Page 89 of Burn of Obsidian

Thea had agreed to the same amount Jax owed her. It was a chunk of change, and for anything less than the ridiculous amount, Roach would have turned down. She knew that they were going in unprepared, which went against everything Roach taught her. Good thing Thea thrived on improvisation.

Roach hiked her bag higher on her shoulder. “There’s a camera top left. Give me a second and I’ll…”

Ruhne zipped toward the lens, the camera’s red light flickering.

“Huh.” Roach cocked her head, her dark hair tucked beneath her mask.

“I can loop the camera for thirty seconds,” Ruhne explained. “Which means you need to move.”

“That’s you, Swiper.” Roach pressed herself flat against the side of the building, hiding herself in the shadow.

Thea dropped to her knees, picking the lock on the back door with ten seconds to spare. It had been easy enough to climb over the fence, the security not walking the area surrounding the archives as often as the museum itself. Not that she’d seen a single guard yet.

A flash of headlights, but they didn’t give it much concern as they closed the door quickly behind them. The museum and the attached archives were situated in the centre of Washington. Roads surrounded the entire building, and just like any city, Washington had people out and about, even at the ridiculous hour.

It would be an awesome place to explore if she didn’t have to get back home. She was living off the adventure, but she itched to be back by her father’s side. The only reason she hadn’t argued with leaving not only the country, but the continent, was because Jax promised they’d be in and out.

“Through here.” Roach led, stopping every few feet to wait for Ruhne to deal with the cameras. The back entrance was situated behind the exhibits, giving them direct access to where they needed to go.

Thanks to Harper – who’d spent hours on the phone with numerous people – had found out where the document was stored. Which meant they knew exactly which floor and room to get to. Luckily, the archives were pretty straightforward, and only a fraction of the size of the attached museum.

Three sets of locked doors, and fifty-eight stairs later, the area turned dark. Emergency strip lighting ran down the length of the floor, the overheads off. Thea expected generic grey walls and boring signs listing room numbers. Not darkness disrupted with bursts of red. The light changed every few seconds, leaking from a set of double doors further down the corridor.

Red. White. Red. White.

Unease twisted her stomach.

They hadn’t come across anyone yet. Not a guard, or even a custodian. They’d passed empty offices, supply cupboards and other storage rooms. It was admittedly late, but surely there would be someone? Anyone to walk the halls and windy corridors where treasures from across the realms were supposedly documented and kept.

Roach pulled a small box from her backpack, the click echoing around the creeping silence around them.

Red. White. Red. White.

“It’s a blocker,” she said, putting it in her back pocket. “It disturbs radio frequencies, as well as most phone signals.”

“Then how will the boys communicate with us?” Thea asked, keeping her voice quiet.

Roach looked back over her shoulder, lips pressed into a thin line. “They can’t, not until we’re done.”

Thea narrowed her eyes, but didn’t say anything else. She trusted Roach knew what she was doing.

“I can’t hear the buzzing of the cameras,” Ruhne whispered, landing heavily on her shoulder. “Something’s wrong.”

“Maybe there’s no cameras down here?” Thea replied, glancing up to see the silhouettes of something that definitely looked like a camera.

“They’re broken.” Ruhne huddled closer. “If I die, I need you to avenge me.”

“You’re not going to die.” Thea rolled her eyes when he poked her in the cheek. “Fine, any recommendations?”

“I don’t know, but get creative.” He shrugged. “Do what feels right in the moment, then add sparkles.”

The lighting strips brightened when they turned, and Roach skidded to a stop.

Red. White. Red. White.

Thea came up from behind, her boot stepping into something slippery. The red light flashed, splashing the entire floor, including the puddle of… the smell finally reached her nose. Copper, as well as other bodily fluids.

“What the fuck?” she whispered, swallowing bile. It was a lot of blood. The puddle smeared off to the left and through a door marked ‘Storage AB64.’

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