tail curled around my neck. It made me even warmer, but I stayed quiet. I wanted him close.
I nodded toward the locks. “Go to it, monkey-man.”
He chirped happily and jumped off my shoulder, plying his magic on the locks. One by one, the latches fell open as he worked through them.
“I really love you.” I unhooked them from the door. “Seriously awesome.”
He smiled. His little face lighting with pride.
Ryker didn’t wait for Sprig to finish with the main lock. Ryker twisted the knob till it shattered inside. He opened the door, motioning for us to enter. Sprig scuttled in before I slipped in after him. Ryker closed the door, looking around for something to block it. Money saturated the building and not only in its vaults. Elegant crystal chandeliers and white leather sofas and chairs decorated the lobby.
“Nice.” My eyes took in the place. It made me feel like a vagabond—probably the intent of the place.
Daniel came here? If the security was as first class as the décor, then I could see why he did. Though it probably wasn’t prepared for a fae storm to destroy the cameras and electronic security.
Ryker pulled a sofa across the entrance and pushed it firmly against the door. It wouldn’t hold people back for long, but it would give us warning.
We wandered the hallway lined with locked doors. Each one, Sprig unlocked for us. Most were offices or storage rooms. Finally, we found what we were looking for—the room storing the safe deposit boxes.
“Holy shit.” My eyes widened, taking in the metal-lined wall where boxes were inserted. Each had a number and lock on the front, and a key would release the box from the wall. There had to be more than three hundred of them. The numbers on the boxes appeared to have no rhyme or reason to them. Normally, the bank employee would retrieve your box for you. They certainly did not want to make this easy for people coming in like us, trying to find a particular box.
“We have a lot of boxes to cover and little time to do it.” Ryker stepped to the wall.
“Sprig?”
“Go keep guard?” Sprig finished my sentence.
I smiled at him. “You’re a rock star.”
“Actually, I played in a band before my capture. Every other night The Honey-Dew’s performed at the village tavern. I played the flute, and I—”
“Sprig,” Ryker warned.
“Right. Going now.” He ran from the room.
Ryker turned to me and pulled the key from under the collar of his shirt. “The first part of the number tells what bank it’s from. The second part is the box it coincides with.” He yanked at the cord, breaking the bind holding it there.
“Look for chest 79X3W.”
My finger scanned the line of coffers. We were going to be here a while.
Ten minutes later, Ryker pronounced, “I found it.”
He pulled the bin and set it on the table and handed me the key. Apprehension chilled the back of my neck. Was I ready for whatever this strongbox held? In my core, I felt it would change my life. Would I be better off not knowing?
Sensing I needed a push, Ryker cupped his hand over mine and led it to the container. Together we unlocked the chest. He lifted the lid, and I almost stepped back, thinking something would jump at me.
I peered in the box. Two thick files sat underneath a handheld video camera. I grabbed the camera, holding it in my hands for a while, debating. What I might find terrified me. I wanted to believe Daniel Senior was a crazy old man, and no truth existed to anything he told me. If I hit the switch, would everything change?
No point in stopping now. I pushed the button. The light on top turned green, the batteries holding enough energy to turn it on. A sharp inhale halted the air in my lungs as an image of Daniel came on the screen. I stared at him, not able to move. He was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, an outfit I had seen on him many times. The same room we sat in appeared as the backdrop for his video. I fell into the chair, the same one he used. I felt frozen, locked on his face.
“Are you going to watch it?” I could tell Ryker was anxious. We didn’t have a lot of time before someone noticed the building was broken into, but I couldn’t move. “Do you want me to do it?”
I nodded.
Ryker leaned over and