The second Jake planted his feet on the ground with a dull thud, the momentum made Shadow fall over, face first into the wet grass, but there was no time to ponder his aching nose when Gray patted his back and urged him to lead the way through the gardens.
Jake created wind with his webbed wings, and flew off to create a diversion, but in a time when cell phones could be used to inform the outside world of any problems, the power outage would only last so long.
The vast grounds were like a dark lake, dotted by a handful of bright spots that betrayed the locations they should avoid. Knowing they would be sitting ducks on the golf course, Shadow made his way between bushes and trees on the border between the grassy landscape and gardens.
The sky was cloudy tonight, which kept excessive moonlight at bay, but they still tried to hide between the plants and decorative sculptures whenever possible. Their task remained easy for the first few moments, because there were so many trees in this part of the property, but once the relatively wild woodland made way for structured bushes and flowerbeds, more caution was needed.
They were about to cross a broad alley between a collection of sculpted plants and a fountain when Gray pulled Shadow back behind the shrubbery.
The sound of tyres scratching against gravel became so obvious Shadow swore at himself that he’d been so intent on looking around that he forgot to listen.
Crouched next to Beast, Shadow’s whole body burned with heat. Only now, on the property that held the ruby, the whole idea of the heist became reality. This wasn’t a game. If they managed to get the Pigeon Heart, the door to a future with Gray would open for him. Tonight would only be a step toward that door, but even that was so much better than sitting on their asses and waiting for the next new moon to come.
The man in a small golf cart passed them at an agonizingly slow pace, directing a bright ray from his flashlight from one side of the alley to the other.
“Yeah, the generator’s fucked. I’ll go and have a look, but I’m no professional. If he wants it working, he should have had it checked every few months,” the man in the cart complained to someone over a phone-like device built into the vehicle. He started yet another sentence, but broke off, stopping the cart. “Ripped off… What do you mean ripped out the tree? What the hell is going on there?” he asked when a round of gunfire echoed in the distance.
Gray slid from behind Shadow’s back before he could be stopped and approached the cart—the single source of light—barely making any noise. In one hand he held the same kind of dart he’d used on the train, and before the guard could even spot him, the needle sank into his flesh. The briefest struggle followed, and then—silence.
Beast helped Gray drag the man out of the cart. They left him in the bushes, and waved at Shadow to join them in the vehicle.
A male voice crackled from the small handset on the console. “The fuck is this thing?” Gray turned the device off before Shadow could get seriously nervous about the other guards noticing something was amiss with their colleague. The gunfire continued, and Shadow couldn’t help but wonder if the gargoyle was bulletproof like him.
“Jake will be okay,” Beast said and sat in the driver’s seat of the cart. His shoulders were so wide Gray didn’t even try to join him in the front and moved to rest alongside Shadow instead.
Gray’s gloved hand rested on Shadow’s, and he smiled from behind the mask, as if sensing the apprehension Shadow was trying to hide. So many things could go wrong, but Shadow needed to trust his lover’s judgment if they were to stay together past the deadline imposed on his life by Baal.
The cart wasn’t the fastest mode of transport in Shadow’s experience—it moved at a snail’s pace when compared to Gray’s bike—but they no longer looked like intruders sneaking through the gardens and could use the broad lanes on their way to Lowe’s house. The cart drove past several smaller buildings, some of which resembled tiny cottages, but when they neared the main building, where small lights could be seen through the windows, Gray squeezed Shadow’s hand.
It was time to part. They’d approached from the side closest to where the safe was located, but from now on, Shadow would be on his own.
Beast parked the cart under a tree, only a couple of strides away from a gazebo that should provide decent shelter for the duration of the heist. Shadow wanted to live so very much, but he felt no fear whatsoever about leaving his body in Gray’s care. He’d already seen his lover protect it at risk to his own life. But if he wanted to keep Gray safe too, he needed to do his job as efficiently as possible.