Page 74 of Burn of Obsidian
Roach glared at him for a few seconds before returning to Thea. “What’s up?”
“The museum job, why did you give it to me?”
“You telling me Swiper pulled off that gig?” Bandit sneered. “No fucking way. She’s a pickpocket! You promised me that job!”
“I’ve seen her swipe stuff in front of me, and I didn’t even see,” Roach hissed. “Come back to me when your hands are as fast as hers, dipshit.”
Thea ignored him. “So, you haven’t been offered anything similar? By Grey or any other network?”
Roach shook her head. “Celestrial stuff is super rare. Why?”
“I just…” Thea paused, scanning the area. “Something feels off about the whole thing. I need to know who the client was.”
“Then speak to Grey.”
Thea waited for a couple who were browsing to pass, tourists who were posing with the arty umbrellas. “I can’t. He’s dead.”
Roach and Bandit shared a look. “Yeah, I’m out.” He grabbed her cigarette, putting it between his lips.
Roach didn’t even acknowledge him as he walked away. After a moment, she simply shrugged. “It’s the risk we all take, and Grey knew that.”
“Bloody hell, seriously?”
“What do you want me to say?” Roach pulled her closer against the wall, her voice dropping to a whisper. “The reason Grey’s cut was so big was because he was the main contact. It’s the reason why we use a fence. It protects us from the dangerous crazies.”
“This isn’t some – ” Thea stilled, frowning over Roach’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” She turned, looking in the same direction.
“Nothing,” Thea whispered, staring straight at a man further down the alley. He stood in the middle of a crowd, unmoving. His face was painted in such a way his eyes looked sunken, with cheekbones so sharp, it was as if they were cutting through skin coloured a dirty cream. Even his lips looked stretched, the paint creating a fake smile that somehow looked real.
He looked like a Halloween reject, and everyone walked around him as if he didn’t even exist.
“Seriously, Swiper, what’s going on?”
Thea took a step back, only for the Skull to step forward. “I just need to know everything about the last job,” she said, keeping her voice calm. “Who was the client?”
“I don’t know; it was through Grey.” Roach let out a breath. “Was Bandit right? Have you been compromised?”
“Please, tell me. You have to know something.”
“There’s nothing to know. I gave it to you because I knew you could pull it off in public. The museum’s security is almost impossible to break into at night due to the security, and I’d never be able to swipe a guard’s key card as well as you. I would’ve had to hire an entire team, which would have taken a bigger chunk of my cut. It was a no-brainer to give you the risk.”
Thea found the Skull had closed their distance. “Did you know what the document was?”
“Swiper, what do you want me to say? It was just some celestrial shit. The reward was good, and I knew how desperate you were for the cash because your dad’s medical thing was coming to an end. Shit jobs happen, and Grey’s death is sad. But that’s the risk we all take.”
“Thea,” Ruhne warned quietly. “We’ve got to go.”
The Skull had moved closer.
Roach looked over her shoulder with a frown before returning. Her eyes were dark when they met Thea’s, understanding passing between them. “See you around,” she said before she took off running.
There was a split second where Thea stood there, the Skull only inches away. He’d moved silently, his expression as empty as his eyes. Reaching for her, Thea snapped out of her stasis, fear a vile taste at the back of her throat.
How many men ran around painted as skeletons?
She took off in the opposite direction, almost ramming people over as she tried to escape into the crowds. She could feel him following her, an ominous presence that she couldn’t seem to shake.