Steal the Night (Thieves #5)(126)

I laughed softly as I attempted to smooth my hair back down. “I don’t think I’ll be working much from here on out. I think this might be my last job for a while.”

Dev got up and stalked across the room. When he reached me, he dropped to his knees and hugged me to him, his face against my belly. “Would it be so bad, my wife? Daniel and I love to take care of you. You could only work when you really wanted to and only take jobs that interest you. I doubt this is the last time you work. You’re too good and far too addicted to give it up completely.”

I smiled down at him. “Besides, you think it’s hot when I steal something.”

“I do, indeed.” He kissed my belly and then got up to press his lips to mine. “I’ll see you later tonight. Go with Trent. You can trust him. I have to shower and, more than likely, change into even more inferior clothing. I wish they would have allowed me to pack for my incarceration. Jail cells are really hell on the grooming process.”

Trent was in the room and he led me out, tugging me away. As long as I could, I kept my eyes on Dev because the sight of him was the only thing that kept me going.





Chapter Thirty-One





Rose was waiting at the door to the suite as Trent hustled me down the hall. Trent looked suspicious of the companion but said nothing as she closed the door behind us, leaving Trent to stand guard outside.

“He didn’t hurt you?” Rose asked.

“The guard? No.” I wondered just how often Rose had been abused by the guards for her to immediately go to that question.

“Good.” She pointed to the bathroom. “Robert thought you would need to shower after spending time with your husband. The shower’s hot. Hurry. I’ll take your clothes and Robert will wash them.”

The hot shower felt good and I enjoyed feeling clean for the first time in days. Rose proved she didn’t mind nudity as she was waiting with a towel when I turned off the water and exited the lovely, feminine shower. The glass enclosure had carved flowers all over it. Rose nudged me to sit in front of a vanity and began working a comb through my hair.

We were quiet for a moment as she worked. My hair was a mess but she was patient. I thought about Dev and Danny and she thought about…probably her very uncertain future.

“What’s going to happen to you, Rose?” I asked quietly, looking at her in the mirror. She hadn’t changed out of her pajamas yet. She wore an old-fashioned looking gown that somewhat swallowed her petite figure.

Her lips moved in a semblance of a smile. “I’ll be sold again, I suppose. I didn’t like that part.”

I had seen the ritual auction of a companion once before and it had been completely humiliating. I didn’t like to think about little Rose being put through that not once but twice. “How do you stay so calm?”

“You stay calm. How do you do it?”

I shifted uncomfortably because what I was thinking was a bit uncomplimentary, but I really wanted to know. “I have Dev and…”

Rose’s smile was bright now. “Yes, of course. You have the men you love to bolster you. You think I don’t have anyone I love?”

I felt like shit but she seemed amused. “I don’t mean it like that. You were just very young when they took you and I find it hard to believe you’ve found someone in this hellhole.”

“I found Robert,” Rose said with a look that was wise far beyond her years. “I found a father, not a lover, but I have more than that, Zoey. I have faith. I believe that when the time is right I’ll run and I won’t look back.”

So the little mouse had a backbone. “Yes, Rose, if you get that chance, you run for your life.”

Rose sighed. “I dream about it, you know. I dream about walking into my old home and my mum’s there and I’ll tell her I’m sorry for taking so bloody long to get back from the store.”

I laughed. “I think it would be a bit more emotional than that. Do you think she’s still there?” It had been years.

“Yes, she’s still there. It’s the last place she saw me. She wouldn’t leave. She’ll stay there until I show up again or she dies. I want to go home, Zoey. I want to walk into that flat and find my mum waiting with a book in her hand. I want to tell her what she did for me. I want to thank her because all this time, all these years, I was never really apart from her. They could take me away and not let me see her, but they couldn’t stop her from whispering in my ear. She told me she loved me. She told me that strength comes in many forms and the greatest is to face adversity and stay true to who you are. I’m still her daughter. No matter what happened. I am still Rose Beasley. I would let her know she never let me down.”

“Rose, if you manage to get out…my father’s name is Harry Wharton.” I said, moved so deeply by her courage that I missed my own father sharply. “He lives in Dallas, Texas.”

“I will call him if I can,” she replied. “I’ll let him know you love him. Now dry those tears. I expect the sun is down by now and our master will be here soon. I need to get your hair dry.”

Rose went to work, pulling a brush through my hair as she worked it over with the dryer. I let her do the job as I mentally prepared myself for the coming evening. Daniel was alive. Dev was alive. I had to do everything I could to keep them that way. Rose brushed my hair and I let a sense of acceptance flow over me. Nothing mattered except doing my job. Once the job was done and Dev and I could run, then I would worry about the rest. Then I’d save Neil. Then I would avenge my wolf.