Page 79 of Riordan's Revenge

Panic had me working faster, then in a rush of fucking heaven, the lock gave.

To hell with any noise. I burst out of the door and lifted Cassie straight into my arms, wasting no time in sprinting down the patio and onto the grass. She whimpered and held me tight, clinging to my front while I put all my power into my legs to run. At the end of the garden was a newly installed fence that blocked up a gap to the neighbours’ garden. Not a problem for the millionaires who lived on this road but perfect for burglars. No wonder the mayor had stumped up to fix it.

Earlier, I’d scaled it easily. Now, I had a passenger.

I manoeuvred Cassie onto my back. “Hold this. Don’t drop it. And don’t let go.”

She clutched the painting, freeing up my hands to climb. Footsteps thumped down the garden. Something rustled in the bushes.

“Who the fuck is that?” Piers shouted. “Stop, thief.”

I kept climbing, hauling us to the top then throwing a leg over. A glass shattered on the sturdy fence panel an inch from my hand, raining splinters over my arm and to the ground. I didn’t look back. I ignored the sour stench of whisky that sprinkled on my skin. All I needed was for Cassie to hold on while I dropped us down the other side.

Still clinging to me, she squealed and jerked.

I twisted back. Beneath us, Piers had seized her ankle. My heart pounded, fear soaring. I gripped the fence to keep us balanced. If I let go, we’d fall.

“Get the hell off me.” She kicked out at him.

Piers’ expression shifted from anger to something different. In the low light, I picked out fear. He’d recognised her voice.

“You,” he snarled.

“Hey, Piers, how’s the dick?”

For a second, he faltered, but then recovered and bared his teeth, grappling for her other leg. “What are you holding? What did you steal?”

“I’ll take your balls if ye ask nicely.” She kicked again.

“I’ll hurt you for what you did, and I’ll take pleasure in it.”

Fury broke over me. Loosening one hand, I hung from the other with a death grip and threw a punch at Piers’ ugly face. He dropped his hold and fell, clutching his face. With a whimper, Cassie climbed me, clinging tighter as I righted us on the fence.

On top once again, I didn’t waste time in swinging over and using my rubber soles to slide down the sheer drop then let go and fell the rest of the way, landing like a cat on a pile of loose earth. Cassie stayed in place, for once obeying orders.

A thud hit the fence. “I’ll fucking end you, bitch. I’ll destroy you from your mouth to your cunt and force your boyfriend to watch.”

Cassie gave a dark laugh. “Not if I get there first, mushroom dick.”

If Piers was trying to come after us, I wasn’t waiting around to see. I turned and ran full pelt down the neighbours’ garden and out along the side of the house. The need for stealth had gone. A light sprang on, and someone called out, but I kept going, all the way to my bike.

“Do you have a car?” I asked.

“Nope. Cabbed it.”

A thousand furies descended over me but I didn’t voice them. At the kerbside, I jammed the helmet on Cassie then revved the engine.

Without pause, I got us the fuck out of there.

Down the expensive row of houses we flew. The wind whipping across my hot face did nothing to cool my raging emotions. I had to assume Piers would call the police, which meant sticking to quieter roads the second I could and not taking the more direct route home. Likewise, if any passing lucky cop spotted me biking without a helmet, they’d pursue us.

We’d be caught red-handed.

I’d take the blame so Cassie could walk free, but breaking and entering with theft would land me jail time, particularly with the victim being who he was. I smacked the handlebars and ran a red light, too shaken up to notice until the last second.

A horn blared. I swore and banked around a corner.

Cassie giggled then trailed her finger down my back, drawing a heart.

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