Page 143 of Tempting Little Thief

My lips begin to tremble before I can stop them, eyelids fluttering as I will myself not to be weak. Not to be sucked in by this … I don’t know what it is.

I growl, shouting into the night around me before bending at the knee and burying my face in my hands. Then, something I forgot the feeling of happens.

I start to cry.

I fall back onto my ass, elbows on my knees, and it only gets worse.

My palms are soaked, my cheeks warm and sticky, and then two slender hands wrap around my middle, and my sister’s soft scent makes its way into my system.

She presses my head into her shoulder, and I lean into her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “That was rough. I know you … more than like him.”

I do.

“I can tell,” she continues.

She can?

I sniffle, hating the sound, and look away.

“He learned how to dance for me, and I just …” I groan, angrily swiping at my tears as I pull the item from my dress’s hidden pocket.

Trailing my fingers over the switchblade, I flick it open and trace the tip. On a normal day, he would grin when he got home, dig into his pocket and realize it was missing. I don’t think he’ll find it so entertaining that I took even more from him tonight. “He’s pissed.”

“He’ll get over it.”

I scoff, looking out into the night, but it’s no use. He’s gone. “I don’t know.”

“Well, if he doesn’t, he’ll at least come back for that, won’t he? I mean, if he’s broke, he’s going to need his handy little knife.”

I chuckle despite myself, smiling sadly at the blade. “Yeah, maybe. He did come back for his phone and his wallet when I took those.”

My sister starts laughing then, and I join in, allowing her to pull me to my feet and lead me through the double doors, where our father awaits, angry as ever.

Maybe she’s right.

Maybe I didn’t ruin everything.

Maybe I’m being dramatic, and tomorrow, everything will be fine.

But then again, maybe it won’t be …

Chapter 24

Bastian

“Wait.”

I jolt, digging into the back of my slacks and coming up with the gun the girl who did her best to gut me gave me.

Doesn’t she know all she did was piss me off?

When he comes round the dark corner, I don’t lower the weapon but put one in the fucking chamber. I was drowning in my fucking anger so much I didn’t hear him coming up on me.

He could have put a bullet in my head like Rocklin made sure to mention, and I would have never seen it coming.

Rocklin would be left to the wolves.

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