Steal the Light (Thieves #1)(12)

Ingrid’s blue eyes practically glowed with excitement. “Oh, yes. I know just the person, love.”

That’s how I woke up under a bridge with a monster hangover and a date with an earthbound faery prince.





Chapter Four





“By god, girl, this is the end of the line. If you think for one minute I’m going to allow you to pull a job for a demon, then you don’t know me at all!” My father had already been red in the face even before I opened the door, so I knew I was in for it. His Irish temper didn’t take much to set off, but when he was this close to exploding, I knew I was in for a fight.

“You should really lock your door,” Sarah said quietly from behind me.

“Wouldn’t make a difference.” I walked into my tiny living room, despite my instincts to flee.

I’d woken up under the bridge sometime in the early afternoon with a massive headache and a slightly altered outlook on life. Halle had taken care of the headache with a mug of something herbal. I didn’t ask about the contents. It worked and that was all that mattered. I bid the pair good-bye and promised not to let as much time pass between visits.

The first call I made when I got back to my car was to wake up Sarah. My blind date was picking me up at eight, and I knew I was in trouble when it came to the fashion department. Old jeans and faded black T-shirts were not going to make the first-date cut. I needed something nice, and there was no way I trusted my own instincts for something this important. It wasn’t important because I thought I was going to immediately fall in love. It was important because it was the first step away from the cycle I had been in since Daniel died. It deserved new clothes and a haircut. Sarah had massive experience in both.

The last thing I needed was a visit from my father.

“What the hell are ya thinking, girl? Do you know the kind of trouble you’re getting yourself into?”

I looked at my father and realized this was a turning point as well. I could cry and beg his forgiveness and ask him to help me out of the situation. He would hug me and tell me everything would be all right, and then he would completely take over. Or I could grow up and take charge. It was far past time for me to take a stand with my overbearing father.

“What do you mean ‘getting myself into,’ pops? According to everyone I’ve talked to, I’m in and there’s no way out, so rest easy. The worst has happened. It’s all downhill from here.” I threw my bags on the kitchen table. I carefully hung up the black cocktail dress Sarah had found at a vintage store.

“Yes, downhill leads straight to Hell,” he continued. “This ain’t something to joke about, Zoey. Demon kind is serious about their contracts.”

“I can laugh or I can cry, Dad. I can’t fix this problem tonight, so I don’t see the value in worrying myself to death over it. Now, who ratted me out?” I turned and immediately had my question answered. Daniel was standing in the shadows looking broody. His arms were crossed, but he let them drop as he took a close look at me. “I should have known. Did you even wait until today or did you immediately go straight from here last night to tattle?”

“Your dad called me. He has the right to know what we’re going into. And why the hell did you cut your hair,” Daniel stated, ignoring my question.

“Well, you should be glad he told me. He’s the only one with any sense,” my father continued, unabated. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“You colored it, too.” Daniel made his observation a veritable accusation.

“I just had Anton pump up the color a little.” Sarah had been thrilled when I called her. She had dropped everything in favor of helping me with a mini-makeover. She had been trying to force me into a girl’s day out for a long time. If I had known how good a deluxe mani-pedi could make a person feel, I would have done it a long time before. Spending the day with Sarah had made me realize how I had been keeping everyone at a distance. It had been nice to share a day with someone as open and happy as Sarah.

My father continued his tirade. “And do you know what will happen when ya do manage to get yourself horribly murdered by whatever is waiting out there? Don’t think there’s not something waiting. When it gets ya, you’ll find yerself on some Hell plane being some demon’s bitch, and let me tell ya that’s worse than any ‘girls in prison’ movie you’ve seen…”

“A couple of highlights and the red in her hair really pops,” Sarah was explaining. “I also had him texturize the hell out of it. It’s thick but now it lies so nicely.”

“I liked it the other way,” Daniel said sourly.

“Do ya know what a demon can do to ya?” My father pulled me back into the primary conversation.

“Yes, Pop. I remember the bedtime stories,” I said. “It’s something no three-year-old should have to listen to. I had nightmares for years. Do you remember when I accused my kindergarten teacher of having ties to Beelzebub? Do you remember the trip I had to take to the school psychologist?”

“I told ya those stories for a reason,” he said seriously. “I was trying to teach ya something that should be evident to anyone with half a brain. Demons are bad. Ya shouldn’t go into business with them.”

Sarah was ignoring our conversation, preferring to have it out with Daniel. “I think she looks awesome.”