Authors: Crystal Jordan
Unleashed (32 page)
“Right. Assuming that you've managed to remove Sophie from my men's guardianship, I'm going to need something to make sure Tam does as she's told. Specifically you, Constantine.” Stefan jerked his chin toward a doorway that opened off the ballroom. “Move or I will kill you. Don't doubt it.”
As if there was any room for doubt. Breck walked in the direction of the door, and presumably the office and safe that held the Queen's Jewels beyond. “You're assuming pointing a gun at me will make Tam do anything.”
Now, there was a sad truth that burned straight down to Breck's soul. On the one hand, he didn't want to be a pawn Stefan could use to manipulate her. On the other hand, did he
want
more evidence that his mate didn't care for him as much as he cared for her? Not really. He
knew
she loved Sophie, but him? Not really. Not enough to stay.
want
more evidence that his mate didn't care for him as much as he cared for her? Not really. He
knew
she loved Sophie, but him? Not really. Not enough to stay.
Â
The blue light of a freeze torch illuminated the sharp angles of Delilah's face. A triumphant grin curled her lips. “We cracked the Helax 1600. We're going to be fucking legendary.”
Tam checked the chrono hanging on the office wall. Fifteen seconds left. “We unlocked the door, we haven't stolen anything from it yet.”
“What's your plan for that?” Delilah shut down her freeze torch and stowed it in her bag.
Tam kept her gaze fixed on the chrono but set one hand on the handle of the safe. “You'll see. Get ready to open it in . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .”
The lights flashed, then darkened. All sounds of electronic devices cut off. People called out in the distance, and she could hear running feet outside the window. Not a moment to lose.
Delilah threw her weight behind opening the door, which no longer had electricity to help it swing. The two women grunted and the door gave, its hinges squeaking.
“Stand guard, Dee.” Tam grabbed a bag and used her cheetah speed to dart through the opening. Her feline sight gave her the ability to see what she wanted and she shoved the necklaces, tiaras, diadems, earrings, brooches, and parures into the bag.
Hurry.
She counted down the seconds she had left before the power would come back on.
Faster, Tam, faster.
She pushed her speed to the absolute limit. If so much as a toe was still in the safe when that happened, she was dead.
Hurry.
She counted down the seconds she had left before the power would come back on.
Faster, Tam, faster.
She pushed her speed to the absolute limit. If so much as a toe was still in the safe when that happened, she was dead.
Snatching up the last silver coronet, she spun and threw it to Delilah, sprinting for the door and diving through it headfirst. The lights flickered back to life.
“Fuck me.” Delilah stared into the safe, as the laser beams laced back and forth across the interior. “Those are the ones that'll slice your legs off. They aren't just motion detectors.”
“They're both.” Tam gasped for breath on the floor, rolling to her back and pushing the bag of jewels to the side. “And if you set off the detectors, they trigger a gas that'll kill your nervous system.”
“Upgrades from the last Helax model.” The lynx-shifter shuddered but shoved the door closed. “How long before they know it's been breached?”
“If we're lucky? An hour. I had the power knocked out across all of Surrey, not just this house, so they won't automatically know they were targeted.” Pushing herself upright, Tam tried to stiffen her shaking legs. She helped Delilah slide the armoire that hid the safe back into place, then heaved a sighed. “Deus, we did it.”
“Cracked a Helax 1600
and
stole the Queen's Jewels,” Delilah crowed. “When that bit of buzz gets around, we are going to be
notorious.
”
and
stole the Queen's Jewels,” Delilah crowed. “When that bit of buzz gets around, we are going to be
notorious.
”
Tam chuckled and handed the lynx-shifter the bulging bag. “Enjoy your dress-up session before you give them back.”
“You know I will. I might do a naked show for Hunter in them. He'd love that.”
Tam dabbed the sweat from her forehead, trying to come to grips with the fact that she'd made it out of that safe alive when no one else who'd tried to break into it ever had. “Rumor has it you met him trying to steal the famed Avery ruby.”
“I like shiny things. And I like when people pay me to steal them.” The lynx-shifter hummed in her throat as she peered into the bag. “Now those are some prime bits of pretty right there.”
“You have to hand it to them, the royals really know their expensive baubles.” Tam swept back a lock of hair that had come loose in her tumble out of the safe. “Give me the fakes. They're going to Stefan.”
She'd already looked at them, and they were good. They'd pass anything but a close inspection. That might throw the little weasel off just long enough. She had to try. There was no way she'd risk him touching the real things. They'd be gone and Tam would be to blame. Tam
and
Delilah, and she wouldn't do that to someone who'd helped her more than once.
and
Delilah, and she wouldn't do that to someone who'd helped her more than once.
Delilah cocked her head to the side, her body going still. “Someone's coming.”
“Shit.” Tam heard it, too, the sound of footsteps approaching. “Stash the goods.”
They each stuffed their bags behind different pieces of furniture. Tam grabbed Delilah's arm and shoved her onto the long kleather sofa that dominated one wall. Delilah landed in a sprawl on her back, and Tam knelt between her legs. She shoved the other woman's skirt up her thighs, then tugged her own dress down to her waist, baring her breasts.
“Whaâ”
The door swung open and Tam giggled drunkenly, leaning over Delilah's prone form. A large man stood in the doorway, his mouth sagging open when he took in the scene before him. His gaze went straight to Tam's breasts and glazed a bit. Just as she'd intended. She giggled harder. “Oops, Dee, we got caught.”
Delilah pouted and glared at their intruder. “Why did you have to ruin our fun?”
He cleared his throat, his gaze darting between Delilah's long, bared legs and Tam's chest. “I . . . um . . . we're doing a manual security check of the . . . of the house and grounds. Because of the power outage. It shorted the . . . vidmonitors.”
Also what Tam had intended.
“Did the lights go out? I thought that was just the orgasm.” Delilah giggled and reached up to grope one of Tam's breasts.
Tam slapped the lynx-shifter's hand away, laughing. Making a half-hearted attempt to pull her dress back up, she made sure her chest was still in view and still distracting the guard. She gave him a sheepish glance. “Our men are handling some business affairs at the party, so we decided to sneak off and handle some affairs of our own.” She winked. “Drusilla said her staff would understand.”
“Ah.” He coughed into his fist. “Yes, well, this is a restricted area. I'm going to need to escort you out.”
“Of course.” Tam nodded sagely but made sure to weave drunkenly as she rose to her feet. “You'll wait out in the hall for us while we tidy ourselves up? With the door closed, if you please. Anyone could walk by, and that might be quite embarrassing for my friend's husband.”
Delilah heaved a long-suffering sigh, sat up, and somehow managed to flash even more of her long legs. “We're newlyweds. He's still smitten.”
“You have one minute.” The guard grabbed the knob and pulled the door shut.
Delilah shoved her dress down, running for her jewel bag. “What was that about Lady Abernathy?”
“Lord and Lady Abernathy share the same mistress.” Tam hauled her gown up and slid the straps over her shoulders, then went to get her own bag.
Delilah paused for a moment. “You mean a three-way or like a time-share?”
“Time-share, I think.” Tam strode over to push open the window, glancing out to see if anyone was watching.
“Does she get paid overtime?”
“Hey!” The guard snapped outside the door. Tam was about to reply when she heard a low coughing sound, then the distinct thump of a body hitting the ground.
Gooseflesh rose on her flesh. “Delilah, go out the window. Now.”
“Don't bother, my dear,” Stefan's voice carried clearly through the door, but he wasn't the one who pushed it open.
Breck was.
Tam's blood ran cold at seeing him there. Then she got a clear view of the guard, sprawled across the carpet with a neat hole in his forehead, his eyes staring ahead sightlessly. Her stomach turned. “There was no need to kill the guard, Stefan.”
“He was standing in my way.” Stefan shrugged as if it meant little to him. And it did. Taking someone's life didn't rattle him at all, whereas the scent of death that curled into Tam's nose made her skin prickle with unease.
She looked to Breck, whose face was sickly pale. “Are you all right?”
A muscle flexed in his jaw, and his chin jerked down in a sharp nod. Sweat streaked down his skin, lines of pain bracketing his mouth and eyes.
“What did you do to him?” Delilah demanded.
“Nothing at all. He showed up to the gala a bit worse for the wear. I have my suspicions that he tangled with my men trying to rescue my daughter from my loving care.” Stefan's eyes widened theatrically. “You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Tam?”
“I've been here, doing your dirty work, Stefan.” Her hand tightened on her bag and her mind raced. From where Stefan stood, Delilah was half-hidden behind the desk. It was possible he couldn't see that she held a bag identical to Tam's. “Why don't we get this trade over with? The Queen's Jewels for Breck, and then you just walk away and leave us alone? It's not going to be long before they find that guard outside. You don't have a lot of time, Stefan.”
She hefted the bag, shaking it so the items inside jangled together. Tension stiffened her muscles, terror a living thing inside of her. Was Sophie all right? Why was Breck here and not with the girl? How had he ended up at gunpoint? How injured was he? Oh, Deus. Oh, Deus.
Greed filled Stefan's gaze as it locked on Tam's hand. “I could simply kill all of you and take what's mine.”
“You think you're faster than all three of us combined?” Delilah snorted. “You're dreaming, pisswad. I'd take you down with me, just for spite.”
Stefan ignored her. “Give me the jewels or I put a hole in loverboy they can't slap a nanopatch over.”
“Take them.” Swinging her hand, Tam threw them so they landed close to the middle of the room. Outside of Stefan's reach. She met Breck's gaze, hoping he understood that this might give him a chance to get clear of the gun. His chin dipped a mere millimeter, but it was enough.
Stefan smirked as if he knew Tam was trying to pull something. He jabbed his weapon into Breck's ribs, making him groan. “Step over there, away from both women and my treasure.”
Breck walked toward the couch as he was told, and Stefan moved forward, never lowering his eyes or his gun as he dipped down to pick up the bag. “You too, Delilah. Throw the bag you're hiding over here.”
“How do you know which is real?” Delilah taunted, not moving to do what he said.
“It doesn't matter if I take them both with me,” he retorted, but he looked at Tam. “I told you I'd win.”
Deus, she loathed him as she'd loathed nothing and no one in her life before. Hate spilled through her, dark and ugly. “The jewels aren't what matters to me. Take them and leave us alone.”
“You know, I've been thinking about that. What matters to you.” Stefan smiled at her. “It's not enough for you to die. I thought it would be, but it's not. I want you to lose everything you love. Sophie. Loverboy. Your freedom. I thought Constantine might deny me the pleasure when he didn't come with you tonight, but he was so accommodating. I'm going to love watching you suffer, little whore.”
“Please.” The word was a sob spilling from her lips. What he described was every one of her worst fears coming to life. And looking at that gun of his, the dead guard sprawled out in the hall, she could imagine it all far too clearly. “Don't hurt them.”
“Begging won't help you. They're going to die. You're going to jail.” He said the words as if he relished the taste of them on his tongue. “And I'll know you're out there in the world, even more miserable than I am without your mother, rotting in a cage.”
“No court in the world will convict her when I'm done testifying.” Delilah's eyes narrowed to angry slits, her fangs extended.
“Oh, but she killed you, too. All of you, so she could keep the jewels for herself.” Innocence shone from Stefan's face as he trained his weapon on her. “Throw them to me. Now.”
Helplessness spread through Tam, and tears pricked her eyes. Time slowed down, stretched out until she could feel every painful moment trickling past. Her heart beat in slow, painful thumps. She felt rooted in place, a spectator watching her world crumble. Even if they outnumbered him, he could kill at least one of them before they could take him. Delilah grabbed her bag, flipped it over the desk, and launched it at Stefan's head while she dove for the floor. He ducked and the gun went off, but Breck was already moving toward Stefan.
Other books
Predator by Patricia Cornwell
Average Joe and the Extraordinaires by Belart Wright
The Passage by Irina Shapiro
The Violet Hour: A Novel by Hill, Katherine
She Poured Out Her Heart by Jean Thompson
Kissing Arizona by Elizabeth Gunn
Mistletoe Maneuvers by Margaret Allison
Cavanaugh or Death by Marie Ferrarella
No Ordinary Place by Pamela Porter
