Ginny stood outside the double protected bank vault. The Realm had gone with massive cast iron, concrete, and steel rods for reinforcement. It figured the king would use modern designs. Human designs, actually. Getting into the bank had been fairly easy, even though her command of the elements wasn’t up to par.
Good thing she didn’t need fire for this.
Oh, she still swirled around the oxygen and created a bit of ice, but that was much easier than fire to make. Apparently the king of the Realm wasn’t too afraid of witches breaching his security.
He should know better.
The lock had a dual control mechanism with a time delay that was damn impressive. The biometric requirements were daunting as well. Of course, she’d helped to design this one as a side job more than a year ago.
One should never hire a thief to create security.
Humming softly, she drew out her key card and bypassed the design elements she’d installed. A backdoor was an absolute necessity, now wasn’t it? The thrill of the hunt raced through her.
Could she truly give this up? Unlikely. Though she wouldn’t steal from the king again. This was a one-time deal, and only because Saul had been torturing her for a decade. If he’d hurt her father, she’d destroy him. Three clicks echoed and then three more. The massive vault swung her way.
It was almost too easy.
She paused. It shouldn’t be so easy. Wait a minute. She glanced up and then to the left. Aha. So the king had made a few adjustments. Nice laser and heat sensors. Good thing she was a witch. It would cost her, but she could reduce her heat signature to nothing. Drawing in air, she did so and then eyed the floor, which consisted of a series of square cement tiles. Interesting. A pattern.
Drawing out a device she’d invented nearly twenty years ago, she ran a laser with a gas medium over the floor. Two to the left, one right, two forward on the squares. She hopped, truly enjoying herself. Then she had to perform a cartwheel that made her almost giddy. Before she knew it, she was in front of Saul’s safety deposit box. A wave of her hand, and any cameras went dark. Of course, when she waved, she blew high-pollinated PT dust, which she’d also invented. It would ruin the cameras for good.
She should probably figure out a way to send money anonymously to the Realm.
The actual box needed two keys. She withdrew the two masters from around her neck and inserted them, easily pulling out the drawer. One white envelope took up the entire thing.
She grasped it and shoved it into her back pocket before returning the drawer to rights. A quick glance around showed so many lovely boxes just waiting for her to explore. She sighed. No time. Maybe she could return if she didn’t leave any evidence.
After retracing her steps from the vault and through the bank, she found herself outside in the wild snowstorm. Humming to herself, she turned to hustle back to Theo’s place. The ductwork in his building was superior and had created an easy way in and out where she wouldn’t be detected.
Lights flashed on outside the alley. An SUV started barreling toward her.
She paused, her body going still. Bloody Hell. Lights from above shone down, illuminating Saul in the passenger’s seat. How the hell did he get free of Theo? Damn it. She turned to run, and pain licked up from her ankle. Crying out, she stumbled into the side of the building.
That asshole.
If he caught her, he could torture her until she gave up the location of the flash drive. Until she did that, he wouldn’t kill her. So she ducked her head and ran, drawing on strength she hadn’t known she possessed. Another prick to her ankle from the bracelet, and her leg went numb.
She fell into the snowy street, head first. Pain pummeled into her forehead.
“Hey.” Three college-aged boys ran toward her. “Lady, you okay?” The first one, a tall dark-skinned kid wearing a letterman’s jacket, gingerly lifted her up.
She sagged against him. “Sorry. Forgot my insulin earlier.” That sounded okay, right?
The second kid, one wearing a similar jacket but with blond hair and a multitude of freckles, instantly grabbed a granola bar from his pocket. “Eat this.”
She took it and forced a smile, glancing quickly around. The neighborhood held several bars with boisterous sounds emerging. A lot of young people strolled around in the snow, barhopping and being rather loud. She eyed the quiet SUV that had reached the end of the alley. Saul wouldn’t want to cause a scene with so many security cameras around. She smiled at the young men, noting a stairwell down into the subway system. “I really need to head home, and I think that SUV is following me.”
The boys instantly turned, their chests puffing out.
“We’ll take care of it,” the freckled kid said, starting to move.
“Thank you,” she said, starting for the subway. If she could get on a car before she passed out, she might survive the night. “You’re all kind, gentlemen.” Oh, Saul wouldn’t hurt humans with cameras around. But this was her only chance.
She barely made it down to the platform to buy a ticket and then limped onto the first train. Going to the back, she took a seat, having no idea where she’d end up. She pressed her head against the freezing window. Where was Theo? Was he all right? The fact that Saul had tracked her GPS to the bank wasn’t good. Damn it. The GPS. She had to get back to safety before Saul tracked her.
Those boys wouldn’t stop him for long.
She eyed the snowy darkness outside just as her vision began to fuzz from the planekite. Oh, this so wasn’t good.
* * * *
Theo came to seconds after landing, his head ringing, snow up his nose. Groaning, he rolled over to see the entire house in flames. Fuck. He shoved to his feet, weaving, and tried to push through the snow. Chalton came barreling around the east side of the fire, burn marks across his head, his arm at an odd angle and blood flowing from his temple.
Relief caught Theo. “Jared?” he yelled.
Chalton looked frantically around, his clothes in tatters. Another explosion rocked the house, and he dropped to his knees. Theo ran forward and hauled him up, ignoring the pain as his broken ribs clattered together. He grunted and helped Chalton toward the other side of the house. Where the hell was Jared? Had he made it out of the house?
Sirens trilled in the distance, and people started coming out of homes to see the catastrophe. Fuck. They had to get out of there.
Theo tripped over a snow-laden bush, and Chalton stumbled, keeping them both going.
They found Jared free of the house, facedown in the snow. Flames licked across his vest, having burned through his jacket. Theo grabbed a handful of snow and slammed it down on the fire until the flames hissed into steam. “Jared?” He turned his brother over.
Jared’s nose was broken along with what looked like his cheekbone. Blood flowed freely from a cut across his cheek. His breaths were shallow, but he was breathing and his heart seemed steady.
Theo shook him, but he didn’t awaken. “We have to go.” Grunting, he lifted his brother, and with Chalton’s help, got him over Theo’s shoulder. “Jesus. He weighs a ton.” Staggering under the weight, bleeding, and with more bruises on his brain than he could count, Theo followed a limping Chalton through the backyard and toward the SUV they’d stashed down the private street.
They reached the vehicle, and Theo shoved Jared inside, following him into the backseat.
Chalton dodged around the front and ignited the engine, heading for the back exit to the subdivision. The sirens got louder, and the fire crackled merrily, even with the storm. “Fucking setup,” Chalton muttered, swinging around a group of people in pajamas, boots, and heavy coats who were heading toward the fire. “How did he set us up?”
Theo shrugged, removing Jared’s vest and lifting his shirt to see a myriad of bruises and obviously broken ribs. “Whoa.” He patted Jared’s hard cheek—the good one. “Wake up, bro.”
Jared didn’t move but tingles cascaded from him, so at least his system was repairing the damage. Good.
Theo shoved his tattered jacket off and gingerly felt along his own ribcage. Pain drew inward and spiraled out. Yep. Broken. He kept his eyes open but started sending healing cells first to his brain and then his body. “We need to figure this out.”
“The trace on his call was good,” Chalton said grimly, whipping the vehicle out onto a main road. “Saul did call for the car, but he must’ve realized we were ready to make a move. How? How could he possibly know we were working with Ginny and not against her?”
“She didn’t tell him,” Theo said wearily, leaning back.
“You sure?”
Theo studied his brother. “I’m sure.” Even to get her father back, she wouldn’t send Theo to his possible death. “I should tell you that we decided to mate. To save her life.”
Chalton eyed him through the rearview mirror. “To save her life.”
Jared snorted. “I’m half unconscious and even I know that’s bullshit. To save her life. God, you’re clueless.”
Theo cut him a look. “Why don’t you fix your face and not worry about me right now?”
Jared groaned and stronger tingles cascaded around him. “Veronica likes my face. I should heal it.” He shifted on the seat. “You know what this means, right? The fact that we didn’t find Saul?”
Theo nodded, grimness clutching his heart. “Yeah. Ginny has to go forward with the meet.”
“If she hasn’t already,” Chalton said quietly.
“She hasn’t,” Theo snapped. “There’s no way she turned us in to Saul.” The woman might be a thief and a manipulator, but she wouldn’t purposefully cause harm. He just knew it.
“Say you’re right and your future mate didn’t call Saul and give him our information.” Chalton sped up, moving quickly toward the city. “What if she didn’t mean to tell him, but he still heard it from her?”
Theo rubbed his aching ribcage. “What do you mean?”
“What if—”
“Oh, shit.” Theo smacked his head and then winced at the instant pain. “The anklet with GPS.”
Chalton nodded, spraying snow and ice. “Yeah. It broadcasts location, but what if it also broadcasts sounds? What if he’s been listening in the entire time?”
Theo’s breath caught, and he fumbled for his phone, quickly dialing Ginny. “If he knows we left her…”
Chalton shook his head. “We left the place well guarded. If there had been any sort of problem, the guards would’ve called in.”
Good point. But Theo’s heart started beating faster as she didn’t answer. “Ginny. Call me. Now.” He left a message.
“She’s probably asleep,” Jared mumbled, keeping his eyes closed.
Theo looked at his brother. “Fix your face, would you?” That was true. Ginny could be asleep. But wouldn’t she answer, considering he was on a mission to take out Saul? She would. He dialed the guards. “Check my apartment. Now.”
“Affirmative,” came across the line.
He held his breath. Heavy footsteps sounded, and then nothing. “Hello?” he said, his voice clipped.
The guard cleared his throat. “The apartment is empty. She didn’t get by us, and there’s no sign of a struggle.”
“Secure the location,” Theo said tersely, clicking off. “I’m going to fucking kill her.”