Page 84 of As Thick As Thieves

Drake rolled his eyes, patting my butt as he stepped around me. “I’ll help you. Penn can snuggle with Knox for a little bit. Pretty sure he’s sick of my company thanks to that car ride.”

Knox grunted, giving him a dirty look. “You think? You can shove I spy up your ass.”

“You know what I’d prefer up my ass—”

“He’s all yours,” Knox deadpanned, giving Cruz a look before taking my hand and steering me into the next room, pulling me down onto the couch with him. I got comfortable on his lap, snuggling into him as he let out a content sigh. “Nice and quiet.”

“You thought you’d get peace and quiet with me?” I joked, earning a dark smirk.

“I can make you quiet, trust me.”

“Not here,” I scolded, swatting his arm and making him laugh.

He tightened his hold on me, kissing my neck. “You sure?”

“Positive. Have some control.”

“That’s rich coming from you.”

“I’ve been training. I can fight you now,” I grinned, but I kissed his cheek affectionately.

“I’d let you win, baby,” he promised, closing his eyes and running a hand up the back of my shirt, brushing his fingers across my scars. I didn’t like them, but I loved that Knox did. He called them victory scars, because it was the last war I’d ever have to fight, and I’d done it alone.

It made me feel like a badass.

Before long, we’d both drifted off to sleep, the sound of Cruz and Drake talking in low voices while plates clinked in the sink being the perfect lullaby.

Knox

“Estelle’s home,” Drake murmured as he peeked out the window, and I gave Penn a gentle nudge to wake her up. I hadn’t slept for long, but I wanted her to sleep as long as possible. Cruz stood from where he was sitting on the floor, smirking as Penn grumbled at me to go away. “Baby, it might be best if you greet Estelle. We’re likely to scare the fucking shit out of her if we’re who greet her at the door.”

She huffed, sitting up to rub her eyes. “You like breaking into houses any other time, but you’re scared of a random woman?”

“I don’t want to scare her because she matters to you,” he corrected, and that woke her up. She got to her feet just as the front door opened, and a woman’s firm voice reached us.

“Who’s here?”

“It’s Penn,” Penn answered, a woman entering the room a moment later. She had short, hazel hair, and the look on her face relaxed me completely. She looked at Penn like a mother would with her own child, holding her arms open to invite Penn in for a hug.

“Oh, sweet child. It’s so good to see you.”

“I missed you,” Penn choked out as she wrapped her arms around the woman and held on tightly, her voice wavering slightly with emotion.

I moved to stand beside Cruz and Drake, drawing Estelle’s attention as she replied. “I missed you too. Who do we have here? They’re handsome.”

Penn’s face flushed a little as she turned to us, and it was cute to see her so nervous. “This is Knox, Drake, and Cruz. My boyfriends.”

“The boys who abandoned you?” she asked lightly, but I could tell she’d beat us up with a wooden spoon if she got close enough.

“They didn’t know what had happened,” Penn answered quickly. “Stone, the psycho, shot himself and pretended I’d attacked him. Made it seem like I’d wanted to leave. Cruz even broke into Dad’s house to try to find me, but he didn’t know I was in the basement. They thought I was in a facility because I was crazy.”

Estelle’s eyes studied us hard in silence before she stepped closer, a surge of panic washing through me when she opened her arms at me. “Well, I’m glad they came to their senses. Don’t be a stranger, we hug in this house.”

Cruz and Drake smothered snickers, and Penn cringed. “Ah, Estelle? Knox isn’t exactly the touchy-feely type.”

“Nonsense,” she scoffed, my body going rigid as she trapped me in her hold. “He’s just shy.”

The hug was terrifying, mainly because I couldn’t tell her to fuck off like I would’ve with anyone else. It would mean the world to Penn if Estelle liked us, so I tried to relax, giving her an awkward pat on the back. “It’s nice to meet you.”

---