Page 15 of The Twilight Theft

I closed the jar again and picked up my phone, dialing Leigh’s number.

“How’s Washington?” Leigh’s cheery voice was what I needed. “Any leads yet?”

She’d gotten caught up in a job we did in Rome last month and fell in love with our team’s safe cracker in the process. She didn’t get to hear the details of our jobs, but knew what we did and was hopeful we could track down Fenix. They’d screwed her over, too.

“It was good, but short, and not fruitful yet. I’m already home, but we’re flying out again tomorrow.”

“That was fast. You only went last night.”

“You wanna catch a movie? Or dinner? I’m hella hungry.”

“I would, but…” She paused, her speech growing muffled, then cleared up again. “Declan’s making lasagna. Do you want to come over? He always cooks too much.”

Right. Visit the two new lovebirds? “No thanks. Maybe I’ll go to bed early. I’ve got a lot of prep work to do.”

“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.”

I hung up and considered the peanut butter again. Maybe I’d head to Pizza Corner and eat my weight in greasy pepperoni and donairs. I took off my shoes and curled my toes against the short-pile carpet. The floor was too cold, like always. It didn’t make anything better.

Maybe you should hit the climbing gym?

I needed to get rid of this energy and get some sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Chapter 6

Drew

Breatheintwothree.Out two three.

My feet pounded the gravel, breath coming steady and even.

In two three. Out two three.

Trees and bushes lined the right side of the path, grass and lawn stretching out to the Halifax Harbor on my left. Other runners passed in the opposite direction, giving small waves as they went. I sped by a couple of strollers and random early-morning walkers. Men and women taking a yoga class stretched by the shore, saluting the sun an hour after it had risen.

In two three. Out two three.

A monument, wide at its base and topped with a huge granite cross, stood sentinel ahead of me. Next to it, a Canadian flag hung on a nautical flagpole, barely stirring in the breeze. This was my objective. I slowed, veering off the path onto the grass and a green park bench. One foot at a time, I stretched out my calves and hamstrings while checking my watch.

My sports watch—the one no one had stolen recently.

Heart rate was on target, but my pace was twenty seconds too slow.

I hadn’t been able to shake the memories of my altercation with Jayce in Gideon’s office. All evening and most of my morning, my brain had been playing a near-constant loop of Jayce’s smirk, her stumble, and how gullible I’d been. The way her gaze dipped toward my lips or how my stomach had clenched each time she ran her hands over me.

Recommending her team for this job hadn’t been one of my smarter ideas.

Be honest.

For the job, they were perfect. For everything else, it was a mess.

Focus on your work, man.

Despite the hour, the harbor was alive. Two cruise ships were in port and the downtown had been thick with tourists last night. This morning, it was fishing vessels, some small sailboats, and a military RHIB. A container ship was heading out and word on the street was an American aircraft carrier would arrive sometime this afternoon.

My running belt had two water bottle holders, and I pulled out the only bottle I’d brought with me, taking a quick sip.

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