plenty of buildings without getting caught. It was my specialty, really. If I went in there alone, it was only my hide on the line. If I screwed up, no one paid for it except me. I’d have been twice as nervous otherwise.
I squeezed Snap’s hand. “You already found this place for us—and I know that took a lot out of you.” It’d pained me, encouraging him to go against his fears, as necessary as it’d seemed. “I’m sure you’ll be able to help with whatever I bring back.”
Thorn was scowling, but apparently he was done arguing. “I’ll go ahead and scout out the area one last time before you head in. Wait for my signal.”
“Got it.” I poked him again. “And don’t you dare follow me in. If more guards come calling, do you really want to leave me unprepared until they’re already in the building? If you see anyone coming after me out there, feel free to dispatch them however you’d like.” If the alarm had already been sounded, leaving bodies behind wouldn’t matter, only getting out alive.
His mouth tightened, but he nodded. I thought the reminder of his responsibilities would be enough to keep him patrolling where he shouldn’t be in the line of fire. If I did my job right, there’d be no alarm and no reinforcements for him to do battle with.
He vanished, and I eased out of the car, shutting the door as softly as I could. We’d parked in a lot outside a kitchen supply outlet store where the nearest security lamp was burnt out. In the thickening dusk, I’d barely be visible in my black clothes against the black car.
I stared toward Fun Station Depot, watching for Thorn’s go-ahead. The cooling breeze tickled across my cheeks. Just to pass the time, I touched each piece of my gear in turn to confirm I had it where I expected it to be.
A light flashed in the distance, there and gone. Thorn and the mini flashlight he’d helped himself to inside the store. All clear.
I gave the guys in the car a wave good-bye, unable to see through the tint if they returned it, and loped off. The soles of my sneakers made only the faintest rasp against the pavement. I veered around to the back of the kitchen supply building and crossed the street there, dashing through the lamplight.
My pulse thumped brisk but steady. I indulged in a brief spurt of song under my breath. “I can steal it, coming to your lair tonight, oh horde.” The smile that came with the mangled lyric spurred me on.
As I reached the parking lot behind the toy store, I slowed. Thorn had given me a hand in one other way: he’d surreptitiously unlocked a door at the back of the store. I still had to make it through the stockroom, across the main retail floor, and into the office at the east end, but then I’d only have one lock to disable. The way in is iron. It didn’t matter what kind of key that special room normally took—my picks would do the trick.
The parking lot was empty other than a charity donations bin the size of a small trailer in one corner. Clothes for the Recently Deceased. Now there was a cause if I’d ever heard one. Wouldn’t want any corpses to have to wander around naked.
I slunk around the pools of security light, eased open the back door, and peeked into the dark stockroom with ears pricked. No sound reached my ears except the distant whir of traffic from somewhere behind me. Even two guards were overkill for nighttime security in a discount toy shop—reflecting the fact that the management had more they wanted to protect than just the merchandise—but neither of them hung out back here. That worked for me.
I crept between the high shelving units stacked with boxes of plushies, action figures, and Lego. Only the faintest streak of light showed beneath the door at the other end that led to the main retail area. I stopped by it, holding myself still and silent.
After a few minutes, footsteps tapped by. The guards weren’t making any effort to conceal their movements—very helpful of them. How many months, even years, had they been on the job without ever actually needing to guard anything in here?
I smiled. Complacency was a thief’s best friend.
When the footsteps had tapped away, I nudged the door open an inch to take a lay of the land. Packed shelves