Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(58)

“I’m going to handle it.” I was grateful for the damn ropes now because my hands were shaking.

He looked at me like I was insane, which I probably was. Then a light of recognition lit those black eyes. “The witch’s divining amulet. Of course, that’s why you’re here. It really works? I thought she was just bat-shit crazy.”

“It works. I’m going to use it and free the angel. Halfer will lose his advantage on the very night he needs it.”

There was a triumphant smile on his really scary face. It was nice to know my plan was demon approved. “You’re an interesting woman. You plan to sneak out of the ball with your little divining rod, find the angel, unbind him because the only way Brix could keep him is to bind his magic, and then return him to his plane. You’re going to die, you know.”

I had him in my trap. I just had to close the door behind and make sure he was in. “Probably. But what if I don’t?”

“I think it will be immensely entertaining either way.” Stewart waved his hand and my limbs were free.

Though my every muscle was shaky and weak, I forced myself up and made my way to Dev. I climbed on his altar, taking his face in my hands, reassuring myself that he was alive. Tears clouded my eyes as I stared down at him. So close. That damn knife had been so close to his throat. With aching hands, I started to work on his bindings.

“Allow me.” Stewart didn’t need hands to undo Dev’s binding. They simply fell away.

I pulled Dev’s head into my lap, my hand smoothing back his hair. He opened his eyes, obviously fighting the drugs that were coursing through his system. “Zoey, you need to run, sweetheart.”

And leave him here? I knew it was the most expedient thing to do, but I simply couldn’t. “Not on your life, lover. You go back to sleep. I’ll take care of everything. It’s going to be all right now.”

“Touching,” Stewart said with disdain.

In the distance, a siren began to wail. I turned toward the sound and down the mountain I saw red and blue lights turning in the darkness.

Stewart sighed as he watched the police cars move ever closer. “Apparently your husband realized it was time to call in the cavalry. These idiots might have been fairly useless, but they set up a good defensive perimeter. Well, my time here is at an end. I look forward to the ball, dear. See that you don’t disappoint me. I might not be able to contract with you, but I still think it might be a good idea to get in your husband’s good graces. I can do that any number of ways. It’s your choice. If you want your lover alive, you’ll do the job.” He reached down and picked something off Mary Jo Renfro’s dead body. He tossed it to me. “Don’t forget this.”

The Revelation. In all the horror of the evening, I’d almost forgotten about it. I put it around my neck, a sense of peace coming over me.

With a blast of brimstone, Stewart was gone, and I was left with thirteen dead witches, one stoned faery, and very few explanations anyone would believe. I should have run. It was standard. Don’t get caught by the cops. It was rule number one in the thieves’ handbook. I was supposed to run and deal with getting Dev out later. But I sat there, kissing his forehead and feeling the reassuring beat of his heart against my hand. I just sat there and waited to be taken into custody.

It occurred to me that Stewart was right. My love was going to take us all down.





Chapter Fifteen





“Hey, sweetheart, I just thought of something,” Dev laughed, looking up at me. “I haven’t done it in a jail cell. Well, not in the U.S.”

Faeries can handle their alcohol. They can handle a substantial amount of it. Don’t try drinking a faery under the table because he’s still going to be sitting there long after you fall out of your seat. Hard-core drugs, on the other hand, are a completely different story. It had been three hours since the police found us huddled together surrounded by corpses, and if Dev had sobered up any, I couldn’t tell.

The Bristol County Jail was so small it only had one holding cell, so Dev and I had been placed in the cell together. It was better that way because Dev was very difficult to handle. This was a police force that was built to take care of the occasional drunk and perhaps citizens who refused to acknowledge the annual burn ban. It was not ready for mass murder. The entire police force had answered the call. One sheriff and two deputies had shown up, guns drawn, and the two deputies promptly began throwing up. At least the sheriff had been able to hold it together.

I ran my fingers through Dev’s thick hair, the softness soothing me. “We don’t have time to check anything off your list, baby. Daniel will be here soon.”

He sure as hell better be. It had already been far longer than I expected to wait. Daniel should have been here busting open the freaking bars and getting us the hell out of here. I’d already been booked on suspicion of multiple homicides. The fact that I was covered in blood didn’t help my case. It also didn’t help that the police knew all the victims, but I was an outsider.

I wore an overly large jumper because the police had taken my clothes. Evidence. I wasn’t supposed to leave behind evidence. The sheriff was on the phone calling larger cities in an attempt to get an actual crime scene unit to the farm. From what I understood, the local vet served as the county coroner, and he was on a fishing trip.