Soul Slam, Soul Warriors Book 1

Chapter Eight

I crossed my arms and glowered. How dare Xander think Fitch had set me up. I didn't believe it. Xander didn't know my history with Fitch, except what I'd told him. Didn't know how I'd been lost and desperate and alone. Didn't know I'd been about to give up on life.

Sure, Fitch wasn't the sweetest man in the world, but he took care of the basics. A place to live—even if it was condemned, food to eat—most of the time, a vocation—although illegal. But Xander had no right to question what he knew nothing about.

I did though.

My gut sank with rocks of doubt. Why, when I had argued that another night would be better, one with less moonlight, had he insisted we go tonight?

Jeb had said, "she looks the right age" and Xander and I were both sixteen.

Had Fitch known?

How could he? Fitch didn't know about the Society and its teachings. Didn't know they planned to steal the amulet on the same night. Didn't know the significance of the summer solstice. He wasn't all that religious.

"We need to rest." Xander pointed to a group of buildings on the far side of the soccer field. "What do you think of those?"

"I thought pharaohs didn't tire?" All my concerns and questions turned into irritation with him. He'd made me question Fitch's loyalty.

"I'm not a pharaoh." His reasonable tone added to my crankiness. "You're not a pharaoh, either. You only host one."

Xander left the blacktop and headed back into the cover of the trees. "Do you think we can get in that stable?"

"Not a problem." I headed for the barn-like structure and checked the vicinity. The job looked simple, but I didn't tell Xander that. I just wanted to get in and be safe. I might not admit to being tired, but I needed time to think about this crazy situation. Time to digest what had happened. Time to analyze why Fitch had left me.

In order to get that time, we needed to hide from the Society and the cops. "No lights. There are a couple of cameras." I indicated the two I'd spotted. "Probably not operational. No wires. Just to scare off vandals."

"I won't even ask where you learned that."

I planned to tell him anyhow. He wasn't the only one with specialized knowledge. I could do something. "I was a technical specialist." Until tonight, my position on the team had been studying the security systems of jobs, finding the flaws or a computer's backdoor. "Learned a ton about computers, cameras and alarms."

He jiggled a door handle. "Do you think these doors and windows are alarmed? Because they're locked."

I wiped the grime off the window with my fingers and peered inside. Straw lay on the ground and saddles and reins hung on the far wall. Horse stalls lined both sides of the building, a few of them occupied with the large beasts. I only spotted a few spider webs in the corners. "The alarm should be simple for me to get around."

Like a Swiss army knife for thieves, the flat packet I took out of my pocket held a number of small items, including a wrench, scissors and tweezers. Too bad I'd left my favorite pick back at the museum. I jimmied the lock and then flashed an I-told-you-so-smile.

He didn't react. Just stood there with a passive look on his handsome face. Even wearing the dingy homeless people's clothes didn't make him look bad.

My shoulders slumped at his non-reaction. I wasn't expecting applause, but a few kudos would've been nice. "You open the door and I'll slip inside and cut the alarm."

He positioned himself by the door, careful not to touch me. First, he wasn't impressed with my skills and knowledge, and now he didn't want to be anywhere near me.