Page 93 of Fallen to Thievery
I noticed then, the shadows bruising the skin under his eyes.
“He really was.” Gemma’s eyes were wide. “I’m just glad it’s over. He’s so exhausting when he’s like that.” She blew out a breath.
I’d been so wrapped up in getting the job done,beforehaving to fuck Charles, that I’d completely missed the way my man wasseverelyfalling apart with worry and… was that guilt in his eyes?
Afewdayslater,Grayson and I were sitting in a bar, across from Charles’s workplace—or the front company that hid his real dealings. It was a large, ten-story building in the middle of Willsbury City. And the location of his vault. We were staking out the place to make sure nothing had changed since the last time Grayson had done recon on it. He had kept meticulous tabs on everything related to Charles, so I knew this was just overkill. He already knew every shift change, every face coming in and out of that building.
“You’ve been very quiet,” I dared to say, taking a sip from my virgin cocktail. It was Grayson’s second most important rule—Never get distracted,and that very much included not getting drunk on the job.
I had chalked up his silence since we were back, to him being inscheming mode, as Hunter liked to call it. But I had a feeling it was more than that. That tiny voice, nudging at me, making me feel restless.
His eyes settled on me for a second, then back at the building. He didn’t answer me. And that was answer enough. The little voice was right.
“You’re not still mad that I went to Charles’s house, are you?”
He sighed heavily and leaned back into his seat. “Not mad. Just working through some things.”
I waited for him to elaborate, smoothing my braid nervously.
He opened his mouth, but closed it again, like he was at a loss for the right words. “I just realised how powerless I am when it comes to your safety.” He scratched at the stubble on his jaw. “You’d made up your mind, and I could do nothing but watch you walk right into that scorpion’s nest. It scared me, Ava. I haven’t felt so helpless in a long time. If something would have happened to you…” He shook his head, unwilling to finish his sentence.
Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way. But isn’t that what it means to be part of your life? That I would be doing dangerous things? With you? For you?”
He nodded slowly. “It is.” He was quiet for a moment, just watching his hands balled together on the table. “It is,” he repeated, mustering a smile for me, before returning his attention to Charles’s building.
The conversation had done nothing but pull him further away from me. There was a canyon forming between us, and Grayson was the one digging the hole. Desperation started to claw its way through me, and I had to acknowledge just how dangerous this feeling could be. In this state of mind, I would do anything to bridge that gap between us, even in detriment to myself. It was unhealthy, yes. But it was necessary for two souls so completely intertwined. How would we survive otherwise? If one pulled away like that… Separation would kill us both. It sure as hell would kill me.
I had no words that would bring him back to me, but we never needed words. I made my way around the table and scooted into his side of thebooth. He automatically opened his arms for me and pulled me in tight, his warmth seeping into my skin and soul. I traced softly over his scar, watching the tightness in his face disappear as his dark eyes roamed my face.I love you, they said.You’re mine, they blinked. And I prayed to the gods that the way he looked at me would never change.
“It scares me sometimes how much I love you. I would do unspeakable things for you, Princess.”
Itwasthemorningof the heist. We sat around the dining table in their apartment as the sun rose, with Grayson talking us through every detail of the plan for the millionth time. Gemma and Hunter listened patiently and seriously, taking everything in, once again. And so did I. It was another one of Grayson’s rules.Rule Number Three:Always be overprepared. Preparation beats improvisation every time.
It amazed me how thoroughly Grayson had planned everything out. There was no scenario I could think up that he wasn’t already prepared for. And Ireallytried to find a hole in his planning, while Hunter just laughed at me, knowingly. Grayson had patiently mapped out his plans on a whiteboard for me, for every curveball I could imagine happening, and when I could think of no more, he had filled me in on a few possibilities I had missed. By the time he was done there was a labyrinth of information on the board that I struggled to keep straight. I had never been dumb. Some teachers had even considered me gifted, but this? It made me downright look like a Slow Loris.
“Are you done testing me? Or would you like to hear my contingencies for the contingency plans?” Grayson had smirked when I had gone quiet in awe.
By now, after the many repeats, the labyrinth on the whiteboard looked more like a beautifully orchestrated web, with paths and connections interlacing to create an inescapable snare for our prey. A death trap that would leave utter carnage behind.
“How are you feeling, Gray?” Gemma asked when Grayson was done and had gone quiet again.
“It’s surreal.” He pressed his fists onto the table where he was standing, taking a deep breath. “For more than two decades I’ve dreamt of this day. Facing Anderson, making him pay for all he’d taken from me.” He looked up at each of our faces. “I know what I’m about to do is hard to stomach for all of you, so if you don’t want to be a part of it, you can still walk away. I understand.”
Hunter held his hand up. “Do you remember that time in Mexico when I was drunk off my ass and picked a fight with that gang? We were outnumbered two to twelve. You laughed in their faces when they gave you the chance to walk away. You stayed by my side and took the beating of a fucking lifetime. Or what about that time in Switzerland when I almost killed myself snowboarding? You carried my unconscious ass for three miles through thick snow then never left me for one second the whole week I was in the hospital. Or what about that time in Egypt in the museum when you jumped in front of that bullet for me? Or that time in the Caribbean when…”
“Hunt, I get it,” Grayson laughed.
“What I’m saying is, you’ve always had my back, brother. I’m sure as hell gonna have yours. No matter what.”
“Ditto,” Gemma added, giving Grayson a kiss on the cheek.
He nodded appreciatively, tension falling from his shoulders. His eyes found mine, waiting for my answer.
“You already know there isnothingI wouldn’t do for you, Gray,” I whispered. Even the killing part.
He smoothed a thumb over my cheek as sorrow flitted across his features. “Then we’re all set. You two will make sure everything is in place for tonight?” He directed his question at Gemma and Hunter.
“We’re on it,” Gemma answered as she grabbed Hunter’s hand, pulling him to the door.
