Page 2 of I Regret Nothing
“I’m interested,” I said.
And that was how I became a master thief. I apprenticed under Hauser and learned from the best. I stole from museums, banks, rich people. Whoever could afford my services. And I did it through a website where people mostly posted handmade goods. My shop pretended to sell bath items, but each listing meant something. Most of the soaps were bank heists. The bath bombs meant museums. The bath melts were when you wanted me to steal from someone personally. There was a listing for a custom item where anything went.
I loved every single thing about it. Hauser was more like a father to me than my adoptive father had been. He told me more about who and what I was. I was raised in America, but my adoptive parents refused to tell me from which country I had adopted. I knew I had to be Asian, even if my hair was pure white, and my eyes were violet, but they wouldn’t tell me where my ancestors came from. If I asked, they would just tell me I was American and to drop it. They wouldn’t talk about my birth parents at all.
They were human, and I had to keep it this big secret from them that I could either turn into a full fox or sprout ears and a tail and become way more agile. I guess we were all keeping secrets. Hauser didn’t do that to me. I believed him now when he told me I smelled like a demon, and we were trying to find out what kind. The closest we could figure, I was a Kitsune, but I didn't know how I ended up topside being raised by humans.
That was still a heavily guarded secret. Both of us advertised my services as a fox shifter. Most of the supernatural community who would have looked down on me as prey were now lining up for my services. I apprenticed with Hauser for ten years, and I’d been on my own for five. I still talked with Hauser every day, and he was up my ass about this heist I planned. He should be calling soon to talk me out of it.
There he was.
“Please tell me you’ve decided to call this off, Rei,” he said.
“I can’t, Hauser. That amulet was taken from a witch coven a century ago. It ended up in the hands of a private collector until he died, and his family donated it. It’s supposed to summon your ancestors. We’ve hit a dead end looking into my background. I need to know how I ended up here instead of in Hell with my family.”
“We should have found a witch when we still had the chance,” Hauser growled. “You wouldn’t have even been thinking about this if we summoned another demon and just asked.”
“Yeah, but someone set fire to all the greenhouses that grew what they needed to do that and destroyed all the seeds. The only people that would have reason to do that are demons. I don’t think they like being summoned. One of them could have killed all of us.”
“Not you. They wouldn’t have killed you, Rei. I would gladly die for you to get your answers andnotrob that museum.”
“No! I don’t even want to think about you dying. I won’t get caught, Hauser. You taught me well. I’ve been casing the place for three weeks. I know how to get in and out, and I know how to disable their security without them knowing.”
“This is a bad idea, Rei. What are you going to do with it after you have it? You can’t keep it at your place when you’re done with it. You know better than to have stolen goods at your place. You can’t sell it either because this is going to make the news. Covens everywhere got upset when it was taken from the witches and into the hands of that collector. Do you know what would happen if you started approaching covens to sell it to them? They’d come at you to get it from you. They’d rat you out in an instant over that artifact if it meant getting their hands on it.”
“I know the risks, Hauser. I’ll find someplace to hide it that doesn’t lead back to me.”
“If you pull this off, the supernatural community will know. There are only four thieves out there that could pull this off. I’ll protect you, but you know the other two. They’ll rat us out.”
I just laughed. I’d thought of that part too. I’d planned this down to a T.
“Yeah, but one of those thieves is a witch without a coven. They’ll go to Venus long enough for me to contact my ancestors and get it somewhere safe.”
Hauser sighed.
“Put your demon side away for a minute. I taught you better than that. I know we don’t like Venus, but you know what they will do to her before they give up it wasn’t her, right?”
“She has it coming after what she did to you when you took that job together. She stole all the money, you nearly got caught, and she stole the loot for another buyer, leaving you with a pissed off client after your hide. You got your ass beat by an entire clan of Vampires three times. I give zero shits about sending angry witches after her. She earned it when she betrayed you.”
“Do you remember how I stopped you when you wanted to visit her and beat her ass? I’m hoping to do that now.”
“Will you just trust me, Hauser? I’ve planned everything. I won’t get caught. Nothing about this will tie back to me. I even have my hiding place planned after I do the ritual. You taught me well. Trust me that I can handle this.”
“Fine, Rei. I’ll support you on this because I know how much you want these answers. Promise me after this, it’s business as usual. No more stealing unless it’s for someone else.”
“Pinky swear, Hauser.”
“Do you need any help? You usually don’t anymore, but the stakes are higher this time.”
“Come over with a beer and celebrate with me when I get home? If all goes as planned, I’ll be back at two in the morning.”
“I’ll even cook you a steak like old times.”
I groaned. Hauser did amazing things to meat. This was it. Tomorrow, I was getting that amulet and finding out why humans raised me.
Chapter 2
Rei
