I thrust out my hand, and my heart cracked with the motion and the lie about to spill from my lips. “No. I didn’t want to admit this, but you were right. It was all for the sex. I’ve neglected my shifter side for too long and wanted to see if it was as good as I remembered. It was only a lay. You were only a lay to me.”
Robin winced.
Good. He needs to understand that we’re through. I’ll compromise my morals once—for my parents . . . and the kids—but I can’t do it again. And I can’t mess this chance up either.
“Go back to your Merry Men and put together a plan. I’ll return tomorrow to help with the heist. But after we rob the casino, I want you to leave Vegas. I want you to leave me alone.”
Robin’s shoulders slumped and hoping that I’d gotten my message across, I stomped back toward the ranch, my heart breaking more with each step.
Unlike the night before, his footsteps did not follow.
Chapter Ten
Munchie,Will, Robin, and I stood a block off the strip, waiting for the gang to give us the signal. Except to fill me in on last-minute details, Robin had barely spoken to me since I arrived at the ranch earlier that day. In the few instances that he had, his tone was frosty, and he’d kept his arms crossed over his chest.
Why had I let my emotions get the best of me right before the heist? If I hadn’t given in to my desires, none of this would be happening. I regretted that choice now more than ever. Poor communication between Robin and me might endanger the entire mission. I considered pulling him aside to hash it out, but a voice in my ear stopped me.
“We’re in,” LJ said, his voice soft, just discernible over the sounds of slot machines and people talking in the casino. “Tinker is in the hotel room, working the casino computers. Alan is by the stage, ready to jump on for a distraction. I swear he’s lived his entire life for a moment like this. Tuck, Gilly, and I will roam the floor, looking to start trouble. Or end it. Whichever you need most.” A loud snort filled my ear, and I winced.
The communication bugs in our ears were small and unnoticeable, unless people got too loud and caught you off guard.
“Softer, LJ,” Robin muttered into his own piece.
“Sorry. It’s just that it looks like Tuck is already in character. He seems to have acquired a harem of dudes. Jesus, I wish I had half his mojo,” John lamented.
“Half? Start with a quarter. Any mojo at all would be an upgrade for you,” Will retorted, which made Munchie snigger and LJ roar in outrage.
My lips quirked up at the jab. The guys loved to tease each other, and I appreciated that it lightened the mood.
“Make sure everyone stays within sight of each other,” Robin said, trying to get the group back on track. “If you see a lot of guards heading for the back, you know what to do.”
“Yes, boss,” LJ replied. “We’ll be waiting in case shit goes down.”
“Good. We’re going in.”
“Good luck.” There was a pause, and when I thought the comm had switched off, LJ spoke again. “Hey, Mar?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t think I said this before, but welcome to the Merry Men. Try not to get caught, okay? I enjoy having you around.”
In my periphery, I caught sight of Robin stiffening. So, he hadn’t told the rest of the gang that I wouldn’t be sticking around.
Now isn’t the time to clue them in.
“Thanks, John. I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“You bet, sweetheart,” LJ replied, and the bug cut out.
Munchie shrugged off his leather jacket and tossed it into the bushes to reveal a casino employee’s uniform underneath. His uniform was identical to the one the rest of us wore.
Besides the clothes, Tinker and I had further disguised me by using contouring makeup techniques she’d learned from the internet. We’d also hurriedly bleached my brown hair to platinum blonde. I didn’t love it, but I looked like a new person, and that was the whole point.
“What do you guys say we get moving?” Munchie asked.
“Let’s do it.” I stepped forward to claim Munchie as my partner. The action made Robin scowl, which was ridiculous. It wasn’t like he could fly me up to the window. Like me, he needed to be carried.
After a brief look around to make sure no one was staring, Munchie transformed into an enormous harpy eagle. I followed suit, transforming into a small fox. As soon as my shift was complete, Munchie snapped me up, and we were in the air, rising above the city. Wind rushed through my fur as I soared higher and higher in the eagle’s sharp talons.
