Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

by Leigh Bardugo

“How old are you, Mister Brekker?” “Seventeen.” “You haven’t been arrested since you were fourteen, and since I know you are not an honest man any more than you were an honest boy, I can only assume you have the quality I most need in a criminal: You don’t get caught.” Van Eck smiled slightly then. “There’s also the matter of my DeKappel.” “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” “Six months ago, a DeKappel oil worth nearly one hundred thousand kruge disappeared from my home.” “Quite a loss.” “It was, especially since I had been assured that my gallery was impenetrable and that the locks on its doors were foolproof.” “I do seem to remember reading about that.” “Yes,” admitted Van Eck with a small sigh. “Pride is a perilous thing. I was eager to show off my acquisition and the lengths I’d gone to in order to protect it. And yet, despite all my safeguards, despite dogs and alarms and the most loyal staff in all of Ketterdam, my painting is gone.” “My condolences.” “It has yet to surface anywhere on the world market.” “Maybe your thief already had a buyer lined up.” “A possibility, of course. But I’m inclined to believe that the thief took it for a different reason.” “What would that be?” “Just to prove that he could.” “Seems like a stupid risk to me.” “Well, who can guess at the motives of thieves?” “Not me, certainly.” “From what I know of the Ice Court, whoever stole my DeKappel is exactly who I need for this job.” “Then you’d be better off hiring him. Or her.” “Indeed. But ...