Gifted Thief (Highland Magic #1)(88)

I waited until the Sidhe started to leave. He was more careful this time and took his time stepping onto the gangplank. While the sailors watched him, no doubt keeping their fingers crossed that he would slip and fall, I took advantage of their distraction to fly out from behind the container and duck into the doorway.

This was no pretty wooden boat like the Clan Haig tugboat. It was a working ship, not a pleasure boat, and I was surrounded by steel plates and rusting rivets. That meant I’d have to be careful to keep quiet. Metal conducted sound almost as well as it conducted heat.

Oddly, the strong tang of salt from the sea seemed stronger inside the hold than outside. I tiptoed gingerly down the corridor, ignoring the girly pin-ups from old magazines which had been fixed haphazardly to the walls. Half-naked merwomen just didn’t do it for me.

I sneaked past several rooms, ranging from a galley kitchen to an officers’ mess. I might not know much about ships but I was betting that the cargo the Carnegie Sidhe was so concerned about would be kept down in the bowels of the ship.

The further in I went, the more the vessel seemed to be alive. It creaked and groaned like an old man getting out of bed. I skirted to my right, avoiding the murmur of voices from the other direction, and let out a sigh of relief when I spotted some narrow stairs leading downwards. Bracing my hands on either side of the walls, I crept down, aware of every sound around me – not least the tiny, yet very audible, clank of my footsteps.

The area below was well lit with fluorescent lights hanging from the steel ceiling which gave off a harsh glow. It was also surprisingly tidy. I glanced at the first huge pallet; I couldn’t tell exactly what was inside but it looked like sections of black, smoky plate glass. Certainly it contained nothing worth stealing – or nothing worth a Sidhe getting their knickers in a twist about. I shrugged and kept going, passing crate after crate filled with similar material. It was only when I heard the rattle from ahead that I paused. That was … interesting.

More wary now, I pushed on. The rattle sounded again. I rounded another pallet, spotted a large cage and halted immediately. Was there an animal inside? Or something worse?

I strained my eyes to make out what was in there. The cage seemed empty but it was in a prominent position, with a clear space around it. That signified its importance; this was more than just an empty cage ? and it was also worryingly large.

Just as I was about to take another step, there was a cough behind me. ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you,’ said a dry voice.

I whirled round. It was a rare day when someone managed to sneak up on me. Deciding to brazen it out, I shook out my hair and tilted up my chin. ‘Why not?’

A merman stepped out from behind one of the pallets. ‘She doesn’t like strangers.’

Tension knotted across my spine. She? I licked my lips. ‘Lord Carnegie asked me to…’

Before I could finish my sentence, the merman boomed out a laugh. It reverberated around the hold and bounced off the steel walls. ‘You’re no Carnegie Sidhe.’

‘Maybe not,’ I said softly, ‘but I am Sidhe.’ Usually that detail was enough to prevent further questions.

‘I know exactly who you are.’

Uh-oh. That wasn’t good. I thought quickly. The sailors above deck had been terrified of the Carnegie lord so maybe I could use that to my advantage. Right now, the merman was blocking my exit and, lithe as I was, I didn’t think I’d make it back up that narrow staircase without him grabbing me. I’d have to continue down the intimidation route, distasteful as it might be.

‘Then you know what I’m capable of,’ I said clearly.

The merman folded his arms. ‘Bad jokes and safe cracking?’ He smirked. ‘Because if you crack that safe, Integrity, you’re not going to get out of here alive.’

I blinked, taken aback. He really did know who I was. ‘How do you…?’

‘I have a cousin,’ he said. ‘A sea-fearing idiot of a cousin. Instead of enjoying all that the ocean has to offer, he lurks around cities stealing shit.’ He snorted. ‘Landlubber.’

My shoulders sagged in relief. ‘Brochan.’

The merman inclined his head. ‘Just so.’ He regarded me for a moment. ‘We don’t tend to talk about him. His parents aren’t exactly proud that their firstborn is thalassophobic.’

Afraid of the sea. I had to admit it was certainly an unusual – and not particularly welcome ? trait in a merman. But Brochan was also my friend. ‘He’s far more capable than most. He might have turned his back on the ocean blue but he doesn’t have to kneel to a Clan and he doesn’t have to worry about getting wrinkly fingers from spending too much time in the water.’ I raised my eyebrows pointedly.

The merman grinned. ‘Indeed. We meet up from time to time. He likes you a lot. He’ll be pleased to know that you’re sticking up for him.’

‘He doesn’t need me to stick up for him. He can fight his own battles.’

He took no offence at my sniffy comment. ‘Just so. I’m Jimmy, by the way.’

I inclined my head in wary greeting and watched him for a moment. ‘So what’s in the cage?’ I asked finally.

‘Nothing you’d want to nick.’

I smiled. ‘Come on, Jimmy. We’re practically family.’

He laughed wheezily. ‘Good one. The day I’m practically family with a Sidhe is the day my parents disown me too.’