Heart of the Demon (16 page)

She ignored the disgruntled look Finn shot her way. She knew what Stefan saw when he looked at them. Finn was tall, broad,
and aggressive, wearing his usual T-shirt, jeans, heavy boots, and leather coat. She was slender, gentle in demeanor, and
wore a designer dress with shoes that cost as much as his coat had, if not more.

“Hmm. You may be right.” Liuz stared at Keira. “You’re a creative type, right? Let it slip that you’re an artist designing
your own ring. The store owner will eat that shit up.” He pulled a familiar envelope out of the inner pocket of his suit coat
and handed it to Keira. “At least three diamonds this time, please.”

“Of course,” she murmured.

“Go. Now.”

“Now?” Keira stared at him. “I was able to do the other job with little notice, but with two of us it takes some planning.
I need to know where the cameras are, what kind of security they have—”

“That’s what he’s there for,” Stefan said, nodding toward Finn. “Let him act a little suspiciously, which should draw their
focus away from you.” He took her hand in his again and this time brought it to his mouth. He pressed his lips to her knuckles.
“I have faith in you,” he whispered. His pupils had dilated and she sensed a wave of pheromones directed her way. She should
use this to her advantage, and if she wasn’t so completely disgusted by him, she would.

“We should be on our way, then,” Finn said, and gently wrapped his fingers around her upper arm. His action moved her hand
away from Stefan’s mouth.

The vampire straightened, his hard gaze going to Finn. “Yes, you should get moving,” he said, though the look on his face
promised retribution for Finn’s continued lack of obeisance.

As they walked out of the room and down the hallway toward the stairs and the exit, Keira jerked her arm out of his grasp.
“What is wrong with you?” she demanded.

Finn didn’t respond until they were out in the parking lot. “What do you mean?”

“You know perfectly well what I mean.” She stared at him, frowning. “Why are you being so adversarial with Stefan?”

“Oh, you’re on a first-name basis with him, are you?” Finn shoved his hands in his pockets. His eyes glittered with demon
gold and bad humor.

“I’m informal that way,” she murmured. Then she laughed. “There’s no need for you to be getting your knickers in a twist,
boyo. You’re the one for me. And anyway, stop changing the subject.” She headed toward her car. “You keep trying to alienate
him, and you’re going to get your head handed to you.”

“On a platter, no doubt.” He sauntered after her.

She stopped beside her car and took a bracing breath. “I mean it, Finn. Stop provoking him.”

“You worried about me?”

He said it with humor lightening his face, and she responded in all seriousness. “Yes, I am. He’s dangerous. Look, let me
go in first and get settled with a tray of diamonds. Then you can come in being your sly, shifty self and distract them.”

He cleared his throat. “I’m not shifty.”

She noticed he didn’t deny being sly, and laughed at his dry glance. She sobered and said, “Well, just try to look as if you’re
about to nick something. That’ll make you look right shifty enough.” She used the remote to unlock her car. “Why don’t you
meet me at the jewelers?” she suggested. “That way if something goes wrong, we have a chance of at least one of us getting
away.”

“All right,” he answered easily enough. “I’ll see you there.” He grinned. “I’ll practice looking shifty on my way over.”

Keira shook her head at his playfulness. She got in her car and watched Finn walk back to his motorcycle a few rows over.
He was multilayered, that was certain. And the most exasperating man she’d ever met. He was going to drive her to drink before
this was all over. She only hoped they could salvage something from whatever they had between them once he found out she was
a spy for the council. Or, at least, for the new council president.

Caladh as head of the council. That would change the dynamics of things around here, for the better, she hoped. Only time
would tell.

She blew out a breath and started the car. It was time to pull another job. This time with Finn.

The thought filled her with a mixture of excitement and dread. But mostly dread. These days she didn’t get him. She really
had no idea what to expect. One minute he was a lover, the next a stranger. She felt like she was caught in a landslide, unable
to find her footing. Which meant she should keep her distance as much as possible until this whole thing was over.

She parked in front of the store and watched Finn direct his motorcycle to the small alley that ran between the jewelry store
and the adjacent building. She waited until he reached the front facade of the store before she got out of her car. He paused,
his head bent as he looked at his cell phone. “If you get into trouble in there,” he murmured barely loud enough for her to
hear, “just call out my name.”

“Right-o.” Keira drew in a bracing breath and entered the store.

After the manager seated her at a small table, he went into the back to retrieve some of their raw diamonds. Keira took the
time he was gone to palm a couple of the fake stones she’d brought with her. When the manager returned, he carried a tray
covered with a square piece of black velvet and sat across from her. He uncovered the tray and pushed several of the stones
across the surface, putting distance between each of the diamonds.

She leaned over to look at them. Glancing up at him, she said, “May I?” with one hand reaching toward a diamond.

“Oh, by all means.” He smiled. “You really can’t get a good sense of the stone unless you hold it.”

“No, you can’t,” she agreed. Again, she would replace the real stone with a fake that was the same approximate size and weight.
As she picked up one she thought might work, from behind her she heard Finn mutter a swear word.

Then in a louder voice he said, “This is all worthless crap. I thought you were reputable jewelers here.”

“Sir,” the saleswoman said, “I assure you these are the highest quality stones in these settings. Perhaps you’d rather see
something in platinum instead of gold?”

Finn capitulated but within thirty seconds had become belligerent again.

Keira glanced over her shoulder to see him standing there, arms akimbo while the biggest scowl she’d ever seen hung on his
face. “Oh, dear.” She turned back toward the manager. “Perhaps I should come back at another time,” she said and started to
place the diamond back on the tray.

“Please, give me a moment.” The manager sent her a harried look and stood, motioning to the saleswoman who was dealing with
Finn.

Keira let the fake diamond slide between her fingers and put it on the tray, keeping the real diamond hidden in her palm.
She dropped the real stone into the hand she rested in her lap. While the manager stood in front of her, talking to his employee,
Keira went through the motions of looking through the other stones. She picked up a few and set them back down without making
an attempt to swap them. When Finn started up his noise again, the saleswoman hurried back to try to appease him, the manager
watching the scene. Keira made one last swap, holding the real diamonds in the palm of her left hand while she prodded at
the ones remaining on the tray with her right index finger.

“Do you see one that will work for what you want?” the manager asked.

She pointed to one of the fake ones she’d just deposited on the tray. “This one, perhaps.” She looked up at the manager and
pushed at him with her empathic abilities. She filled him with a sense of goodwill and well-being, and anticipation of making
a big sale. She stood, dropping the real diamonds into her clutch purse while she fastened the clasp. Between the glamour
and her adroitness at sleight of hand, the man never saw it.

“I won’t be shopping here again,” Finn exclaimed and stomped out of the store.

“Thank God,” the manager muttered. Then his face turned pink and he apologized. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s quite all right,” Keira responded. “It does take all sorts to make the world go ’round, doesn’t it?”

“It certainly does,” he agreed.

Keira glanced at the tray again and then lifted her gaze to the manager’s face. “Thank you for your time. I hope to be back
soon.”

“It was my pleasure, miss. Shall I set this aside for you?” he asked, the hopes for a fat commission swimming in his eyes.

She pretended to think it over. “Ah, no, I don’t think so,” she finally said. “I’d hate for someone else to lose out on a
great stone while I try to make up my mind. If we’re meant to be together, it will be available when I come back.” What a
load of claptrap, but he seemed to buy it.

“Well, now, you come back anytime.”

“Thank you, I will.” When Keira went outside to her car, she saw Finn leaning against the side of the building, a big smirk
on his face.

“Was I shifty enough?” he asked.

She shook her head and then shot him a grin. “You were bloody perfect, actually.”

His answering smile tightened her belly. “Good,” he said. He sobered. “I guess you should get those to Stefan.”

She gave a nod and got into her car. With the lift of a hand she waved farewell and drove away. She only hoped that Stefan
would be satisfied and it would be the last time she had to do something like this.

Finn pulled out into traffic and marveled at how adept Keira was at grifting. Man, she must have been something to see back
in the day when she was doing it for a living. Her sweet face looked so sincere, so innocent, so lovely that any man with
a heartbeat would have a hard time believing she could be as devious as she was.

He still had a hard time with the fact that she was doing this. He knew it was irrational, but he felt personally betrayed
by her actions. Like if he couldn’t look up to her, use her as a role model for striving to be more than he was, then what
was the point in any of it?

He knew she remained upset with him for being in the rogue group. Which, now that he thought about it, made him pause. He
knew at one point she had wanted him to be more than an enforcer. But if they were both on the same side in this new fight,
what did it matter? He would have thought she’d be happy to have him as an ally.

And yet, as much as he’d like to tell her what was going on he couldn’t confide in Keira only to have her betray him. He knew
he had to completely win over the delusional Liuz’s trust in enough time to find the rift machine and destroy it. If he didn’t,
not only would it mean the mission would fail, but it would most likely cost him his life. And maybe even hers, because Liuz
might not believe Finn had acted alone.

He knew not calling her after they’d made love had caused her to draw back, to put emotional distance between them. She’d
seemed genuinely concerned about him, and he still couldn’t tamp down the jealousy he felt every time he thought of her interactions
with Liuz. She’d let him hold her hand, had even seemed to enjoy his touch. What the hell was she doing? Was it possible her
role in the group wasn’t what it seemed, like his? Though for the life of him he couldn’t come up with one reason that she’d
be playing Stefan, except that it was what grifters did. They played with people’s emotions.

He exhaled. Whatever her motivation, he could only be responsible for his actions. He hoped, once his deception came to light,
she forgave him and would give him another chance.

I
want you to do another job for me.” Stefan Liuz lounged on the small sofa in the private room at Devil’s Domain. His dark
gaze centered on Keira, he tapped two fingers against the arm of the sofa as he waited for her response.

“Another job?” She pressed back against the opposite end of the sofa, trying to keep distance between her and the vampire.
She’d allowed herself to relax over the past week, convinced Liuz was done using her after that last job. She should have
known better.

“Yes.” His eyes took on an excited glitter. “Another grift, of course, to use your considerable skills. Only this time I’m
going with you.”

“You?” Keira pressed her lips together and tapped into her empathic abilities. She didn’t like the thought of him going anywhere
with her, let alone hanging out while she pulled off a job. “Um—”

“
I’ll
pose as your fiancé while we shop for engagement rings. You must admit you and I make a much more believable pair than you
and Evnissyen.” He smiled, looking pleased with his plan. “What do you think?”

She made her smile widen. “I think it’s great.” With the way he was looking at her, like a dirty old man offering candy to
a kid, she knew where this was heading. Her dread grew. Maybe she could talk him out of it, or at least postpone it until
two days from now when it wouldn’t matter anymore. “But the rift is in two days,” she said. “Can’t this wait? People are jumpy
enough as it is.”

“Are you afraid?” He leaned forward and stretched his arm along the back of the small couch. His hand dangled inches from
her shoulder.

She didn’t see why she shouldn’t admit to a certain amount of trepidation. “Are you saying that with tensions running as high
as they are I shouldn’t be?” she countered.

He gave a careless shrug. “Really, what can they do to us?”

“Remember villagers with pitchforks and fire?” she muttered. “They can do plenty, I’m thinking.”

Stefan chortled and shook his head. “Humans are like toothless dogs, Keira. They’re all bark and no bite.”

“What about other preternaturals? The council?”

He made a scornful noise. “After tomorrow neither humans nor the council will be in charge. They’ll have to follow our rules,
not the other way around.”

She bit back a sigh. He was so full of blarney she hardly knew where to begin. With a frown, she said, “I thought there weren’t
going to be any rules. That’s what anarchy is all about, isn’t it? Or have I misunderstood completely?”

His eyes narrowed. His suspiciousness smoldered between them like a steaming pile of crap.

She hastened to add, “I’m not trying to be a smartass, Stefan. I just don’t understand how humans, let alone council members,
are going to be required to follow rules in an anarchistic society.”

“Later they’ll have to follow our rules,” he murmured, his narrowed gaze focused on her face. “Unfortunately anarchies rarely
last long, but every democracy needs a good overthrowing from time to time.” He paused, moved his hand to her shoulder. Through
the silken material of her dress, he stroked his fingers along her collarbone. “Let’s talk about something else for now.”

She forced herself to plaster a soft smile on her face and not shrink from his touch. She found him to be repulsive and utterly
without morals. In her life before the rift she would have had no issue with being in cahoots with someone like him. Now,
though, she could barely stand to be in the same room.

Let alone allow him to touch her. And she was very much afraid he had a lot more touching he wanted to be doing. Knowing that
as a vampire he’d be able to sniff out her emotional state, literally, she turned her empathic ability inward to mask her
true feelings. She wasn’t quite sure how or why it worked. At one point she’d thought maybe it was a coping mechanism she
and others like her had in order to be able to deal with being bombarded with emotions all day long. Whenever she began to
feel overwhelmed she could calm herself, much like throwing a warm, comforting blanket over her psyche.

Knowing she couldn’t alienate him this close to her goal, Keira reached up and placed her hand over his where it rested against
her collarbone. As a grifter she’d often had to fake interest in another person, but none of her marks had been as loathsome
as this one.

She tipped her chin down and peeked up at him like a coquette. “What would you be wanting to talk about, then?” she asked,
making sure to pour on the Irish.

“You. And me.” He turned his hand to grip her fingers and brought them down to rest on his knee.

She studied his hand. It was on the small side with slim fingers tipped by fingernails that badly needed a trim. She couldn’t
help but compare Stefan’s hands to Finn’s broad hands with their long, square-tipped fingers. Stefan definitely came out the
loser in the match.

“You must know I’m attracted to you,” he went on. “I’d like us to get better acquainted.” His grin was one that no doubt had
won women over before, but Keira could barely stomach it. By all the gods in all the universes, why was this little cockroach
so interested in her?

She wrapped herself with a cloak of affability and interest. “Oh, I’d like that, too.” She gave him a wide smile.

He slowly leaned toward her and lifted one hand to cup her chin. Keira forced herself to hold still, though her skin began
to itch where he touched her. He brought his face close to her ear. “I need a strong woman like you by my side, Keira. A woman
who understands me, who can assist me.” His warm breath stirred the hair by her ear, tickling her. She remained still. “You
have amazing skills, skills I can use.” He drew back slightly and stared down into her eyes. He moved his hand, stroking his
fingers down her cheek. “Soft,” he whispered. “So soft.”

His lips pressed against her temple before he drew back again. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at the man.
She was fairly certain she was holding on to her cloak well enough to fool him. She wasn’t so certain her distaste wouldn’t
show in her eyes.

When he took her hand in his, she opened her eyes. He brought it to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her open palm. She fought
back a shudder of revulsion and instead pushed out with her abilities, sending forth a sense of contentment and sexual interest.
He moved his mouth to her inner wrist, and she focused on keeping her heart rate as steady as possible. Though any change
in tempo he most likely would interpret as due to sexual interest.

He’d be dead wrong. She dearly wanted to pull her hand out of his grip but didn’t want to upset his contented mood. She’d
seen how quickly a vampire could go from satisfied to furious before, and she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of any
nastiness. But when he kissed her wrist again and then nicked it with his fangs, she gasped and jerked her hand away.

He was unrepentant and seemingly not offended by her action. He ran his tongue across his teeth and gave a low groan of approval.
“Yes, you taste as good as I knew you would.” He stood and drew her to her feet. With heels on, she actually stood a couple
of inches taller than him, meaning she had to bend her head to stare into his eyes. That he clearly didn’t like. “From now
on,” he ordered, “wear shorter heels.”

“More rules?” She couldn’t resist the jab even as she told herself she should make nice with Stefan. By getting closer to
him she could gather more intel. Finn must be rubbing off on her, and she couldn’t afford to take a page out of his book.
Time was running out.

“I don’t like my women to be taller than I am,” he said. “We could always have your feet cut off, I suppose. That would solve
the problem, wouldn’t it?” When she stared at him, unable to hide her horror at his words, he gave an airy laugh. “Oh, for
God’s sake, Keira. Lighten up. I’m only joking.”

“Right.” She walked over to the door and picked up her purse from where she’d set it on the floor. She knew enough about him,
about the lengths he would go to, that she didn’t doubt he’d cut off her feet if it suited him. She looked at him and forced
another smile. “Where should I meet you tomorrow, and what time?”

“I’ll be in touch.”

She nodded and let herself out of the room. Making sure she kept her emotions masked, she headed out of the club. Not knowing
who might be watching, she resisted the urge to scrub her hands across her mouth. She wanted to get the taste and feel of
him off her lips. It wasn’t until she was halfway home that she relaxed. Not only was Stefan crazy for thinking he could succeed
at his rift madness, he was also crazy if he thought he was going to get anywhere near her without clothes on. He would not
be dipping his wick with her, no sir.

The last man she’d been with was Finn, and he was like a Lay’s potato chip. You couldn’t have him just once and be satisfied.
But while the physical attraction had been what had initially drawn her to him, the more she got to know him, the more she
liked. The more she loved. He didn’t take himself too seriously, for one thing. He actually seemed to get a kick out of it
when she teased him. He had a real sense of right and wrong, and when it was warranted didn’t have much trouble crossing that
line. She admired someone who could make hard choices and live with the consequences.

However, what she’d been seeing since he joined the rogue group made her worry that he would cross the line and stay there.
Hunting down loose cannons in the demon community was one thing. Killing a member of the council was something else entirely.
He’d changed since meeting up with Stefan. Or maybe it was that she’d never really known the real him. He seemed harder. More
ruthless.

She didn’t think she could be with someone as ruthless as Stefan, or as self-centered as she used to be. She couldn’t begin
to guess how he was going to react when he found out she was instrumental in bringing Stefan down and putting the kibosh on
his plans. It all depended on how far into the dark side Finn had gone. And whether she could bring him back so they might
have a future together.

She’d once upon a time thought Finn was a good guy trapped in the bad-boy image of a demon. Evidenced by the callous way he’d
dispatched Tobias Caine, she wasn’t so sure now. He didn’t seem to like the fact that she was getting closer to Stefan, reacting
almost like a jealous boyfriend. But he hadn’t been too concerned when he had sex with her and then didn’t communicate for
two days.

She sighed. Damn it to hell. Men were more trouble than they were worth sometimes.

The next morning she met Stefan at a small coffee shop doors down from the jewelry store they were planning to hit. As she
sat there sipping her coffee, in walked Finn, looking dark and dangerous in his black leather jacket and matching scowl. He
didn’t bother going to the counter to order anything. Instead he came over to the table where she and Stefan sat and pulled
out a chair. “So, what did you want to powwow about?” he asked as he plopped into the seat.

The wood creaked under his weight. Keira half expected it to crumple beneath him, but somehow it held fast. The look he shot
her spoke volumes. She hadn’t
wanted
the chair to collapse, not really. But it would’ve been funny just the same.

Finn leaned forward. In a low voice he said, “You don’t need all three of us to scam a jewelry store.” He glanced around and
added, “And it’d be nice, next time, if we could do something different.”

“It’s funny you should suggest that.” Stefan wrapped his hands around his mug. Lifting it to his lips, he blew on the liquid
a few seconds before taking a sip. As he lowered the cup to the table, he said, “Actually, I’ve changed my mind about doing
a grift with you. Instead, I want the two of you to go over there and bring me a hundred grand.”

Following his gaze Keira looked out the window while Finn twisted in his seat. They both looked back at him. In disbelief
she said, “You want us to rob a bank?”

“I don’t expect you to go in there with guns drawn,” Stefan drawled. “You can use that finesse you’re so famous for and con
the manager out of the money.” He stared at Finn. “You’re there as backup. Like before, you’ll distract or deflect if needed.”

“We need time to plan,” Keira protested. She leaned forward and placed her hand over his. She gently pushed some of her glamour
onto him, imparting a sense of attraction and a desire to please while burying the truth of how she really felt. She gave
him a soft smile. “Stefan, you can’t expect me to go in there and ask the manager to hand over a hundred thousand dollars.
It’s not that simple.”

“Make it that simple.” His eyes went Manson scary for a second before a smile softened the madness. “You can do this, Keira.
You have the skills.” He turned his hand over and clasped her fingers. “I know you won’t disappoint me. More of our brothers
and sisters will arrive tomorrow, all over the world. They’ll see newspaper and TV ads advising them of what steps they should
take. We have to make sure we have adequate funds to take care of their initial needs.”

“Shouldn’t we do an electronic transfer then, rather than cart out physical money?” Finn traced a random pattern on the tabletop,
his gaze fixed on Stefan.

Keira sensed anger radiating from him, and more jealousy. At least she knew he had feelings for her other than lust.

Stefan’s mouth tightened. “We have our local needs as well, situations where cash is the preferred method of payment.”

In other words bribes, Keira thought. Either that or Stefan wanted more money for himself. She wouldn’t put it past him to
use the grand revolution to fatten his own coffers. Rarely had leaders of revolution thrown over a government solely for the
good of the people. Their overriding motivation was usually something a lot closer to home.

 He stood and looked down at her. “I’ll leave you two now so you can formulate a plan of action. You only have until the bank
closes today to get this done.” He glanced at Finn. “I’ll be in the first room on the right in the private area at Devil’s
Domain. Bring the money to me there.” His gaze went back to Keira. He bent and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek.