Steal the Light (Thieves #1)(52)

We had only been out of the house to buy groceries and order the supplies we would need for the job. Dev or Neil escorted me to work every day and Daniel was there to pick me up. We had dinner each night at my father’s house to plan and discuss the heist, but other than that, Daniel kept me in his well-appointed prison. He’d even stopped going to his club for dinner, preferring to stay in with me to make sure I didn’t get myself murdered. He was on blood from a blood bank. He kept it in the fridge and microwaved the bags. His new TV dinner diet had not made him pleasant to be around.

Even though it was driving me crazy, I knew better than to protest too much. It wouldn’t do any good. And I didn’t really have the will to fight. I moved through the days a little like a zombie, just willing myself to get through this job because the last thing I wanted was to go back to Halfer’s tender care. It was sad that I looked forward to these shifts Sarah and I had taken to acquaint ourselves with the hotel we planned to rob tomorrow.

Neil had a job waiting tables and delivering room service. And Dev convinced the front desk girl to boot the people who were staying in the suite we needed. He was booked in a suite on the top floor right above the room where the Light was being moved to tomorrow.

We were set. The night before, Daniel drilled small, almost invisible holes in the ceiling and installed mini cameras to get surveillance on the room. Sarah and I would clean up any dust the drilling left behind and install a few bugs of our own before the party checked in to the room at four this afternoon.

I should have felt more anxious than I did. By the day after tomorrow, I would know my fate. I would either have the Light of Alhorra and turn it over to Halfer, or I would turn myself over to Halfer. Either way, at least the horrible waiting would be over. But I couldn’t muster up a sense of anticipation the way I normally could when a job was coming to fruition.

All I could see when I closed my eyes was that place Halfer had taken me to.

“Well, hopefully you’re back in your place soon.” Sarah moved back, allowing me to enter.

The Gilmore suite was one of the best suites in the hotel. It consisted of two bedrooms, a large sitting area, a spectacular Roman bath, and a glorious view of the city. I walked over to the windows that spanned the entire living room. Light filled the room and I suddenly realized why they chose this particular suite. It hadn’t been confirmed that we were dealing directly with the Fae, but now I was pretty sure.

The Light of Alhorra was a faery object. It made sense that a Fae would own it. I had, long ago, decided to discount the whole story about Halfer’s friend losing the object. Halfer didn’t have any friends. So if the Smith party was a faery group, then this was probably the perfect room for them. If you could pretend the glass wasn’t there, the entire room became a well-appointed aviary. It looked over a large park. On the other side of the building, the views were of other downtown buildings. The lights would be spectacular, but to a faery the lights were just one more manmade atrocity. The Regal suite that Dev had booked was larger, but the windows were much smaller.

“That’s pretty.” Sarah started the vacuum cleaner, making sure to pick up the small piles of dust that the camera holes had made.

“That’s not the only thing that’s pretty,” a low husky voice said in my ear.

“Ear pieces are working.” I mouthed to Sarah, pointing to my ear. She gave me a thumbs up.

This was something like a dress rehearsal. During the heist, we would keep in contact through small Bluetooth devices.

“You look mighty fine in that maid’s uniform.” I could hear the friendly leer in Dev’s voice. “Though I have to admit I prefer the French version.”

I wrinkled my nose at the extremely small camera. I knew where it was placed, but I had trouble seeing it. Daniel did an excellent job. Everything was set. Tomorrow night, Sarah and Dev would work the technical side of things from above while Daniel, Neil and I handled the actual heist.

“You know,” Dev was saying in my ear, “in the movies, maids always wear sexy heels. What’s up with the sneakers?”

I rolled my eyes at the camera. “That’s porn, Dev,” I said as articulately as I could.

“Is that what they call it?” His chuckle gave me warm chill bumps.

Dev’s presence was a definite distraction and one I probably didn’t need. I explained several times that as long as we were working together, I planned to keep my hands off him. He hadn’t given up. I suppose if I was honest with myself, I knew that keeping Dev at arm’s length had nothing to do with workplace ethics and everything to do with Daniel. The truth was I lit up a little when Dev walked in the room. It was simple to be around Dev and his easy, sexy smile.

When Daniel walked in a room, he brought the heavy burden of our past with him. Dev was like the first sunny morning after days of pounding rain. If Daniel hadn’t been around, I would have leapt in with both feet. I would have jumped straight into Dev’s bed.

Lately, the only time I felt like smiling at all was when I thought of Dev.

The vacuum stopped. Sarah looked at me with one hand on her hip. “You should just do him and get it over with.”

“What?” I pulled the comm link out of my ear and switched it off. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to share with Dev.

She laughed and pulled hers out as well. “Girl, it’s all over your face. You have that ‘gimme, gimme’ look that women get when they want a guy who doesn’t want them. The only thing wrong with that scenario is he wants you bad. I don’t see the problem.”