He's an excellent thief. Maybe even the best in the business, but it's not a good idea to be arrogant. Too easy for someone new and younger to move in and knock him off his lofty perch.
Which is why he's bothered by Parker. She steals as easily as she breathes; she has less flair than him, but she's definitely just as good. Possibly even better. He knows who trained her, knows about her quirks and the fact that she's on a permanent team. This is why she hasn't surpassed him yet.
She's signed onto a crew, which means she's automatically limited by the others. The heists can no longer be credited to her genius but are known as the team's successes. Granted, he doesn't think she's capable of the planning the jobs her team pulls off. That takes a mastermind, and she's too distracted, has too much of a one-track mind to think past the theft to give it the art of a con.
Her skills are in taking and disappearing into thin air, and he's really never met anyone who is better at it. It's a pity, really, that she seems so dedicated to these people, con artists and thieves that she certainly trusts too much. Thieves aren't made to stay together. There's too much temptation to betray for the sake of a bigger haul.
It's why even though he's tempted to ask her to join up with him, he doesn't. He can't afford the luxury of a partner; he has gained too much to lose it all to quick, nimble fingers and an impish smile.
He does want to, though, when he watches her with her locks and picks, and he can see the glee in her eyes when she beats him by a solid five seconds.
That's why he can't resist telling her about what she could have.
"You should come with me. We could be partners." He can't stop the offer from slipping out of his mouth.
She cocks her head and frowns. "I can't trust you."
"And you can't trust them, either. They're con artists."
"You're a thief."
"Just like you." He gives her a small smile. "Come on. It might be fun. We're the best thieves in the world and can take anything we want."
She looks like she's considering the offer for a moment, then she shakes her head. "No. I belong here."
And she walks away, her blonde ponytail bouncing against her shoulders. He can't help thinking that she's insane to stay, but he's not chasing after her.
He thinks about her sometimes, when he's breaking into a museum and wonders if she would choose to jump off the roof to get to the right window or if she would go up from the ground floor through the air vents. But he always manages to shake those thoughts off because he doesn't do partners anyway.
One day, he'll be too old for this, and he'll retire, preferably to some small island with a large tourist industry so he can at least pick pockets without suspicion. But he's going to retire as the best, a legend. Because that's really the only he doesn't have that he wants.