Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
A window waited to the right of the setup, and long, low storage cupboards spanned out beneath it.
Nessa stood behind the desk. That computer would require a password she didn’t know. She’d need to spring the trap after he’d logged on.
After taking in the area for a little longer, she got to work. The ceiling would support the mage’s weight and then some. The furniture was sturdy and heavy. It would easily act as anchors. Everything else was child’s play. She could rig up one of these traps in her sleep. For a mage, anyway.
Her mind drifted, thinking about how she’d have to alter the setup for Tristan. He could’ve broken out of the trap she’d laid for him in Kingsley’s territory, and she’d put a lot of effort into that one, using pulleys and her own body weight. She’d even punched nails into the floor! She wouldn’t be able to capture him with the trap she was currently setting up. He’d yank the ceiling down on top of them or pull the furniture away from the walls. He’d capture her, his grip tight around her throat, her back against the wall. His lips would barely glance off the shell of her ear as he whispered a vicious threat.
She shivered as she finished what she was doing, wiping a little sweat from her brow that hadn’t come from her efforts.
“How goes it?” Sebastian waited at the doorway.
She startled and let out a slow breath. “Good.” She cleared her throat and looked over her setup, glancing at the moonlight streaming through the windows. “Unless he comes home early and notices the little visible strand of parachute cord there, we’re good.”
Sebastian glanced at the lighting setup. “The ceiling is mostly shadow. It’s like this mage wants to be strung up and tortured.”
“After the role he played in helping orchestrate the attack on Kingsley’s territory, I have to conclude that’s exactly what he wants. He’ll appreciate us for this, I am positive.”
“Yes, I think so. He’ll beg to be tortured just a little more.”
“Or…killed a little faster, but…” She shrugged. “Same thing.”
“Exactly the same.” He hugged her tightly. “I know this is hard—”
She held up a finger. “I’m in the right headspace for it right now. Let’s leave it at that.”
He nodded and stepped away. “Right then, Captain. Because of your quick work, we have an hour to kill. What shall we do with ourselves? Raid his pantry or raid his valuables?”
“Valuables, obviously. I had some Goldfish before we came. Let’s see if our mage has anything special we can take off his hands and show to our enemies as a threat…” She flashed Sebastian her teeth. “Damn it! I keep forgetting that we won’t be able to take credit for any of this. How annoying.”
“For everyone involved, yes. Jessie and her crew think they’re going to have a nice little reprieve while Momar scrambles to understand his loss.”
“Well…” She followed him toward the stairs. They always started with the master bedroom first. “They would if we didn’t interfere.”
“Right. Except we are, so…”
She didn’t comment, trying desperately to stay focused as they strolled into the bedroom. They were in this one alone. She wouldn’t have Edgar to stand in the corner and act…like Edgar. Or Niamh’s cool-headed logic. Or the shifters to wither the bowels of their enemies. Or Tristan to handle the violence. It was just her and Sebastian again, getting their hands dirty in the least honorable ways possible.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sebastian asked softly as he paused in rummaging through the mage’s closet. Lord only knew what he was looking for.
“Yeah. No sweat.” She headed toward the safe, getting out her tools and setting to work.
Sebastian curled his lip, pointing at a little statue in the corner. “It’s all pricey but…gaudy. He shouldn’t have decorated his own house.”
“Nice collection of watches.” Nessa stepped back after she’d opened the safe.
“Wow, Captain. That was quick. It must’ve been a record.”
“The safe needs to be replaced. It’s way too old. It was child’s play to break into.” She passed a few of the nicer pieces over.
“Meh.” Sebastian paused on one. “Oops. This one has a magical tracker. Let’s not take it.”
“Would Jessie know which have trackers and which don’t?”
Sebastian hesitated. She could hear his release of breath. It was enough to prove she’d been wrong about him—he wasn't impervious to all emotion when he was in his Elliot Graves mode. He was having some guilt issues about what they were doing, just like her.
“We’ll take the three best,” he said, “and leave the rest scattered on the floor. The one for tracking is ugly, thankfully.”
“We should be making more of a mess.”
He hesitated again. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
They picked their way through the house, noting things of value and not making a mess in any of the rooms the mage might see before they sprang their trap. They had a van parked on the backside of the property, across the street, near where they’d cut through the fence. They would drive it around to the front of the house to gather their spoils once the mage was dealt with.