Her Prince (Twisted Royals #2)

by Sidney Bristol

  She needed a solution. If everything worked out perfectly, they would arrive, set up the deal, and about halfway through the transaction, the FBI would swoop in and nab them all.

  Plans rarely worked out how they were supposed to. Today was a perfect example of that.

  The FBI weren’t staged and ready, they were playing catch up, which meant that Shelby needed to be ready to see this deal all the way through. And that meant coming up with a strategy that would keep everyone on this team walking out of that deal alive.

  If she weren’t operating as a fed, what would be her main concern?

  The buyer.

  They didn’t know that the art was for Ogden. It was merely their hunch. But they could be wrong. Nothing Gil or the others had said indicated the art was for their employer, so she needed to act according to that plan.

  “Okay, so, worst case scenario we’re dealing with forgeries.” Shelby straightened and looked around the dimly lit truck. “That’s okay. We just need the buyer to not look at this one before they load.”

  “It’s a fake?” Sasha asked, eyes wide.

  “You’d be surprised how much art hanging in museums isn’t the real thing.” Shelby shrugged. She should know. A couple of hers were being passed off in a few places, not that she was proud of that.

  “What do we do?” Kade’s voice was rougher than usual.

  “Fasten the case up. It should go out third from last. Usually, buyers check the first few and the next to last. Can we all remember that?” She laid her hand on the frame. “This one goes out third from last.”

  “Can you manage load out? Tell us which ones to grab? Stay in the truck?” Kade gestured to the other cases.

  “Yeah.”

  “Then that should—oof!”

  The truck lurched.

  Kade stumbled into her.

  The brakes squealed.

  Kade wrapped an arm around her, holding them both steady as the vehicle settled.

  “What’s that noise?” Anton asked.

  “That…” Shelby tilted her head to the side. They hadn’t gone that far.

  “Train tracks,” Kade said.

  The thumb drive.

  The offices for the regional Federal Railroad Administration.

  This was why Ogden wanted her to steal information? To get them away? Where were they going? How far?

  The back of the truck opened, light slashing in, the sudden sunlight blinding them.

  “We have ten minutes to load.” Gil hauled himself into the back of the truck as it eased backward, right up to an open train car.

  “Where the hell are we going?” Sasha wheeled around to face Gil.

  “Doesn’t matter. Load. Now,” Gil barked.

  They jumped to it, wheeling the larger cases from the truck to the train. There was about a twelve-inch gap from truck to train, but they managed. Halfway through, Jaxon climbed up and started lending a hand like this was the plan all along. And maybe it was. The guy seemed to be operating under a whole other set of directions from the rest of them.

  This was too well organized.

  Shelby’s premonition darkened.

  One by one, they transferred their stolen art to the train.

  “Everyone, turn your phones off and give them to me.” Gil held out his hand.

  “No fucking way,” Sasha growled.

  Gil drew his gun and pointed it at Anton.

  “The phone. Now.” Gil’s eyes never changed. They were simply dead.

  Shelby pulled her phone out of her pocket. She couldn’t afford for anyone to access her messages, contacts, any of it. But she neither had time to wipe it, or reset it.

  She powered the phone down, popped the back off and pulled out her battery. It wasn’t foolproof, but someone—Gil—would have to want to know what she was saying, and to whom, awfully bad to get it.

  The train shuddered and shook, rolling forward.

  They all handed their phones over, some taking the extra precaution of keeping their battery like Shelby, others simply muttering.

  “Good. Take a seat,” Gil said. He grabbed the door with one hand and threw their phones out the train door.

  Shelby winced. Others yelled, but as the train picked up speed, the sounds were drowned out.

  “The train has three cars,” Kade whispered.

  Jaxon was close enough to hear them, too.

  “What the hell is going on?” Jaxon asked under his breath.

  “We aren’t picking up speed.” Kade rocked in time with the car’s movements.

  “How do you know? This thing could take us anywhere.” Jaxon glanced over his shoulder.

  “My brothers and I used to jump trains, ride to the next stop, and ride back when we lived in small towns.” Kade shrugged.

  “You—what?” Jaxon blinked at Kade.

  “It’s a long story. I can tell it to you later.” Kade glanced over his shoulder.

  They’d divided into their groups again. Shelby, Kade and Jaxon. Anton and Sasha, now that their friend was out of commission. Gil off on his own. And everyone else.

  “What’s our next move?” Kade asked.

  “Wait.” She shrugged. “We have no idea what’s going to happen now.”

  Shelby stared at Kade, then patted her pocket. He jerked his head and slid his hand into his.

  He had one, too?

  That was convenient. If they had to split up it wouldn’t be devastating to the FBI.

  “What about the painting, Gil?” Sasha asked.

  No, no, no… Shelby wanted to groan, but kept it in.

  “Which one?” Gil glanced up from his phone. Of course he got to keep his.

  “The one we showed you earlier?” Sasha gestured at the silver cases lined up against the wall.

  “I was focused on getting out of there.” Gil pocketed his phone. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s still wet. It’s a fake.”

  “What?” Gil turned toward her. “Did you see this?”

  “Yeah.” Shelby nodded and grimaced. “Whoever did it was good, but it hadn’t fully cured yet. ”

  “Fuck.” Gil shook his head.

  “I blended it as much as I could.” She held out her paint-covered hand. “I thought we could roll that one out toward the end, hope they didn’t check it. I’d cut the problem area off, say it got ripped, but what if it just makes it worse? More obvious?”

  “No, we can’t sell them something we know is a fake. What about the rest?” Gil turned toward the cases. “Did you check them?”

  “We were in a moving truck.” Shelby could taste bile on the back of her throat.

  If they started poking at the canvases they’d find out that under the surface, almost all of them still had some curing to do. She’d done the best she could, but there was no time.

  Gil checked his phone again.

  “We can’t sell something we know is a fake,” Gil said again. “Don’t check ‘em. We’ll hold the one back, say it got damaged. Maybe we can fix it up and turn it around later, but I won’t risk pissing off Ogden’s buyer.”

  “What’s going to happen to us if the rest are fake?” Anton braced one hand against the wall. “Why would the museum hang fake art?”

  “Something just ain’t right.” Sasha shook his head.

  Kade caught Shelby’s eye. She shrugged. What could they do? Nothing. At this point, they had to see this through. Play their parts.

  “What the hell did you guys get me into?” Jaxon shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders.

  “Act natural.” Kade smacked his friend’s back.

  Natural.

  Right.

  The inertia rocked her back on her heels. The brakes squealed.

  She locked eyes with Kade.

  Were they already there?

  She hadn’t voiced her concern, that they’d take the train somewhere out of the city, in another state even. But if they were still in Seattle, that wasn’t so bad.

  The light seeping in
around the doors went dark.

  Metal squealed. She felt the car bang against the fastening between the cars more than heard it.

  Shelby stumbled sideways into Kade’s arms. Jaxon staggered a few steps.

  Air hissed from somewhere outside.

  “We’re here,” Gil announced.

  “Where the fuck is here?” Sasha grumbled in a voice that was meant to be heard.

  “Everyone out.” Gil hauled the sliding side door open.

  Kade nudged Shelby behind him and edged forward. She peered around him into what appeared to be some sort of old, rundown depot. A covered warehouse, with a train track ending in it.

  A dozen or so yards away from them was a half-circle of armed men, and the one in the middle was not Ogden. Shelby didn’t even recognize him.

  “Shit.” Shelby pushed Kade forward.

  They’d banked on Ogden being here. This whole plan was to get him, and if he wasn’t here what good was the bust? The FBI would swoop in, and they would never have a chance at getting Ogden again.

  She had to stop the bust the only way she could.

  Shelby slid her hand around Kade and into his pocket. The circular, coin-like tracker was the only thing there. She pulled it out, and in the cover of shadows, snapped it in half.

  If the FBI couldn’t find them, they couldn’t ruin what they’d begun.

  She’d gotten close to Ogden once, she could do it again. Hopefully.

  “Where are the others? Turn the camera so I can see everyone.”

  That voice.

  Ogden.

  “Out.” Gil gave Shelby a shove toward the edge of the train car.

  Kade climbed out first and then helped her down. Jaxon came last, wide eyed and unprepared.

  “There we are. Now I can see everyone.” Ogden’s face was visible on a screen hung outside the circle. “You’ll forgive me for not being present. Other matters took me away. Jeffery, I hope the merchandise lives up to your expectations. Lord knows that shipment of C4 you sent me sure as hell didn’t. Let this be a lesson, you get what you give.”

  Ogden’s gaze zeroed in on Shelby. She could feel it. Goose bumps broke out along her arms and legs. That sense of wrongness intensified.

  Something bad was happening.

  “Shelby, I just want you to know that I don’t hold you personally responsible for any of this.”

  23.

  Kade patted his pocket, but his cell phone was gone.

  The FBI would be here any minute now.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sasha wheeled, pinning Shelby with his gaze.

  The screen went dark. Ogden was gone. Leaving them without answers.

  “What the hell was that?” Jeffery, the unarmed man, and apparently, their buyer, gestured to the screen. “Gil, what the fuck is going on?”

  “I have no idea.” Gil held up his hands. “You know Ogden, he rarely shows up for a hand off. He’s like that. All I know is what I was told.”

  “It had all better be here.”

  “It is, but we had a problem with one of the pieces. It was damaged.” Gil must have dug down to find salesman charm like that.

  Kade glanced at Shelby, even though he knew better. Her face was a little pale, eyes wide. Yeah, he didn’t like that personalized shout-out at the end. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did Ogden know? If he knew, then why were they here?

  “Let me see it.” Jeffery gestured at the train car.

  “Come on, show the man what he bought.” Gil smacked his palm against his hand. “Now.”

  “Why the hell did we even get off?” Kade grumbled.

  Their small crew jumped to action, hustling back into the train car. Jeffery’s people had a forklift they maneuvered into place.

  “Shelby, what should we show them first?” Kade asked once they were back in the relative privacy of the train car.

  “Uh…” She glanced around, as if searching for a life line. “That one.”

  “What was that message about?”

  “Jeffery…” She peered back at the armed man. “He sold Ogden a lot of bogus explosives in a bad deal. Started a minor turf war in South America. Bad for business.”

  Great.

  And here they were caught in the middle of a get-even-quick scheme.

  One by one, she directed them to pull the paintings out in order. Two by two, they were lowered to the ground and transferred to the buyer’s people.

  “What about the ruined one?” Jeffery asked as the last ones were being unloaded.

  Kade climbed back up into the train car.

  Shelby stood in the shadows, alone. Eyes wide.

  “We can adjust the price. Cut that one out,” Gil said.

  “I’d like to see the damage. Maybe it’s not too bad, hm?”

  Gil closed in on the buyer, their voices dipping in volume.

  Shit.

  Kade peered out of the car.

  “If they see that one, they’re going to want a closer look at the others,” Shelby whispered.

  “What should we do?” He turned in a circle, but it was just them—and the painting. “We should have thrown it out.”

  “I don’t know what to do. Ogden’s already called attention to me.” Shelby tugged on her ponytail.

  Kade didn’t even have a weapon, if it came down to needing to defend Shelby. All he had were his hands. He didn’t need more, but he’d prefer some distance between him and the rest.

  “We should try to get closer to the exit.” Kade scanned the building.

  There was a lot of nothing besides the train. Dust. Debris. Nothing much to hide behind or use. Likely it was intentional. It wouldn’t allow the tables to be turned. And if things went bad, what did Ogden have to lose besides the merchandise? It was fake, but he didn’t know that, right?

  Kade hadn’t been able to shake the uneasy feeling about this since Gil showed up that morning. All of this had been planned. And they’d been kept in the dark.

  “Come on.” Kade took Shelby’s hand and tugged her toward the edge.

  He jumped down, then turned to give her a hand.

  Jaxon had the right idea. He was posted up behind the group of guys at the corner of the train car. Kade led Shelby to where he was, then turned his attention back to Gil and Jeffery. The intense stares, tense posture were all indicators that things were not going well.

  “What are we doing?” Jaxon asked. “What the hell did you get me involved with, Kade?”

  “Things are about to go very bad.” Kade glanced at Shelby and then focused on Jaxon. Shelby could handle herself, as much as he hated to say that. Jaxon wasn’t ready for this. “Stay behind something, and if you get a chance to run—run. Got it?”

  “What about you?” Jaxon frowned.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Gil and Jeffery walked side by side toward the train car.

  “Shit,” Shelby muttered under her breath.

  Sasha pivoted, glancing at Kade, brows up.

  Kade knew that look.

  Sasha was counting the odds.

  Kade shook his head.

  They had handguns. Against the automatic assault rifles these guys were carrying? It was a bad deal. Best thing to do, in Kade’s book, was to play dumb. At least until they had a better chance of making it out of here alive.

  Once they started breaking open cases, there would be more pieces around. Shields. At the very least, a distraction they could use to put the train cars between them for a mad dash to safety.

  “The fuck?” Jeffery roared from inside the car.

  There it was.

  “Please—there must have been a mistake,” Gil said.

  Jeffery, followed by Gil, leapt out of the train car and stalked toward the cases.

  “Open them up. All of ‘em,” Gil said.

  “God damn it,” Kade muttered. He turned, pushing Shelby and Jaxon farther behind the train car. “You two—stay here. Run at the first opportunity, okay?”

  “What
the hell are you going to do?” Shelby scowled.

  “Cover your backs. There is no case without you, and Jax isn’t ready for this.”

  “Here.” Shelby pressed a gun into his hand. It was more than he’d had before, at least.

  “What the hell is this?” Jeffery stood, paint streaking his hand.

  “Go.” Kade shoved Shelby back. It wasn’t kind, but he’d rather her be safe.

  When it boiled down to who needed to survive this, the list included two names.

  Shelby.

  And Jaxon.

  They were the beginning and end of Kade’s concern. Sasha and Anton had chosen this life. As much as he hated to admit it, he’d save Shelby over his own flesh and blood.

  “Guys, guys, please—let’s talk about this,” Gil said with a smile, hands up.

  Jeffery’s people circled around them.

  “What kind of a con are you running?” Jeffery pulled out his own hand gun, and pointed it at Gil.

  “Jeff, you’ve got to believe me. All I did was manage a pickup and delivery. Honest.” A little of Gil’s slippery salesman veneer flaked off.

  “Why is a hundred-year-old painting wet, Gil? Huh?” Jeffery reached out and smeared paint across Gil’s face.

  “I don’t know! That’s what the museum had hanging up.” Gil gestured behind them at the open cases.

  “You were playing me.” Jeffery shoved Gil back against two of his guys. Jeffery reached forward and pulled the slide on his gun back, the bullet loading into the chamber with a hard snick of metal on metal.

  Jeffery’s other people lifted their guns, pointing them at Kade and the others.

  “Wow! Wow! Wow! Hold on a second here,” Anton yelled. “It’s her fault.”

  “Anton, shut it,” Sasha said under his breath.

  Anton pointed at Kade.

  “She was right there. Where’d she go? The girl? This is all her doing. She’s the one who conned us,” Anton yelled. “What have you done?”

  Anton launched himself at Kade. A fist connected with Kade’s jaw. He staggered back and threw up an arm.

  “This is all your fault,” Anton roared.

  One of Jeffery’s guys moved in and made a grab for Anton, latching a hand on Anton’s arm. Kade stepped in and rammed his fist into the side of the guy’s head.