Ginny came to surrounded by softness and the scent of…Theo. Her eyelids flashed open to see his dark eyes filling her world.
“You alive?” he asked, his hair tousled as he leaned over her, his big hand on her forehead. “I admit I give a hell of an orgasm.”
“Aye.” She glanced around. Apparently Theo had pulled a big T-shirt over her head before setting her back in the bed. She pushed herself up to sit, shoving her hair away from her face. “So.”
He sat on the bed, wearing worn sweats and a frown. His big and broad chest beckoned her to take a bite, but warning all but rolled from him. “You have three minutes to explain what’s happening, or I take off that anklet.” He jerked his head toward a knife he’d placed on the bedside table. “I’m assuming it’s made of phanekite.”
“Planekite,” she corrected. “Well, it depends who you talk to in what you call it. But yes. It’s made of the one mineral in the world that can harm witches.” The damn stuff could kill them, and at the moment, enemies had made darts full of the stuff. But her anklet was old school.
He reached for the knife. Determination and what appeared to be fury pounded a muscle beneath his jaw. “I don’t even want to know why you’re continuing to wear that. Let’s take it off, and then you’re going to tell me all about who put it there.”
She held up a hand. “It’s rigged. You cut it, and spikes slash into my skin, filling me with planekite. A lethal dose.”
He paused, his eyes somehow darkening even more. “Let me get this straight. The thing is made of planekite, which obviously weakens you until you can’t throw fire. It can be remotely controlled to jolt you with doses, which is what I just saw happen.” He grasped her hand, his gentle touch completely opposed to the rage glittering in those eyes. “And if you try to remove it, the thing is booby trapped to kill you.”
“Yes,” she breathed, her shoulders relaxing. It felt so damn good to talk about the anklet. She’d had to keep it secret for so long.
“Who?” Theo asked, his jaw looking harder than a boulder.
She shouldn’t say. But the heaviness of keeping the burden to herself was overwhelming. It was too much. “Saul Libscombe,” she whispered.
“Goddamn motherfucker.” Theo pushed away from her, standing and facing the doorway, fury vibrating the muscles in his back. “This is our fault?”
“No.” Ginny spread her hands out on the bedclothes. “It’s my fault. I’m a thief, and that life catches up to you.”
He pivoted so quickly to face her that she lost her breath. “My family has been at odds with the Libscombes for years. We killed them, they killed us, and now Saul is the only one left standing. He did this to you so you’d get to us.”
“Aye.” Things had gotten a lot worse the last month when Jared Reese had killed Petey Libscombe, who was Saul’s brother. But the Reese family had probably thought things were over, since Saul appeared to be the one good shifter in his family. The guy had a good front but was more evil than the rest put together. Ginny plucked at a loose string. “Saul has been playing the long game, while Petey kept you off balance the last few years. Saul wanted the Benjamin file, and I’m the only one who could get close enough to steal it. I’m so sorry, Theo.”
“Long game?” Everything around Theo stilled, as if gathering for an explosion. “How long have you worn that fucking thing?”
She bit her lip.
“Ginny?” His voice went dangerously low.
“Ten years,” she whispered, preparing for him to detonate.
He didn’t move. Didn’t even twitch. “Ten. Years.”
She nodded, her heart beating too fast for her to ease. He was scaring the hell out of her, and that wasn’t easy to do. “This has been a campaign full of movements, including stealing a lot of gold. He’s been setting it up for a decade, and now he’s made his move. I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” Theo whispered, lines cutting edges into the side of his mouth.
Her heart took a hit. He would’ve helped her. She could see that now. “You didn’t like me.” She cleared her throat, going full in. “And he has my father somewhere. Da is still alive.”
Theo rocked back. “He has your dad.”
She nodded. “Even if I could get the anklet off, the second I do, my dad is dead.”
Theo moved for her and dropped to his haunches, gingerly taking her ankle in his hands. His broad hands could easily snap the anklet in two, but he just examined it. “There must be sensors here somewhere.”
“Aye.” While there was no good way out of this mess, her shoulders finally relaxed from around her ears. She wasn’t alone. Finally. No matter what happened, she had Theo with her for this moment. Actually on her side. She smiled. “If I give Saul the file, the anklet comes off and my dad goes free.”
Theo cocked his head to the side, and his gaze traveled to meet hers. “Ah, sweetheart. You don’t believe that, do you?”
She pressed her lips together. “About the anklet? No. But I won’t hand over the file until my dad is free. That’s my only goal.”
“I’m gonna kill your dad when this is over.” Theo lifted her leg until the anklet was at eye level. He studied it for several moments. “I can’t believe he made you a thief.”
“I’m a great thief,” she said, giving in to temptation and feeling along his jawline. Firm and solid. Yeah. That was Theo. “Da and I only stole from bad people or from people who didn’t need what they had. We’ve financed some wonderful charities throughout the ages, and we’ve done some good.”
“You enjoy it.” Theo set her leg down and rocked back, studying her. “The thieving.”
“Sometimes.” Why lie about it? “I’ve helped a lot of people.”
“You’re a thief.” He shook his head and stood, withdrawing.
Oh, yeah. She’d forgotten that side of Theo Reese. The honorable, law-abiding, honest guy. What he’d done as a soldier, he’d done during war. Some people didn’t realize that wars always went on…just not publicly. “I am.” She wouldn’t lie to him again. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to work full time for a nonprofit like Other Tracks. Do real work and get some good done.” She gestured toward the anklet. “But that’s not going to be my path, and we both know it.”
“You’re giving up?”
“No. Just being realistic.” She slid to the edge of the bed. “Now I need a shower, and then I have to meet Saul.”
Theo crossed his arms, his gaze implacable. “Oh, lady. Your entire life just changed. Accept that now.”
Her head snapped up, and she stood. In her bare feet, looking up at least a foot to his hard gaze, she barely held back a telltale shiver. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve been tagged like an animal to get to me and my family.” His arms uncrossed. “You stole a file that could ruin us.” He moved toward her and took both arms in his, lifting her up on her toes. “You just became my responsibility, whether you like it or not. Get on board and now.”
* * * *
Theo kept his gaze stoic when all he wanted to do was punch a wall. To think she’d lived with this pain for an entire decade without anybody to help her. That ended and right now.
Her gaze softened. “You can’t save me, Theo.”
The fuck he couldn’t. “Take a shower. We’ll talk after you’re feeling better.” His doorbell rang, and he released her.
She jerked. “Who’s here?”
“Reinforcements. I called my brothers the second I recognized the planekite. Shower. Now.” He turned her and patted her ass to get her going. She slapped his hand. Good. Her spunk was coming back. “You have five minutes and I’m dragging you out of there.”
She paused at the doorway and flipped him off.
He grinned and grabbed her suitcase to drop outside the bathroom. Then he headed for his front door, bypassing his sprawling living room with the quiet brick fireplace. Reaching the front door, he opened it just as Jared was about to bust through. “Geez. Give me a minute.”
His brothers both stomped inside, brushing snow off their leather jackets. Jared had black hair and even blacker eyes, while Chalton had blond hair and black eyes and much more angular features. They were both about Theo’s height at six-foot-five, and right now wore matching frowns.
“She has a planekite band on her ankle?” Jared snarled, slamming the door behind himself.
“Yes. She’s worn it for a decade and is now being blackmailed to hurt us,” Theo said, jerking his head at the computer bag over Chalton’s shoulder. “Did you bring anything that will help?”
Chalton shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s take a look at the anklet.” As the computer genius for the entire Realm, Chalton had the best equipment. “Though aren’t you the one who hacked me last month?”
“I am.” Theo grinned, unable to help himself, warming that his brothers had come immediately to help. It was good to be back in each other’s lives after too long of a time. “But I don’t have the hardware the Realm is using. You have it.”
Chalton nodded. “Fair enough.”
Jared ran a hand through his shaggy hair, taking note of Theo’s bare chest. “Anything you want to tell us?”
“No.” Theo gestured them into the living room, with its dark sofas, before pressing a button on the wall. The blinds lifted to reveal the New York skyline just coming awake.
“I can smell her on you,” Chalton muttered, sitting and unpacking his bag. He looked toward Jared. “Is this going to be weird?”
Jared dropped into a leather chair. “Theo is always weird.” He scrubbed both hands down his face. “I wasn’t in love with her, and now I know that fact since I’ve mated Veronica. But I do like Ginny, and I hate that she’s been used against us like this.”
“Me too.” Theo rolled his neck and remained standing. “Saul is coming after us.” God. He had to keep the Green Rock file away from Chalton. Jared had known about the file way back when, but Chalton needed to be protected. “Has anybody heard from Uncle Benny?”
Jared exhaled loudly. “Yes. He’s coming home from Russia to kill us. If we go quietly, he’ll leave Mom alone.”
Chalton winced. “All we did was blow up two of his homes and get his private data stolen. Does that require death?”
“Yes,” Theo and Jared said in unison. They weren’t kidding, either. Theo looked around his high-end place. “Is there anything we could offer Benny?”
“Just our heads,” Jared said grimly.
Damn it. Spare him from thousand-year-old vampires who just couldn’t relax and find humor in a good explosion. “One thing at a time,” Theo said. “When Saul attacked Ginny through the anklet earlier, she texted him that she’d meet him at rendezvous point B tomorrow at midnight. So I’m guessing it’s somewhere she has to travel to reach.”
“Guessing?” Jared sat back, his gaze narrowing. “She hasn’t told you?”
Theo crossed his arms. “She’s not going to trust us completely, especially with her dad’s life, until we show we can help. She’s been on her own a long time, Jar.”
Jared coughed. “Her dad is alive?”
“Yes, and he’s imprisoned by Saul.” Theo’s hands clenched into fists. “I can’t believe she’s dealt with this by herself for a fucking decade.”
Jared and Chalton exchanged a look.
“What?” Theo asked, his instincts humming.
Chalton shrugged, typing rapidly on his computer. “You’ve always had a thing for her. I remember centuries ago… And you liked her.”
“So?” Theo asked.
Jared grinned. “It’s fun to see you be the one dangling after the last several months. You had many a smart-ass comment when Chalton and I were, ah…”
“Turning into mated wussies?” Theo asked, matching his grin.
Jared rolled his eyes. “Yeah. That.”
“Listen.” Theo had never lied to his brothers, and he wasn’t going to start now. “I like her, but this is just temporary and to scratch a quick itch. The woman is a thief, and she’ll be gone when we’re done here.”
Charlton snorted.
Jared coughed into his hand.
Theo rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Just because you guys got all domesticated doesn’t mean I will. Come on.” Even as he said the words, they sounded hollow to him. He was spared whatever retort his brothers wanted to make by Ginny moving into the room.
With her wet hair curling down her back, sans the makeup, she looked about eighteen. Pure and innocent except for the sparkle in those dangerously blue eyes. Unlike her usual fitted dress, she’d pulled on faded jeans with a soft robin’s egg blue sweater. The bruise from the night before marred her right cheek with an odd purple, making her look both beautiful and tragic.
She smiled. “The Reese boys all in one place.” With an exaggerated movement, she winked at Theo. “I hope your apartment is insured.”