Page 3 of Run, Little Thief

When I planned this mission, I didn’t anticipate pissing off the wrong people and having to run for my life—literally, as I sprint across the street to the Tube station.

My lungs burn with every breath as I hurry down to the Underground. Dodging through a small group of students, I mutter a quick apology and sprint toward the platform as if my life depends on it.

Because it does.

Footsteps thunder behind me. The sound echoes in my mind, blending with the blood rush in my ears.

I need to reach the Tube. This is my only way out. My only chance.

I can’t get caught byhim.

When I reach the platform, the train doors are already closing.

No, no, no!

“Wait!” I yell, waving frantically.

A young guy with glasses sees me and holds out his arm, stopping the doors just in time.

I jump inside and grab the nearest handrail. When I turn around, my gaze meets Reaper’s through the window.

His dark eyes narrow behind his mask. He sprints toward us, but he’s too far away.

The doors close, and the Tube sets off.

Somehow, I manage a bold smile and a wave. Watching him standing there fuming feels pretty satisfying.

I’m still breathing way too hard from the exertion of my run, my clothes damp and sweat dripping down my back.

But I got away.

For now.

I take a quick glimpse of my phone to check the clock, then I turn it off and shove it into my pocket, my mind racing.

Reaper saw me get on the Tube, so he knows exactly which direction I’m heading. I could get off at the next station and switch trains, send him on a scavenger hunt across the city, but he’s probably not working alone.

For the first time since I jumped in, I look around. The Tube is pretty empty, only a handful of people traveling at this time of night. I’m easily detectable here, just as I would be at every other station.

I need a better plan.

When the train pulls in at the next station and I see the travel advertisement for a charming English village, I know exactly what to do.

On the outside, I may seem calm, just a young woman wandering across London in the middle of the night, looking around as if I’m making sure no one is following me—not off the Tube, not through the streets, not to the bus station—but on the inside? I’m dying, even though there’s no trace of anyone chasing me now. No sign ofhim.

Even so, my heart pounds erratically, and my hands tremble as I approach the next bus departing London.

I need to get out of the city—right fucking now.

“Hold on, Miss.” The driver seems almost worried. He’s an older guy with white hair and bushy brows who could be my granddad if he were still alive. “Are you all right? Do you have a ticket?”

“Yes, sure.” I shove some random paper from my bag in his face and pass by, praying he’ll buy it and won’t ask for a closer look. Hurrying down the bus, I take a seat at the back and press my bag against me as if I just stole the crown jewels from the Tower of London. In reality, there’s only a flash drive in there. But this flash drive is worth more than my life.

Thankfully, the driver starts the engine a second later.

I sink deeper into my seat, pulling my hood over my damp hair. My ears are still ringing from the alarm, and I can practically hear the echo of his footsteps, but there’s no sign of Reaper either inside or outside the bus.

My body coils and shudders at the thought. I’ve heard rumors about him. People say he buried one of his enemies alive and waited patiently beside the grave for the poor guy to slowly suffocate. He’s the man Los Castillos send to collect money, bones, and souls, and when he finds me, we won’t exactly be sitting down for a nice chitchat. I may work on the outskirts ofthe law myself, since I’m a thief and all, but I know enough about the different Mafia clans in this city to know when I should run for the hills.