Page 60 of His Passerotta

“I mean, you drove me here, soo…”

Anya snickers, making Maksim’s face red. I’m too stuck on their conversation to move, even though I clearly should.

Baby sister?

Really?

He flicks his gaze my way, only long enough to register my presence, and again I startle, this time with enough sense to turn around and walk away. If he’s here for her, he isn’t interested in me. He didn’t even notice me until now.

“Let’s go,” Maksim growls.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because shoplifting is for degenerates. Remember?”

I peek over my shoulder to see her take off the sunglasses and wave them at him. He snatches them from her hand and stomps over to the register.

My eyes move to the hallway that leads to an exit. Rose is parked at the end of the lot, but if I just walked away, what reason would he have to come after me? Even if it looked suspicious, what would it matter when he doesn’t even know who I am?

Except, he would because I put my number in his sister’s phone. Fuck.

“Excuse me,” he calls to me impatiently. I swallow a lump that descends slowly into my belly before turning around and walking to the register.

My face is covered in makeup. I probably look like a completely different person than I did with my face bare, my hair up and a baggy hood over my head.

He doesn’t recognize me. He won’t recognize me if I just play it cool. Act natural. Don’t be an idiot.

“How much?” he asks me, his wallet already out.

I open my mouth to answer, but Anya does it for me. “One hundred dollars,” she lies.

I look at her with my brow scrunched, and she winks.

“What?” he asks like he’s appalled. “For a pair of flimsy sunglasses?”

“I know, right? Crazy.”

“No.” He shakes his head and folds his wallet. “Not happening.”

“Oh my god, don’t be such a cheap asshole. You act like we’re broke.”

“We aren’t anything. If I remember correctly, you couldn’t even make babysitting work. And it’s the principle of it anyway.” He gestures to the glasses. “This is junk.”

“That’s offensive. This is Bailey’s livelihood, you dick.”

He looks at me, and now I really have to fight the urge to run. Goddammit, Anya.

“Sorry,” he mutters.

I shrug, afraid if I open my mouth, he’ll recognize my voice.

He turns to Anya and points behind her. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” He storms that way, but Anya doesn’t move.

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