She gives me a determined nod. “We have a plan. Maverick and Charlie are going with us.” She hesitates for a second. “There’s a necklace in the museum that belonged to Charlie’s great-great-grandmother. It has a curse on it, which is why they haven’t tried to acquire it before now. They’ll help us if we help them.”
“Fucking hell,” I mutter, trying to wrap my head around the life of crime I’m suddenly living. Not to mention the fact that my team consists of an extremely unreliable demon and a rebellious mage who have no allegiance to me. “I could ask Hawthorne to help us.”
She tilts her head and gives me a look. “Not after what you just told me. He needs to check on Jamison. We need to get the crown. This is the best way. Besides, Charlie’s almost as powerful as Jamison. He’ll keep Maverick on track and us off human radar.”
I hate it, but it’s the only play right now. “If one of them steps a toe out of line, I’ll break their necks, and when they wake, I’ll do it again.”
She laughs as she walks out the door. “Whatever it takes to get the crown.”
When she stepsout of the jet’s bathroom wearing a full bodysuit that skims every curve of her delectable body, and I almost spit out my coffee. Knowing I should look away and doing it are two very different things. I can’t help but stare as she walks down the aisle toward me. My jeans get uncomfortably tight.Damn.I finally tear my eyes away and find Maverick looking at me. His low chuckle and audacious wink in my direction tell me he’s aware of my discomfort. I flash my fiercest scowl, but it has little effect on him.
She plucks at her sleeve as she slides into her seat. Leaning over, she holds up the material. “Have you ever seen this before? Mercer found it for me. It will match the temperature of any environment, thereby rendering me invisible to infrared technology. It even has a hood. Here. Feel it.”
My hand automatically reaches for the fabric, and I rub my fingers across it. It’s soft yet stretchy. Images of me peeling it off her flash through my mind, and I have to force myself to release it. Picking up the schematics, I look down, but all I see are blurred lines.
“It’s nice.”
I take a deep breath, trying to find my equilibrium, but notes of jasmine and vanilla fill my lungs, and a litany of curses fills my brain. She smells too damn good. I’m so fucking glad I don’t have to stand any time soon.
Desperate to distract myself, I tap the paper in my hand and look at Maverick. He moves from his seat to one across from Phaedra and me. Laying the schematics on the table, I pick up a pen and hand it to Phaedra.
“Show me where the crown is located.”
She circles a small square on the schematics. “Here. Security is top notch. The entire space is covered in an infrared net, which will trigger an alarm if you disrupt it. The crown is in the center of the room on a pedestal, encased in glass. There are sensors everywhere. If the glass is disturbed, the alarms will go off. If the weight on the pedestal changes, the alarms will go off.” She bites her bottom lip.
“Anything else?” I ask her.
“Temperature is regulated, and an alarm will go off if it’s disturbed, but this suit takes care of that issue,” she says with a wave of her hand. She darts a glance at Maverick. “Unlike most human museums, this one has an intricate layer of magic spells to protect its contents. I’m not sure what they do. Maverick?”
He leans forward and drawls, “Your friend Mathias designed several magical traps, nasty ones too. Charlie will unravel them before we step foot inside the place. It’s a good thing you picked this museum, because we’d already cased the joint for his family’s necklace.” The corners of his mouth twitch when Phaedra snorts. “Sorry, I do love human idioms.”
“So, once the spells are disabled, we can move on to the regular security system,” Phaedra says, picking up a device. “We’ll first need to redirect the cameras.”
“I’ll take care of the cameras,” I reply. “Mathias installed code on my computer to help in situations like this. All I have to do is plug it into one of the security system keypads. It will search out the cameras and create a loop, making us invisible.”
“Great!” She beams. “This little gadget will shift the infrared net higher in the room, allowing us to walk underneath it. That only leaves the glass and pedestal. Got any ideas?”
“Charlie can change the composition of the glass from solid to liquid, which means we can reach in and take the pieces without disrupting the glass,” Maverick says with a flourish.
“We’ll need to replace it with something of the same weight,” Phaedra says with a tiny frown. She picks up her laptop and starts typing. “There’s not much on the actual weight, but based on similar artifacts, I’d place it around a quarter of a pound.”
I raise an eyebrow. “That’s light.”
“It’s more of a delicate wreath than a heavy crown,” she replies with a light shrug. “I’ll weigh items on the plane to find something close.”
“Where’s the necklace you want?” I ask Maverick, trying not to sound irritated, but the smirk on his face tells me I didn’t quite manage it. Phaedra’s delicate hand settles on mine, her thumb stroking across the back of it in a soothing manner, and damned if it doesn’t work. The tension eases from my shoulders, although my irritation remains firmly in place.
He takes the pen from Phaedra and circles another square not too far away from the first room. “Once the spells are disabled, we can be in and out of the museum within ten minutes.”
“Looks like we’ve got a plan,” I state firmly, although I’m not feeling the least bit confident. It’s been a long time since I worked with anyone but my team. I don’t like it, but there’s no way I’m letting Phaedra do this without me.
Good thing. Charlie’s voice comes over the intercom, informing us of our descent.
8
PHAEDRA
Gleaming in the soft museum light, the magnificent Kritonios crown silently waits in the dimly lit room. Made entirely of gold, the base is comprised of intertwined ivy, roses, myrtle, and convolvulus. A golden-winged goddess tops the crown with a Greek inscription that states “Kritonios dedicated this crown.” Four male and two female figures float over the flowers at various locations, all pointing to the goddess. It’s the epitome of worship and divine right. Delicate. Feminine. Powerful. Perfect for Hera.
