diamonds. We need additional funds, and the money from those real diamonds will fill our coffers nicely.” He stared at her, his gaze tracking over her face. “I’ve been told you’re really good at grifting. I want to see how good you are.”
“Of course.” Keira was unable to fight back the tinge of sadness at the thought that people still wanted to use her because of her abilities to be a con artist, though she did think she was successful in hiding it. Stefan needed to think she was eager to prove herself to him. To the cause.
She couldn’t deny the slight embarrassment that this was happening in front of Finn. While he was aware of her history, he’d never seen proof of it like he was now. She also couldn’t deny the slight thrill of excitement at the thought of pulling a heist. The adrenaline rush was still there even after all this time.
“And if you’re successful with this assignment, I can promise you that you’ll be relied upon more and more.”
If she was adept at swapping out the diamonds, she might get into the shadow cabinet of advisers and fixers for Stefan. She had to do this; time was running out. The next rift was only two weeks away. She had to get into that inner circle, become part of Stefan’s closest confidants so she could find out where he was building his machine.
“For you, my friend,” Stefan said, looking at Finn, “I have a job that is perfect for your rather unique skill set.” He didn’t say anything more.
Keira glanced at Finn and could tell he was going to be stubborn enough to try to get Stefan to make the first move instead of doing what Stefan wanted him to do, which was solicit the information. She slowly moved her foot over and nudged his.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. With a slight huff of air, he looked at Stefan. “What job is that?” he asked.
Stefan’s face wore a hint of satisfaction that Finn had blinked first. With an air of magnanimity, the rogue leader said, “I want you to kill Tobias Caine.”
The words hung there, bald and desperate. Vile.
Keira’s jaw went slack with shock. She saw the muscles of Finn’s back go taut. “You what?” He scooted forward to the edge of the sofa.
“You heard me. Now, if you also want to take out his wife, I’m all right with that, too.” Stefan gave a careless shrug. “I don’t have anything against her personally. But if she dies first, I’ll at least have the satisfaction in knowing that Tobias suffered before he drew his last breath.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “I realize you have something of a relationship with the wife because her mother and your…employer are lovers.”
“That’s right.” Finn didn’t offer up anything more than that. If Stefan knew that Finn was more than Lucifer’s employee, Finn wasn’t going to confirm it.
“And why do you want me to kill Tobias?” Finn’s voice gave away nothing of what he felt.
“That’s my business.” He steepled his hands beneath his chin, tapping his fingers together. “Let’s just say he’s gotten in my way before and is likely to get in my way again, and I like to remove all obstacles I can anticipate.”
“Fair enough.” Finn folded his arms across his chest. “And you prefer that I also kill Nix?”
Keira couldn’t believe how calm he was. How calm they both were. They were sitting here talking about murdering two people with less heat than they would if they’d been talking about a ball game.
“Like I said, I realize you and she have a relationship.”
“Of sorts.” Finn shrugged. “It’s not like we’re close. We really don’t get along.” He paused and lifted his hands. “I actually think she doesn’t like me too much. Needless to say, we haven’t had a lot to do with each other.”
Stefan gave a nod and looked as if he’d heard something that confirmed what he already knew. “From what I understand, every time the two of you do come into contact, you give her a hard time.”
“That might be true,” Finn drawled.
“Yes, I had heard of an altercation between the two of you at Devil’s Domain some months back. You and Caine got into it, too, as I recall.” Stefan’s slow smile glittered in his dark eyes. “Look, do whatever you want with Nix. Kill her or leave her be. But I want Tobias