Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(100)

“Lee is your bodyguard,” Neil said with a sigh. “I’m just your playmate. I don’t even cook anymore. Albert kicked me out of his kitchens. I just hang around the house and go shopping with you.”

“And take arrows in the ass to save my life.” I rubbed my hands together vigorously to get some feeling in them. I needed my hands warm and working to feel the give and take that came with raking the lock and holding the pins in place. Lockpicking is a delicate business and requires a deft touch that one doesn’t normally get from frozen hands. “The minute we get back, I’ll look around for a job. I’ll make it small time so it can be just you and me.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” I was sure my dad could come up with something. He was retired for the most part, but he still had good connections. I wondered though if Chad wouldn’t have something to say about his boyfriend’s criminal activities. Neil and Chad might not be married but Chad was incredibly possessive. I held the lock in my hand and started to gently glide the pick in.

Neil looked up from his perusal of the gold and gave a startled laugh. “Seriously?” he asked, looking at the picks in my hands. He reached down and pulled the chains apart with little effort on his part. He tossed them aside and opened the chest.

I frowned. “You have no appreciation for a soft touch.”

Arctic blue eyes rolled. “You have no appreciation for speed, honey. That frost giant out there is about to have himself a Daniel sandwich. We need to pick up the pace.”

“Fine.” I agreed with him even though I doubted Daniel would ever let himself be made into a sandwich in a nonsexual way. There was a whole lot of roaring, and not all of it came from the frost giant. Daniel was doing some yelling of his own. He was obviously getting impatient. I sat down beside the treasure. Neil and I sifted through the contents of the chest. This was where the leprechauns kept the good shit. It was full of jewelry and gold and silver housewares, and what looked to be the deeds to land and houses. It had been stuffed with anything a gambler could use to pay off his debts.

“Wow,” Neil said in a reverent tone. He held up an unmounted stone.

“That’s the Blood Stone,” I said with no small amount of awe. It was beautiful in a freaky way. I shone the light directly on it and the reflection filled the cavern. It made everything look like it was bathed in rich, sweet blood.

“Creepy.” Neil handed the stone to me, shivering just a little.

I shoved the stone in my pocket and we both stood up, leaving the rest of the treasure regretfully on the floor. I heard a single gunshot and then a triumphant laugh.

“Take that, f*cker!” Daniel’s yell echoed through the cavern.

I looked at Neil with pursed lips. “What do you want to bet he just shot that frost giant straight through the eye after he tried everything else?”

Neil held his hands out. “I try to stay out of your marital arguments.”

“No, you don’t.” I made my way back out to the front of the cave. Neil followed after me. He was naked, so I knew there was no chance he’d palmed that sapphire I’d seen him looking at. I wasn’t concerned about the stealing—that came naturally—but those little leprechauns really would come after us.

It was easier to see in the big part of the cave. The moonlight made everything glow in a silvery shine. I could see Daniel trying to push the now-dead frost giant off Lee’s wolf body. With a great grunt he managed the task, and when he turned I noted his shirt was covered in blood. I wouldn’t be able to tell if it was his or the giant’s since he healed so quickly.

“You just had to try everything else, didn’t you?” I shook my head as I studied them. There was a neat little hole in the giant’s eye. “You couldn’t just take my word for it.”

Lee changed and groaned as he tried to get up. “God, Donovan, is she always this way? How the hell did you work with her?”

My husband grimaced as he looked down at Lee, trying to ascertain the extent of his injuries. “You want to know something, Lee? She’s been this way since we were eight freaking years old. She used to tell me how to play Monopoly. She’d roll her eyes anytime I made a wrong move. I think your pelvis is broken.”

“You broke my wolf?” I asked, shocked.

“He’ll heal,” Daniel shot back.

“Not like this I won’t.” Lee groaned. “Somebody’s got to reset it.” I started to open my mouth to offer my services. “Anybody but Zoey.”

Neil ran forward. He got in behind Lee and maneuvered his arms under Lee’s armpits. Daniel took his feet. They nodded at each other and Daniel realigned the bones. Lee proved he knew lots of cuss words.

“Better?” Daniel asked.

“If you can call it that.” Lee laid back on the cavern floor. “It’s going to be an hour or two before I can move.” He turned his head to me. “Did you get it?”

I pulled out the stone and tossed it into Danny’s waiting hand. He held it up and the moonlight hit it. My little flashlight hadn’t done the stone justice. Now we were all covered in its bloody beauty.

“This is mine,” Daniel said with a possessive sigh. “This belongs to me.”

I walked up and put my hand on his back. His arm went around me out of habit. “According to the information Marini gave me, it has something to do with the last king.”