Page 60 of As Thick As Thieves

Cruz gave me a wink before climbing into the passenger’s seat, and once they’d left, Leah gave me the biggest smile. “You have Knox saying sweet shit? You must have a golden pussy.”

“He seems to like it,” I chuckled, starting to walk towards the bar. “C’mon, I’m starving.”

Once we were seated, Leah took my hands across the table and gave them a squeeze.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t fight for you. Stone really had a good story to make you out to be the villain, and it was hard to ignore the fact he’d been shot. I can’t believe he lied to everyone and hurt you like that.”

I sighed, shrugging slightly. “He was mad, and my father convinced him I was crazy.”

“He shouldn’t have gone behind everyone’s backs, though.”

“I know. I want to talk to him, but the guys won’t let me near him, especially not alone. I’m so mad, but I have a lot I want to ask him.”

That made Leah snort as she leaned back, letting go of my hands. “You won’t get much out of him. He won’t take his eyes off his computer, and when he does, it’s to get alcohol. He’s a mess. I don’t think he’s noticed that people are leaving.”

“I’m worried about him,” I admitted, not meeting her gaze. “I know he fucked me over, but that doesn’t mean I want him dead. He’s pissed off Rory, so I know they won’t let it slide.”

“You’re too good for those guys,” she said softly, giving me a small smile as I glanced up at her.

“Why do you think that?”

“They’re assholes,” she chuckled, but her expression was warm. “Knox has never looked at a girl like he looks at you, none of them have. Drake and Cruz respected their one-night stands, unlike Knox, but they still didn’t care about them.”

“To be honest, I’ve never cared about my hookups either. Sex is just sex, there’s no need to attach emotions to them,” I stated.

“I don’t know how the four of you even found your emotions if that’s how you all look at it,” she snorted, glancing up as Harley joined us. His eyes were trained on me, but despite the serious look on his face, he sounded pleased to see me.

“I’m surprised to see you here without your guys.”

“I had to beg, trust me,” I grumbled, his posture relaxing.

“At least they know where you are. What can I get for you?”

I considered piling up on pancakes, but I knew Beckett’s suggestion of nutrients was important so I sighed. “Can you make me one of those avocado toast thingies with poached eggs and spinach? I definitely want coffee, too.”

“You’ve been hanging around Drake too much,” he chuckled, turning to Leah. “And you?”

“I’ll have the same,” she replied, waiting for Harley to leave before raising an eyebrow at me. “You’re on a health kick?”

“A nutrients kick,” I corrected, leaning forward on the table with my elbows. “Beckett thinks I need to start strength training carefully while I recover from my injuries and lack of a proper diet. I’ll heal faster if I eat and sleep properly, so I’m trying to make better choices. Besides, I actually like the weird shit Drake eats, I just prefer a pile of sugar.”

“Drake loves sugar, he just likes to take control of his diet when he’s stressed. Not because he has a problem with food, but because if he’s following a plan, he remains focused,” Leah said, making me pause. I knew that, but I was surprised anyone else had noticed. “What? I’ve known the guy for years and see his patterns. When Knox is feeling out of control, all he does is fuck Drake. Well, you too now, I guess. Cruz is a little harder to read when he’s out of control because he goes quiet. He likes being alone to clear his head.”

“And Stone turns into a raging asshole?” I joked, a cringe lining her features.

“Yes, but he also overthinks and ends up putting himself in a tizzy. He controls everyone around him, so when we start to pull away and ignore his orders—”

“He panics and makes princesses disappear because he convinces himself it will make things return to normal,” I mumbled, pulling my phone out as a message came through.

Stone: Stop ignoring me. Say you’ll meet me to talk.

I didn’t want to play into Stone’s bullshit, but I was worried the guys were going to show up and murder him.

Penn: Cruz and Knox are on the way to you right now to talk. Trust me, I don’t want to be there.

Stone: Tell Leah if she keeps avoiding jobs, she’s fired.

Leah was staring at her phone, angrily typing a message herself, so I quickly glanced up at the security camera in the corner as if I’d see Stone watching us through it.

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