Page 63 of As Thick As Thieves

“I won’t work for you. Penn almost fucking died because of you,” I said sharply, his face remaining serious.

“I don’t want her dead. I was looking into her father’s business more, and—”

“Don’t act like you give a fuck now!” Knox snapped, cutting him off. “And stop spying on her through the computer camera. It’s fucking creepy.”

“Just let me talk to her!” he shouted, losing his temper and making me frown. I’d never seen him so damn desperate, and for some reason, I felt bad for being a dick to him. Knox scoffed and stalked off, apparently done with the conversation, but I kept my eyes on Stone as he let his walls down enough for me to see the pure guilt and self-loathing inside. “Please, Cruz. I didn’t know he was going to hurt her like that or sell her off. I forced myself to believe he really was worried about her because it was fucking convenient, but I never—”

“You didn’t just put her at risk, but you betrayed me, asshole,” I said quietly, stopping his rant. “No matter what was happening, you should’ve spoken to me, and we could’ve looked into it together. Why didn’t you talk to me?”

He had the decency to look a little ashamed, and more of the anger left me as he blew out a breath. “You guys were so caught up in her that I figured I had to handle it alone. You guys are my family, and I’d do anything for you to keep you safe, even if that meant being the bad guy. I was wrong about her though, and I just want to have the chance to explain it to her. I’d die for you, Cruz, you’re my brother. The thought of her father tearing through everything we built got to me, and I wasn’t going to allow that to happen.”

“You should’ve talked to me,” I repeated, shaking my head a little as I pulled my phone from my pocket as it started to ring, panic washing over me as Harley’s name crossed my screen. He’d only call if something was wrong. I answered, getting to my feet. “What’s wrong? I’m on my way.”

Stone stood too, confusion on his face, but I paused my escape as Harley chuckled in my ear. “You have it so bad. Nothing’s wrong, I just wanted to let you know that Leah has left, and Penn is staying here with me. She’s currently elbow-deep in my sink doing dishes.”

“Why the fuck is she doing your dishes? I’ll come and get her.”

“Leave her be. You’ve got a girl who wants to pave her own path in life, so if allowing her to do a little work makes her feel good about herself, let her. She said something about getting experience for her resume,” he answered lightly, but I could hear a tone of warning, too. “You know she’s safe here, so give her some leeway, or you’ll lose her. Come get her at eight.”

“Eight? You’d better fucking pay her,” I gritted out, his carefree attitude vanishing.

“Of course I’ll pay her. Just leave her alone, let her work, and you’ll see her later.” He hung up before I could reply, and I scowled as I shoved my phone back into my pocket.

“What’s wrong?” Stone asked, not being able to stop himself from letting some of his worry slip.

“Apparently, Penn is working for Harley and Alex for the rest of the day,” I grumbled, a flicker of amusement flashing across his face.

“I hope she’s not cooking. I hear she burns noodles.”

“Me either.” I stopped, eyeing him with annoyance for managing to get me to have a conversation with him about her.

“Move back in, man,” Stone said when he realized I wasn’t taking off. “I won’t touch Penn. She’s welcome to come back.”

“What happens when we get shot at again?” I snorted, crossing my arms. “You’ll only send her packing to protect us.”

“Why would we get shot at again?”

“Zavier bought her with counterfeit cash. Louis will eventually notice, surely, and then things will go to shit,” I stated, giving him a pointed look.

“He’s a fucking idiot. Why would he do that?” he hissed.

“Because he didn’t want to see her sold to some sick, middle-aged man who was going to tie her to the bed and rape her until he got bored and likely kill her. It seems Penn has formed a good friendship with him, too. And Lavaro,” I muttered, walking from the room in search of Knox, Stone following behind.

“Aren’t you worried about him? What if she wants to be with him too?” Stone asked casually, making me chuckle.

“He could’ve had her by now if he wanted her. He’s stated he doesn’t.”

“Humor me.”

I turned, finding him studying my face for an answer. “Penn isn’t in an open relationship with us. If, for some reason, she wanted to be with him too, we’d have to sit down and talk about it. I personally don’t want to share her with anyone else, and neither would the others. I don’t mind Knox and Drake being with her because she’s repaired damage between them that she didn’t cause, and she turned us into better people. Zavier’s got a boner for Raven anyway, so why are you asking me this shit?”

“Just wondering,” he shrugged, looking away from me.

We found Knox in the kitchen talking to some of the other Thieves, his face unreadable as he spoke to me. “Ready to go?”

“Sure. We don’t need to get Penn until eight, though. She’s working for Harley today, apparently.” I still didn’t like the idea of her working, I had enough money to keep us afloat for a long time, but I had to respect her desire for independence.

“You’re kidding me. He’s making her slave away in his fucking kitchen—”

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