Page 12 of As Thick As Thieves

“Why don’t you have a car?”

“I did for a while, but it blew a head gasket, and then someone stole shit off the body, so I scrapped it. It’s not so bad now that Logan has a car too, but that was before I started doing all this shit with Lavaro,” he sighed, sipping his coffee before changing the subject. “Cruz was at the track last night.”

Anger burned through me and I fought to keep it off my face. “Bet he was having fun.”

“Not really. I punched him.”

“Why?”

“Felt like it,” he shrugged, finishing his coffee and fiddling with his phone while I ate the rest of my breakfast. I recognized the sound of Ander’s Supra as it pulled into the driveway, but I wasn’t expecting him to walk in covered in blood.

“Oh my God, what happened?” I demanded as I flew to my feet, trying to find the damage.

“It’s not mine, don’t panic,” he grunted, my eyes widening.

“Don’t panic? Who the fuck does it belong to then?”

“Lopez!” he snapped, confusing me until Zavier grabbed my wrist and gently tugged me back, and Ander stalked off towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

“Why’s he mad at me?” I asked with a frown, and Zavier cringed.

“He’s not mad at you, but it’s better that you keep your nose out of his business.” He motioned to my coffee, giving me a smile. “Finish that and get ready to head out for the day.”

“Where are we going?”

“Wherever we want,” he grinned, and it really started to sink in that I could do whatever I pleased. I wasn’t being chained to the house, I was free.

“Can I get my own ID? Oh! A job?”

“Slow down. I organized your ID already but maybe you should wait on the job. You need to build your strength and let your body heal,” he scolded, taking my coffee from the table and handing it to me.

“I need to stop at the bar in Ashburn Valley to see Beckett about something. Are you okay with tagging along or do you want to stay hidden a little longer? I can’t promise she won’t tell Cruz about you being around,” he said as he checked his phone again.

“Last time she saw me, she beat me up,” I groaned, a laugh leaving him.

“She’s over it, you’ll be fine.”

I quickly got ready for the day, grinning when I checked myself out in the mirror. The black cargo pants were insanely comfortable, and the overly large T-shirt made me feel like I was giving my father the middle finger. He’d never allow me to wear stuff like this.

I left my blonde hair loose around my shoulders, applying some mascara and a little eyeliner before wandering back into the kitchen, earning a wink from Zavier.

“Look at you, street rat.”

“They're a little big but I didn’t see the point in buying a smaller size, only to need bigger ones in the next few weeks,” I shrugged, eyeing the documents on the table. “What’s all that?”

“Birth certificate, photo identification, and bank card,” he replied, keeping the papers piled together but handing me the plastic cards. “Keep these on you. I know you don’t have money right now, but I set up an account for you to use when you’re ready. All the information you need is on this piece of paper.”

“How did you get all this without me?” I asked suspiciously as I took the cards and turned them in my hand to look at them. I’d never had my own cards before. “And where did you get this photo of me?”

“Mind your own business,” he teased. “Just say thank you.”

“Thank you,” I deadpanned, sliding the cards into my pocket with my phone. “Is Ander coming with us?”

“Nope, he’s showering then leaving again.”

“So what car are we taking?” I asked slowly, frowning when a car revved outside. “Who’s that?”

I didn’t realize I’d started biting my nails nervously until he tugged my hand away from my face, his voice gentle. “It’s just Reid. I asked him to pick me up alone. Put your shoes on and we’ll go.”

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