We stop at a tall green hedge. Josh runs his hands along the hedge until his arm disappears between the manicured leaves. “This way.” He tilts his head, pushing his way through the bush. He stands on the other side, holding both arms out to make a walkway for me.
“Wow, Moses parted the seas. Joshua McKinley parted the hedge. I always thought you were god-like.” I laugh.
“You know very well I’m not just god-like, Emmy. I am a fucking god.” He laughs. Taking hold of my hand, he starts jogging across a large green lawn. And I mean large. It’s more like a footy oval than a back yard. I stumble as I try to keep up. Josh slows down.
“Don’t even think about it. I can walk,” I growl at him just as he was about to pick me up again.
“Yes, boss.” He holds his hands up in a surrender motion, before looking at his watch. “We have exactly three minutes until the guards make their way to this side of the yard. Come on.”
“Guards?” Shit, that does not sound like a good thing. I follow Josh, jogging across the yard. When we finally stop at the wall of a building, I’m heaving with sweat dripping down my forehead. Did we just run ten kilometres? Shit, I’m out of shape. When I look up at Josh, who hasn’t even broken a sweat nor seems remotely winded, I get mad. Like irrationally pissed off.
“I hate you. You know that. Did we really need to run across the yard? Some people are allergic to exercise, just so you know. For future reference, I’m one of those people.”
“You’re extremely hot when you’re angry. I just got a level-ten boner from that little tirade.” He smirks, adjusting himself in his pants.
“What the hell is a level-ten? Are there actually different levels? No, wait… don’t answer that.”
“Okay, when we go through this door, stick as close to the wall as possible. Don’t make a sound. The cameras will pick up any sound. The way we are going, they won’t be able to see us, but if we talk, you bet they’ll record that.”
My face must look as terrified as I feel, because Josh leans down and kisses me. The moment his lips meet mine, I can feel my anxiety start to ease, slightly. “It’s okay, Em. I own this house, remember? We’re not actually breaking in, more like sneaking in, so mum and dad won’t hear us.”
“Okay, but this is Dean and Ella’s home, right? It still feels wrong to be sneaking in.”
“It’s a family property. Dean and Ella just happen to live in this one. Besides, it’s not like Ella is going to kick her favourite brother-in-law out on the streets.” He smiles, so sure of himself.