“Next job, you’ll be more hands-on, I promise,” Luka murmured.
“We don’t need them anyway. Why can’t you and I do our own thing now? I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“Because my brothers are smart,” he snapped, apparently tired of soothing her ruffled feathers.
“Of course they are. I know that,” Delilah said. There was some shuffling and Ivy guessed they were putting their clothing back on. “I just meant maybe we could do some small stuff. Just me and you. For fun.”
What sounded like kissing followed, and then footsteps walking away.
“We need to get out of here,” Nash murmured, quiet enough for only her ears.
Ivy nodded slightly. She hated leaving empty-handed, but this had already been a close call and they had to get out of here before the brothers returned or someone else showed up. They’d been in hiding far too long as it was.
“I’ll climb down first and keep a lookout.” His voice was whisper quiet.
She nodded again right before she snagged the set of three Russian dolls. She knew who owned this warehouse and had an idea what was inside a set like this. And the owner would want them back.
Maybe she could convince him to make an exchange: information on the Green brothers and he’d get his merchandise back.
Chapter 12
Ivy looked down before stepping onto the next rack underneath her. Nash stood below her, all the muscles in his arms and neck tight as he waited. He glanced up and down the aisle quickly before he grasped onto her hips and set her on her feet. Then he withdrew his weapon.
She’d already tucked the dolls into her crossbody bag and now she withdrew her own Taser.
With the lights on, it was easy to see everything—which was a double-edged sword. Anyone else could see them too.
Instead of heading back the way they’d originally come, because that was the direction the happy couple had gone, Nash signaled in the opposite direction down the long aisle. It was darker at that end, and if her estimation was correct, they would be able to make a right and head all the way to the back of the warehouse, then make another right and then sneak out the back door. This warehouse was a simple square and the setup was easy enough to navigate. They might as well be at a Lowe’s right now. Clearly Nash had the same thought as her.
They were silent as they ran, their shoes barely making a sound on the hard concrete. As they finally reached the end of the last aisle, he held up a hand and peered around the corner of the shelf. They were so close to the exit and her adrenaline was working overtime.
Before they could take another step, there was a sudden pounding of footsteps nearby. There was a slight echo and she wasn’t sure where they were coming from.
Nash tensed and motioned for her to stop before he swiveled back and pressed her up against the storage rack, silently ordering her to stay put.
Without pause, he moved away from her and stepped out into the open main aisle in one fluid movement, his weapon up and pointed at someone. His forearms were pulled taut, his arms completely steady. “Put your weapon down.” His voice echoed slightly in the huge building.
“You think you can rob us,” Luka snarled from nearby.
She couldn’t see him, but his voice reverberated with rage, echoing off the walls.
Damn it! This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Don’t make me tell you again.” Nash took a small step forward, almost out of her sight now. “Weapon down, get on the ground. Now!”
Ivy wasn’t sure if it was instinct or if she heard something, but all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. As she turned away from Nash, shock barely had time to register as a blonde woman raced at her with an antique-looking sword.
Adrenaline kicking into overdrive, she ducked, rolling out of the way. The rack behind her rattled as the woman hit it with the sword.
As she scrambled across the concrete floor, she accidentally dropped her Taser. There was no time to dive for it.
She could hear Nash and Luka grappling off to the right, but kept all her focus on the blonde woman in front of her with wild, blue eyes.
Heart thumping in her chest, Ivy stared at the woman across from her for only a moment. As the blonde took a step forward, Ivy grabbed a heavy vase off the nearest shelf and chucked it at her.
The woman screamed and slashed at it with the slender, rusted weapon.
Ceramic exploded under the impact, shattering across the floor, but before the woman could try again, Ivy grabbed a music box and threw it.
The woman ducked, screaming as she slashed out again.
Glass and metal splintered across the concrete and white powder burst into the air.
The woman tried to lift the sword again, but she stumbled under the awkward weight. As she started to fall, Ivy rushed at her. This might be her only chance.
The blonde let out a savage scream as Ivy wrapped her arms around the woman’s middle and slammed her to the floor. The sword clattered behind her as the woman thrashed around.
“I’ll kill you!” Her blonde hair covered her face as she snapped her teeth at Ivy, trying to bite her arm.
Using training from all of her self-defense classes—and growing up with three older brothers—Ivy hauled back and decked the woman hard across the jaw.
Ivy winced at the impact, but the blonde’s head lolled back almost instantly. She slumped to the concrete floor as if she’d been a puppet with her strings cut.
As Ivy shoved to her feet, Nash was hurrying toward her, his jaw tight. “The guy is knocked out too. I’ve got him secured, but we need to get the hell out of here. They have to have cameras in here.”
Adrenaline surged through her in rapid waves, the only reason she was so solid right now. She nodded and looked back down at the woman. “Give me one second.” Ignoring what she was pretty sure was cocaine coating the floor, she pulled out a little gadget she rarely used and took the woman’s fingerprints for later. She wanted to find out who this sword-wielding lunatic was.
Nash frowned at her but motioned for her to hurry. Then he turned away at the sound of Luka groaning. Nash ran over to him and crouched down. She couldn’t see what he was doing and wanted to ask, but focused on her own task. After a quick pat-down of the woman yielded nothing usable, she stood, then raced to one of the shelves. Ivy snagged another music box—a twin to the one she’d smashed. Chances were, it had drugs in it too.
One way or another, she was going to attempt to bargain with the owner of this place and get what she wanted. As she started to tuck it under her arm, Nash grabbed it from her. “We’ve gotta go.” Urgency thrummed through his voice.
He was right. Everything funneled out around her as they sprinted toward the exit. If Luka knew they were here, then his brothers did too and were on their way back. She and Nash didn’t have time to check their tracker, they simply had to escape now.
Fear licked up her spine as they eased the exit door open. It was clear. They raced out into the blinding sunlight. “There’s probably backup on the way.”
He nodded in agreement. “Yep. Which is why we need to be gone.”
Her heart was one large drumbeat as they reached the opening in the fence. Just as they did, the sound of tires squealing greeted her ears. She glanced over her shoulder to see the same SUV from before pulling into the gate.