Page 107 of As Thick As Thieves

“But why? Stone won’t ask for a report, right? I’m not there,” I said with a frown, glancing at him.

“Maybe not, but it will help you train your mind to remember bulk details. Stone’s an ass, remember? He’ll probably grill you the second he steps foot through the door. Keep an eye on the exits, the rooms they go in, all of it,” he suggested, his eyes going back to his screens. It was hard to take note when they were all scattered through the house, but I tried my best.

By the time they were out and back on the road, I was struggling to keep details in order.

“It gets easier, I promise. Now that we’re back at the compound and Stone’s letting you work a little, you can sit with us when we’re scoping stuff out. You’ll get loads of practice,” Drake assured me, kissing my shoulder.

Jai appeared in the doorway, and I frowned when I noticed how tired he was. “Have you slept?”

“Not really,” he said with a shake of his head, making his way towards a computer on the other side of the room. “Every time I close my eyes, I see Leah’s dead eyes staring back at me.”

I climbed off Drake’s lap to sit in the seat beside Jai’s. He seemed a little annoyed by my presence, but I wanted to help. If my stalker had killed her, then I wanted to find them and make them pay. “I’ll text Owen and see if he noticed anyone shady hanging around while we were at the gym. She came with me a couple of times, so maybe the shooter was watching us?” I offered, but he snorted.

“If someone shady was hanging around, we would’ve noticed. You always had one of your guys or me and Will with you. No offense, but your little bestie isn’t trained to scope shit out like we are. We’ve been over the gym’s security footage already.” His shoulders sagged, and grief washed over him as he blew out a breath. “I never should’ve let her walk out to the car alone.”

“Hey, this isn’t on you,” I said softly, hesitating to reach out and take his hand. He pulled back, but after a moment he took my hand in both of his with a shaky smile.

“Thanks, Penn. Maybe I should try to get some sleep after all. Leah would kick my ass if she knew I wasn’t looking after myself.”

“Yeah, she would,” I smiled back, patting the back of his hand with my free one before he let me go and got to his feet, mumbling to himself under his breath as he walked out.

“I think he’s starting to lose his marbles from the lack of sleep,” Drake observed, his eyes still on the door that Jai had walked out of.

“He’s grieving,” I pointed out as I walked towards him.

“He’s talking to himself, and he looks like a zombie,” he deadpanned, glancing at the screen. “The guys are coming along the road now. That was an easy job, thank fuck.”

“Can I go and meet them in the yard?” I asked, wanting to see them with my own eyes to make sure they were okay despite watching the entire thing. Cruz chuckled, giving me a nod.

“Sure, but stay back from the road. It’s dark, and they won’t see you. Stay by the door.”

“I will,” I grinned, heading out of the office and out towards the front door. I stepped outside just as headlights lit up the yard, and I waited for the car to stop in the garage before I wandered over. Stone climbed out of the driver’s seat, frowning at me.

“Why are you standing out here in the dark?”

“So I could see you quicker,” I answered, confusion reflecting on his face and making Knox snicker.

“She missed you, idiot,” Knox stated as he walked in our direction, hugging me as he kissed the top of my head. “Everything go okay here?”

“Yeah. Drake and Cruz tried to show me as much as possible, but it was a lot,” I admitted, giving Will a small smile as he went to walk past. “Hey. Jai said he was going to bed but he was talking to himself and—”

“I’ll check on him,” Will promised, patting me on the back in thanks before making his way inside. Knox let me go so I could approach Stone, and I worried when Stone grabbed my wrist and started tugging me towards the house. Why was he mad at me?

“Stone—”

“We can do this inside where it’s safer,” he scolded, relaxing his grip a little and sliding his hand into mine. “What room did Will go into after the kitchen?”

“He went upstairs to the master bedroom,” I answered, Stone’s steps slowing a little as he calmed more.

“Who went into the house first?”

“Knox.”

“Which street was the house on?” He knew I had no fucking idea on street names, but instead of getting angry like he usually did, he kept his voice gentle. “Work on that. Get on the internet in your spare time and study local maps. When you’re out, take note of signs. You’ll remember it in no time.”

“Maybe you can take me driving and test me on street names once I’ve practiced?” I suggested as we reached the front door, and Knox chuckled from behind as he kept guard at my back.

“If you drive like you cook, you’ve got no hope.”

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