Hopefully, the crew would blame each other. She moved on, but no matter how carefully she looked, she couldn’t find anything else.
She shot a questioning look at Istvan when she was through searching. He held up a bag of dried figs as he nodded toward the door, apparently ready to leave.
She followed him.
He couldn’t have cut it as a cat burglar, but he had some good moves for his size, had excellent instincts and amazing upper-body strength. Definitely not a palace weakling. Not counting his ever-present scorn for her, he was all right so far, although she would have preferred to work alone. She wasn’t used to having someone by her side, especially someone who didn’t trust her. It threw off her stride.
Under different conditions, she could and would ditch him at the first opportunity. He might have thought he was keeping her with him, but she stayed of her own will. Because during the time she’d spent walled up in the electric panel, she’d realized just how much she needed him.
Like it or not, her name was now connected to the biggest heist of the decade, if not the century. Rumors of her past would resurface. Worse, details of her father’s past would be dragged to light once again. Her newly legitimate position in the art world had been delicate to begin with. A shadow of doubt would be enough to ruin everything.
And that wasn’t all. The deal she had made with the FBI was good only as long as she stayed on the right side of the law. All investigation pertaining to her had been suspended. But Agent Rubliczky warned her that if he had the slightest suspicion that she stepped over the line, or was even thinking about
If they figured out the prisoners’ ruse and realized that the two of them were still on the ship, they’d mount a manhunt for sure.
He put everything back together, then went straight for those screws in the metal wall panel. “Just give me a second.”
But whole minutes ticked by before he had her out of there, then even more time passed as he rushed to screw the panel back into place. She was stretching her limbs in silence as he worked. They could hear voices by the time he was done, one of them the captain’s.
He stuck his head out the door. The hallway was empty. The men were still around the corner.
“This way.” He grabbed Lauryn’s hand and dragged her in the opposite direction.
Chapter Five
Lauryn held her breath as she squatted behind a barrel at the end of the hallway that held the crew’s quarters. She hoped her growling stomach wouldn’t give her away if anyone was in hearing distance. She hadn’t had any food or drink in two days.
But the hallway seemed deserted.
“I’ll go and see what I can find,” she told Istvan behind her.
“I’ll go with you,” he countered.
It had been his idea to come here and look for food after they found the kitchen well-attended and impossible to get into without drawing attention. He seemed to think that the crew must have had at least some snacks in their bunks.
Ready to see for herself, Lauryn darted forward in a low crouch. The door of the first cabin was open. Nobody in there. She was inside the next second and moved to the side, keeping in cover of anyone who might step into the hallway from one of the other cabins.
Istvan was right behind her, pausing for only a moment to survey their situation before heading for the bunks. Four were crammed into the small cabin, the bedclothes he turned over smelling stale, carrying the odor of unwashed men.
Lauryn saw something under one of the bottom bunks and went for that, came up with a half-empty bottle of cola. She searched through a canvas bag next and found a fancy chocolate bar, probably a gift from one of the crew to his sweetheart back home. He could bring her another one next time, Lauryn thought and lifted that, too. Hopefully, the crew would blame each other. She moved on, but no matter how carefully she looked, she couldn’t find anything else.
She shot a questioning look at Istvan when she was through searching. He held up a bag of dried figs as he nodded toward the door, apparently ready to leave.
She followed him.
He couldn’t have cut it as a cat burglar, but he had some good moves for his size, had excellent instincts and amazing upper-body strength. Definitely not a palace weakling. Not counting his ever-present scorn for her, he was all right so far, although she would have preferred to work alone. She wasn’t used to having someone by her side, especially someone who didn’t trust her. It threw off her stride.
Under different conditions, she could and would ditch him at the first opportunity. He might have thought he was keeping her with him, but she stayed of her own will. Because during the time she’d spent walled up in the electric panel, she’d realized just how much she needed him.
Like it or not, her name was now connected to the biggest heist of the decade, if not the century. Rumors of her past would resurface. Worse, details of her father’s past would be dragged to light once again. Her newly legitimate position in the art world had been delicate to begin with. A shadow of doubt would be enough to ruin everything.
And that wasn’t all. The deal she had made with the FBI was good only as long as she stayed on the right side of the law. All investigation pertaining to her had been suspended. But Agent Rubliczky warned her that if he had the slightest suspicion that she stepped over the line, or was even thinking about
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