7 | A Very Charming Kleptomaniac

Amelia's POV

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I stare hopelessly at the massive, bustling crowd that rushes around me. It's been five hours, and I haven't even caught a glimpse of my victim.

I hold my head in my hands and shake it. Victim. What the hell am I doing?

I know I shouldn't lose heart just yet, it hasn't even been a full day. I'm homesick and hungry. The possibility of catching his face in this thick group of people is next to impossible.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but may I mention how lovely you are?" I hear someone say beside me.

I barely give them a glance. "Not now. I'm busy," I snap.

He gives me a stunned look, but his lips curl into a wry grin before starting to walk away. "Cmon Mari," he says, taking a small girl's hand in his as he leaves.

I stare at them for a long moment, pondering on why he looks so familiar. My heart lurches when I realize that he looks exactly like this Jay person, and my stupidity has let him slip from my fingers.

Seriously, what are the odds that he'd walk up to me and say something? Nevertheless, I just put my whole mission in jeopardy. I just put Cyrus's life in jeopardy.

"Wait!" I call out, pushing frantically through the crowd. I catch a glimpse of his headful of messy, dirty blonde curls before he disappears.

"Shit!" I shout angrily.

It takes me about twenty minutes to find him again, which seems to be a miracle. I keep an eye on him from afar, not knowing how I'll get him alone at this point. That little girl is plastered to his side, and he seems to always be hiding in a crowd.

My heart thumps frantically in my chest. I try not to think too much about what I'm about to do. I focus on having Cyrus in my arms again. It's worth it. It has to be.

I study his movements, his sly smirk, the small nudge he gives the little girl before glancing back at a fruit stand. The scene plays out almost perfectly, enough proof I need to verify that he is indeed a criminal. The girl walks up to the fruit stand and chats up a storm with the seller, while Jay stuffs a few apples into his shirt before slipping away. I'm about to continue my pursuit when something unexpected happens.

He trips and stumbles forward, his eyes going wild with panic at the same moment. He struggles to maintain his balance, but it's futile. Several golden necklaces glitter in the sunlight as they tumble out of his linen shirt, followed by a stale loaf of bread and three apples that topple on to the dirt road.

"THIEF!" a man screams in the midst of the bustle of the marketplace.

Jay curses under his breath and tries to scoop up his prizes in vain.

A large, husky man yanks his arm up and drags him into the middle of the road. The boy kicks and struggles, but is no match for his offender.

"You know the rules, boy. This town doesn't tolerate dirty street thieves like you."

A sea of people gather around the scene to watch out of curiosity. The man pulls out a butcher knife, which makes Jay cringe and tug on his arm once more.

The little girl screams and pushes her way up to the front of the crowd. "No! Please, please don't hurt him!" she sobs. She tries to pull Jay away from the man, but he swats her away with a force to make her stumble and fall on her butt.

"Get out of here, Mari! I'll take care of this!" Jay shouts. His eyes grow desperate and a nervous, high pitched laugh erupts from his throat. "Why the special treatment, you guys? A simple slap on the hand will do."

The girl, who I now know as Mari, refuses to leave. Her heart wrenching sobs pierce the haunting silence among the crowd. Jay's nervous smile falters. The man holds up the knife high as if to torture the boy in anticipation. The knife speeds down, but I'm somehow able to stop the man's arm before it slices Jay's hand off from the wrist up.