Steal the Night (Thieves #5)(55)

So Terry had lied. I couldn’t really get pissed off at him. He was just doing his job, but I needed to find out just what that job was.

“Does anyone want to explain what this group is and why they think Dev is a gangster?” It was getting really hard to ignore the pain in my arm. I shifted uncomfortably.

“The Order has been around longer than I have,” Hugo explained. “They’re a sort of watch group. They’re primarily concerned with demonic influence on our plane. They attempt to keep the demon groups at bay. They only step in outside of demonic activity during the direst of circumstances or when a group directly requests their aid. They take the whole knight ideal very seriously. They can be extremely aggressive when they believe the balance is at risk. As for why they believe the faery is a gangster…well....”

There was a certain amusement in Marcus’s eyes as he took over. “What Hugo is trying to say is the Order keeps very detailed files on the plane’s more interesting citizens. I read my own file about a hundred years ago when I did some work with the oracle you spoke of. I found it surprisingly correct. They have excellent intelligence. If the Order has determined Mr. Quinn here is a gangster, then it’s because he’s a gangster. Did they discover the brothel you started last year?”

My mouth opened and my head turned. Dev attempted to look very innocent. “I was only an investor, lover. Some of my Vegas girls thought it would be a good idea, and might I point out that brothels are entirely legal in Nevada. My partner and I thought it was a good investment. Have you ever seen a shapeshifter at work? Those girls can make a ton of money.”

I’d only gotten one pertinent piece of information out of that lecture. “You brought Daniel into your venture into pimpdom?”

“I wouldn’t call it a venture,” Dev said seriously. “I would call it a subsidiary. Daniel is the one who had the idea. We’re expanding. We bought a small production studio in Los Angeles as well. The supernatural world has needs, too. Who better to meet those needs than a fertility god? Really, sweetheart, Daniel and I view it as bringing a little more joy into the world.”

Zack laughed. “That’s funny because one of the hookers’ names is Joy.”

The car turned and I wasn’t ready for it. I slammed against Dev and heard myself scream just before the lights blissfully went dark.





Chapter Fifteen





I woke to the smell of the ocean and the sweet heat of the sun on my skin. Blinking, I opened my eyes and saw fluffy white clouds and a perfect blue sky. Whatever I was reclining on swayed softly, the motion a comfort.

“Are you feeling better, cara?” a deep voice asked.

I turned slightly and tried to focus on Marcus. “Where am I?” Even as I asked the question, I realized the answer. I was in one of the most recognizable cities on the planet. The canals kind of gave it away. “How did I get to Venice?”

The last thing I remembered was being with Dev in Hugo Wells’s limousine.

The Italian chuckled and motioned to the gondolier behind us. He lifted his pole and suddenly we were moving. I touched my clothes, which had strangely morphed from a Marc Jacobs skirt and blouse to a sumptuous silk gown like something out of a historical film. It was a rich emerald green. Dev often selected this color when he picked a dress for me. Marcus was in rich-looking silk and velvet. I touched my waist and felt the hard bones that lined the corset. It made my waist very small and shoved my boobs up. I glanced around and noted that Marcus and I were not the only ones dressed in historical garb. All around us people walked and worked on the cobblestone streets. Vendors squawked their offerings. Mothers tugged children behind them as they did their shopping. Men spoke to each other as they trudged along.

Marcus lounged negligently against the cushions of the flat-bottomed boat, his sensual lips curling into a lopsided smile. “You, gorgeous girl, are obviously having a delicious dream.”

I was having a stunningly vivid dream. It was like dreaming in HD. I was hyper aware of everything. The gondola skimmed the surface of the lagoon gracefully, swaying as we passed other boats. The heavy velvet of the cushions was a welcome softness against my skin as I let myself rest back against it.

“You know, you can do whatever you like in your dreams,” Marcus said with a gleam in his dark eyes. “A dream is the perfect place to live out a fantasy.”

“I suppose so.” I murmured, though my brain was working overtime. If this was my dream, why was I in sixteenth century Italy? I usually ended up on a beach with a fruity drink in my hands and someone rubbing my feet.

Even through my heavy skirts, I felt Marcus place his hand on my knee. His voice was seductive and smooth. “Perhaps there is a man you have always wanted but have been afraid to try. In a dream, you can do what you wish. You can take that man you’ve wanted from the first time you laid eyes on him and do as you wish without fear of your husband finding out. It isn’t cheating in a dream, cara. It’s merely wish fulfillment.” His hand squeezed my knee as he turned toward me. His other hand gently tilted my head up as his thumb brushed across my lips. “Haven’t we waited long enough?”

Uh-huh, I thought. There might be some wish fulfillment going on, but it wasn’t my wish that was going to get fulfilled if that horny Italian had his way. Marcus leaned in but just as his lips were about to touch mine, I shoved a hand between us and pushed his “trying to get me to cheat” lips back.