To Catch An Omega (Thieves In The Night Book 1)

by Avery Brite

  “Dec,” Jayla said, her usually cheerful self. “How’s the wife and kids?”

  “Funny. Listen, you remember Marcus? Tech guy? Be careful with him, he has a problem keeping his big trap shut.” I said.

  “Noted. Anything else I need to know about him?” Jayla noisily sipped coffee on the other end.

  “That’s all for now.” We exchanged goodbyes and hung up. Jayla is one of the best fences in town. Her specialty is odd and rare items. She is also like a human chat room, if you need to get news out without directly calling everyone on your contacts list, she’s the go-to. Before dinnertime, Marcus will hear that he’s been called out. By tomorrow, his business will drop to barely half what it used to be. If he’s smart, he won’t say a damn thing about it, just take his lumps and roll with it.

  With that little bit of business over with, I went back to musing over Zenith. At the very thought of him a smile spread over my face. Neither the thrill of a job, nor the feel of money had made me smile like this in a long time. Maybe finding my fated mate wasn’t such a bad thing.

  ***

  I had to run a few errands and pick up something for dinner. Though we hadn’t made any plans, I knew that Zenith and I would be dining together tonight. I stopped for food, deciding that an herb-roasted salmon with fresh roasted vegetables and a nice Riesling would be a good dinner to get acquainted over.

  Bags in hand, I unlocked my door, completely unsurprised when I smelled Zenith somewhere in the apartment. His scent made my heart skip. That’s something I wouldn’t get used to. Putting the food away, I walked out to the balcony where my omega sat, his feet propped and a cigar in his hand.

  “I didn’t know you smoked cigars,” I said, announcing myself.

  “I don’t. I just saw that you had a box of these and decided to try it out. It’s a lot like smoking a fart,” he said and put it down.

  “That cigar is a hundred dollars a pop. So are you just going to climb through my vent anytime you want?” I sat next to him.

  He pulled a key out of his pocket. “You shouldn’t keep your spares in the junk drawer, it’s so easy to find.” He handed it to me, which I took as a sign of trust.

  “Keep it.” I looked at him and my heart ached. “We need to talk.” I sat next to him and took in the skyline. I loved this view, and I could tell he did too. He put his hand on mine and a jolt of electricity lit up my nerves. He jumped, feeling the same thing.

  “You told me a little about yourself, I should tell you about me.” I took a breath, trying to decide what version of myself to give, but I knew it would be futile. Regardless of what I tried to hide, it would all just come out for him anyway.

  I told him about growing up in the small hick town until I was ten, then upended when my father lost his job. We came to the city and the more my parents worked to make ends meet, the more I was left to my own devices. I found that I had a talent for planning and acquiring things I wanted that other people already had.

  “By the time I hit high school; I had already left home and could support myself by blackmailing my teachers and scamming the school board. Already accustomed to living a better life than I ever had before, I vowed that it would only be the best for me by any means necessary.” I continued. “Now I have a crew that is top notch and we’re…” I stopped myself. Fated mate or not, I wasn’t sure if I could trust him.

  “You have something planned?” Zenith asked sitting up, excited like a schoolboy. My normal reaction would be to assume that he wanted to use the information against me. But he was different; he genuinely wanted to know about me, and my life. For the first time I could trust someone other than Tanner or Cody.

  “Yes. I do have something in the works. Something big, but we’ll get into that later. For now, I’m going to cook for you.”

  {7} – Zenith

  “Turn up here and park. You probably don’t want to take this sleek machine any farther in.” His immaculate Mercedes E-class wouldn’t last a minute in my neighborhood. I still had an uncomfortable pit in my stomach about this. Declan might change his mind about me if he saw how I lived. Our lifestyles are so drastically different. Though he has said little about himself, it is only fair that I share myself with him. I don’t make gestures like this on good faith, but my thinking about everything has changed since meeting him.

  The last couple of days have been the strangest, yet most wonderful, of my life. Every night I fall asleep in Declan’s arms, and wake up in them again. We’ve worked past the uncomfortable part of any new relationship, but being professionally secretive, we still had more ground to cover.

  He said nothing and followed my directions. I still couldn’t quite tell what went through his mind. I’ll admit that it’s an occupational hazard to remain so closed in, but I thought being his mate might change that. Maybe it will just take time.

  “Lead the way,” he said when we stepped out of the car. I did, saying nothing and making no attempts at being a ‘tour guide’. This section of town held so many secrets but laid its story out bare at the same time. Hope and dreams died quickly, damaged and scattered at the crumbling concrete under out feet.

  Three blocks later we stood in front of a concrete and brick four story walk up. The windows showed only ratty curtains or warped and sun burnt blinds. The ghost of graffiti lingered on the bricks. “It isn’t the Hampton, okay?” I said, ridiculously self-conscious. I didn’t want Declan to judge me too harshly for the way I lived, but he didn’t understand the decisions I made either.

  “I have no expectations.” He said diplomatically. His face remained unreadable. I unlocked the front door and we entered the dusty hallway. A mix of music and television muffled through the thin walls.

  As we passed by the first door on the left, I heard a repetitive electronic beeping. Out of habit, I beat on the door and yelled, “Mrs. Lopez, time to take your pills.” The electronic beeping ended. “She’s hard of hearing. That alarm will go off for a half an hour before she’ll realize it’s time to take her medicine.” We continued up to the top floor. I fumbled with my keys as I tried to unlock the door. “Oh wait,” I stopped and pulled a twenty-dollar bill from my wallet. I slipped it under the door across the hall.

  “Rent?” Declan asked.

  “No. Mr. Stover can’t work due to an accident at his last job. His Medicaid barely covers his doctors and because he can’t work, he’s on assistance. It doesn’t cover much so I help him when I can.” With my hand on my doorknob, I took a breath and opened the door. Declan stepped inside and I after him. Luckily, the place wasn’t a mess, but I suppose I needed to have things in order to have a mess.

  “I thought you were career thief. Or do you also have a secret vault too?” Declan said, then grinned. If were anyone else, I would think they were making fun of me. He knew how nervous I felt about this, so he tried a joke to diffuse it.

  I had an efficiency apartment that stretched the definition of both words. The kitchen consisted of few things that worked, including a refrigerator that didn’t make things cold so much as kept them from getting over room temperature. The living/bedroom area consisted only of a convertible couch that wouldn’t go back together, a ratty chair, and a desk made of chipped cinder blocks and a pressboard shelf. I hoped he didn’t ask about all the strange strains on the carpet and the walls. I had no explanations for those; they came free of charge with the place.

  “I’m sure you can appreciate why I don’t keep much here. The lock on the door is mainly for show. I do have a secret panel in the bathroom to store my tools and loot, but that’s about it. I’ve lived my life on the run, this place being the longest I’ve stayed put. If things go south, then I can disappear on a moment’s notice.” I explained and waited to be judged.

  “Makes sense,” he said, to my relief. “I didn’t always have the nice apartment and killer car. I would crash at people’s couches and sometimes they didn’t always know that I was there. For my 17th birthday, my present to myself was perfecting the ability to kn
ow when people weren’t home so I have a place to sleep, and then rob them blind.” He took my hand and squeezed it “It isn’t for me to judge you. Our chosen profession isn’t kind, and it has little in the way of security. I’ve seen worse places.”

  For an awkward moment, we just stood there looking at my barren life. Now that I had met Declan, I could easily never come back here again. Somewhere in me, I hoped that he saw this and told me that I wouldn’t have to.

  “So you’re doing the Robin Hood bit? Robbing from the rich to help the poor?” He said, breaking the silence.

  “A little,” I said sheepishly. So much for keeping my rep as a loner badass. “It has never been the plan, but people like Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Stover don’t get much help from the ‘system’. I hate to see people being put down like that. So for the next question you’re going to ask, yes I mainly hit marks that have more than they should.”

  “Including apartments at the Hanover Apartments?” Declan asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “To be fair, I just thought you were another idiot rich guy with more money than sense. Obviously I know you work hard for your money.” I took his hand and squeezed it.

  “I’ll take the compliment. Both for my work ethic, and successfully cultivating the persona as an idiot rich guy with more money than sense.” He said. I squeezed his hand and kissed him.

  ***

  With so little to see at my place, I rushed us out. We had no other stops to make, no other landmarks in my life to show him, so we walked around. To be able to hold hands, feel the sun on my face, and just exist with the man I loved filled me with an amazing light. Being so used to living aloof lives, we both recognized the strangeness of it. It added to our unique relationship.

  Wandering into the trendy shopping district, we talked and peeked in windows. People walked past us, giving us barely a look. Normally I would have made a handful of marks to pick pockets and made a little money.

  “So, Z, you can break into apartments with ease, what else can you do?” Declan asked. My heart leapt; apparently, we had gotten to the pet name stage. Normally I would gag at the idea, but it just made me love him more. It also excited me because I wanted a chance to show off a little.

  “I have yet to meet too many safes that can keep me out, but my real gift is pick pocketing. There is no one as smooth as I am.”

  “So you say,” Declan said, challenging me.

  “Indeed I do,” I said, just as power walking yoga mom bumped into me. “Sorry.” I say to her as she scowls and continues on. Turning back to Declan I hold up a Louis Vuitton knock off wallet. Looking at the wallet, then over his shoulder at the disappearing woman, Declan nods his head. He’s impressed. The wallet only had forty dollars in cash but an impressive collection of credit cards. The cash disappeared into my pocket but I leave everything else.

  We stop in front of a clothing boutique and I hand the wallet to the first clerk I see, mumbling something about finding it on the sidewalk. Declan shook his head at me, saying nothing.

  Walking and talking, we wandered around some more until Declan stopped to check his phone. He tapped a quick text to someone then put it back in his pocket. It took me a moment to realize that we stood in front of the BCT Bank. I looked up at the gilded sign then at Declan. He said nothing, just opened the door and ushered me in. The lobby, with its faux Persian carpets and wood veneer countertops, edged in brass, had all the show of money and security, without actually having it. Banks like this dealt with credit and future promises. You could get in the vault, and make a decent haul, but it wouldn’t be enough to retire on.

  “Given our career choice, I find it hard to believe you’d do much business with such an institution.” I murmured. I stood close to him, his scent filling my nostrils. Now that the nerves of laying out my life to him had passed, I just wanted him to take me back home and have his way with me in bed. I hoped whatever he had in mind didn’t take long.

  “I’m not here to make a deposit, if that’s what you mean.” Declan said, that knowing smile crept across his face. “There is a little bit of business that I need to take home with me.”

  “Wait…are we robbing the place?” I asked like a kid given free run of a candy store.

  “In a way, yes.”

  “I could not love you anymore than I do right now.” I craned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “What’s the angle?”

  “We need to get upstairs. The bank manager, Grady, has something that I need. It should be in his office, but getting to his office without a fuss is the issue.” Declan said, as he talked he scanned the room, without looking like he did so. I already had everyone pegged. Three cashiers, a loan officer, and two security guards were on duty right now. The loan officer sat with a very nervous young family, most likely begging for the ability to buy a house. I had no love of banks, and ripped them off as much as possible. They weren’t established to work in the best interest of the people, so I saw no harm in it.

  The cashiers had a small line of after-lunch business to attend to. The security guards looked bored. That meant that they had nothing to occupy them, and their attention to details had slipped.

  “Is the bank manager in his office,” I asked. A plan began to come together in my head, but I had to remember that this would be a joint operation; something I would have to get used it.

  “No, he just took off. That’s the reason for the text message. Tanner watched him leave. I hope you don’t mind if we get a little work done today?” He asked already knowing my answer.

  “Slipping past the guards shouldn’t be too hard.” I scanned the waiting line of people, corralled in by a winding red rope. “I’ll get in line and provide just enough of a distraction to get us in. I’ll be right behind you.” What I had in mind was a classic, yet effective, move. Declan nodded and slipped his phone out as if making a phone call. He talked to no one as he casually wandered near the doorway that led up stairs.

  I got in line behind a denim jacket wearing man that smelled like diesel fuel. I pulled his wallet and hid it in my hand. Taking my keys with my other hand, I fumbled with them and ‘accidentally’ dropped them ahead of denim diesel dude. In front of him stood an older woman; most likely taking a late lunch to get some banking done, gauging the sour expression on her face.

  “Thank you so much,” I said, as she bent down to pick them up. I clasped her hand in both of mine, as gesture of thanks as much as to take back my keys. Along with my keys, I also slipped off her sparkly bracelet. It only looked expensive, but that didn’t matter. By the time I had taken my place back in line, denim diesel dude’s wallet had fallen in the woman’s purse. Her bracelet now sat in his back pocket.

  Making a few sidelong glances towards one of the bored security guards, one finally noticed me looking at him. He started walking my way. Quietly I left the line and met him halfway.

  “It’s probably not my business, and I could be wrong,” I whispered to him, “but I think that woman has taken that man’s wallet.” I pointed at the man and woman I had been standing behind. The guard said nothing, but gave me a questioning look. “I saw a man’s wallet in her purse when she handed my keys back to me. When I got back in line, the man didn’t have it in his back pocket anymore. I could be wrong, but I think she picked his pocket.” I put in as much innocent and ‘sorry to bother you’ as I could in my voice.

  “Alright.” The guard said and walked towards the two. I backed off towards Declan. I knew he stood by the door, pretending to take no notice. I could feel him there, even though I couldn’t see him. Maybe this fated mates thing could work to our advantage after all.

  I didn’t hear what transpired until the woman shouted at the guard, calling him a liar. She opened her bag and pulled out the man’s wallet, unbelieving. The man reached in his back pocket and pulled out the bracelet. That’s when they both started yelling at each other and all attention fell onto them.

  I heard Declan try the door, but it didn’t open. I turned and handed him the key ca
rd I had slipped off the guard as I talked to him. Tapping it on the card reader near the door, we got behind the door as quick as we could. As the door shut, Declan pushed me up against the wall and kissed me deep and hard. I immediately melted into it. When we parted I wanted to ask for more, but I knew we had a job to do.

  “You are amazing. We are going straight to bed after this,” Declan said, hunger in his eyes. For me, time was now of the essence. I just wanted to get him home and naked. Declan walked down the hallway as if he belonged there so I followed suit. If you don’t look suspicious, most people just assume that you aren’t.

  At the end of the hall, two large, important looking, double doors loomed. Without missing a beat, we glided right in.

  The bank manager’s office looked like I expected, large over priced desk surrounded by plush chairs, expensive (but not authentic) art on the walls, and the faint smell of greed. Declan immediately went for the desk, rummaging through the drawers.

  “We’re looking for a key card for the Rumfoord Museum. Grady, the bank manager, is a major trustee and head of the museum board. He has an all access key that I need.” Declan explained as I picked a lock on a wooden file cabinet along the wall. After searching every desk, drawer and cabinet, we found everything but what we were looking for.

  “The only thing left is the safe,” I said. We both stared down at the small personal safe that had been set into the wall behind the desk. “How are you as safe cracking?”

  “There is not an electric or coded safe that can keep me out. These older ones are trickier, I just don’t have the sensitive finger tips for it,” he grimaced.

  “I got this,” I fell to the floor, and went to work. I channeled my coyote because I needed his hearing. Between my fingertips feeling the tumblers and being able to hear when they feel into place, I had it open in less than three minutes. “This model is practically an antique. It’s like he’s not even trying,” I gloated. Declan looked both impressed and proud of me. It made my heart leap in my chest. I didn’t realize how important having his approval meant to me. This job made me love him more and more with each second that passed. I could feel the same radiating off him.