Break This! (A 300 Moons Book) (5 page)

C
hance drank
in the cool air as his trainers slapped the sidewalk. Pink fingers of dawn trailed toward him hungrily from between the dark buildings of downtown Philadelphia.

He’d left his own victory party early last night, unable to enjoy himself in his guilt over what was about to happen to Jade. He’d gone back to his room, obsessively checking the MMA news sites, then scouring Twitter for #doping and #ACL until he’d passed out, fully dressed on top of the comforter.

The bear woke him, as it often did, with a craving for something sweet in the morning. So he’d showered and pulled on his sweats to earn his indulgence.

Now he thought of Jade again, pushing himself a little harder than usual, as if the pain and sweat could absolve him.

She hadn’t seemed to be having any issues last night. She’d obviously had more than a few drinks in her when the party started, and she showed no signs of slowing down once she arrived.

He’d tried once or twice to get her alone for a minute, so he could talk to her, prepare her for the shit storm that was about to hit when Sharp released her failed drug test results.

She was going to lose everything. Her title. Her sponsorships Her whole life.

And it was all his fault.

A small voice in his head tried to speak up, to remind him that it wasn’t him who had gotten caught doping, that she should have known better.

The voice was technically correct, but it didn’t make him feel any better. Chance had been in a position to protect Jade, and he’d failed.

What kind of a mate would that make him?

His breath plumed in the air before him, breaking his train of thought. He hadn’t even noticed it getting so damned cold.

Chance glanced around, trying to bring himself back to earth and out of his own head. The street was completely empty.

Movement from a nearby alley caught his eye. It was just the shift of a shadow, but he slowed his pace as he approached.

Chance wasn’t the type to spook easily. He was one of the top ranked fighters in the world. He could handle himself in most situations. Not to mention the fact the he could turn into a six-hundred pound bear if things didn’t go his way.

But there was something about the shadow that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The movement was… unnatural, somehow.

The early light of dawn bathed the whole scene is a surreal greyish-pinkish glow. Chance didn’t see any other light source.

Yet the shadows at the mouth of the alley seemed to move on their own, like a living thing.

Pain from the marks on his chest hit him like a sledgehammer on fire, stopping him in his tracks.

Suddenly, he was mesmerized by the shadow. It called to him, offering relief from the pain, buzzing at a frequency he couldn’t hear but felt somehow in his blood.

Chance was so caught up, that he didn’t notice the tan SUV pull up next to him until its window rolled down.

The pain disappeared instantly, leaving Chance alert again and reeling.

He realized with a hollow feeling that he’d actually started to move toward the alley without meaning to.

Someone cleared their throat and Chance turned to see the man in the SUV.

One blue eye and an eyepatch stared back at him.

Draven.

They hadn’t wasted any time.

“Can I give you a lift?” Draven asked slowly, drawing out the words as if in a cheap imitation of Southern hospitality. His expression said it was an order, not a question.

In truth, Chance was glad to put some distance between himself and whatever was going on in that alley.

Draven and Miss Sharp were bad people, for sure, but at least Chance knew what he was dealing with when it came to them. Sort of. More so than the odd pains and dancing shadows anyway.

He nodded.

As Draven motioned toward the rear door, Chance noticed the first two fingers on the man’s hand were taped together. Draven must have finally run into someone who didn’t like to have their cupcakes stolen, even more than Chance. A small smile pulled at his cheeks at that thought. He hopped in the back to find Miss Sharp waiting. His blossoming smile withered instantly. The car smelled like peppermints and murder.

“Good morning, Mr. Harkness,” Miss Sharp simpered with saccharine sweetness.

Somehow, she was more intimidating than the huge guy with the eyepatch and the gun-bulge in his jacket sitting behind the wheel.

“I understand you put on quite an impressive performance last night. Would you say that is an accurate assessment, Mr Draven?” she asked coquettishly.

“Yes, ma’am,” Draven replied. “Damned impressive.”

“Do you believe in fate, Mr. Harkness?” she continued.

“Pardon?” Chance asked, trying to keep up.

“Fate. Predestination. Serendipity,” she said. “Or with a name like Chance, maybe just luck?”

“I guess so,” he answered uncertainly.

“Well then, Mr. Harkness, today is your lucky day. You see, I’m not normally much of a believer in second chances, am I, Mr. Draven?” she asked, her voice sharper now through the sweetness.

“No, ma’am,” Draven replied at once, tapping his eyepatch. “No you are not.”

Chance managed not to shiver with revulsion.

“But today I’m willing to make a rare exception for you, Mr. Harkness,” Sharp continued. “We’re all very disappointed at the outcome of your fight. But your performance showed me that you may be even more valuable in other capacities. So I’m going to give you one chance to make amends.”

“What are you talking about?” Chance asked.

“I have a job for you. You’re going to take a little trip. A trip that was originally intended for Mr. Draven. But certain circumstances have made it necessary for him to stay in town for the next few days and take care of some… important business,” she said, slight irritation finding its way into her tone.

Draven flexed the fingers of his bandaged hand on the steering wheel with a wince.

“A trip?” Chance echoed.

“A simple holiday in Glacier City. Luxury hotel. Excellent company. All expenses paid. Just the sort of thing you might need to unwind after a big fight,” she assured him.

“What’s the catch?” Chance asked.

“You will return from Glacier City in possession of an item of great importance to me and my organization,” Sharp told him, as if it were an honor for him.

“Wait, you want me to
steal
something for you?” he asked, forgetting his fear for a moment in his indignation.

Sharp laughed. The sound was like dry leaves rustling over a neglected grave.

“Heavens no, Mr. Harkness,” she explained. “You have neither the skill, nor the cognitive capacity for such work. You will be there strictly in a support role. In case anything unexpected occurs.”

“So I’m the muscle?”

“Something like that. If all goes well, you won’t have to do anything but enjoy the trip. But if anything goes wrong, the caliber of the players involved will necessitate someone of your exceptional abilities to make it right again,” she told him firmly, looking straight into his eyes.

Chance thought about that.

Sharp knew what he was capable of.

So what did that say about the people she was putting him up against?

The car stopped and they got out at the Stackhouse Casino. Chance followed them inside, downstairs, and through a maze of corridors until they reached an unmarked door.

“I’m not a thief,” he said, stopping at the door, unable to hold back his distaste.

“Of course you’re not. And if you choose to pass up this generous offer, you can just stay here in town, with Miss St. Vincent. I’m sure she’ll need all the support she can get once her drug test results go public,” Miss Sharp said with pinching sweetness.

Shit.

“I’ve never done anything like this. What if I screw it up?” he asked, grasping at straws.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Harkness. Your partner has already planned it all out perfectly,” Sharp assured him.

Partner?

Draven opened the door for them.

“I told you I don’t need a partner,” a familiar voice said from inside. “Bringing someone in this late is crazy.”

Chance stepped into the room.

He stopped dead as the figure seated at the table turned to face him.

T
hea gazed
out the window of the taxi in silence, studying the miles of glass on the modern looking buildings. If Philadelphia was historic, Glacier City was futuristic. A thousand buildings reflected back at her on the surface of each edifice, their mirror-like spires seeming to pierce the clouds.

She’d spent the plane ride looking out the window too.

Though she’d tried a few times to start up a friendly conversation with Chance, joking about how he barely fit in the small airplane seat, or pointing out some interesting landmark as they flew over, she’d barely been able to coax a monosyllabic reply from the big fighter.

He’d been that way since he walked into the room at the Stackhouse and found her waiting.

At first, they’d both been equally surprised to see the other. Thea hadn’t been hot on getting a last minute partner, but when she saw Chance, she knew she could have done worse.

Chance clearly didn’t feel the same. The way he’d looked at her was nothing like the warm smile he’d given her when he spotted her at the fight. He seemed… disappointed to find out what she did.

Thea wasn’t exactly proud to be a thief. But, thanks in part to her special talents, she was
really
good at it. And she did feel a certain sense of pride at a successful job. Besides, she never stole from someone who didn’t deserve it, or couldn’t afford it.

But somehow, even though she barely knew him, Thea felt bad about letting Chance down. Like the look in his eyes was a little too close to the one she tried so hard not to see when she looked in the mirror.

Chance was clearly a good guy. But a job was a job. She wasn’t about to let his feelings, or hers, get in the way. She also had the feeling, remembering the last night she’d spent out with Jade, that this would be the least of Chance’s disappointments in the coming days.

It would be almost comical, to anyone looking at it with some distance. How often do you find yourself thrown in with two swimsuit cover models, only to find the one you’re dating is cheating on you, and the one you’re stuck in a cab with is actually a cat burglar with crazy, energy-draining abilities?

The poor guy had the worst luck with women.

She stifled a laugh, and tapped nervously on the armrest of the cab.

At least they were back on solid ground. Flying always made Thea nervous. Newer planes relied so much on electronics to stay in the air. And Thea didn’t always get along well with electronics, even when she wasn’t trying to mess with them. They had a nasty habit of malfunctioning around her. Which was fine when you were trying to circumvent a security network, but not so great when you were trusting an airplane’s guidance systems to keep you in the air and headed in the right direction.

Normally, she had no problem keeping her abilities in check, but lately…

She pushed the thoughts aside as the car came to a stop at last in front of the hotel.

Chance leapt out and got their bags, without sparing her a glance.

Thea tipped the driver. By the time she was on the sidewalk, Chance was halfway to the door.

“Chance, wait,” she called to him.

He froze, then turned slowly back to her.

“This isn’t going to work,” she said quietly without moving toward him.

“What do you mean?” he asked, reluctantly joining her.

“I mean, we are supposed to be here, pretending to be a couple on a holiday, and you won’t even look at me. Do you really think anyone’s going to buy that?” she asked.

“Sorry. It’s just…” he trailed off.

“Just what?” she asked.

“You’re a thief,” he said accusingly.

“And? You’re a crooked fighter who throws fights. So what?” she asked more harshly than she meant to. Sharp had let the cat out of the bag on that one.

She had stung him.

“That’s different,” he began. “I was just…”

“What? In over your head? Trying to help out a friend? Grandma needs a new kidney? Or maybe Sharp got her hooks into you some other way. It doesn’t matter to me. The point is, you’ve got your reasons. What makes you think I don’t have mine?”

She had plenty. Sharp had helped her when she thought no one could. So she owed the woman a debt - one that she’d been working a long time to repay. But that was none of Chance’s business.

He blinked.

“I…I’m sorry,” he said, looking her in the eye. His tough facade was cracking a little. “I didn’t think—”

“—Well thank goodness for both of us, you’re not getting paid to think,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Chance laughed, his dark eyes crinkling.

That warm smile again.

Thea tried hard and failed not to notice how handsome he was. The awareness of his big warm body beside her all day must have been getting to her. She’d never known herself to go gaga over a smile, no matter how many muscles were attached to it.

At least he was beginning to loosen up.

“Come on, let’s go in,” she said, turning on her heel and heading for the door before she started grinning foolishly at him again.

This time he trotted along just behind her. The doorman opened the entry to reveal the lobby of the Terrace Suites, one of Glacier City’s finest hotels.

Mahogany floors, laid on a bias, set off the icy blue decor and cream colored contemporary leather furniture.

Thea headed for the front desk, which looked more like a frosted glass sculpture than a piece of furniture. A young woman with stark red hair and alabaster skin stood behind it, looking every bit as coldly beautiful as her surroundings.

“May I help you?” the clerk asked, talking to Thea but clearly ogling Chance.

“Reservations for Mr. and Mrs. Stevens,” Thea said crisply. “I’m Samantha and this is my husband, Derwood.”

She’d thought it best they check in under assumed names. They would still be recognized, but the less paper trail on this job, the better.

“Ah, the Cloud Room,” the girl smiled up at Chance, swishing her bottom as she came out from behind the desk to lead them to their suite. “Right this way.”