“Oh, the usual. Wyatt’s thoughts on ghost slime. Then he received a notification on the computer, picked up the phone, and Viktor sent out the messages to those he selected for the job.”
I slowed my descent when I saw Christian leaning against the stone railing on the first floor.
“Are you ready, lass?”
I stopped near the bottom and looked down at him. “Where’s Viktor?”
“He went for a wee.”
“I’m serious.”
Christian put his hands under my arms and lifted me off the staircase with ease. Sometimes I forgot how incredibly strong he was, how he could lift heavy objects without holding his breath or grunting as most people did.
Gem walked around one of the winged statues and combed her fingers through her lavender locks. Claude had recently trimmed her wavy hair and made the color more vibrant. “Should I get my coat? I thought he wanted me here to translate messages on the phones you bring back. I’m nervous.” She bounced on her toes.
Claude walked over to the closet and retrieved their jackets. “Put this on in case.” After giving Gem her winter coat with the fur collar, he put on his brown leather jacket and smoothed his hands over his loose curls. Nothing he did ever made that head of hair unattractive.
I tugged at one of the buttons on Christian’s long trench coat. “Whatcha got in there?”
“Sexual goodness.”
“I meant weapons.”
A dark, rapturous look twirled in his eyes.
“I meant a weapon you know how to use.”
He pursed his lips and gave me an indignant look. We both knew his bedroom skills were unparalleled, but I felt like a rubber band stretched to its limits that was about to fly off.
Viktor marched toward us from the hall by the stairs. Judging by his tan chinos and brown sweater jacket, he wasn’t going. “Where is Shepherd?”
“He’s on his way,” I answered.
Viktor tugged up his sleeve and glanced at his watch.
A minute later, Shepherd jogged into the room. He had on jeans, a heather-grey T-shirt, and a jacket. He raised his black medical bag. “Do I need this, or am I staying here? I need to let Switch know if I’m leaving in case Hunter wakes up. Sometimes he gets up in the middle of the night when he has a nightmare. I don’t want him panicking if I’m not there.”
“I will take care of that.” Viktor waved us closer into a tight circle. “You only get one chance with each man. If you fail, they might inform the others of the assassination attempt and flee the city. Your first target is Ivar, the Chitah. We received information that he has a private shopping tour at Kleinman’s.”
Gem’s eyebrows rose. “The crystal shop? Boy, they’re expensive! I went in there once to look for gemstones.”
“Is it like those Swarovski crystals?” I asked.
She adamantly shook her head. “No. I mean yes, they sell some of those for humans who wander in, but they specialize in collectibles. Breed antiques made from some of the finest jewelers and craftsmen. It’s not like what they sell at auction where the items come with a history; these are simply the most beautifully designed objects by some of the best. And don’t even go near the crystal egg. They’ve got it locked in a case on a pedestal with rope around it. I leaned in to look for the price and a security guard put me in a choke hold.” She dusted off her jacket with a look of annoyance. “Ten thousand is too much for an egg.”
“A choke hold? Is this a Breed shop?”
“Uh-huh.”
“What time is the private tour?” I asked Viktor.
He looked at his watch again. “Eleven o’clock.”
My internal Mage clock told me it was only nine. Once we got there, we’d have just enough time to come up with a plan, get ourselves in position, and make our move.
I scratched under my collar. “They’ll probably roll the car right up to either the front or back, and they’ll be ready. On the street, he’ll be able to get away. Let’s do this from the inside—pose as workers.”
“If it’s a private tour, we won’t be able to get inside,” Claude pointed out.
