“You know,” Sable said. “Everyone always thinks I’m human. It’s probably the wig.” She reached up, gripped the brunette curls, and pulled the hair from her head. Her velvet-soft ears sprang to their full height, and she didn’t miss the shock that rippled through Cash’s features.
“But I’m not human. I’m an Easter bunny who grew up with huge older brothers. They taught me how to fight, and Easter isright around the corner. It’s my holiday, bitch, which means my kind are at their strongest.” She lifted her fists and settled into a fighting stance. “Cash, go find your son. I’ve got this.”
“Cash, go find your son.” Sable bent her knees, her muscles coiling for the attack. “I’ve got this.” And with that, she launched herself at The Ombra.
For a moment, Cash stood rooted to the ground with his jaw hanging open. The incredible agility. The sheer power in her thighs when she jumped. The tall velvet earsthat beautifullymatched her hair. Sable wasn’t human. She was an Easter bunny. She was a supernatural being just like him, and suddenly the soulmate bond taking root in his chest made sense. He’d loved Clover’s mother at first, but he’d never felt the tug of destiny with her. But as he watched Sable fight for them, the love that had withered when he saw her in the exhibit resurrected.
The Ombra threw Sable across the room, but she twisted mid-air and slammed into the wall with her boots. The building shook with thunder as she launched herself at The Shadow, and the resounding echo jerked Cash out of his trance. He’d deal with the shock of Sable’s truth after his son was safe.
“Clover?” He bolted for the backroom where his boy’s voice had come from. “Clover, where are you?”
“No, Dad!” Clover shouted. “It’s a trap.”
Cash heard the word‘trap’just as he barged through the door. It was barely a warning, but it was enough, and Cash’s trained instincts kicked into gear. He registered the object flying for his face a second before it madeimpactand threw his head backward, contorting so that the blow sailed over him, and the man wielding the broken chair leg stumbled from the momentum.
Cash seized the opening, stepped beyond the man’s reach, and then slammed his elbow into the back of his skull. His attacker lost his balance and smashed face-first into the wall, his nose breaking upon impact.
A second man aimed his gun, but he was too slow to pull the trigger. Cash sidestepped his aim and broke his wrist, stealing the weapon as the man’s arms went limp.
“Clover,shut your eyes,” he shouted as he tucked the gun into his belt. “It’ll be okay.”
Clover clapped his hands over his face, and when his son was blind, Cash put his training to use. He didn’t use the weapon. He didn’t need to. These monsters had taken his child. So he unleashed his rage from its carefully monitored box, and when he was done, his knuckles were coated in blood. Hisand theirs.
“Keep your eyes shut,” Cash ordered as he scooped Clover off the couch. “Don’t look at them. Dad’s got you.”
“Daddy.” Clover flung his little arms around his father’s neck, and Cash’s heart broke. It had been a long time since Clover last called him Daddy. He couldn’t imagine the fear his son had endured at his ex’s hand, and he was suddenly glad Sable was dealing with The Ombra. If he had to face her after seeing his son’s terror, he would’ve acted without mercy. Becoming a father ten years ago had altered him to his core, and he would both die and kill for his child. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for this boy.
“Oh, wow.” Clover’s shock echoed in his ear. “Sable’s an Easter Bunny?”
“Keep your eyes closed.” Cash cupped the back of his son’s head, trying to pull the boy closer, but Clover fought him so he could watch.
“She’sreallycool,” he said as Sable’s kick landed hard on The Ombra’s chest, and Cash had to agree. Watching his ex battle his girlfriend—if that was what Sable was—settled conflicting emotions in his heart, but his son was right. Sable was more than cool. She was fucking brilliant, and for a moment, both father and son forgot where they were as they watched her defend them.
“Did you know she was an Easter Bunny?” Clover asked.
“No… No, I didn’t.”
“She’s really pretty.”
“Yes, she is.”
“That woman she’s fighting. Is thatreallymy mom?” Clover asked and everything inside Cash froze. This was not the time nor the place to have that conversation. They needed to escape, and as if to confirm his thoughts, police sirens shattered the night’s silence.
“Yes, she is, and I promise to answer all your questions, but we need to go.” He tightened his hold on his son as he took off running. “Sable! We need to leave!”
She glanced over her shoulder at them, and The Ombra seized her distraction and aimed for a fatal blow.
“Sable! Look out!” Clover screamed, and Sable turned at the last second and kicked the Ombra so hard that she flew across the room and crashed into the wall. The force drove her right through the wood, and while it wouldn’t kill her, she wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.
“Sable, run!” Cash shouted as he bolted through the door. Sable chased after him, and together, they raced down the grand staircases as the sirens grew closer.
“I dialed 911,” she said. “I figured…” she trailed off, and confused by her sudden silence, Cash turned around and saw it. Thegolden egg. Security guards were escorting it through the hallways, desperately trying to remove it from the mansion before the authorities arrived, but itwas Sable’s expression that ripped his heart from his chest. She was staring at the egg with hunger in her eyes. He could practically see the wheels in her head turning, the dollar signs in her pupils spinning. The egg wasn’t in His control yet. She could still win the heist, and Cash recognized the moment she chose the gold over them.
“Sable, no!” he shouted as she raced through the halls. “Please don’t do this.”
But it was too late. She was gone. She had made her choice. A thief to the core; she couldn’t ignore the prize, and once again, she betrayed them.
“Get on the ground!” a police officer shouted as Cash burst through the mansion’s front door.
