Crow felt his chest tighten as Penelope used his words to Gavin to insist that they needed to capture the other thief. This wasn’t what he had been trying to do at all. The only reason he had brought up Jaxon’s threats was to prove to the knights that he was on their side and that the murderer was too dangerous to make an enemy out of. It might have been too late for Gavin, since he had killed one of Jaxon’s men, but he and Penelope still had a chance to get out of this mess with their lives intact—assuming he could keep her discovery of his deal a secret, that is. Suddenly wary that they could be being watched, he glanced out at the surrounding trees, standing tensely as he looked for signs of movement.

His attention was drawn back to Penelope as she went on to say that she didn’t want his protection. He felt a stab of hurt as she even brought up his promise to her, averting his gaze guiltily as the mention of it only served to remind him of his failure to be the man she deserved. At her final words, he looked up to meet her gaze again with a pained expression. She really thought he would abandon her to save himself? He may not have had a sense of loyalty to anyone else, but he would never do something so callous to her.

“I’m not going to leave you,” he murmured. “I really meant it when I said we were a team… I’m just sorry I haven’t been a good partner.” Shifting his weight again, he toyed absently with the hilt of his dagger as he considered her words. Even though he was worried about the consequences of getting the knights further involved with Jaxon, he was beginning to wonder if he was making the wrong decision. Maybe he needed to start being a better teammate.

Taking a steeling breath, Crow forced himself to hold her gaze. “His camp is in the forest halfway between Aramoor and Wheldrake,” he finally confessed. “But there’s more to it than that.” He wavered slightly before going on. “I’ve been to their camp, and there are more of them than there were when I saw them last… a lot more. If I had to take a guess, I’d say I counted at least thirty thieves.” He shook his head, running a hand nervously through his hair. “They’re practically a battalion by themselves, and they’re much more ruthless. I honestly don’t even know how you could expect to approach them and win.”