Page 115 of The Twilight Theft

Vanessa’s eyes widened further. Her unspoken demand that Craig be silent was obvious. How had she been such a convincing liar about her fidelity, but so transparent now?

“Why?” I asked.

Craig checked his watch, then looked at Vanessa. “Be sure we don’t lose the statue.”

She gave a curt nod and rushed out of the room, heading down the hall. Her stilettos clicked on the floor, growing more rapid the farther away she got.

Lose the statue? What does that mean?Lightbulbs went off in my head. “The comms failure?”

Craig came closer. His movements were slow and deliberate. “All me.”

I asked, “The cameras?”

“Also me.” Which explained why Reynolds had lost their cameras. Craig ensured they were piggybacking off his feed, so he could take them all down.

“And the lights?”

“Liana told me her plans for the evening.” He pursed his lips. “Don’t suppose I remembered to share that detail with you, did I?”

With anyone else, I would have prepared for a physical attack. But that wasn’t Craig’s style. We’d be talking this out. How much truth I’d get was another question—half-truths and evasions were more likely.

“This feels too easy,” I said.

“I told Vanessa you’d figure it out. Trying to fool you would only waste time.” He checked his watch again. “Time we don’t have. I need the information you received about The Flame of Khvarenah.”

I left my safe open but didn’t retrieve the thumb drive. It remained a bargaining chip, but if I shut him down too fast, there’d be consequences.

Shit. Consequences.

If Jayce had a tip on where to find the golden bird and Vanessa was dispatched to ensure they didn’t lose it, the two women could wind up facing off. For Jayce, it was a job. For Vanessa? What was it?

And how could I warn Jayce? Craig and I were facing each other. If I tried typing on my phone or making a call, he’d see it. If he wanted the bird, he wouldn’t let me finish the message.

“Where’s the bird?” If I knew that, I’d know how much time Vanessa had before she arrived. That would tell me how much time I had to warn Jayce.

“That’s of no concern. Someone’s coming for the Flame’s location and if you’re still here when he arrives…” Craig clasped a hand over his watch. Was he trying not to look at it? Where were his tells? There wouldn’t be anything obvious—he was too well-trained for that. It would be small things. The watch was one, but a sign like that was easy to fake. “You’re a good guy, Drew. A smart one. But he’s a loose cannon.”

I dangled the key to Wyatt’s safe on my finger. “Did you want this, or was it all a ruse?”

“Oh, no, I still need that.” Craig rubbed a hand over his face.

The move gave me enough time to tap the microphone on my text app and reposition my thumb over the Send button. It was listening. “And what’s Vanessa going to do when she gets to the huma bird’s location? Kill Jayce and anyone with her?”

Craig lunged forward and before I could send my message, he had my phone. “Smart. Like I said.”

“But not smart enough?”

He dropped the phone and smashed it under his heel.

“Who are you working for?”

“That depends on who’s asking.” He kicked the remnants of the phone aside. “If I was pressed by someone I trust? I’d say I’m working for my son. His wife’s sick and that bird will fetch a lot of money from the right buyer.”

The right buyer, whose contact information was on the thumb drive. My stomach churned. “Alex’s killers will fund her treatments?”

“That was my plan. But if not…” Craig spread his hands wide, providing a view of the gun at his waist. It wasn’t a threat, more a display of openness. “The people I’m working with say its beak is far older than the rest. They claim it’s part of a set of ancient artifacts that, when assembled, will raise a phoenix.”

“That’s not a real thing.”

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