Page 9 of Burn of Obsidian
Roach pursed her lips, painted the same dark shade as her blunt bob. It matched the sharpness of her jawline, emphasising her narrow facial features. “High stakes means high gains. You’re the one that told me you needed the money and wanted to learn what I do. Watches and wallets are never going to cut the same numbers.”
“This is nothing compared to what you do.” Thea sat beside her, eyeing the blueprint. She specialised in sleight of hand, something her father taught her when she was around six. Although, he probably didn’t think teaching his kid card tricks would equate to a career as a pickpocket.
“Well, it’s a start,” Roach muttered.
She specialised in heists, particularly the researcher and tech expert of the team. For the past year she’d been showing Thea that there was more to tricking people out of the content of their pockets. Every job she’d found, Roach got a cut.
“How’s your dad?” she asked, her gaze direct. “He feeling any better on the new drugs?”
“As good as he can be.” Thea nodded, her smile straining. “I spoke to him last night.”
“Good, I know how hard it can be.” Roach’s eyes softened before she blinked it away. She’d lost her mum in a similar situation, so understood what Thea was going through. It was information they’d shared after one too many cocktails. It was weird to know that about each other, but not their real names. “Tell me how the fertility statue went,” she said, changing the subject.
Thea gestured to her new statue. “As you can see, it went well because now I have a marble dick. It’s definitely a statement piece.”
Stretching over the back of the sofa, Roach grabbed the shaft. “What are you going to do? Sell it?”
Thea snorted. “Who’s going to buy it?”
Roach raised a single, dark brow. “Maybe you should offer it to Grey? He’ll have someone.”
Thea grabbed it from her hands, slamming it down on the table. “The arsehole wasn’t even going to pay me, and he brought a knife.”
“I told you to be wary of those forums.” Roach barely curbed her laughter. “That’s where the crazies are.”
“Don’t laugh. I’ve found a few jobs on there.” It was where the chunk of her money came from. Excluding the statue, because that was a shit show, she’d successfully stolen a handful of family relics from a disgruntled aunt, a grimoire for a particularly dodgy looking witch, Harper’s chalice, and not to mention a one-of-a-kind painting from Nivo Pilkinson. That job paid close to six figures, and because she’d found them herself, she kept every single penny. There was no fence tax, or Roach’s administration charge.
“So, you’re ready for today? Because Grey’s fencing this and you don’t want to piss him off. I gave this job to you because I know you can do it; you’re ready. But if you’re not confident, I’ll just do it and take the entire reward.” She picked at the hem of her black dress. Where Thea loved bright and colour, Ro loved everything simple and achromic.
“No, I’m ready. Just give me the cosmetics.”
Nodding, Roach reached into her bag for the charms that were exclusively found in the Undercity. Changing hair colour was one thing, but changing something so drastically as a facial feature was classed as black magic, and therefore illegal. Subtle changes were fine, such as adding or removing freckles, changing eye colour or even a cup size if you were an honorary member of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee. But Thea was about to change her nose shape, as well as the size of her eyes.
Going out with black market charms that cost more than her rent was a risk, but Roach was right, Thea needed the money.
“I’ve threaded them onto a necklace for you.” Roach put it over Thea’s head. “I’ll kill you if you lose them. I’m not doing this from the kindness of my heart. Not even my thirty percent cut will cover these.”
Thea wanted to laugh, but she knew Ro wasn’t joking. Their relationship was complicated: not acquaintances, but not exactly best friends, either. Money always came first, and personal information was kept to a minimum, unless they’d had one too many drinks. Roach was never supposed to know where Thea lived, but luckily the flat was under an alias.
Holding the necklace out, she waited for Roach to grab the small vial of blood. Witches were the only Breed that held a specialised enzyme that could activate the enchantments, and with Thea being Fae, and Ro being human, it meant they couldn’t do it themselves. So, Roach was forced to pay a witch for fresh blood each time she wanted to use them.
It was a pain, and another reason Thea stuck to her hair colours. They were simpler, and lasted months rather than hours.
Roach turned the vial onto her finger, collecting a single drop before smearing it across the small, wooden disks before tucking the necklace beneath Thea’s shirt.
The magic tingled, and Thea could feel her nose swell and her eyes shrink. “How do I look?”
Roach smiled. “Like you’re ready.”
Chapter 5
Jax
Jax studied the large spear through the glass display, the end glinting with crushed glass. He didn’t know the history behind it, or particularly care. The entire exhibit was supposedly a celebration of celestrial history. But all Jax saw were glittery trinkets that meant nothing, and a few Fallen’s wings pinned like insects on display.
The exhibit didn’t celebrate anything celestrial. It was morbid curiosity for a rare Breed, at best.
Yet, there were crowds eagerly gazing at the crap collected, including one of the documents he’d specifically came for. Gasps of delight echoed around the particular piece of paper. It was written in Celestrian, one of the languages you couldn’t simply learn, the words shifting with every blink. No, you had to be born with the ability.