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“Aw,” she murmured, sliding her hand onto his leg. “Are you sure? We’re having so much fun. I don’t want the night to end yet.”
She leaned close, nuzzling her head on his shoulder. She felt gross even as she did it. She didn’t want to cuddle this guy. She didn’t want to snuggle him. She wanted nothing at all to do with him, but he had something she needed.
“I’m having a really good time,” she added, purring the words.
The only way she was going to get the map to the Isle of Kyanite was if she got into this guy’s house, broke into his safe, and took it.
“It’s not every day you find someone you can connect with, you know?”
Tabitha felt gross saying the words. This was a blatant lie. All of it was: the persona, the clothes, the incessant flirting. She didn’t have a choice, though.
This was her last chance at finding the island. He had the last known map that shown the isle and how to locate it. According to her research, this man had purchased it at an auction just last month for the sum of three million dollars.
There was no way Tabitha could ever dream of obtaining that much money, so it wasn’t like she could just offer to buy the map from him. At least not anytime soon.
If flirting and touching him was going to get her the map, then she didn’t care. She’d do whatever it took to avenge her family. She had to.
The man looked at her and touched her hair. Tabitha leaned her head toward him, letting him touch her a little bit more.
There.
That was it.
He was buying it.
She closed her eyes and tried to imagine that it was someone else touching her: anyone else. If everything went according to plan, she’d be at his house within an hour or two, and then she’d be able to get her hands on the precious map she’d spent months searching for.
The Chrysolite Isles were a beautiful set of islands that were spread out across the ocean, but some of them were easier to find than others. Tabitha knew perfectly well what was waiting for her on Kyanite, but she didn’t care.
She’d face the monster, and she’d face the witch, and she’d get her revenge.
No matter what it cost.
“Well, maybe one more drink,” the man finally relented, and Tabitha waved her hand. Almost instantly, the waitress brought two more drinks. The man didn’t know that Tabitha’s drink was just a soda with lime. He didn’t seem to notice that she wasn’t as drunk as he was.
That, too, was part of her plan.
After all, she couldn’t afford to get tipsy when she was being sneaky. Tabitha knew perfectly well how precarious this position was. If she came on too strong, or not strong enough, she’d lose this guy, and with him, her chances for finding Ursula.
“Thank you,” Tabitha tipped the waitress, and then she turned back to the man. Brent Flannigan was one of the most obnoxious and frustrating men she’d ever met in her life, but he was wealthier than she could have possibly imagined, and he knew exactly how to make people work for him.
“Cheers,” he said, holding up his glass.
“Cheers.”
They touched glasses, and Tabitha smiled as she brought her glass to her lips. It wouldn’t be long now. Maybe one or two more drinks, and he’d be dying to take her home with him.
She was counting on it.
To her surprise, she didn’t have to wait that long.
A fight broke out on the other side of the bar. Three shifters were in an uproar because someone had tried to punch one of them, so they’d ganged up against the poor bastard. Flannigan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was obvious that he came here despite knowing it was a bar filled with magical beings, but that he wasn’t quite comfortable with the clientele.
One of the shifters turned into a raven and was flying around the bar squawking. The other two shifters had changed into dogs and were barking at the human who had irritated them. Tabitha frowned as she looked at them. They were causing quite a scene. She turned back to Flannigan, who was also frowning.
Shit.
The moment was gone, and she had to make a move.
