Page 10 of As Thick As Thieves

“Fuck you, Stone.” I hung up before he could explode at me, and I called Knox, wanting to check in with him to make sure it wasn’t an emergency. I was mad at Stone, but not Knox.

“What?” Knox gritted out when he answered, and I huffed.

“Hey, I just wanted to check in to see if you actually need me. Stone just called and demanded my presence on your behalf.”

“I mean, help would be fucking nice. I’m in Kingslake.”

“Stone said you took off alone. Why isn’t he with you?” I bit out, jogging towards the car and waving at the others, shaking my head when Reid motioned for them to follow. He gave me a thumbs up and let me leave without question, and I slammed my door and started the engine as I switched the phone to hands-free, catching the tail end of what Knox was saying.

“And then the dickbag tried micromanaging shit, so I told him to fuck off and I left. It’s not a huge job, so I’m fine.”

I pulled my tablet out from the glovebox and brought up his location, cursing at him.

“Dude, that’s a big job. They have loads of security.”

“I’ve shut down most of it and no one’s here. I can’t even find the dog,” he answered, and I was pretty sure I almost reversed over someone on my way out. Loud cursing reached my ears, but I didn’t care. I floored it out of there, knowing exactly where I was going.

“You’re already in there? Dammit, Knox. Get out and wait for me.”

“No, I’ve got this. Just pull up the security and cover me,” he snorted, hanging up on me without another word.

* * *

The moment I parked near Knox’s car and pulled my gloves and balaclava on, I bailed from the car and made my way towards the dark mansion, hauling myself over the iron gate and jogging towards the window around the back. It was open from where Knox had climbed in, and I lifted myself through it and glanced around.

“Knox?”

He didn’t reply so I crept through the house, making my way towards the office. I’d been studying the blueprints of this house for weeks, so I knew it like the back of my hand.

“I told you I was fine,” Knox grunted from behind his mask when our paths crossed in the hallway, two paintings in his arms.

“We’re a team, dumbass. You wouldn’t let Drake go out alone, so how is this any different?” I scolded, taking one of the paintings from him and heading back towards the window.

“Drake’s an idiot and would get himself caught,” he answered dryly. “So would you.”

“Fuck you, asshole.”

We made it outside without a problem, closing the window and walking in the shadows silently, my steps faltering as I heard a growl. “Uh, found the dog.”

The Doberman snarled, snapping its teeth at us as it emerged from the bushes close by, and Knox didn’t hesitate to nudge me. “Move.”

Didn’t have to tell me twice, getting bitten by dogs sucked.

We tore across the yard, the dog giving chase and closing in on us fast. I scrambled over the gate without destroying the painting, but when Knox grabbed the gate and started lifting himself over it, the dog dove at him, latching onto his leg.

“Fuck!” he snapped, grinding his teeth against the pain. “Take the painting!”

I snatched it from his hand and placed it on the ground, getting it out of harm's way. Knox was struggling to keep his volume down to avoid alerting the neighbors, but at least he had two hands free now to haul himself up further. We hated running into dogs because they were only doing their job, and we didn’t like hurting them. Usually we’d tranquilize them before going in to avoid this.

Knox kicked it with his free foot, the second kick causing the dog to let go so he could pull himself over the gate. He hit the ground hard, a grunt leaving him as he tried to get to his feet as fast as possible, but he’d landed pretty hard on his shoulder. Adrenaline pumped through me as I helped the big bastard up, grabbing the paintings and helping him hobble to his car just as the neighbor’s security lights switched on.

They were probably coming to investigate since the dog was barking like mad now.

“Can you drive?” I asked as Knox slid into the driver’s seat, giving me a nod.

“I’m fine. Go, someone’s called the cops for sure.”

“I’ll tail you,” I said quickly as I headed to my car and jumped in, both of us tearing out of there like our asses were on fire. My tires skidded in the gravel as we left Kingslake and into Pine Valley. It was a smaller town, mainly made up of woodland and cabins. It didn’t even have its own grocery store or police station.

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