Page 12 of Ride With Me

Another honk sounds around us and my ears ring from the aftershocks. “I’m going to have to remove that damn horn from his car and shove it up his ass soon if he doesn’t stop.”

Soft chuckles fall from Stephen’s lips. “He sure does like to make a lot of noise before robbing a house.”

“Always doing the damn most, I swear.”

“He’s your best friend,” Stephen adds, smirking.

“And we’re about to be enemies if I don’t get out there soon. See ya on the other side.”

After placing a chaste kiss to Stephen’s lips, I quickly get to my feet, grabbing another empty bag on my way out. Brick is just about to lay his damn hand on the horn for the third time, until his eyes meet mine. “What the fuck,” he mouths through the window.

Shaking my head, I flip him off as I slip into the passenger side. “Can you not draw so much damn attention to us when we’re about to commit a crime?”

“Could you not take a million years kissing your boyfriend goodbye?”

My eyes widen and I pause while tugging on my seatbelt. “Wait... How’d you know he wasn’t coming?”

Brick shifts in his seat, glancing out the window. “He might have told me a few days ago, asking for ways to break it to you gently.”

“So, you’ve known this whole fucking time and didn’t tell me? And why are you two suddenly chatting so much lately?”

Running a hand through his hair, he pulls onto the road. “We aren’t. It was one time, and I wanted to tell you but thought it should come from him. I told him I didn’t want to get in the middle but somehow ended up there anyway. It’s not like you need him for this. You’ve been doing it since way before he started tagging along. Probably a lot faster too.”

“I know, but I wanted?—”

“To be the next Bonnie and Clyde?” He quirks a brow and I sputter a laugh, elbowing him in the shoulder.

“Stop talking and fucking drive, won’t you?”

“Don’t you know better by now than to abuse your getaway man?”

“You’re not planning on pulling another one of your stupid pranks on me again, are you?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs, making a sharp turn. “They do keep you on your toes.”

Music fills the car and I lean back in my seat, closing my eyes, replaying my own plan in my head. Brick sent me a floor plan of the house weeks ago and I memorized it like the back of my hand. No security system. No pets. Almost seems too easy. But no one purposely makes their house inviting to robbers. What would be their end game?

“You’re overthinking shit again, aren’t you?” Brick lowers the music, slowing down the car as we reach a narrow dirt road. “You spend too much damn time in that head of yours sometimes.”

Uneasiness gnaws at my insides the closer we get to the house. “I don’t know. Everything suddenly feels off today.”

“Is this about your chickenshit boyfriend again?”

“No, it’s more than that. I can’t explain it. At least, not to where it makes sense.” Brick has been more pushy about this job than any other we’ve done. He’s the one who found this guy through some dating app, meeting him for coffee and then a drink at his place. Sometimes he’ll work his magic and get close enough to clear out these fuckers’ bank accounts without them realizing until it’s too late. Not this time. He handed me this one. Said I needed my fix, and he could tell. He was right.

Lance Brighten is his name, and he’s some rich surgeon who lives alone in a house bigger than what’s required for one person. Greedy asshole. He asked for this, with his fancy car and clothes. It all made him an easy target and he stuck out like a sore thumb to men like us. Brick ghosted him after learning all the information he needed to get the job done seamlessly—when he’d be gone, whether there were cameras, and what kind of locks he had. He’s right, I need to get out of my head.

“It’s another day. Remember that. You’re going to work for an hour and in no time, you’ll be home for dinner. Can you hear that damn steak calling your name? Can you taste it?” His hand lands on my shoulder, voice shaking a little along with his fingers.

“Yeah. Another day at the office is all this is,” I say in agreement, tugging at the seat belt as the road grows bumpier.

“We’re almost there. You’ll be in and out like always. Grab me one of those glass bottles of water from the fridge on your way out too.”

My laughter is strained. “How much longer?” I look at the time the car reads, sitting up taller in my seat. What’s wrong with me today? I was fine before I left the house. Stephenisn’t acting differently, and neither is Brick. Why can’t I fully convince my brain of that?

“Ten minutes. I told you it was over an hour away in the fucking sticks. This guy likes the quiet after a long day. Hates all the noises of the city.”

“Must be nice to have the choice to disappear whenever the fuck you want.”

---