Page 59 of Brazen Mistakes

“Will do. Night, lady love.”

“Night night, crazy lady.”

I slump back against the seat, while Jansen pulls a thick hat with ear flaps down over his head, tucking his hair up under the fuzzy lump. I tug on the ties that dangle down. “Really? You’re okay setting up my best friend with your sister?”

“Emma’s fun. Evie’s fun. They both like bluegrass. It’s something. And maybe if Evie gets a girlfriend, she’ll stop policing my relationship with mine.”

Before I can ask what he means by that, he’s pulled a hat over my eyes, my high bun fully covered by the fabric. “Time to find a target, beautiful.”

“You don’t know where you’re going to hit ahead of time?” I ask, pulling the hat up so I can see. He leaps from the car and races around to open the door for me before I get my coat zipped up to my chin, my scarf still in hand.

“Nope. Can’t have things looking too premeditated. We’re off for a romantic walk through the snow. And Trips has asked me to quiz you on basic surveillance as we go, so pay attention.”

Locking the car, Jansen leads me into the maze-like streets, mansions winding around bays and isthmuses, streets starting and stopping at seemingly random intervals.

After forty minutes of walking, I’m getting the hang of picking out security cameras and motion sensors, as well as which trails in the snow are from hired security, which are from guard dogs, and which are from family dogs.

The sheer volume of things that I just don’t know is only dawning on me, and the luck I’ve had so far? It’s sobering to think that I may have already taken more than my fair share of beginner’s luck from the patron saint of thieves.

Strolling down another snow-laden street, the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Twisting, I squint into the dark, but see nothing. Jansen’s mittened hand reaches out and squeezes my own, pulling my attention back to our mission. “Keep walking, but pay attention to this one.”

I do, finding cameras only at the driveway, no guards, human or canine, or even a pet dog leaving a trail through the snow.

We circle the block, and I report what I saw to Jansen. “Great job, beautiful. What else would say that’s a good target?”

“The walkways haven’t been shoveled?”

“Definitely a good sign. Another would be the number of garages they had. Did you count them?”

“No. I didn’t think about that.” My shoulders drop, even though I know I’m learning, even though I shouldn’t know everything yet. I just want so desperately to prove to myself that I belong here.

“You’re good. It’s not like you’ve ever boosted cars before. There were four garages attached to the main house, as well as three more in the carriage house out back, which is two cars deep. So we’re looking at something like ten cars to choose from once we get in there.”

“How do you pick which one to steal with that many choices?”

“I basically have a list in my head of what is easy for Tao to move. Easy to move trumps super expensive every time.”

“Tao?”

“Yeah. He’s got a chop shop that does international sales, so the parts are harder to trace. It increases the jail sentence if he ever gets caught, but it makes getting caught more difficult, because the cops have to chase international customs and property laws. He’s been at it for like, twenty years, so he’s worked out all the kinks at this point. And before you worry, I’ve been working with him since I was a kid, so it’s not like he’s going to rat me out. He’s like a big brother at this point. Or an uncle, maybe? Either way, he’s good people, and he takes whatever I can lift for him, no questions asked.”

“How did you end up lifting cars when you were a kid?”

“My cousin Austin, his friend Summer, and I all worked together as a crew. We each needed the cash, and we all were perfectly fine with the risks. Until Austin took the fall for a dumb fuck up of mine and ended up in jail. That put the end to all kinds of things for a long-ass time. But it’s good to be back at it. I’ve missed it.”

“You missed boosting cars?”

“Once you feel the rush, I’ve got a feeling you’ll catch the bug too, beautiful. Shall we?” He motions into the night, and my heart rate immediately spikes, making my legs tingle.

“I guess I have to be.”

Jansen’s mittened hands press against my icy cheeks, forcing me to look at him “There’s no ‘have to,’ Clara. Either you want to do this, or you don’t. If you don’t, that’s totally fine. You can grab the car and meet me at Tao’s if you want. No hard feelings, nothing but support here. Got it?”

Looking into the shadows where I know his eyes glitter, I nod. “I get it. But I want to do this. I need to know if this is something I’m okay with. If it’s something I could be good at.”

He nods, planting a chilly kiss on my nose. “You’ll be good at this. I’ll bring you into the garage, but if we can’t find the keys in the garage, I’m going into the house solo. The risks are much higher in the house than in the garage, and you’re not ready to manage that yet. Then, after I kill the low jack, we’ll hop in and drive for a while to make sure there aren’t any cops after us. Once we’re clear, we’ll pick up my car and caravan to Tao’s.”

“How do you usually get your car when you do this alone?”

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