Page 125 of The Thief

Bear stood and crossed the enormous room. “When I get a new smoker. The one they sold me had issues.”

Tak pinched his chin while studying Bear. I’d noticed him staring at Bear’s silver patch more than once. The last thing I remembered about that night was shifting, a struggle with Argento, and then Bear coming to the rescue. Shortly after, I blacked out. I’d changed back in the bathroom but only stayed in human form for a minute or two. Though Bear suffered a nasty burn on his arm from Argento’s light, he had shifted enough times to fully heal. When Shifters battled with honor against their enemies, it was common for them to seal their scars with liquid fire. He wanted to keep his as a badge of honor but couldn’t since Argento’s disappearance had to remain a secret. Instead, he looked upon the silver streak in his hair with pride.

I knew it was best not to ask what happened. Argento was gone, and that was all that mattered. Sometimes ignorance was more than bliss but a necessity. Bear was shielding me from punishment, and I respected that.

Joy sat beside Salem and crossed her legs. “It’s starting to feel like an actual home. I can’t wait to see what it looks like a year from now.”

Salem patted the sofa. “Joy did a fine job. Don’t you think?”

“They did good,” Tak agreed. “But I might need a matching recliner so my mate can sit beside me and we can rock together.”

Hope crossed the room to his chair. “I have too much work to do. There’s no time for rest with a baby on the way.”

Tak stood and then twirled his woman against him. After a quick kiss, he sat her in the chair. “Put your feet up, beautiful. Pregnant women in my pack will always eat first and choose the most comfortable chair. The mother of my children will have no work to trouble her.”

She pushed the button to raise her feet. “I suppose the jewelry will magically sell itself.”

After kissing the top of her head, Tak met my eyes and jerked his chin, signaling for me to follow. While everyone chattered about furniture, rugs, and TV shows, he led me to the back hall and opened the massive storage room.

As I watched him approach the cellar doors, I asked, “Why didn’t you put this outside?”

Tak lifted both doors and switched on the light. “Food is our most valuable asset. Why would I give access to outsiders to steal? Locks can be broken.”

Thinking about the neighbors I stole from as a child, I conceded he had a point.

I followed him down the steps to our subterranean room. Tak always braided his hair, and I admired the length of it. It touched the middle of his back and always had ties to keep it in place. I couldn’t imagine the maintenance involved. How many bottles of shampoo did he go through?

Instead of a large basement, the cellar was an arched tunnel with built-in shelves for storage on either side.

“Once we start canning our own food, we’ll stock the shelves,” he said, stopping to admire the setup. He ran his hand over the natural wood that filled the air with a wonderful fragrance. “My father has a larger cellar for his gemstones. Speaking of…” Tak led me to the end of the tunnel and turned right.

He gestured to the fingerprint scanner in front of a steel door. “Did Lucian take your prints?”

I nodded.

“Go on. Try it.”

I placed my thumb on the scanner, and the door automatically unlocked. We entered a room the size of an average bedroom—maybe fourteen feet both ways.

He sat on the safe. “What do you think?”

I looked around at the empty room. “About what?”

“Your new office.”

“You don’t have to go through with this.” I hugged my arms. “I’ll understand if you’ve reconsidered.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because if I had told you everything before you made the offer, you wouldn’t have made the announcement in front of the group. Would it be better if I backed out so you could save face?”

Tak rocked with laughter. “Save face? Half of mine is inked already. If I wanted to change my mind, I’d have already done so.”

I leaned against the wall and stared at his dark boots. “I’m sorry about my messy life, but I’m not that person. I never want to be that person.”

“That’s what second chances are for. You may have kept pieces of your life secret, but that isn’t a sin. I have no reason not to trust you.”

“But they don’t trust me,” I said, pointing at the ceiling. “While I’m in here counting their money, they’ll be upstairs worrying about it. Talking about it.”

---