Read Online Thief: The Scarab Beetle Series: #1 (The Academy) by C. L. Stone - Free Book Online Page A

shop, it was that strong. It made it difficult to ignore, and my stomach wanted to growl.
    The only window was high up, the sill above my chest. And took up all of the upper level of the apartment wall on that side. There were vertical blinds that were closed, but there was bright sunlight seeping in between the slats.
    I wedged myself between Raven and Marc to cross to the living room. I wanted to snoop. Their fault. They let me in.
    “Yeah, sure,” Raven said. He planted the gold box on top of the kitchen counter. “Make yourself at home.”
    There was an old wall style heating unit, much like the ones at the hotel. I planted a boot on the top of it, using my palms on the wall to balance myself as I climbed up. It might have been rude, but they were the ones kidnapping me; I felt I could at least poke around where I wanted.
    I felt the chill of the wall against my thighs as I leaned against it and inched my way up until I was high enough that I could see out the window and look down.
    “Hey,” Raven called.
    “Let her look,” Marc said.
    “She’s going to break that thing. Or break her head.”
    I tried pulling the slats out of the way, but they were the sort that were tied down on both the top and bottom. I glanced around, and found a control pulley that adjusted it. I jumped down off of the heater, grabbed the rope and yanked as hard as I could.
    The slats opened up, sliding all the way over. I climbed again, pulling myself up on my elbows on the window ledge to look out.
    The view was incredible. At my hotel room, the best I got was the parking lot and an abandoned building that was busted up. This apartment had a view of the water. The edge of John’s Island and homes built up next to the river stood out in the distance. The water lapped and swayed with the current.
    Jealousy swept through me. I wanted this.
    Raven materialized next to me. He scanned the view and then stretched to look down. “The bridge kind of ruins the view.”
    “Have you seen it at night? It looks kind of cool,” Marc said. He came over, standing underneath where I was. “Scoot over, Bambi.”
    “Nu uh.”
    “I want to see.” He grabbed hold of my arm, using it to help pull himself up onto the heater with us.
    We stood together, looking out across the water. “You mean you guys live here and haven’t looked out the window?” I asked.
    “If I wanted to go see the fucking water,” Raven said, “I’d go outside. It’s right there.”
    “The view’s not bad though,” Marc said. “Too bad the window is so high.”
    “What about other apartment buildings?” I asked. It shouldn’t have been important to me right then, but now that I was here, and could see this, I really wanted to daydream about one day managing to afford a place like this. I’d lived in a lot of cruddy places. Once I got rid of Jack, and I didn’t have to worry about Wil, I wanted something close to the water. A girl could dream, right? “Do they have a better view? Or at least lower windows?”
    “This is the only one on the peninsula,” Marc said. “At least the only apartment tower. The other apartments are closer to the college. Or the downtown carriage houses.”
    “Do you guys go to the college?”
    They both laughed.
    “What’s so funny?” I asked.
    “Long story,” Raven said. He dropped down and then snagged me around the waist, dragging me down to the floor until I was standing. “Get off that thing before you break your ass.”
    “Ugh.” I slapped him hard on the arm, right on one of his rose tattoos. “Stop telling me what to do.”
    Raven opened his palm and smacked me right back on the arm, no hesitation. This was different than Marc’s, who did it lightly enough. Raven’s strike was just as hard as I did it to him.
    I gasped at him and raised my arms up defensively. “Did you just hit a girl?”
    “Don’t give me that double standard bullshit.” He raised his hands, making fists and hovering them in front of his own face