"Of course it is. Have you never heard of a government coverup before?" Nott rubbed his face with the palms of both hands.
"Fair enough," Rob conceded. "All right, we do this quietly then. In, find out her connection to Zeta, then get the hells out. She'll never know we were there."
"I'm coming too," Willa declared.
"Not a chance," Rob said immediately.
Willa stuck out her chin and looked determined. "I can shift into a bird too, remember? I can be useful."
"What kind of bird?" Johnny asked.
Willa hesitated and grimaced. "A sparrow," she muttered.
"What's so bad about that?" I asked.
"Well, it's not very glamorous, is it?" Willa asked.
"It's the opposite of glamorous," I agreed, "which is why it's so perfect."
Rob spluttered. "You can't seriously want her to come?"
"Why not?" I asked. "She's as badass as I am. Maybe more." I couldn't use a bow and arrows or a sword. She'd be useful in a fight. "We're going to need as much help on this as we can get. Who will notice another sparrow? They're as common as…" I shrugged.
"Rats?" Johnny offered.
"Hey!" Willa looked insulted.
"Rats would be reasonably accurate," Nott said, his eyes narrowed.
"Fuck off," Willa said to him. "I'm not—"
"All right," I said over the top of them all. "Enough arguing with each other. Willa, you can come. Nott, you'll tell us where to go. Johnny, you and Tucker will be on comms and step in with magic if needed. Rob," I fixed him with a firm look, "I know she's your niece, but we need her for this. If there's any sign of trouble, we can send her away. All right?"
He sighed and seemed to be thinking of some reason—any reason—to disagree. Eventually, he nodded. "Fine." He raised a finger at Willa. "No taking unnecessary risks. Got it?"
"Sure." She smiled. She looked happy just to be included, but I suspected unnecessary risks were her thing. I would have to keep a close eye on her until this was over. I wouldn't lose any of these people—even Nott—on some hair brained scheme if I could help it.
"Good." I sat back in my chair and sipped my coffee. I was scared, but excited at the same time. Risky or not, my inner cat burglar needed to be let out to play, and if we could put an end to Zeta at the same time, then this would be worth it.
"It'll be dark soon," I added. "Everyone finish eating and we'll get going." Nighttime couldn't come soon enough.
Eighteen
"No one should have this much money," I said under my breath.
"Some people do work hard for it," Rob pointed out.
I hesitated, then nodded. "That's true, but this woman is no brain surgeon." I doubted brain surgeons got paid enough to buy a three story house with two pools, a hot tub, and an impressive view of Sydney Harbour. Come to think of it, I doubted the average politician did either.
"Corruption pays," Rob said, as though he read my thoughts.
"Apparently. Remind me to be a criminal in my next life," I said dryly.
Rob raised an eyebrow at me.
"One that keeps all the money," I added.
"Ahhh." He nodded. "I can't imagine you being like that."
I sighed. "Neither can I. All right, it's time to shift and get in there. Remember, stay behind me."
"Why is that again?" Willa asked.
"Because I've done this before and you haven't," I reminded her. "It's not too late to leave you behind." Being this close to Layne's house was dangerous enough, without us arguing out here.
Willa shut her mouth and mimed zipping it and throwing away the key.
"Good." I nodded. "Stay that way unless you need to tweet, or something." Whatever noise sparrows made. "Strip and shift."
In silence, we took off our shoes, then our clothes, and placed them in neat piles in the bushes. Tucker would know where to find them if he needed to.
"We're ready to go," I told Johnny.
"Check. The coast is clear for now," he replied. "No dinosaurs."
I snorted softly and pushed the earpiece in a little more. We practiced before we left and it would stay in when I shifted, but I had to be careful. Not too many cats ran around with listening devices in their ears. Possibly none.
"Okay, I'm shifting." I nodded at Rob and Willa to do the same.
In the next moment, a cat and two small birds stood by the side of the fancy road in an affluent suburb of Sydney. Just your everyday happening, right?
Sticking to the shadows, I stalked toward Layne's mansion. Like most of the houses here, it was surrounded by a wall and a state of the art security system. Also like the other houses, it wasn't triggered by a passing cat. However, this woman knew about shifters. We couldn't assume there wasn't some sort of sensor which would announce our presence.
I leapt to the top of the fence, walked across for a few metres, then jumped down the other side. If I had set off anything, I saw no sign of it.
Rob and Willa zipped past me and landed on a nearby tree. We had agreed they'd have to lay low. Even though they looked like birds, they weren't the nocturnal kind. A sparrow flying around at night might be as out of place as a dragon. Or a robin red-breast, which would be more at home in England. I would have felt better if one of them was a bat. No one would give them a second look then.
I bobbed my head and padded across the neatly mowed lawn to the house. I stopped under a window and listened. Voices came from somewhere inside, but I couldn't make out the words.
I gestured with a paw and Rob waved a wing further ahead.
I nodded to indicate I understood and crept forward.
There, up above me, on the second floor, was a balcony. The door was open slightly, presumably to catch the passing breezes. I hissed softly. It was too high to jump.
Rob stopped beside me and flapped his wings.
I cocked my head and looked in the direction he'd pointed.
A tree, with branches which hung near the balcony.
Bingo.
I ran toward the tree and leapt onto the trunk. Gripping with my claws, I climbed to the closest branch and stopped to catch my breath. The branch looked solid enough, but would it hold my weight? I stepped carefully along its length. It bent, but it held.
I looked back toward the balcony and licked my lips.
Here goes.
I backed up a few steps, then headed toward the end of the branch at a run. It bent more than I liked, but I reached the end and launched myself off. I hit the balcony railing and clung on for dear life before I was able to pull myself up and over.
Rob landed beside me and tweeted. I think he was impressed with my leap. So was I, to be honest. I wasn't sure I'd make it for a moment there.
I nodded toward the open door.
He nodded back and slipped his head in before he waddled inside.
I peeked in behind him, then followed.
Just inside the door was a huge bedroom. The bed was big enough to fit all of my Merry Men, me, and leave room for us to roll over.
What—I wondered—was the point of opulence no one else could see? I suppose it was there for their own egos. Unless they held orgies here. Who was I to judge?
Either way, we snuck through the bedroom to the open door on the opposite wall. That led to a darkened hallway.
Rob raised a wing and waved to the right. It was as good a direction as any.
I padded after him on the thick carpet and kept my ears open for Layne or one of her people. Nott said she had bodyguards on duty here, night and day. No doubt they would do their rounds at some point, but they might not scout around living areas.
Layne was married, but had no children, so we didn't have to worry about little feet at least.
Unless…
A growl sounded from the top of the stairs a few metres away.
…she had dogs.
A large, black dog moved closer, hackles raised.
Shit.
I arched my back and hissed.
The dog fr
oze, then turned, tail between its legs and fled.
Oh yeah, I still got it.
Rob made a chirp which sounded like a laugh and hopped down the hallway. Considering he was the right size to inhale, I wasn't sure I'd laugh if I was him. Although, it was pretty funny. It wouldn't be for long if the dog actually ate him. Shifting inside a living creature would be messy. I assume.
I followed him along the hallway to the first room. No go there, it was just an oversized bathroom tastelessly overdone with too much bling.
The room after that was closed, but the one after that was locked. Nothing says, "Secret shit hidden here," like a locked door.
I meowed softly and hoped Johnny would hear the signal.
"Gotcha. Willa is on her way. She's antsy and not at all happy to be left out until now," he said conversationally.
I made the kitty version of a smirk. That was too damn bad, we needed her in the role we worked out for her. A role she carried out quickly when she arrived and dropped a lock-pick from her beak onto the floor.
"Thank you," I said once I shifted and picked up the tool.
She landed on the floor beside Rob and hopped around like a normal sparrow.
I shook my head to myself and picked the lock on the door. I turned the handle and shifted, in case an alarm was set for this part of the house.
Nothing.
I butted the door open with my head and padded inside.
Rob chirped in excitement.
I agreed. The walls were lined with computers and shelves full of files. I waited until the others were inside and pushed the door closed with my paw.
I hesitated before I shifted again. Sneaking through dark houses while naked was one thing. Doing it in front of two others, even a lover, was another.
Rob didn't seem so bothered by it. He shifted and sank down in a chair and tapped on the keyboard in front of him. The screen lit up with a box in the centre.
"Password protected," he said.
I nodded. We had expected it would be. "Johnny, is Tucker there?"
"Right here." Tucker's voice came through my earpiece.
"This is more your forte, hacking computers."
"Send Willa back. I've got something here which can help. It'll download all the files, without having to use the password."
"No wonder nothing is safe anymore," I muttered. I nodded to Willa, who flew back out the door.
"So, this is what you do for fun, hmmm?" Rob asked.
"I'm not sure I'd say I do it for fun," I replied. "It's mostly to help people."
"But you get a kick out of it," he pressed, "or you wouldn't keep doing it."
"I suppose that's true," I agreed. "It can be exhilarating. And it's interesting to see how the other half live. Or the one percent, to be more precise."
"Is that why you don't do one big score?" he asked. "A billion from someone who wouldn't notice it and you'd help a lot of people."
I grimaced. "The idea that anyone wouldn't notice a missing billion is terrible."
He matched my expression. "That's true, but I bet they exist."
"I'm sure they do," I agreed. "Although who needs that much money, I don't know."
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know either. I'd like to try with a few thousand though, just to see how it feels." He tapped at the keyboard again, but the screen stayed the same.
I smiled. "Even having a few million is overrated."
His gaze swung around toward me. "Are you speaking from experience?"
"How else would I fund my lifestyle?" I said lightly. "Before you ask, it was inherited and invested wisely. I didn't steal a cent of it. And I gave most of it away long ago."
"Ahhh." He nodded. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."
"Probably not."
Willa flew back in then and dropped something into Rob's hand.
"She's back," I said to Tucker. "What now?"
"Place that beside the computer and wait a couple of minutes," he said. "It'll send everything here to us."
"All right." I passed that on to Rob and nodded to Willa. "You can go now."
She chirped in protest, but I opened the door, shooed her out, and closed it behind us.
"She listens to you," Rob remarked. "She just rolls her eyes at me."
I shrugged. "I don't give her a choice."
"I… what is that smell?" He sniffed.
I did the same. "Shit, we need to get out of here." When he looked questioningly at me, I added, "That's the gas Nott used to knock me out."
I stood, but I already felt light headed.
"Marion?" Tucker's worried voice sounded in my ear.
"Have you got everything?" I asked.
"What? I can't understand you. Did you just slur?"
"Tuck…" I sank to my knees. I squinted to make out the door handle. If I could just reach it. I stretched out my arm and swiped, but missed it, probably by a metre.
"Marion!" Tucker sounded faint now.
"Little cat," Rob mumbled. He was still seated, but slumped over the keyboard in front of him. "Gotta get…out. Gotta…"
"Mmmm… too late." I sank to the carpet, narrowly missing hitting my head on a desk. "Musta set off… alarm. Tuck… get info, get Zeta. Don't come for…me…"
Unable to keep my eyes open, I let them close, but stayed awake for a while longer. Long enough to hear Tucker swear profusely.
"Fucking asshole! I'm going to rip Nott's head off and shove it down what's left of his throat. Fucking double-crossing…"
I didn't think Nott did this, but no words would form, much less come out my mouth. I let out a long breath and let darkness overcome me.
Nineteen
I woke with a pounding headache and my wrists and ankles bound. My first thought was, not again. This time there was no Nott standing nearby, nor was this a run-down warehouse. Instead, I lay on a soft bed in a large room. Someone draped a blanket over me. How thoughtful of them.
I turned my head at the sound of Rob's groan.
He was tied up as well, with a blanket up to his stomach.
"This isn't good," he muttered.
I snorted. "You think?" I squeezed my eyes shut to try to clear out the fog in my brain. "Sorry, I just…"
"I know." He sighed. "Do you still have your…"
I knew what he meant, but neither of us was going to say "earpiece" out loud. No doubt someone was listening and watching. Just because I couldn't see a camera, didn't mean there wasn't one.
"Dignity?" I suggested. "Some of it. Not all of it though." At least, I couldn't feel the earpiece. I assume whoever tied us up here had taken it.
He chuckled softly. "Relatable. Can you shift?"
"I doubt it. Nott had handcuffs which prevented shifting." In spite of that, I tried. I didn't suppose it mattered if these people knew I could become a cat. Getting out of here was a higher priority.
Instead of just not shifting, the bonds around my hand sent a searing pain down my wrists and into the rest of my body. My back arched and I had to bite back a scream of agony.
"Marion!" Rob struggled against his bonds, but couldn't do more than lift his back off his bed.
"I'm all right," I said when I could speak. My whole body throbbed. Tears leaked over my cheeks and I blinked them away. Once the pain finally receded, I said, "Don't try to shift."
"Yeah, I got that, loud and clear." He sagged back down. "I guess it's time for plan B."
"What's plan B?" I asked. Apart from the others attempting to rescue us, which hopefully they wouldn't try to do.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I feel like we skipped it and went straight to plan F. As in, we're fucked."
"Mmmhmm, I figured that was what F stood for." I chewed my lip. "Why didn't they kill us?"
Rob cleared his throat. "I have a few suspicions."
"I don't like the sound of that." I looked toward the ceiling. There wasn't even a handy vent to climb out of, even if we could get free.
"Me either," he agreed. "T
he best thing we can do right now is to rest. Save our strength for whatever they have planned for us."
I turned my face toward him. "I guess so. I mean, I'm not seeing many other options. At least it's only the two of us they caught."
He smiled wryly. "Right. It could have been worse."
"Yes, you could be stuck in here with someone who doesn't like you." I tried to smile, but it felt like a grimace.
"Does such a person exist?" he joked.
"I'm not sure if our cop friend cares for you too much." Just because Nott assumed he'd been burned by Zeta, didn't mean I had to mention his connection to us.
"He would have come around, in time," Rob said confidently. "I'm pretty damned awesome."
I snorted. "Yes, you are. Is now a bad time to say I'm falling in love with you?"
"There's never a bad time for that," he replied. "I'm falling in love with you, too."
"I—" I froze at the sound of movement outside the room. The door clicked unlocked and opened silently.
"Ah, our intruders have awakened."
I knew that face, I had seen it on the evening news often enough.
"Ms. Layne," Rob said politely. "There seems to have been some kind of mistake."
"Oh really?" Layne held up the device Tucker gave us, to steal the files from her computer. "How do you explain this then?"
Rob lifted his head. "I don't know, I've never seen it before in my life. What is it?"
Layne snorted. "I've already viewed the camera footage of that room. As break in attempts go, you were sloppy."
That was insulting, but I bit my tongue. Literally. My pride in my cat burglar skills had to be put aside for now.
"Ah," Rob replied. "Did you hear that, Marion? She had a camera in the room."
"I heard," I said. "It didn't make up for the lack of security everywhere else though."
A frown crossed Layne's features. I could tell she agreed with me.
"You were expecting normal people, in spite of what you know about paranormals?" I was pushing it and making assumptions, but I knew I wasn't wrong.
"We were ready where it mattered," she snapped. "Now I have two fine specimens for Zeta's experimentation."
"Experimentation?" Rob echoed. "I thought you killed shifters?"
Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection Page 72
