Gryphon and His Thief Read Online Free PDF Page B

question of his own.
    She really didn't know her client at all.
She'd been hired, paid half the amount she requested and she would
be wired the remaining balance owed to her upon delivering it.
She'd needed this job. Funds were low and she hadn't taken an
assignment since her father died. Not because she hadn't been
approached by clients, but because she missed her dad. They'd been
a team and she found it difficult to work without him.
    In the past, her father had always found the
cases for them. They were hired to retrieve items originally stolen
from their rightful owners. They were paid a finder's fee, and in
return they would steal the items back and deliver them to where
they belonged.
    Professor Leander came from money, high
society and all, and she'd shown Calli documents that claimed she
was responsible for the stone at the dig site. Maybe it had been
stolen, but it didn't mean the item wasn't as dangerous as Darrien
claimed. "I'll tell you what," she told him, "I'll look deeper into
all this, check out a few leads, and if what you say is true, I'll
return the artifact to the museum."
    His eyes were doing that weird glowing thing-y again. "You'll look into it?" His control seemed to
be slipping. "This person who hired you will not allow you to look into it . If they know about the stone, they will stop
at nothing to get it before the veil thins. You are in danger if
you keep it. They will come after you."
    "Oh, that's rich." She chuckled. "You mean
she's worse than a Gryphon? She's a respected professor, for God's
sake."
    "She is a professor?"
    "Stop fishing for information," she snapped,
more upset with herself than with him. She'd already revealed too
much. She leaned down and ran her hand under the table, feeling for
the duct tape. When her fingers grazed over it, she gave it a
yank.
    "What are you doing?" he asked.
    "Never you mind," she told him as she pulled
the gun free. She only kept a weapon on her for emergencies and
this definitely qualified. To think she almost hadn't packed it for
this assignment. The semi-auto was the Ruger LCP
Revolver—lightweight, large enough to fit in her palm, but powerful
enough to hold its own. This baby held five rounds. The perfect
weapon for tight situations, just point and shoot.
    She knew it was loaded, but she checked it
anyway. Her gaze then found Darrien. His eyes were focused on her
weapon and not her. "As you can see, I can take care of
myself."
    He shifted his gaze. "Are you going to shoot
me?"
    "Not if you don't come after me," she told
him and unzipped the side pocket on her pants. She tucked the
revolver inside and left it unzipped for easy access. "Now, I have
to skedaddle. I have places to be, people to check out… So, ta-ta
for now." She wiggled her fingers at him in a goodbye wave before
heading for the door without even a backward glance.
    "Calli, don't—" he still called after
her.
    She'd already stepped outside and closed the
door behind her, muffling whatever request he was about to make.
She really hated leaving him cuffed and vulnerable, but then he
deserved to be left behind, didn't he? He did try to kill her after
all – if she believed he could shift into a Gryphon, and she was
pretty sure he told the truth there. She'd only handcuffed him.
    She pursed her lips as she recalled the
events that led her to this moment. The Gryphon did come after her,
but it hadn't harmed her, and the human side of Darrien hadn't
harmed her either.
    "No, don't go all soft now," she murmured.
Her gaze landed on the bushes to the side of her, and she crouched
down. Her hand brushed aside the dirt at the base of the plant,
revealing the pouch she'd stashed at the last moment when she'd
arrived at the motel. Her instincts had proven right on. She'd
known the chase wasn't over when she left the museum. Hiding the
stone was a must, so she'd faked dropping her keycard to hide it
without being obvious. If Darrien had the stone in his possession,
he would have been long gone by