Page 50 of Magic or Madness

I’d choose Fallon over my brothers, the only way I’ve known how to make money since I was nineteen years old, and the life I’ve lived up until this point.

The walkof shame is entertaining this morning, with Fallon sitting in and watching the ladies exit the dealership in the same clothes they wore last night.

They knew the deal coming here, and my woman sits majestically on the other side of it, knowing damn well she isn’t some hussy who only spends one night.

“Bye, Fallon!” The spice girl calls out, and we all attempt to suppress our laughter.

“Nice to meet you, Pepper,” Fallon replies, being the polite one in this band of assholes.

“Bring your friends next time, Cinnamon!” Max calls out, and we’re all undoubtedly going to hell.

“I actually like her, you assholes,” Lex says, and we all swivel our heads to him.

“Seriously?” I ask, and he nods sheepishly, his face turning shades of red.

“I invited her back tomorrow night, so can you all be fucking nice?”

“Absolutely, Lex, she’s a nice girl,” Fallon says, breaking the wall of insincerity we all created.

“Thank you, Fallon. The only one with a shred of dignity.” Lex shakes his head, walking toward the kitchen in a huff.

The morning turns into the afternoon, and sadly, I have to take Fallon back to her roommates, dreading being apart from her.

“I will call you the second we’re safe, I promise.” I kiss her forehead, watching as she tries to stall in my passenger seat.

“Max really thinks he can maneuver around the code change?” She wonders, a sincere look of concern on her face.

“We got this, Bambi. Go to work and then enjoy a carefree night with your friends,” I tell her, smacking her ass as she climbs out of the truck.

We said our goodbyes already, but when I see her in my windshield, an immediate sense of guilt consumes me as she walks away.

I need one more second with her.

“Bambi!” I yell, chasing her onto the sidewalk, reminiscent of the night I found her outside of the cafe.

I pull her into my arms one last time, holding her close, and she melts into me, the tears on her cheeks soaking my t-shirt.

“Fallon, I’ll be okay,” I whisper in her ear, but the tension in her body doesn’t fade.

“I don’t want to sleep alone,” she confesses, and it takes everything in me not to break down in her arms.

“One night, that’s all,Bellissima.”

“Amore mio… I’ll see you on the other side.”

This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Walking away from Fallon is equivalent to someone ripping my heart out of my chest with their bare hands, and stomping on it until the blood is completely evicted from the vessel.

Without me realizing it, the pretty little purple-haired vixen who consumed me from the second I laid eyes on her has suddenly become the most important, precious, and valuable thing in my life.

Now, I’m spending the rest of the afternoon preparing for the job, simultaneously counting down the minutes until I can hold my Bambi in my arms again. We all have our roles, and tonight, mine is driving the box truck that’ll haul the bike.

Max and Lex will work on the codes and cameras, while Journey and Oliver are the muscles to move the motorcycle.Once we get it loaded, I’ll drive it across state lines to the pick-up location set in place by the client.

The only thing I know is this bike is worth a shit ton of money, and this guy is paying us a lot to steal it, so there’s no room for error.

“Is everyone clear-headed?” Max asks as we’re gearing up, referencing the sleepovers and abundance of alcohol consumed last night.

“Ready to roll, boss,” I reply, testing the Bluetooth earpiece we all use to communicate, and everyone replies instantly, signaling that we’re good to go.

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