Page 53 of As Thick As Thieves

“No, you won’t. You like me too much.”

“Want to bet?” she chuckled, but it was obvious she was teasing. Maddox joined us, offering to shoot Zavier right now to save time, but Jett bound out, throwing himself at Drake dramatically.

“You’re here! Are you staying tonight? Maddox! The TV is mine tonight, I have a date with my boy!”

Beckett snickered, giving me a look. “I know you’re probably used to sharing him already, but you’ll have to get used to their bromance. It’s embarrassing.”

Drake put Jett in a headlock and ruffled his hair, the pair of them ending up wrestling on the floor, and Cruz pulled me back to avoid me getting rolled into while Knox scowled down at them. “Knock it off. How old are you, five?”

“And a half!” Jett whined, making Drake cackle as he tackled him again. Knox cursed at them, and Cruz acted like they weren’t even there as he turned his attention back to Beckett.

“I’ll have to meet up with Stone this week to discuss the future of the Thieves. It might be his company, but it’s my tech. I refuse to work with him after what he did to Penn, I don’t trust him.”

“Maybe remind your girl he’s a piece of shit, because she thinks she’s the problem,” Beckett muttered, eyeing me as my face fell from the mention of his name. “I really think you need to get her some counseling. She definitely has Stockholm Syndrome.”

“Fuck off,” I said without thinking, amusement flickering in her eyes.

“I was wondering where your balls were.”

“Stone was just mad and—”

“I’m not having this argument with you again,” she cut in. “Focus on strength training and learning to defend yourself. No offense, but Night Thieves business isn’t your concern. Don’t lie awake at night stressing over it.” That was easier said than done.

“You guys have just become immune to normal emotions around death. I don’t like anyone getting murdered, let alone someone I know,” I huffed, her eyes sliding to Knox.

“You’d better fix her or she won’t last long.”

I squeaked as Knox plucked me from Cruz’s hold, dropping an arm around my shoulders.

“She’ll get used to it. She handled her first dead body better than Drake did. Next time, I’m hoping she doesn’t throw up, though.”

“Next time?” I asked with annoyance, but they ignored me. I didn’t want to deal with more dead bodies.

“Bring her to the cage fights. That should get her used to violence fast,” Beckett suggested, a snort leaving Maddox as he studied me, his voice low and gruff.

“She’ll piss her pants in five minutes and be crying before anyone even hits the ground. Face it, your girl isn’t made for our world.”

“Excuse me?” I spat, my eyes going wide when he lazily pulled a gun from the back of his pants and aimed it at me. Pure panic filled me as he stared me down, Knox growling behind me.

“Don’t be a dick. There’s a difference between seeing dead bodies, and being the dead body.”

Maddox didn’t lower the gun though, stepping towards me until the barrel was against my forehead. “You show all your emotions on your face. That’s dangerous. Do you think I’ll shoot you?”

“A little bit,” I croaked, my eyes darting to Beckett but she watched silently, letting him give me his fucked up lesson.

“Good, because you should always assume the person holding the gun wants you dead,” he continued, my eyes squeezing shut as he pressed it harder into my skin. “Open your fucking eyes and don’t shy away from my gaze, Penelope.”

I had no idea why none of my guys were stepping in to stop this, but I forced myself to look into Maddox’s emotionless stare, swallowing hard. “Now what?”

“I don’t want to see a single flicker of fear on your face. Stand up straight, stare me down, and put a mask on. Your enemies will always get a sick sense of satisfaction out of making you cry. Don’t give it to them. If you’re going to end up dead, die with fucking dignity, and never on your knees.” I tried hard to do as he said, but the second he removed the safety, the click made me flinch, and he looked at Knox who hadn’t moved from behind me. “Toughen her up, man. She’ll only become a target otherwise, and it’s the quickest way to bring you all to your knees.”

“I’m aware,” he replied dryly. “Now get that gun out of her face before I make you.”

Maddox’s lip lifted into a dark smirk, but he stepped back and tucked his gun away again. “Maybe you should all go back to the compound where it’s safer. I don’t think Stone would fuck with her again, but there’s a lot of people out there that will.”

Knox scoffed, but Cruz shook his head. “I won’t have her near him. We’ll find a house and rig it with as much security as possible. It’ll be fine.”

I didn’t mind the idea of going back to the compound. It felt safer than the house we were currently in, and we were harder to sneak up on. The thought of being in a confined space alone with Stone made me feel a little wary, though.

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