Marcus stammered a few incomprehensible things, then managed to squeak out, “English, please. For the lady.”
“MonsieurBlanc, you should know better than to access the vault on your own,” one of the shifters said harshly. His voice was loud enough to pick up in the earpiece. “You know the procedure, and you know you need two bank employees to get inside.”
“Fuck,” I growled under my breath. “I’m on my way.”
Oberi and I quietly slipped down the hall, as to not cause a scene, then the two of us took off running in the direction of the vault.
“I’ve got you on the feed,” Ivy said through the earpiece. “To your left, Charlie.”
“Of course. I’m well aware of bank policy,” Marcus continued, playing along.
I reached them just in time to hear one of the men ask a question in French. I didn’t know what he said, and neither did Marcus.
“Is there a problem here?” I demanded.
The man simply repeated his question.
These shifters were highly suspicious, and I wasn’t entirely sure how we were going to con our way out of this one.
He’s asking Marcus what his wife’s name is,Ava told me through the bond.
I quickly stepped in. “Well, go on,MonsieurBlanc. Tell him your wife’s name.”
“Y— you know my wife,” Marcus stammered, still maintaining his French accent. “Delphine and I have lunch together every day.”
We’d done our research, but this was cutting it too close. One of the guards instantly said, “Delphine doesn’t take lunch in the city. She eats at her desk. You are notMonsieurBlanc.”
Something in the air shifted. A high-pitched squeal filled the air, echoing throughout the entire bank.
Aclangingnoise came from the main entrance, and I felt noxite in the air. Ava gasped,There are huge metal walls coming down around the bank, and they’re full of noxite!
Shit. We’d been fucking caught.
“Of course I’m him!” Marcus demanded, but his accent was no longer convincing. “Oh, fuck!”
“It’s them!” one of the guards snarled. “The ones the Union is looking for!”
“You’re under arrest, and the rest of you are coming in for questioning,” the other guard sneered as he reached for Marcus.
Marcus let out a vile laugh. “Oh, yeah? Arrest this!”
Athudsounded, but it barely fazed the guard. I heard the shifter grunt and stagger backward a single step before he sneered, “That isn’t gonna stop me from taking you in.”
“Marcus, don’t punch him!” Ava cried. “Cast a battle orb or something!”
“Uh… right!” Marcus squeaked. His magic swelled, then blasted down the hallway with the force of several bombs. Ava threw up a shield, and we were protected as Marcus’ magic erupted.
The guards’ bodies hit the floor, and the whole ground rumbled. Debris rained down from above us. I instinctually threw my arms above my head, even though we were in the safety of Ava’s shield.
“We’ve lost visual!” Ivy barked in my ear. “Can you hear us?”
“Yeah, Ivy, we’ve still got audio,” I said as my heart slowed.
The explosion settled. Ava dropped her shield, but dust continued to fill our lungs. Ava coughed. “Any chance the rest of the bank didn’t hear that?”
I doubt it, Oberi stated flatly.
“What the hell?” Kallie demanded through the earpiece. “I cut the alarms before you did anything. This was supposed to be acleanjob!”
