Page 52 of Love At the Gates of Hell (The Seven Sinners Trilogy #1)

thirty-five

The Heist - Wrap Up

The women’s bathroom was quiet as Benny slipped inside, her heels clicking against the shiny porcelain tile.

She did a quick check under each stall, making sure she was alone just as the door swung open and Olivia walked inside, her navy-blue jumpsuit highlighting all of her best friend’s curves.

Neither of them said anything until Benny checked the last stall.

When she didn’t see a pair of feet underneath, she turned back to her friend and let out an exhilarated sigh.

“You know I was thisclose to getting that woman’s number,” Olivia groaned.

“The night is still young, Liv.”

“No, feels too weird now,” Olivia said, shaking her head.

Olivia walked over toward the sink, her eyes settling on her reflection in the mirror as she washed her hands.

Benny let her body lean against the counter, giving her feet a bit of a break just as the door opened again and Imani walked inside, the train of her copper colored gown sweeping across the tile floor.

She took up the sink on the farthest side of the bathroom, Benny right in the middle.

“Anything?” Olivia asked.

“Nothing,” Imani said. “Not a whiff of magic.”

Benny’s brow furrowed.

“Maybe the coven didn’t make the cut,” she said.

“Maybe.” Imani refreshed her lipstick with a quick swipe. “How long will the spell last?”

“Twenty-four hours.”

She had passed by the display cases on her way to the bathroom and found herself feeling just a tinge of pride in how difficult it was to decipher between the real ruby and the fake.

The transfiguration spell would last them until the blood moon, which was all that mattered.

With no Benny and no ruby, the ritual couldn’t take place.

They just had to get back to the loft.

9:45pm

“You can’t be serious! You’re firing me?”

Cleo’s voice was shrill, the sound of it echoing off the walls of the kitchen.

The catering manager’s face contorted into a guilty grimace as her feet shuffled backward.

Luke hovered near the swinging door that led back out into the ballroom, his one hand carrying his weight as he leaned against one of the metal prepping tables.

He did his best to look appropriately scandalized as Cleo started to cry again.

“I’m so sorry,” Laura said. “I really don’t want to, but there was just such a mess—”

Her face screwed up in horror. It was like the memory of the champagne glasses flying in the air really seemed to haunt her. Luke pressed his lips into a tight line.

“It wasn’t even my fault,” Cleo argued. “ She bumped into me .”

“There’s really nothing I can do,” the woman said before she held out her hand. “Now I’ll need your apron.”

Cleo gasped.

Then, in what Luke thought was an incredible touch, she stomped her foot.

“Fine!” she said, untying the black apron from around her waist. “Fine, I’m gone.”

She whipped around and narrowed her eyes at Luke. “Are you coming?” she asked, her hands on her hips.

Laura’s eyes widened. “Whoa, no, I can’t be down two servers right before dessert.”

Luke held up his hands as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Sorry, Laura,” he said, offering what he hoped was a sheepish smile as he untied his apron. He neatly folded it before dropping it off in Laura’s stunned arms. “But she’s my ride, so. Good luck.”

It wasn’t until they were outside in the cool night air that Luke allowed himself to relax.

The night had gone exactly as they hoped, and the only surprise hadn’t turned out to be much trouble at all.

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if it had gone too smoothly.

Where was their demon wannabe? Or any of the idiots he seemed to have working for him?

If they could make it back to the loft in one piece, then he’d consider it a real success.

He was relieved to see Harker when they reached the agreed-upon meeting spot just outside of City Hall. The demon hunter nodded in silent greeting as they approached. Cleo let out a tiny squeal of excitement, her hand digging in the pocket of her slacks as Harker stepped out from the shadows.

“Jesus Christ, this thing weighs a million pounds.” She laughed, letting the gold chain dangle from her fingers, the ruby glittering in the string lights.

“And yet it’s smaller than I imagined,” Harker mused.

Luke watched her, a smile tugging at his lips as he propped himself up against the stone wall. “You really went full theater major tonight, didn’t you?”

“Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t love it,” Cleo retorted.

His smile widened, the scent of champagne invading his senses.

“Every single minute of it, St. James.”

But his good mood didn’t last long. The quiet crunch of grass rang in his ears, and he could feel the hairs on his arms stand on end. His whole body suddenly buzzing with the presence of the woman he’d done his fucking best to avoid throughout the night.

“Oh no, darling boy, what have you gotten yourself into?”

Luke closed his eyes.

“Tefi.”

9:45pm

Gideon was waiting for the ball to drop.

The evening had gone well. Frankly, too well.

Even their most successful heists came with the “that was close” moments.

The “we almost got caught” moments. Or the “I thought there was gonna be more in the vault” moments.

But this? It was just too fucking easy. Either the security at the hotel were all green as hell, or there was something else going on.

His instincts weren’t usually wrong. But he hated to think it as he watched Benny cross the lobby.

With the way her eyes lit up when she spotted him, Gideon wanted to hope that maybe luck was on their side.

That he would be able to keep Benny safe like he promised.

“What do you think?” she asked hesitantly as she approached him. “Are we good?”

He glanced at his watch.

Everyone should be waiting for them at City Hall.

“So far,” he said, but he just wasn’t convinced.

Which didn’t seem to convince Benny all that much either. She reached for his hand, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. He watched as she brought his knuckles to her lips and pressed a light kiss against them, the sensation hitting him square in his chest.

“Then maybe we should get out of here while we still can.”

She was right.

He nodded. “Let’s go home.” His hand worked its way through the hair at the nape of her neck, his lips pressing a kiss against her forehead. “And get you out of those shoes.”

“Oh my God, please,” Benny groaned, sinking against him.

The lobby was fairly empty, most of the party still in the ballroom as the prize proceedings wrapped up and the band started their final set of the evening.

If he hadn’t been laser-focused on each step of the plan, he might have thought the night wasn’t half bad from a party standpoint.

Hell, just having Benny there with him made it more enjoyable than a charity dinner had any right being.

Once this was all over, he was going to take her on a proper fucking date.

“Come on.”

He led her past the front desk and toward a back hallway that would take them to the South Penn Square exit.

He had spent so much time with the floorplans of the hotel, he knew the layout backwards and forwards.

This section of the hotel housed the gym along with the entrance to the spa.

It was the quietest area of the hotel at this point in the evening with everything closed off to guests.

“You two really put on a show out there—”

Gideon sighed. They were so close to a clean exit.

“Frank,” he said, turning to greet his old mentor. “You have a good night?”

“Oh, it’s been alright. Slow start, but I’m hoping for a strong finish,” the other man replied casually. His eyes turned to Benny, and there was a flash of something behind them that made Gideon think about what Cleo said the other night. “Who’s your friend?”

“Oh, this is—”

But there was a sudden change in Benny’s demeanor that forced Gideon to stop. She had pulled her hand from his, and her entire body seemed to buzz as sparks began to emit from her fingertips. He could see her jaw tighten.

“I think you already know who I am.”

Gideon stepped forward, his eyes traveling from Benny to Frank and back again.

“Your voice,” she said. “I remember it so clearly.”

No. No fucking way. Frank Markos was a lot of things, but he wasn’t—

“Yeah, I sure do,” Frank said brightly. “You clean up real good.”

Gideon pulled his gun from his holster and pulled back the safety, aiming it directly at Frank’s forehead. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he exclaimed, exasperated.

“Put that away, Gideon,” Frank said with a wave of his hand, like he was swatting at a bug. “If you’ve been doing your homework, and I suspect you have, you’ll know that there’s nothing that can harm me.”

“ Immunis sum ,” he said, remembering the words Harker had translated for them.

He nearly shot Frank anyway, not caring if it didn’t make a dent. But Benny put her hand on his forearm, and he could feel the heat of her power beneath his suit jacket. They exchanged a terse glance before he blew out a breath and lowered his gun, clicking on the safety.

“Good,” Frank said, offering them both a smile. “Now, Miss Russo is going to come with me.”

“Fuck you,” Gideon spat.

Frank’s shoulders shook as he let out a hearty chuckle.

“I know, kid,” he said, strolling toward them casually. “It’s a tough break. You both seem real sweet on each other. But if you hear me out, you might come around.”

“I’m not gonna let you touch her, Frank,” Gideon said. “Not so you can turn into some goddamn bogeyman.”

“Is that what you think this is?” Frank laughed.

“The transformation is so much more than the physical, Gideon. The power I’ll be granted—I’ll be given a gift that no human can comprehend.

Now, I am not asking. You give me the witch without trouble, and I’ll promise you can have her back when I’m done with her. ”