She held up a hand. “It’s rigged. You cut it, and spikes slash into my skin, filling me with planekite. A lethal dose.”
He paused, his eyes somehow darkening even more. “Let me get this straight. The thing is made of planekite, which obviously weakens you until you can’t throw fire. It can be remotely controlled to jolt you with doses, which is what I just saw happen.” He grasped her hand, his gentle touch completely opposed to the rage glittering in those eyes. “And if you try to remove it, the thing is booby trapped to kill you.”
“Yes,” she breathed, her shoulders relaxing. It felt so damn good to talk about the anklet. She’d had to keep it secret for so long.
“Who?” Theo asked, his jaw looking harder than a boulder.
She shouldn’t say. But the heaviness of keeping the burden to herself was overwhelming. It was too much. “Saul Libscombe,” she whispered.
“Goddamn motherfucker.” Theo pushed away from her, standing and facing the doorway, fury vibrating the muscles in his back. “This isourfault?”
“No.” Ginny spread her hands out on the bedclothes. “It’s my fault. I’m a thief, and that life catches up to you.”
He pivoted so quickly to face her that she lost her breath. “My family has been at odds with the Libscombes for years. We killed them, they killed us, and now Saul is the only one left standing. He did this to you so you’d get to us.”
“Aye.” Things had gotten a lot worse the last month when Jared Reese had killed Petey Libscombe, who was Saul’s brother. But the Reese family had probably thought things were over, since Saul appeared to be the one good shifter in his family. The guy had a good front but was more evil than the rest put together. Ginny plucked at a loose string. “Saul has been playing the long game, while Petey kept you off balance the last few years. Saul wanted the Benjamin file, and I’m the only one who could get close enough to steal it. I’m so sorry, Theo.”
“Long game?” Everything around Theo stilled, as if gathering for an explosion. “How long have you worn that fucking thing?”
She bit her lip.
“Ginny?” His voice went dangerously low.
“Ten years,” she whispered, preparing for him to detonate.
He didn’t move. Didn’t even twitch. “Ten. Years.”
She nodded, her heart beating too fast for her to ease. He was scaring the hell out of her, and that wasn’t easy to do. “This has been a campaign full of movements, including stealing a lot of gold. He’s been setting it up for a decade, and now he’s made his move. I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” Theo whispered, lines cutting edges into the side of his mouth.
Her heart took a hit. He would’ve helped her. She could see that now. “You didn’t like me.” She cleared her throat, going full in. “And he has my father somewhere. Da is still alive.”
Theo rocked back. “He has your dad.”
She nodded. “Even if I could get the anklet off, the second I do, my dad is dead.”
Theo moved for her and dropped to his haunches, gingerly taking her ankle in his hands. His broad hands could easily snap the anklet in two, but he just examined it. “There must be sensors here somewhere.”
“Aye.” While there was no good way out of this mess, her shoulders finally relaxed from around her ears. She wasn’t alone. Finally. No matter what happened, she had Theo with her for this moment. Actually on her side. She smiled. “If I give Saul the file, the anklet comes off and my dad goes free.”
Theo cocked his head to the side, and his gaze traveled to meet hers. “Ah, sweetheart. You don’t believe that, do you?”
She pressed her lips together. “About the anklet? No. But I won’t hand over the file until my dad is free. That’s my only goal.”
“I’m gonna kill your dad when this is over.” Theo lifted her leg until the anklet was at eye level. He studied it for several moments. “I can’t believe he made you a thief.”
“I’m a great thief,” she said, giving in to temptation and feeling along his jawline. Firm and solid. Yeah. That was Theo. “Da and I only stole from bad people or from people who didn’t need what they had. We’ve financed some wonderful charities throughout the ages, and we’ve done some good.”
“You enjoy it.” Theo set her leg down and rocked back, studying her. “The thieving.”
“Sometimes.” Why lie about it? “I’ve helped a lot of people.”
“You’re a thief.” He shook his head and stood, withdrawing.
Oh, yeah. She’d forgotten that side of Theo Reese. The honorable, law-abiding, honest guy. What he’d done as a soldier, he’d done during war. Some people didn’t realize that wars always went on…just not publicly. “I am.” She wouldn’t lie to him again. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to work full time for a nonprofit like Other Tracks. Do real work and get some good done.” She gestured toward the anklet. “But that’s not going to be my path, and we both know it.”
“You’re giving up?”
