Nick all but sauntered beside me, and Jax joined us after we turned the corner. “It’s Trent’s magnetic-imaging system,” Nick said. “Trent is going to use magic as well as technology to keep his vault closed. And for that, he’ll need the ley line, unexpectedly pulled downward by a very powerful magnet, something no one would think twice about in a facility such as this.”

He was right, but how had he known such a thing was possible?

“I’m telling you Trent won’t use magic to close his vault,” Ivy grumped. “He doesn’t like magic.”

But his security expert loved magic. And his dad had, too.

The hallway dead-ended at an encouragingly formidable set of double doors. The line had to be behind them, though; they were the only doors in the entire hall. The carpet was pristine, no coffee stains or scrapes. The air, too, felt stale. Jenks was at the camera in the corner, and when Jax took his place, the more experienced pixy dropped down to hover with us as we faced the oak doors. Reaching past Nick, I tapped it with a knuckle. Thick.

“Well, wonder boy,” Ivy said sourly, “let’s see what’s behind door number three.”

“It’ll be there,” Nick said indignantly as he slid a wired card into the card reader and proceeded to play Mr. Accountant on the attached device.

I shook my head, brow furrowed. Dropping back to where Jenks hovered, I fidgeted. Beyond the door were untold riches—my ticket to getting Trent, the coven, and Al off my case. Was I a thief if I was going to give it back? Did I care?

“Are you sure those cameras aren’t recording?” I asked. Down at the end of the hallway, Jax huffed, and I tossed a strand of hair out of my eyes. “I feel like I’m being watched.”

“This would be easier if it was quiet,” Nick said, and Ivy frowned. Nick took his fingers from the keypad and cracked his knuckles. A slip of pixy dust dropped down to lubricate the electrons as much as for luck, and Nick hit the big green button.

The red light on the pad went out, and the green one lit. There was a faint buzzing, and Nick grabbed the card out of the reader with jaunty swiftness and turned the handle. My gut clenched, but the twin doors opened silently. “QED,” he said, gesturing for me to go first.

Ivy caught my shoulder. “In my family, that means quite easily dead. I’ll go first.” Giving Nick a mistrusting once-over, she went into the dark room. Fluorescent lights flicked on at her presence. It worried me, but it was unlikely they’d monitor the lights when there were other ways to detect people.