Page 82 of Eat. Prey. Love.
“Looking very Emma Peel,” Aubrey says wryly, giving Dolly a once-over.
She looks lethal in her catsuit and high ponytail, and my cock does that twitch it always does when she’s by my side. Dolly does a faux twirl for all the hungry eyes in the room, and I move in front of her before any of them decide to forget this excursion in pursuit of other fun.
“Don’t want to keep the insane cult people waiting,” she says to me, her eyes alight with that same wild spark that fuels my own fire.
“Could you two be any more dramatic?” Felix mutters, but I see the corner of his mouth twitching upward. He’s not used to allowing so much democracy when it comes to planning, but our girl told us that she was in charge and he’s doing his best to respect her confident statement.
My brother is almost like his old self now, and I couldn’t be happier to see it.
The rest of our patchwork family picks up the stuff Chessie packed while our girl and I got suited up. Dolly grabs my hand, then takes our cheetah’s, holding them as we all head out the back door and walk around to the front of the library.
“So how the hell are we going to—” I start, but the rumble of an engine cuts me off. A large SUV rolls up as if summoned by my voice. I blink, looking over my shoulder only to see the tricky gargoyle giving me a smug look.
Raina and the Captain jump out of the enormous thing, their entrance as grand as if they’d just docked a galleon instead of parking a car. The damn thing could hold like fifty raccoons of their size inside, so I’m baffled as to what they did to get it here on their own. “How?” I ask in amazement.
“Never underestimate the abilities of a pirate and his trusty first mate,” the Captain replies with a roguish wink, his voice gravellywith that mock-pirate accent that could charm the gold from a treasure chest. When I continue gaping at him, the small prey rolls his eyes. “One at the helm, the other manning the rudders. Yer overthinkin’ it, mate.”
“Riiiiiight,” I say as I shake my head. “Well, I think it’s best if we take over from here, yeah?”
Dolly’s eyes dance with amusement as she watches the two raccoons give me sarcastic looks. “Adventure awaits, Crazypants. Let’s get moving.”
“Hell yeah, it does, Baby Girl,” I reply, my tiger purring with delight as Felix heads for the driver’s side of the SUV. “And you and I are gonna grab it by the balls.”
Dolly’s giggle rings out like a silver bell, and she leans over to peck the raccoon pirates on their furry cheeks. “You two are brilliant,” she says, her voice bubbling with mirth. “Thank you for all your help.”
“Guess we’re adding grand theft auto to our list of crimes today—or whatever they call it here,” Aubrey mutters under his breath, but there’s a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It’s clear he’s more worried about the potential for trouble than actually disapproving of our rogue escapade.
Chess opens the door to usher Dolly in with a gentle hand on her back. She slides across the seat with the Giselle of a cat, leaving space for me to squeeze in next to her. The leather upholstery is swanky, and I can’t help but feel like a character from that heist movie Dolly adores. Chess settles beside me, his body a solid presence that brings an odd comfort despite the adrenaline already beginning to pump through my veins.
The two of them make my mind quiet a smidge, and I sigh as everything settles enough to ride in the car calmly.
“Everyone strapped in?” Felix calls from the driver’s seat, glancingback at us with a mix of determination and concern etched into his features.
I roll my eyes playfully, clicking my seatbelt into place. “Like we’re about to launch to the moon.”
“Good.” Felix’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, and there's silent communication there. We both know this is risky, maybe even reckless, but it’s necessary. We have to find out what secrets lie behind those museum walls, and I’m not wrong about hitting these people before they know we’re onto them.
I pull out my phone, tapping into the Prednet search results once more, sending the coordinates to Felix. The museum’s security setup is no joke—a labyrinth of alarms and motion detectors that would make Fort Knox proud. A small, wry smile finds its way onto my lips. “They’re either guarding the Holy Grail or something far more sinister with all this shit. You guys will have to keep a really close eye on our progress.”
“Sinister is my bet,” Renard chimes in, his eyes darkening as he looks at the info on his own device. “Places like this don’t bother with subtlety unless they’re hiding monsters in their closets,mes amis.”
“Maybe it’s vampires in their basements,” Dolly jokes lightly. She’s pretending it’s a silly idea, but there’s steel under her wisecrack. She knows that’s a possibility.
“Either way, we get in, we take what we need, and we get out,” I declare, meeting each of their gazes in turn. “Aubrey and Renard will get us to the roof without raising any red flags. Right?”
“Snack size is with me,” Aubrey responds and I groan. He just smirks and jerks his thumb at Ren. “He will take you, Fitzgerald.”
Felix clicks his tongue as he starts the engine. “Too bad for you, bro. Guess you don’t get to ride the dragon tonight, either.”
Glaring at him in the mirror, I move on without comment like a grown-up. “Meanwhile, Dolly will go vent-crawling, and I’ll takethe sky entrance. Felix and Chessie, you’ve got tech and lookout. Keep us updated as we infiltrate,”
“Absolutely, love.” Chess’s voice is calm, a sturdy anchor amidst the chaos of our operation.
My brother simply offers a thumbs-up, his attention already back on the road as he navigates us toward our target.
“If we work together, we’ll get away clean and no one will be the wiser,” I finish, locking eyes with my girl. Her response is a grin, fierce and fearless, and in that moment, I know we’re ready for whatever awaits us inside that mysterious museum.
With the Giselleof my tiger helping me balance, I descend from the skylight, my harness whispering against the cable. Below me, the museum—or whatever is masquerading as one—spreads out in shadowed silence. My heart thunders in my chest with each inch I lower toward the ground, the thrill of the heist flooding my veins with electric excitement.