Cash stepped to the display and scanned his badge to disable the sensors. Sable watched him with confusion as he reached out and plucked the priceless gold from its resting place. The Ombra was Fae, but she was significantly smaller than him, so why was he helping her? Had they been working together this entire time? She might believe that if Cash didn’t look as if he was three seconds away from vomiting. He hated what he was doing, yet he wasn’t fighting her. Why? He could end this with a flick of his wrist, so sheobviouslyhad more than the gun to his back. But what could she possibly have on?—
Sable gagged at her horrifying realization as Cash handed the egg to The Ombra. The text he’d gotten while they were dancing. It couldn’t be… Dear God, please. Anything but that.
“You have your egg,” Cash spat, his voice so cruel that Sable’s skin flushed with icy gooseflesh. “Now give me back my son.”
Tears fell uncontrollably from Sable’s eyes as he confirmed her worst fear. The Ombra had Clover. That’s why Cash wasn’t resisting. It’s why he willingly helped this woman steal the gold. She had his son.
“Thank you, dear. I couldn’t have done this without you,” The Ombra said as she turned to leave. “But on second thought, no. You can’t have your son.”
“You fucking bitch!” Cashed lunged for her, but the thief raised her gun and aimed it between his eyes.
“Careful, Cash,” she warned, and Sable hated how she said his name. Too much familiarity colored her tone. “I warned you. If you don’t behave, Clover pays the price.”
“But you promised,” Cash growled. “You said if I helped you remove the egg from the museum, you would return my son to me.”
“No, I said I wouldn’t hurt him,” The Ombra corrected. “I specifically said if you helped me, I wouldn’t harm Clover. I can’t help if you were stupid enough to misinterpret my words.”
“Give him back, or so help me, God!”
“Or what, dear?” she said placatingly. “You going to strangle me? Turn me over to the authorities? Clover is with associates of mine. If something happens to me, they’ll kill him, so there’s nothing you can do to me. I’m a woman of my word, though. You helped me, soIwon’tharm the boy. I’m merely keeping him as insurance. No one knows I’m the Ombra, and I intend to keep it that way. You know who I am now, so I need a guarantee you’ll stay silent. If your mouth remains shut and you make sure the police never learn who stole the egg or my identity, Clover will be fine. I am extremely wealthy. He’ll have nice things and go to Ivy League schools. He probably won’t even miss you in a few years.As long asyou keep my secret, your son will live a better life than you could give him.”
“If you think I won’t fight to get him back, then you don’t know me at all,” Cash said, and again, the familiarity in their tones caused Sable’s skin to prick. “Clover is my boy. Mine! Do you hear me? You had your chance, but you threw it away. That child is mine, and you can’t have him.”
“Then I’ll hurt him every time you come after us and tell him his pain was because of you,” The Ombra spat. “Because you refused to obey the rules. He will grow to hate you. He’ll blame his suffering on your stubbornness, so even if you find him, he’ll want to stay with me. Children need their mother, after all.”
Mother.
The Ombra was Cash’s ex. The Shadow was Clover’s mother. Sable thought she was going to be sick, and she shoved her hand further against her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. The Ombra—the very thief who had placed a price on Cash’s head—was the woman who’d so carelessly abandoned her infant. What kind of monster was she?
“You are not his mother,” Cash growled. “You’re just the asshole who tricked me into loving you. A mother would never threaten to torture her child to get away with—uff.” Cash fell backward as The Ombra smashed him in the head with the butt of her gun, and this time, Sable couldn’t stop the yelp from escaping her.
“Watch your mouth before I decide to kill you right here.” The Ombra stepped forward and aimed her gun between Cash’s eyes. “You overestimate your importance in this equation. I don’t care if you live or die. I don’t care about you at all. When we met eleven years ago, I needed a place to lie low. That was it. I was on the run from a job that went south, and I needed someone whose power could hide me from my enemies. A Fae soldier was the perfect protection, so I conned you. I made you think I loved you, and you fell for it like an idiot.”
The Ombra kicked Cash, and Sable’s tears came harder. She wanted to kill this woman, but if she attacked The Shadow, her associates would hurt Clover, and like his father, Sable loved the boy too much to risk his life.
“I hadn’t meant to get pregnant,” The Ombra continued. “Children are nasty little things, and I didn’t want your offspring ruining my body or career, but there I was. I kept the baby in case I ever needed leverage over you, though, and it looks like the little brat came in handy. I need him to control you, and he is my blood, after all. Maybe I can turn him into something useful, but I have no use for you. So, don’t push your luck. Otherwise, I may decide to kill you and then make your son’s life miserable so that your dying reality is one where your actions caused Clover’s suffering. Keep your mouth shut. Forget we ever existed, and Clover will live a very luxurious life. Up to you what future he gets.”
“How could you do this to yourownflesh and blood?” Cash asked as The Ombra prepared to leave. “How can you be so cruel to your child?”
“Child. Child. Child.” She rolled her eyes. “You are exhausting with this kid. You were always so boring.” She shuddered. “No wonder you’re still single. Oh well, it was nice seeing you, dear. Let’s never do this again, and don’t forget. If I discover that you’ve breathed a word of this, I’ll make sure the boy feels every punishment.”
“I won’t let you take him!” Cash raced for his ex, but before Sable realized what was happening, The Ombra spun around and shot him in the chest.
The security guard fell hard, and Sable screamed at the way his body hit the floor. The echoing gunshot hid her voice, though, and The Ombra fled the exhibit without a backward glance. Sable stared at the door, panicking that she had to choose who to save. She couldn’t let the man she loved bleedout, but he wasn’t the only one in danger. Who should she help? Father or son? Should she go after Clover or try to save her dying soulmate? But before she could decide which path to take, Cash rose onto his elbows and turned around. His gaze found her instantly. He knew where she was hiding, which meant he’d heard her scream, and as their eyes met, the horror of her betrayal settled over him. He saw her outfit, her tools, her hiding space. Cash knew what she was. He knew she was a thief, and what’s more, he looked like he hated her.
Cash hit the ground hard, pain exploding in his chest as the bullet slammed into his invisible shield. The technology was Fae magic, and he’d thankfully outfitted all of his guards with it because the shield was the only reason he wasn’t bleeding out.
But there was more than one way to bleed out, and the life drained from his soul as his ex vanished with the egg. He’d never expected to see her again. Not after how she abandoned Clover on his doorstep, but here she was. A dangerous thief, no less, and she’d stolen the most precious thing in the world. Golden egg be damned. She had his son. HIS son. She’d surrendered her rights to be Clover’s mother the day she abandoned him. That boy was his child and his alone, but she’d kidnapped and threatened him. Yes, there was more than one way to bleed out.
A terrified scream echoed below the gunshot’s thunder, and while it seemed The Ombra, or whoever the hell his ex was, hadn’t heard it, he had. What’s more, the voice sounded familiar, and with pain radiating through his chest, Cash pushed himself to his elbows and twisted toward the sound.
His eyes found the voice’s owner, and as their gazes locked, the world fell out from under him.Surely, his vision was lyingto him. The outfit. The tools in her hand. The harness and beltstrappedto her waist. There was only one reason Sable would be dressed like that instead of in her gown. There was only one reason she would be in this exhibit instead of downstairs sipping champagne. Sable was one of the thieves bent on stealing the egg, and his entire body shut down. He’d lost his beloved son to his dangerous ex. He’d lost the egg, which would cost him his job and possibly his freedom if the museum charged him with aiding a criminal. And now he’d lost Sable. He’d been convinced she was somehow his soulmate. He hadn’t understood how his heart could bond with a human, but he realized everything between them was a lie. She’d been using him togain access tothe egg, much like The Ombra had used him ten years ago. Sable didn’t care about him or his son. She’d faked her interest to steal his knowledge, and Cash’s growing love for her withered in his chest.
“Cash!” Sable raced across the floor and fell to her knees beside him. “Don’t move. We have to stop the bleeding. We have to get help.” She slammed her palms against his chest, her panic so wild that she didn’t realize there wasn’t any blood.
“Get your hands off me.” He shoved her away, and he hated that she had the gall to look hurt.
“How…” she trailed off, and he feltbadfor her alarm despite his anger. “How are you not bleeding? She shot you. I saw her shoot you.”
