“Keep me updated.” He ends the call, dropping the phone to the cushion beside him before turning his body to face me.
“What happened?”
“Don’t freak out,” he starts, and I barely swallow the urge to tell him that is only going to make me more likely to do exactly that. “Ember’s missing.”
CHAPTER FOUR
EMBER
THREE MONTHS LATER
The swish of red satin distracts me from the task at hand for a moment, and I drag my gaze up to the mirror in front of me.
The floor-length gown accentuates my waist and my cleavage, with a halter neck design that leaves my back completely bare.
The slit up one leg climbs dangerously high, but it’ll do exactly as I need it to.
Distract.
This is the first step in my plan for revenge, but also the first time I’ll see the man that tore everything from me, and I need every advantage I can get.
My hatred for Orion has grown every day. Every time I think about the way he touched me, how he lied through his teeth, how he promised me the world only to shatter me, the vehement loathing I feel toward him only grows.
I trail my gaze over my face and carefully fix my lipstick.
For the first time in my life, luck has been on my side since the day I almost died.
The outfit in my size in the hospital.
The pills.
The bus to Las Vegas that left a minute after I arrived at the bus depot that night.
Finding work to tie me over.
Remaining out of Orion’s reach, despite knowing he’s looking for me.
But none more than this.
Scoring an invitation to the most elite underground auction in the country.
Illegal artifacts that are long thought lost, stolen art, and things I would rather not think about are sold to the highest bidder once a year in downtown Los Angeles. Despite years of trying, the cops haven’t even been able to figure out where it’s held. It doesn’t help that they rotate locations every few years and almost certainly have ties within the police department that warn them if anyone is getting too close.
But even better than scoring the invitation is the dress code.
Black tie with a side of secret identities.
I obsessed for too long about what mask I would wear, how it would look with my outfit, how I would present myself, but this is perfect.
Instead of wearing a mask, I chose face paint. I know what you’re thinking. Kind of childish? Maybe even reminiscent of a clown? But no. The deep pink and white paint transforms me into another version of myself.
Orion has the Hunter, and I have the Thief.
I smirk at the title I gave myself. No mistaking what I do for a living, but now I get to do it for myself instead of Lucas. I make my own rules, and I’m making quite the name for myself.
When you have nothing to live for, there’s no risk you’re not willing to take.
In the last two months, I’ve stolen jewels from safes, documents from a prince on a business trip, and a car just to prove to someone I could.
