Patricia quickly shoved the box under her pillow. She reached for the bedside lamp, and tried to turn it on but it refused to turn on. Moments later, a shadow loomed at her window. Heart pounding, she grabbed the lampstand from beside her bed and crept toward the figure.
As soon as the intruder stepped into the room, Patricia struck, landing blows on their back, leg, and shoulders. The figure crumpled to the floor with a groan. Without hesitation, she pinned them down, sitting firmly on their back.
"Don't move! Or the next hit will be on your head! Who are you, and what do you want?" she demanded, her voice sharp with fear and fury.
The figure groaned again. "Damn it, Sweeches! Did you have to hit me so hard? I can't believe that you've gone from being dumb and naïve to become a full-blown hooligan. Owww..."
"Isaac?" Patricia gasped, her grip loosening.
"Yeah, who else?" Isaac grumbled. "Owww... Bloody hell, Sweeches! Did you really need to hit me again?" he yelped as Patricia delivered another blow to his shoulder.
"Yes! That's for scaring the life out of me by sneaking through my window in the dark!" she snapped, finally standing up.
"What were you thinking? Cutting off the lights in my room and climbing through the window like some burglar! My God, I could've killed you!" Patricia exclaimed, collapsing onto her bed with an exasperated huff.
Isaac groaned as he staggered to his feet. "What did you hit me with? That hurts like hell," he muttered, wobbling over to a chair and sinking into it with a sigh.
Patricia shook her head, fetched an ice pack from the fridge, and handed it to him. "Sorry, but you shouldn't have pulled a stunt like that. We're already walking on thin ice, playing a dangerous game. If someone had sent a thug after me, I would've thought it was them!"
Isaac sighed, and said, "I'm sorry, my princess. I swear, I wanted to make my presence known gently. But Jethro's goons were outside the hotel, watching. I had no choice. Cutting off the lights and climbing through the window seemed like the only way. Ugh... Now I see it was a terrible idea. Owww..."
Patricia shook her head, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "Yes, it truly was a bad idea. Now, could you please turn the lights back on? It's getting kinda hard to see my handsome burglar knight in the dark."
Isaac pulled out his phone, tapped a button, and the room was instantly bathed in light.
Patricia met his gaze, those piercing blue eyes beaming at her. Her own eyes traveled over his casual black shirt, the top buttons undone to reveal a glimpse of his chiseled chest, paired with jeans and sleek black shoes. She swallowed hard, feeling her insides melt and her stomach flutter with a mix of sensations that left her flustered.
Isaac cleared his throat, his voice low and teasing. "Maybe I should've kept the lights off. I don't know how much longer I can resist temptation with you standing there like that. I might end up in the dungeon for doing something... improper."
Confused, Patricia glanced down at herself and gasped. She was wearing a thin white nightdress that left little to the imagination. Mortified, she bolted to the bathroom in search of something to cover up. Isaac chuckled, watching her retreat, then reached for the ice packs to soothe his aching shoulders.
In the bathroom, Patricia rummaged through the closet until she found a bathrobe. She slipped it on and returned to the bedroom, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her, Isaac, was now seated closer to her bed,with his shirt off. His sculpted chest and six-pack muscles flexed under the warm glow of the lamp.
Patricia whispered to herself, "He said no temptations, yet here he is, half-naked and showing off his biceps. Ugh, this guy is hopeless." She fanned herself, trying to calm her racing nerves.
As her breathing steadied, her gaze fell on the bruises marring his back and shoulders. Then reality hit her, she had struck him earlier, mistaking him for an intruder. Guilt washed over her as she approached him, taking the other ice pack and gently pressing it to his injuries.
"I'm sorry about earlier," she said softly. "I overreacted. I promise it won't happen again."
Isaac hummed in response. "No, Sweeches, I should be the one apologizing. I was so desperate to see you that I didn't think things through. I never expected my princess to be this tough. Hell, I knew you were, but not this tough. Owww..."
"Oh sorry! Did that hurt?" Patricia asked, her tone suddenly menacing. "I was just listening to you talk about how you thought I couldn't take care of myself, and I might've applied a little extra pressure."
Isaac chuckled, choosing silence over protest.
After a moment, Patricia broke the quiet. "Someone wanted to harm me on that track... Someone didn't want me to win."
Isaac nodded. "I know. I inspected Liberty's saddle. The straps were frayed, which caused them to snap."
"But I quadruple-checked the straps to make sure they were secure. How could they have frayed?" Patricia asked, her brow furrowed.
Isaac's expression darkened. "It's suspicious. I believe they were sprayed with some kind of chemical that weakened them during the race. And I strongly suspect Congressman Saccoth. We don't have much on him, but careful ones like him are often the most dangerous."
Patricia shook her head, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Sorry to disappoint you, my dear federal agent, but I beg to differ. Look under the pillow."
Isaac reached beneath the pillow and retrieved a golden box. He examined it closely before lifting the unlocked lid. Inside, he found a folded piece of paper and a golden hard drive.
"Let me guess... Saccoth?"
"Turns out our dear congressman is actually an ally," Patricia revealed.
"Mmm... Did you check the contents of the hard drive?" Isaac asked.
"Not yet. I was about to...until someone turned off my lights and crept through my window!" Patricia exclaimed, shooting him a pointed look.
Isaac cleared his throat, offering an awkward smile. "Well, at least it was a handsome intruder..."
Patricia chuckled. "Yes, that's the only reason he got off the hook this time. But if he pulls a stunt like that again, handsome or not, he's going to regret it."
"Good thing he learned his lesson," Isaac replied with a smirk. "Turns out his 'princess' is actually a hooligan, and crossing her could land him in serious trouble."
"Ha. Ha. Ha," Patricia retorted, her sarcasm cutting through the air as she continued applying the cold compress to his back.
After a while, they settled on the bed, laptop open, as they reviewed the hard drive's contents. Patricia's eyes lit up as she scanned the data. "This is incredible! It lists the brokers behind the global transport of illegal merchandise. We can use this to infiltrate their operations and take them down. Brilliant!"
Isaac, however, remained cautious. "Don't celebrate just yet, Sweeches."
"Why not? Isn't this information valuable?" Patricia asked, her excitement dimming.
"It is," Isaac admitted. "But we're dealing with seasoned criminals, dangerous ones, who have been doing these dealings for a long time. These names could be aliases, and some of these guys use multiple identities. Tracking them down won't be easy."
"So, it's like finding a needle in a haystack?" Patricia asked, her brow furrowing.
"Not quite," Isaac replied. "I'll deploy agents to go undercover and follow the trails. With some luck, we'll catch the monkeys swinging from their branches."
He removed the hard drive and powered down the laptop. Patricia sighed, slumping onto the bed and staring at the ceiling, her thoughts swirling.
"When are you meeting with the congressman?" Isaac asked, lying on his side and propping his head up with one hand, his gaze fixed on her.
"I don't know," Patricia replied. "But I heard he's taking me under his wing. Thank goodness. I don't know how much longer I could deal with 'Mr. Pig' every day. Ugh, that man is insufferable."
Her rant was cut short as she felt something warm against her lips. Startled, Patricia opened her eyes to find Isaac kissing her.
"Mmm... What are you doing, Mr. Burglar? Trying to take advantage of me?" she teased.
"If it helps you forget about that pig, then yes," Isaac replied, his voice low and playful. "I want to distract my princess-hooligan and make her forget it all." He kissed her cheek, his touch lingering.
Patricia giggled, turning to face him. She hooked her hand into his and said, "Well, I'm glad my handsome burglar is such a good distraction. I really needed one."
Isaac hummed, lifting her hand to his lips. "I can be whoever you need me to be, my beautiful derby-racing princess. You were incredible out there on the track. Your father would be proud."
Patricia smiled softly. "He taught me well. My father was the best horse derby racer, so I guess I inherited his genes." She sighed, then added, "By the way, my handsome knight, you owe me a celebration dinner. Remember?"
Isaac chuckled. "Unfortunately, it's too late to celebrate tonight, and you need rest. But I promise to make it up to you tomorrow. We're in the beautiful city of Rose, after all. How about we spend the entire day together, celebrating and getting to know each other better?"
"That sounds lovely, my handsome knight. I'd love to," Patricia replied, her smile radiant.
"Then it's a date," Isaac said, kissing her hand and cheek. "Get some rest, my princess. I'll see you tomorrow."
They shared a passionate kiss before Isaac said his goodbyes and slipped out into the night.