Page 6 of As Thick As Thieves

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s get you ready for bed,” he smiled, rummaging in the cupboards for ointment while I finished my food.

Chapter Two

Penn

“Are you sure Dad can’t take me again?” I whispered as Zavier steered me towards a booth at the Squashed Melon Cafe, my eyes glancing around nervously.

“I bought you, so I can take you to breakfast,” he said casually. “You sure you want unhealthy pancakes? Eggs would be better for you.”

“Please. I need tasty, not healthy,” I groaned, dropping into a seat and moving over for him to sit beside me. I’d slept like the dead but my body hadn’t caught up yet, so I felt terrible this morning. Ander had arrived home really late last night, but he was already gone when I stumbled into the kitchen, apparently taking Raylene to the airport.

“Does Ander sleep?” I asked as Zavier texted someone. “I heard him come home really late.”

“He’s learned not to sleep much. He runs a lot of businesses, so he’s busy all the time.”

“Oh? What does he do?”

“Nothing that we can discuss,” he said as he lifted his eyes from his phone. “He’s on his way here now to join us for breakfast.”

Zavier ordered for all three of us, and the food had just arrived when Ander walked in, bags under his eyes from a late night of doing fuck knows what.

“Raylene is on her way home. Her family will be waiting at the airport for her.” He sat opposite us, looking me over critically. “You get enough sleep?”

“Did you?” I scoffed, studying him right back. “I have a month’s worth to catch up on, but I slept all night so it’s a start. I’ll feel better tomorrow. I did hear you get home though.”

“I don’t have time for sleep.”

“Make time,” I argued, his eyes narrowing.

“I liked you more when you were sleepy and scared. Don’t mother me or I’ll take away the ice cream.”

“I might look cute and little, but fuck with my food and I’ll turn into a rabid beast,” I threatened, his mouth curving into a smirk.

“Cute.”

I wanted to punch him in the face for doubting me, but with the lack of food and sleep I’d had recently, chances were high I wouldn’t have a lot of fight in me.

I ate so much that I almost threw up, and Zavier gave me so much shit for it that we were all laughing until our stomachs hurt.

Ander wasn’t as carefree as Zavier, but that was probably because he was on alert, his eyes constantly scanning our surroundings.

“How did you know Estelle could be trusted when you told her you were helping me?” I asked Zavier as we walked to the car once our food had settled a little.

“I’m good at spotting bad guys, and she was letting out so much worry for you that I’m surprised we didn’t drown in it. Cruz mentioned once that there was a woman that worked for your father that meant a lot to you, so I also took a guess since she looked so scared on your behalf,” he replied, opening the passenger door for me.

I studied Ander’s black Supra as he opened the driver’s door, and I raised an eyebrow.

“Is that a race car? Hey, I think I saw you at the track talking to Riley and Luna when Drake took me once.” It looked like it went really fast, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t road-legal. “Maybe one night you can take me for a spin around the track in it.”

“I can do that, but you’d better not throw up on my dash, this car’s my baby.” He patted the roof before glancing down at his phone, sighing. “I need to go but I’ll see you guys later.”

“Keep me updated,” Zavier replied before Ander got in the car and started the engine, the rumble echoing around the street as it fired to life. “You’ll give him a complex if you come in your pants,” Zavier teased when he caught me staring, and I punched him lightly in the shoulder.

“I like cars but not that much. What are our plans for the rest of the day?” I asked as I slid into the passenger seat, making him chuckle.

“You don’t want to go back to the house and rest?”

“I’ve been stuck in the basement for a month, I’d like to enjoy the sun for a while,” I replied, and he shut the door and moved around to the driver’s side, starting the engine.

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