8. Mayhem

8

MAYHEM

I offered my arm to Ember and fought my smile as we followed Hazel and the guard toward the vault. The shadow witch not only couldn’t hold a candle to my fire witch, but she could not ignite a single, minuscule spark inside me. No woman ever would for the rest of my existence.

I had to admit, though, watching Ember’s subtle display of dominance added fuel to the already raging inferno of love and desire I felt for her.

We exited the refreshment area and turned left, passing through a second massive archway when a ding-dong sound echoed through the corridor. Hazel and the guard stopped short, her gaze snapping to his.

A moment later, a woman’s voice sounded through the building’s intercom. “Attention guests and staff. Please gather in the waiting area until further notice. Code blue thirty-seven.”

Hazel tried to hide her gasp by clearing her throat. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to go back to the waiting area.”

“What’s blue thirty-seven?” Ember asked, crossing her arms.

“Go ahead. I’ll bring them in.” Hazel gestured at the guard, who turned on his heel and jogged toward the vault.

“We need to go back. Follow me.” Her heels clicked on the floor, and another bell echoed before the voice repeated the instructions.

Ember widened her stance. “What’s blue thirty-seven?”

Hazel turned toward her, wringing her hands, her gaze jumping from Ember to Shade to me before she leaned toward us and whispered, “There’s been a security breach. I don’t…” She shook her head and looked at Shade.

“Oh. Oh, hey…” Ember touched Hazel’s elbow. “They wouldn’t lock the place down over Shade. If they didn’t want him here, they’d have made him leave.”

“Yeah.” She blew out a breath. “I just… I really need this job.”

“Then let’s make sure you keep it.” Ember guided her toward the foyer, and Shade and I followed reluctantly.

The final piece of Lucifer’s amulet lay a few yards away. Temptation to run for it, to obtain it by any means necessary, had my muscles tensing and my hands clenching into fists.

I could take it so effortlessly. Getting Ember and Shade out safely would not be as easy.

“What’s happening?” Ash asked in my earpiece. “Do you see anyone suspicious?”

“Not as of yet,” I replied quietly. “Perhaps your spell to pass through the ward set off an alarm after all.”

“Not a chance,” she said. “An arrogant, mid-level witch cast it, probably thinking no one would have the gall to attempt a heist at a magical auction in the most secure house in the country.”

“She’s right,” Shade said. “The magic barely fought back. We didn’t cause this.”

We passed through the foyer and gathered with the other attendees in the carpeted room. I scanned the faces of those present, searching for a sign of the culprit. “Hazel, how many shadow witches are working tonight? Could someone else have sneaked in the way Shade did?”

“There are six of us stationed around the building. Two of us manned check-in, but I don’t see Misty anywhere now.” She tugged her phone from her pocket and tapped the screen. “Her tracker is off.”

“There’s your security breach,” Ember said. “Does she practice dark magic?”

“No.” Hazel shook her head adamantly. “We went through an intense screening process to get these jobs. We had aura readings, one-on-one interviews, personality tests, and mundane background checks. Plus we all had to pass through the ward to get into the building.”

Ember spun in a circle, her eyes calculating. “Wards can be dissolved.”

“Not without setting off an alarm.” She pressed her phone to her ear. “Misty, are you okay? Call me.”

“Powerful witches can…” I began, but Ember’s sharp look made me stop mid-sentence.

Hazel let out a nervous laugh. “Okay, but who here is that strong? It would take an elemental to break it quietly.”

I arched a brow at Ember. It seemed our new friend didn’t know she stood in the presence of a Holland witch. We would have to keep it that way.

“All guests are accounted for,” the voice over the intercom said. “Initiate seven-five-seven.”

“Oh, this is bad.” Hazel squinted at her phone. “Better get comfortable.”

I was about to inquire why when a pair of men with large guns closed the doors to the foyer. The thunk of a massive lock engaging echoed in the room, and the crowd’s incessant chatter quieted to a murmur.

“What’s happening?” both Ember and Ash on the earpiece asked in unison.

Hazel jerked her head toward an empty corner of the room. “Come over here. I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

We followed her, and I picked up a pastry from the buffet on our way, shoving the entire thing into my mouth. The cream cheese center meshed perfectly with the tart lemon frosting.

Ember blinked at me and shook her head.

Hazel motioned for us to get closer. “Seven-five-seven is a lock-down protocol. We’re stuck here until they verify all the artifacts are safe and they find the culprit. They’ll interview each of us separately.”

Her gaze darted about the room, her brows drawing inward until deep wrinkles formed above the bridge of her nose. “I can’t stay in here. I have… I have a job to do.”

Ember closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples. “We don’t have time for this to turn into an Agatha Christie novel.” She looked at me. “What should we do?”

I had no answer of which the team would approve.

“At least we have food. It could be a long night, so we might as well settle in.” Hazel shoved her phone into her pocket, her nervous expression contrasting the calmness of her words.

“You have to find a way out,” Ash said. “Miles is tapping into your phones to track you, and then he’ll guide you to the amulet.”

“The—” Ember began before making a face at me. We couldn’t speak freely while Hazel remained within earshot.

“How’s your vim?” Shade asked, sensing the issue. “It must be draining to use your active power of seeing through shadow for so long.”

Hazel laughed dryly. “Right? I’ll have to sleep for three days to recover.”

With Shade distracting the guard dog, Ember and I stepped away and settled at a small table far from the crowd and any other prying ears.

“There are armed guards at all the exits,” Ember whispered. “We aren’t going anywhere without causing a scene.”

“Perhaps a scene is exactly what we need.” I drummed my fingers on the table. “If the crowd were to break out in a mass panic, we could slip out the door during their distraction.”

“Absolutely not.” Ember laid her hand on mine, stopping my drumming.

“That could work,” Ash said, at least one sister agreeing with me.

“How many people would we inadvertently kill if Mayhem did his thing in here? For once, violence isn’t the answer.” Ember squeezed my fingers and let them go. “We can’t make these people start fighting each other, especially not with all the assault rifles in the room.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” I asked.

“Both. As much as I’d loved to kick some ass right now, we can’t be the cause of anyone else’s death. I’m done leaving a trail of bodies in our wake.”

A clunk sounded from above, and the chandelier rattled, turning lopsided before swinging violently from its base. A shimmering disturbance dropped to the floor, and a man let out a gurgling scream.

I rose to my feet. “It appears we have our distraction.”