Page 19 of Burn of Obsidian
“Will be sent as soon as it clears from Grey.” It was a lot of money, but considering the job was offered to Roach first, it was worth it. Roach knew Thea needed not only the experience, but the reward.
“I could always use someone like you on my crew.”
Thea couldn’t lie and say she hadn’t thought about it, but with higher rewards came the higher risk of being caught. And if she was caught, who would be left to pay for her dad’s treatment? She’d do anything for Molly to get into her dream university and pursue her career. She didn’t want her to sacrifice her life, not when Thea could handle it. So, she had to be careful and choose the jobs wisely, even though the continued price hikes of treatments were leaving her with little choice.
“I’ll think about it.”
With a wink, Ro squeezed herself back out of the cubicle. “Speak to you soon.”
Still unable to get home, Thea kicked off her heels, forced to wait until her wild magic behaved. Digging in her coat pocket, she pulled out the couple wallets. Wallets and purses were definitely something she preferred not to take, especially when most people used cards rather than cash. People also noticed their wallets missing much faster than a watch or ring. Same with phones: they were something that wasn’t worth the risk.
Pulling out the cash, she left the wallets with their ID and cards beside the toilet for the cleaning staff to deal with. Jax’s wallet held the most money, but there was nothing in there that was personal. There were no cards or photos, just some cash and Ravyns. Even the wallet was plain. Black. Leather. Nondescript. It told her nothing of who he was as a person, and she wasn’t sure why she was so disappointed. Eyeing it amongst the much more expensive ones, she picked it up with the intention of keeping it as a souvenir.
“Fuck!” An indent appeared on her palm, the area around it burning slightly. Something metal had pricked her. With a frown, she carefully unfolded Jax’s wallet, finding a small hole where something had poked out. Warily opening it further, she found an invisible zip that was disguised along the stitching, and inside was a pocketknife.
Her fingers tingled as she pulled out the weapon, the foldable blade sleek in design, and barely thicker than a couple of credit cards, with the handle and the edge seamless when at its full length. She wasn’t familiar with knives, or anything else sharp and stabby. But it was beautiful, if a weapon could be described as beautiful.
Fingers protesting, she carefully folded the blade back up and put it in her coat pocket. The feeling immediately stopped once she no longer had contact, which told her nothing other than it was a type of metal. She was grateful her intolerance to metal wasn’t as high as other Fae. It didn’t hurt, more annoying than anything. Like she was constantly aware of something touching her skin. It must be frustrating to be so sensitive to a material found in pretty much everything.
Returning her attention to the money, she began counting.
Two hundred and thirty pounds, plus a few Imp Ravyns. It wasn’t bad for a few hours of work, but she had to see what the watches and jewellery were worth before celebrating.
She hoped she’d have enough to pay for her father’s treatment that month. Nothing had been working, and it wasn’t until he’d started the trial did they see an improvement in his health. She’d find the money one way or another. Even if she had to beg Roach, or upset certain men with growly issues.
Jax was a complication, one she’d simply ignore until he went away.
She’d spent her entire life in the city, and not once had she run into him. It couldn’t be that hard. Tonight had been a coincidence, that was all.
Gathering her coat and shoes, she closed her eyes and envisioned her bedroom. Okay, considering her flat was open plan, it was more a corner of a larger room with a bed in. It had taken her years not to puke after a drift, and now she’d mastered it enough that she barely stumbled. One second she was in the tight cubicle, and the next her feet landed on familiar, soft carpet.
Her stomach growled, reminding her she’d had nothing but a liquid diet all night. Luckily, she had a few takeout boxes still in her fridge, just asking to be reheated. Throwing her heels and coat onto the foot of her bed, she froze, eyeing the sunflower placed neatly on her pillow. She knew for a fact it hadn’t been there earlier, so how…
She blamed her hunger for not immediately sensing she wasn’t alone.
Turning, she found Jax lounging casually on the sofa, her latest book open in his large hand. He didn’t look up, even when she made a pretty embarrassing startled sound. He just kept reading. Silence, other than the sound of his fingers against the paper, and Reaper purring happily beside him.
The man was unhinged. So was her cat.
Pulse thumping, Thea raced to the kitchen corner, her feet slipping on the sudden change of carpet to tile beneath her feet. She managed to open a drawer, hand wrapping around a knife before he was on her. She screamed when his hand locked around her wrist, hard enough the knife slipped from her fingers.
He grunted when her fist caught his jaw, only for him to pin her against the wall with such ease it was an embarrassment. Something cold pressed against her throat, the blade kissing the skin. It wasn’t hard, but enough for her to feel it – for the metal to ache.
Jax held her gaze with an intensity that electrified the air between them.
The knife pressure eased, and Thea flinched when he sunk the blade into the wall beside her head.
“Was that really necessary?” she hissed, annoyed at him. Looks like she wasn’t getting her deposit back.
“No.” With that, he stepped back, never taking his eyes from hers.
“What are you even doing here?”
“Finishing our conversation.” Reaper took that time to enter, bouncing on his paws as he rubbed his body against Jax’s calves.
Thea glared at her cat, the traitorous arsehole.
“How did you know where I lived? I’m not even on the lease.”