Page 101 of The Thief

Montana crossed his arms. “If it doesn’t fit, we can swap it out for another.”

“Any old helmet will fit my tiny head. This is perfect. I can’t thank y’all enough. This is more than I expected. Calvin will probably take this out of my paycheck,” I said with a laugh.

“You need to be careful out there and wear your helmet.” Montana put his arm around Robyn.

“I always do. But that night my helmet was stolen.”

Everyone looked among each other. We all knew Argento had stolen it.

“I should have locked the storage compartment, but I forgot,” I confessed. “That won’t happen again.”

“No, it won’t.” Montana let go of Robyn. “Tak doesn’t want to control your life and ban you from driving, and neither do I. Nobody on the outside has the right to dictate how we live. That said, if you want to ride by yourself to and from work, you’ll need a packmate to follow you. Just until this Mage thing blows over.” Montana stepped close and put his hand on my shoulder. “And another thing—if Calvin tries to dock your pay, let me know. I’ll handle it.”

“You’ll get me fired is what you’ll do.”

He winked and gave my shoulder a light squeeze. “Not gonna happen. We didn’t ask him to fix the bike, so it’s a matter of principle that he doesn’t charge for it. Let me know if he gives you trouble.” Montana strode toward the house. “Back to work, everyone.”

“Wait a gosh-darn second,” I announced as the crowd dispersed. “Nobody leaves until I say thank you.”

Virgil put his hands on his hips. “Well?”

I tucked my helmet inside the seat and locked it before taking the key. “Thank you… for everything. I mean it. If there ever comes a time when you’re in a pickle and you need help, I’m here.”

Robyn patted my back before joining Montana’s side. After the group dispersed, I sat on the concrete and leaned against the truck’s tire.

Maybe they don’t think less of me.

But the fact that the entire pack wasn’t there to present me the bike hadn’t escaped my attention and left me uncertain about everyone’s position. Could I blame them? Even so, how could I win their trust? I pondered on it for a while but had no clear solution. All I could do was prove myself to them each and every day with my actions.

“There’s no sense dwelling on it,” I muttered before finally standing up.

Grass rustled from the field in front of the trucks. Striding toward me, Lucian kept his eyes on his phone. He had sharp cheekbones and dark eyebrows that made him look murderous whenever they angled down. Most of the time he looked deep in thought.

He flicked his eyes up to meet mine. “What troubles you?”

“Nothing.”

His nostrils twitched. “Lies.”

“It’s not about the bike. I’m just… I’m still not sure how everyone feels about me. Everything happened in a whirlwind, all on the same day.”

He rested his arms on the tailgate of the truck. “They don’t trust you with their money, but there’s nothing they can do about it since it’s Tak’s call. That’s something you’ll have to prove.”

I used to hate Lucian’s bluntness but not anymore. Right now, I needed to hear the truth.

He glanced at the black band on his index finger. “I trust you, for what it’s worth.”

“You’re a Chitah, so it hardly counts. You can smell deception from a mile away.”

“Either they’ll get over it, or the Packmaster will come down hard on them. By the way, I’m ordering a fortified door to the safe room. Once installed, I’ll need your fingerprint. Then you can start collecting everyone’s cash.” He pushed away from the truck. “I’ll give you mine first. I can’t stand the smell.”

Bear’s wolf tore down the driveway, giving me a start. His large paws hit the ground with a rhythmic stride, and glimpsing him, you would have thought he was a grizzly.

When he reached us, he briefly sniffed Lucian before jumping onto my shoulders and pinning me against the truck.

“Holy mackerel! Someone’s happy to see me.”

Lucian turned on his heel and said, “I’ve got work to do.”

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