Thief

“Isn’t he hot?” She wiggles her eyebrows before she starts freshening up her lipstick. The first round, I’m guessing, she left behind on Nick.

“He’s cute.” I bite the inside of my cheek. Cute. I can’t imagine anyone in their life called that Nick guy cute.

Harper laughs at my choice of words, and I can’t help but join her.

“He’s coming with us tonight. Maybe he’ll bring a friend for you.”

“I’m not—”

“Come on. Don’t be such a prude,” she shouts back, cutting off my words.

“I can find a guy on my own.” Maybe. I keep the last word to myself.

“I’ve never seen you with a guy, like, ever. Do you even date?” She eyes me up and down before her blue eyes get big. “Are you a fucking virgin?”

“Hush!” I snap, my face turning red once again.

“Calm down! It’s just us right now. No one’s even here yet.”

Still, I feel embarrassed about the fact that I’m still a virgin at my age. Life’s been busy, and dating and men just haven’t been on my radar.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we can find someone to pop that thing.” She says it like I’m some kind of charity case.

Great. The prospect of tonight just keeps getting better and better.

Chapter 4

Sean

I wait around the corner, parked in my Chevelle, watching as Nick pulls out of the bank parking lot. He sees me in the shadows and raises his chin in an indication to follow him. I put the car in drive and follow him a few blocks up before he pulls over. As soon as my wheels stop, I’m out of the car and at his door.

He’s standing when I reach him, and I shove him against his Eurotrash Audi.

“Mind telling me what the fuck that was about?” I push his shoulder, and he falls back against his car, raising his hands up.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy, Sparrow. I thought we were on the same team. No need to get your panties in a wad.” He’s got a stupid grin on his face, like he has no clue why I’m mad. He knows I was watching him earlier, and that’s why he loosened his grip on Tessa.

It takes everything in me to keep from beating the shit out of this asshole. “I thought Heavy said she was my target.” I need to play it cool, but after seeing him put his hands on my sweet angel, I’m holding on by a thin thread. No part of him should ever touch her. I hated that they were even close enough to breathe the same air. Too much darkness is seeping in on her, and I feel like I’m losing control. This isn't how this was supposed to go. “You trying to fuck that up by scaring off the mark? You saw how she reacted to you,” I press, wanting him to stay the fuck away from her.

“Calm down. I wasn’t scaring anyone. For your information, I’ve seen her roommate Harper down at Coco’s a few times. She’s been trying to climb my dick for a while, so I let her. Clingy bitch, though. I had to let her suck me off before I left the parking lot.” He reaches down, rubbing his crotch, and I make a mental note to leave some STD brochures where Harper can find them. “When I found out who she was living with, I thought we could kill two birds with one stone.”

He gives me a cocky smile, like he’s somehow coming in to save the day instead of fucking everything up. And I sure as fuck don’t believe in his little coincidence. “You’re close to screwing us all on this deal, not just the blonde. Do us all a fucking favor and stick to your side of the plan, while I stick to mine. Stay clear of Tessa. She’s not your concern.”

He adjusts his shirt and goes to open his car door. “You’re right, Sparrow, I think we should all stick to what we’re good at. You do your thing with the fat chick, and I’ll take care of the roommate. I don’t mind getting some easy pussy while I wait out these last few days.”

He gets into his car, but before I can walk away, he rolls his window down.

“Just remember, Sparrow. You’re not the only one who likes to watch.” With that, he pulls away from the curb, leaving me standing there in the street.

Clenching my fists, I stomp back to my car and get behind the wheel. I punch the steering wheel and try to get out some of my frustrations, attempting to calm my rage at seeing Nick with Tessa.

Putting the Chevelle in gear, I take off. I need to drive and clear my head before I go and see Tessa. I’m getting in too deep with this shit, and I need some space.

Taking a right, I drive a few blocks up to Sal’s. Pulling in at the back of the building, I park and go in the back alley entrance. The place is dark, and nobody is here yet because it’s before noon.

I walk down the hallway and make my way to the bar. Sal is standing there with his back to me, removing the upside down barstools from the bar top and setting them down.

He’s a big bastard at almost seven feet with dark black skin and even darker eyes. He doesn’t turn around when I approach, but nothing ever takes him by surprise.

“Didn’t think my bird would come see me so soon today.” His words are thick with his Cajun accent, a remnant of his Louisiana upbringing.

“I needed to clear my head.”

He turns around at my voice, opening his big arms and taking me in for a hug. He’s like a father to me, and though I don’t get to see him like I should, he always welcomes me home.

Letting me go, he moves over to one of the stools, taking a seat and patting the other one for me to join him. “Who is she?”