by Lexi Blake
“Well, I am here,” Daniel stated implacably. “And I say no.”
My eyes narrowed, and Daniel looked wary for the first time. “Say no all you like, Danny. I’m done asking permission. I’m informing you that I’m running a job. I’ll find my own crew, thank you.”
“Why is this so damn important, Z?” Daniel finally asked what he should have asked at the beginning of the conversation. “We have a whole lot going on. We need to concentrate on the wolf meeting and we need to find Halfer.”
“If you want to find Halfer, maybe you should figure out what he’s looking for.”
“He’s looking for you.” A ferocious glare lit Daniel’s face every time he mentioned that little fact.
I ignored his scowl. “He’s also looking for an artifact called the Strong Arm of Remus. It’s supposed to be able to control wolves. Sounds like Halfer might be planning to attend your little gathering, too.”
“How the hell do you know this?” Danny asked.
It was time to shove the knife in. “I know because the aswang was hired by Halfer to kill me before the artifact comes to town. You remember that thing that was my alcoholic daydream? I got her to talk before I killed her.”
Daniel moved to take a seat next to Dev on the bench. I softened immediately because a weary expression bore down on him. I walked over and ran my fingers through his thick, sandy hair. “I know you don’t like it, Danny, but I need to do this. I’d rather have the two of you with me, but I’ll do it myself if I have to.”
“All right, Z,” Daniel said, forcing the words from his mouth. “You handle the details and I’ll be there. I have to deliver the new spy to the Council while they’re still in LA. Dev, can you work with her?” I knew the inherent question behind that query was “can you keep her from killing herself?”
“I’ve never hijacked an armored car before,” Dev said with a smile. “Sounds like fun. I’m in and so is Zack.”
I hugged Danny, hoping affection would help. He held me for a moment, but when he looked up, there was a little light in his eyes. He glanced over at Dev.
A sly smile spread across his face. “I think this is one of those times, Dev. She’s made me crazy, and I need to let off a little steam.”
“I agree,” Dev said because he always said yes.
Daniel’s arms became a nice little cage around my waist. “We should get her back home. I feel the need to tie her up and play with her.”
Dev shook his head. “Why wait? Just let me get my gym bag. I’m like a boy scout, Dan. I’m always prepared. I have a nice set of padded handcuffs for just such an occasion. I think you’ll find after all the exercise last night, Zoey will probably be very sweet and obedient tonight.”
I frowned at my naughty, naughty boyfriend. He was taking all the fun out of it. “I’ll probably misbehave a little. If I don’t, you won’t have any reason to spank me.”
Dev growled and kissed me just a little roughly. “God, she’s perfect. Let’s talk about discipline, sweetheart.”
I smiled in anticipation because I was really becoming a glutton for punishment.
Chapter Seventeen
The night of the heist, I crawled in between Dev and Lee, taking my perch on a hill along the highway. Dev passed me the binoculars he was holding. I stared through the lens, the world shifting to that odd green and black that night vision gives you. At this time of night, there were very few people on the road, which made it the perfect time to transport an important load of priceless artifacts. It wouldn’t do to get stuck in traffic, and I-35 could get seriously congested between Alliance Airport and the cultural district.
The shipment from Chicago had come into the airport on a specialized cargo plane built to handle the delicate artifacts, keeping them at the proper temperature and humidity. The plane had come in late and the transfer had been made in a hanger with some super security. The thought of grabbing the artifact at the airport had never entered my mind. Airports are a veritable field of land mines. There are so many layers of security at an airport a thief would have to be crazy to even try it. Stealing from the Hell plane had been easier. I wouldn’t steal a Snickers bar from an airport.
From Alliance, the wooden crates had been loaded onto the truck. Due to the priceless nature of the collection, the museum had taken the added precaution of hiring three decoy trucks. Unfortunately, I had the insider information of knowing exactly which truck the artifact was actually on and the route it was going to take. One of the decoys had driven by not twenty minutes earlier, and I waved as it went on its merry way.
Hijacking a shipment from, say, your local Best Buy is a different proposition from the job I was doing. The mob long ago perfected the cargo hijack. It was made infinitely easier by the fact that the drivers were usually in on the hijacking. Had I had a longer time to prepare, I would’ve tried to get an inside man or woman at the security company. I preferred to have a member of my crew simply drive the truck with all its goodies to the drop. Since I’d had a week to plan, I was going to have to go a different route.
Unlike the above-mentioned shipment of LCD TVs and Blu-ray players, the truck containing my Roman artifacts wouldn’t be tempted by the usual plays. This truck wouldn’t stop at a local diner so the driver could get a cup of coffee and perhaps pick up a cute little redhead who so needed a ride to Fort Worth. I would have pulled out my Ruger and forced the now wide-awake driver to the drop where Danny and Dev would find my crate, and I would send the driver on his way. Scenario number two involved detouring the truck to the drop and then pulling my Ruger while the boys pillaged. It wouldn’t work with this truck. On seeing the unscheduled detour, the truck carrying my item would simply turn around and head back to the airport until a team could figure out what was going on.
I needed shock and awe. I’d tried to get Danny to jump in front of the truck, set his shoulders, and just stop it with his body. It always worked in the comics, but Danny was a wimp and thought that would probably hurt like hell despite the coolness factor, so we were going with a greener method.
“Zoey, I have the package in sight,” Zack said in my earpiece. “It’s five minutes away. Has the big guy shown up?”
“Negative, Zack.” Daniel was supposed to be here by now. I put the binoculars down and Dev frowned, the moonlight illuminating his tension.
“Where the hell is Donovan?” Lee asked, frowning.
Dev pulled out his cell and hit speed dial. “Dan, where the hell are you? This goes down in five minutes. Get your ass to the drop.”
He clicked the End Call button and shoved the phone back into his black pants. I’d played stylist tonight. For the thief, black is the only color to go with. Dev and Lee were dressed in black from head to toe. They wore black turtlenecks, despite the ninety-five degree temperature. The ski masks they would put on sat on the ground. I knew they were both dreading it, but I had to insist. There were two armed drivers in that truck, and I wanted them both alive at the end of my job. If they were alive, then there was always the chance that they could remember something I would rather they forgot. I didn’t want them thinking about things like hair or eye color. All they would know was there had been two men and one woman. If that was all they could offer, there would be no police sketches and no need to call in a cleaning crew.
Of course, if Daniel had shown up, I wouldn’t have needed any of it. He could have just informed the drivers that they didn’t remember and they wouldn’t. I checked the rounds in the Ruger and Dev did the same in his new, shiny SIG Sauer. Neither of us said a word, but we were both worried. It wasn’t like Danny to not show up.
He’d been quiet and contemplative the last week or so. I knew he was upset about sending another one of his soldiers to the Council, but it had to be done. He’d prepared a young vampire named Brian for the way his life would be during the training period. Brian had been with Daniel for over a year and he was unattached. Though Daniel had not once mentioned it, I knew he was avoiding breaking up another couple if he
could. The situation with Neil had affected him more than he would ever admit.
Dev glanced at me, his eyes asking the question.
“We go now or we lose it, Dev.” I wasn’t willing to waste more than a week of planning and work because Daniel was late. In fifteen minutes the job would be over, and I could figure out what had kept him. I was certain it was Council business. He was supposed to fly back in from LA tonight and more than likely, he’d been delayed. It wouldn’t be the first time the Council had forced Daniel to do their bidding on a moment’s notice. The job would have been easier with Daniel, but I’d certainly run jobs without the aid of a vampire before.
“All right, sweetheart. I better get to work then.” Dev gracefully pushed himself up and pulled our secret weapon out of his pocket. Seeds. Oak, he’d told me. He took the handful of seeds out to the road. He crossed the highway, strategically placing each seed for maximum coverage. When he was done, he jogged back to the side of the highway Lee and I were on and I watched as he took a deep breath. He held his hands to his sides, but his fingers splayed wide as he opened that place deep inside of him that called things to life. I felt the air around me pulse with energy. Even Lee sat up when he felt that power filling the air.
There was a rumble as the seeds popped open and life sprayed across the concrete. It was like watching a fast-forward nature video. Suddenly there was a burst of green as a grove of large oaks spread across the highway. It was a strange but beautiful sight.
“That’s pretty damn impressive.” Lee watched Dev work. “I thought he was just a walking, talking dose of Viagra.”
I laughed out loud and had to remind myself we were running a job. “He’s a fertility god, Lee. Most of his magic is about sex, but he also has some Green Man in his background, hence the expertise with plants. Don’t underestimate Dev. Just because he’s not as butch as you or Daniel doesn’t mean he can’t do some damage. He can pull you into the earth with those plants.”
“I’ll remember that,” Lee said, staring at Dev with new respect.
Dev climbed back up the hill and held his hand out to help me up. “Is that satisfactory?”
I looked down on the small forest that now obstructed the roadway. It was better than any little detour sign. There was no way even a large truck was blasting through that thicket of strong trees. What took nature twenty years, Dev had managed in a minute. And he could reverse it at the end of the job. He would wave his hands and the whole grove would be back to seeds. The road—not so much. There were going to be some serious traffic jams in the morning.
“It’s hard to remember you used to be crappy at magic.” When we’d met, he’d struggled with control.
“That was before I found my goddess.” He touched the place where the gold medallion rested under my shirt. “It means what it says. It will only be stronger once the ceremony is performed. Declan is meeting us at the Gathering. He hasn’t said he’ll give his consent yet, but he will act as witness. I have no doubt I’ll convince him. I’ll get the real one around your neck. You’ll see.”
I still didn’t understand why we needed royal consent to perform a fertility ritual. It wasn’t like it wouldn’t work because Declan didn’t give us his blessing. I’d started to notice the insane amount of pregnant females living in our building. I’d heard the women joking about something being in the water. It wasn’t in the water, but he was living in the penthouse. Looking at those shiny green trees, it struck me that Dev’s power had grown in leaps and bounds since he met me. If his power over plants had grown exponentially, then I had to figure his fertility powers had done the same. It made me want to up the strength of my birth control shots. I shook my head because that was just one of those problems I didn’t like to think about. It seemed like something I would inevitably have to deal with, but I didn’t want to borrow trouble.
“Truck’s coming,” Lee said, his hearing able to detect the advance of our prey far sooner than we could.
I touched my earpiece. “Zack, is anyone else coming?”
“That’s a negative.” Zack watched far too many movies. “It’s all quiet here.”
“Let me know if that changes,” I replied.
There was the grinding sound of large brakes pumping furiously at the unexpected obstruction in the road. I pulled the ski mask over my face, getting ready for about ten uncomfortable minutes. Dev and Lee did the same. The three of us ran down to the road, weapons at the ready. The brakes groaned under the pressure and the truck started to jackknife, but finally the large vehicle came to a stop just as it bumped against the incomprehensible bit of nature in the middle of the highway.
“What the hell is that?” a male voice asked as one of the doors to the truck came open. He had an incredulous look on his face, and I knew I’d made the right call. If I’d tried anything vaguely normal, they would have attempted to turn around and gone into lock-down mode. There would have been no avoiding gunfire.
“I have no idea but I’m calling it in,” the other voice said. This one came from the driver’s seat.
“I’m going to have to ask you not to do that, gentlemen.” I held the Ruger steady, the driver’s head in my sights.
Lee moved quickly and before the driver had a chance to hit the call button, he was being hauled out the door. Lee pulled him by his shirt and held him a good two feet off the ground. “You ready?”
Dev nodded, not saying anything he didn’t have to. He worked gloves over his hands and took out the plastic restraints we’d bought for just this occasion. The guy in my sights watched us, hands held in the air. He wasn’t panicking, and I was grateful for that. Calm kept everyone alive.
I stepped up to my guy. “I’ll need the gun, buddy. Reach one hand into the holster, carefully lay it on the ground and kick it over here, please. No heroics, okay? They can both move faster than you think, and they won’t take kindly to you trying to shoot me.”
“I have a wife and two kids,” he stated quietly, looking at the ground rather than me. He knew what he was doing if he didn’t want to get shot. He played at my humanity and made no move to be able to identify me later.
“I’ll make sure you get back to them in one piece.” I had zero desire to hurt some guy for doing his job. This is why I greatly prefer cracking safes. Safes don’t tell me about all the people who’ll miss them if they’re suddenly dead. “My partner over there is going to tie up your friend. Then we’ll get to you. Would we tie you up if we meant to shoot you? We’re not even going to take the truck. We’re interested in one item and then we’ll be on our way. Now, I really need the gun.”
He nodded and slowly, carefully slid his weapon from his holster and laid it on the ground. He used his foot to kick it my way and then dropped to his knees, assuming the proper position for turning oneself over. Dev had efficiently restrained the first guard and placed him on the side of the road facing away from us. I had given him this particular duty because he was damn good at it. Having been tied up by Dev on numerous occasions, I knew our victims would suffer no ill effects from his talents.
When both men were properly restrained, I started for the truck. Luckily, I knew what I was looking for. “It’s in a wooden crate marked fifty-seven.”
He nodded and we started toward the back of the truck. I could still feel the heat of the day on the asphalt and the quiet in the air around seemed slightly ominous. I shook off the feeling and tried to concentrate on the job, but I was still worried about Daniel. It wasn’t like him to be late.
Heavy locks held the doors of the truck together. I could easily pick the locks or I could have brought some liquid nitrogen to freeze them and then break the offending material. Why bother when Lee could just pull it off? With one hand he easily broke through hundreds of dollars of security. The door came open, showing us the well-packed exhibit. In the moonlight, I could see the stacks of crates.
Dev jumped up and switched on his flashlight, illuminating the interior of the truck. There was enough room to maneuver throug
h the rows of packages. He held his hand out and gave me a quick tug to bring me to his side. I glanced back at Lee, who had the strangest look on his face. He stayed back, which was odd because he always preferred to go before me. He typically shoved me back when I tried to go first and, despite the fact that Dev was here, I expected him to protest. He took his job seriously and probably wouldn’t even trust Daniel to do it right.
“What’s wrong, Lee?”
“I don’t want to go in there, Zoey,” he admitted, because Lee was nothing if not honest. If there was one thing I’d learned about Lee, it was that he followed his instincts. “Whatever is in there, I don’t want it anywhere near me. There’s something bad in that truck. My every instinct tells me to get the fuck away from that thing.”
I nodded, not wanting to push him to do anything he didn’t want to do. It gave me a great confidence that we were getting exactly what we wanted. The artifact must be powerful for Lee to be able to sense it through all the packing material. “It’s all right. Dev and I can handle it. You watch our two guests. We’ll be done in roughly two minutes. Give me the crowbar.”
Lee handed me the metal tool, and Dev started to check the numbers on the crates surrounding us.
I was a bit startled when Zack spoke softly in my ear. “Zoey, you have a car coming. It’s moving fast.”
“Understood. We’ll be out of here in five minutes tops. Get your furry ass here now. We’ll pick you up on the way.” I’d hoped to have more time, but it looked like our two drivers were going to be rescued pretty quickly. I had no doubt whoever came across them would call the police immediately.
“Got it, sweetheart.” Dev picked up the wooden crate with a spray-painted fifty-seven on its side. He moved it to the middle of the truck and held his hand out for the crowbar. With a quick movement, he had the top cracked open and held the light over the crate, allowing me to peer inside. I moved to the side and started to push through the packing materials. “If that car wasn’t coming, I would suggest we have a little fun. I’ve never had sex in a truck such as this. Come to think of it, we’ve never stopped in the middle of a job for a quickie.”