Page 23 of Mastering Mayhem

“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. Thethunkof 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.”

---