Page 8 of The Dragon and Her Thief
“All right, men. Let’s move out!”
Kelsey leaned against a tree while she waited. She had canvased the area and didn’t see any signs of security.
“This is just too easy,” she murmured. One would think security would be patrolling the area or something. But then again, who would be crazy enough to break into a dragon’s lair and steal from them?
She chuckled.
Nope, she still wasn’t crazy. Just determined.
Maybe the security system was invisible. Or maybe they used magic. If there was a ward around the property, she was sure they would have come running once she got close to the building.
She glanced around and still, nothing.
Kelsey hefted her backpack on her shoulders, prepared to wait for the signal. If she could pull this off, her mother and grandmother will be so happy to have their family heirloom back. This would also be the greatest little heist she’d ever accomplished.
Her childhood burglaries were nothing of this magnitude, but the young girl inside her was cheering her on. She was competitive by nature.
She thought of what Jasper’s face would look like when she strolled up to his truck at the rendezvous point with her prize in hand.
Kelsey checked her phone and saw there was a minute until they were to start. She slid it back into her bag and knelt, ready to haul ass across the yard.
“Come on, guys. Don’t let me down.” She kept her eyes on the entrance, praying no one would come out of it. The distraction was in the front, so the hope was that security would go out the other doors.
Her muscles tensed.
Boom!
She hesitated for ten seconds. Shouting could be heard off in the distance, and she grinned.
Perfect.
She took off across the grass, her arms pumping, until her feet hit the concrete walkway. She skidded to a halt and knelt by the door. She reached behind her and pulled out her lock picking set while she eyed the lock.
Kelsey positioned herself in front of the door and reached for the handle.
“I’ll be damned,” she breathed.
The door was unlocked.
What in the hell?
She looked around to see if she had been caught unaware.
Boom!
Time for her to go.
Putting her kit away, she swung open the door and walked inside, closing it quietly behind her. When she had received the blueprints for the castle, she had memorized the route to the vault. She was sure over time, some things had changed, but it was amazing that the plans were so easily available in the zoning office. She had given an excuse of just researching the founding of the town, and the clerk had handed her a copy.
She took a look around and recognized the servant areas. She walked down the hallway and paused.
Left.
She strolled down the winding halls, careful not to make any noise. When she came upon a large set of wooden doors, she stared at them with a grin on her lips.
This was it. Just as the plans had revealed. This would lead her down to the lower level where the vault was said to be kept.
Her heart rate spiked.
