Page 12 of F*ck Steal Kill

Turning off the shower, I stood there as my body dripped water, shuddering from the cold temperature. Slowly, I turned, finding a towel extended toward me.

I wasn’t surprised Max was there. I’d heard him enter when the shower started, but I’d been too caught up in controlling my emotions to do anything about it.

And now, I was too exhausted to yell at him. Something he knew all too well.

“I’m sorry, Q. I’d followed your progress on the app, so I knew it was you. But I still should’ve checked. It could be a decoy. I’ll be more careful. I promise,” he whispered, his voice soothing my raw nerves.

Nodding, I allowed him to help me dry off, my limbs too exhausted from the imaginary battle they’d fought to disagree.

Max was gentle, taking great care to be soothing as he patted me dry. When he was done, he handed me some clothes and helped me dress in black sweatpants and a black tank. Like a zombie, I followed his prompting, too dazed to fight.

He handed me a toothbrush, and I automatically brushed my teeth, spitting when I was done. Next, he placed the mouthwash into my hand, lifting it up to my mouth. The sting of the mint helped me focus, and part of my brain returned online.

When everything was done, he scooped up my old clothes and shoes, took my cell phone out of my jeans, and handed it to me. With his free hand, he clasped mine and dragged me out into the hideous suite.

“Fucking Alamo,” I mumbled, hating everything about this room and place. The fact we hadn’t been able to ID our guy yet or find any lead was weighing on me. The only thing that had saved this place was my pink-haired temptress, and it was doubtful I’d ever see her again.

Max chuckled at my displeasure, sitting me on the edge of the bed. He walked over to the minibar, pulled out two beers, and returned next to me on the bed.

“Here.” He handed me the opened bottle, not saying anything else. This wasn’t the first time I’d had a panic attack; this dance was familiar between us.

Taking a sip, I focused on the cold beverage as it traveled down my throat, the hops and citrus flavors rolling over my tastebuds. I kept drinking it until my limbs felt a little less tense, my body relaxing into the bed.

“That one lasted longer,” he whispered, keeping his voice calm and mellow.

Grunting, I lifted the beer, finishing the last half in one go.

“Thanks,” I grumbled when I was done, knowing he didn’t have to put up with me, but so grateful he did. Max was my solid ground.

“Come on; we can discuss the case in the morning.”

Gently, he pried the bottle from my fingers, guzzling the last of his as he placed them in the recycling. I sat, waiting on the edge, my body numb as the alcohol whirled through it.

Max took my hand and helped me under the covers before turning off the lights and crawling under himself.

“Is the door locked?” I asked, my body beginning to tense up again when I realized I hadn’t checked.

“Yes.” His warm hand landed on my arm, soothing me back down with his touch. “We’re safe. Get some rest, Q.”

Turning on my side, I closed my eyes, trying to do as he suggested, but my mind was too busy with thoughts.

In his infinite wisdom, Max wrapped his body around mine, locking me to him and finally allowing my mind to settle.

It wasn’t until the moment before I fell asleep that I remembered something had been off with him.

CHAPTER 5

HOLLAND

Despite trying to forget my encounter with the bathroom bad boy, I couldn’t get him out of my head. Nor had I forgotten the mysterious man from the elevator with the sad eyes. Both men lingered in my mind, causing me to zone out and lose myself in the moment.

My phone pinged, drawing me out of my man haze. XOXO—the app we’d developed to monetize our FSK deeds—had a new notification.

Joy created the coding, Lacey the graphics, and I contributed the math for the algorithm. The idea came to us when we decided to branch out our game and use it to add to our “Get out of Foolshope fund.” It had proven to be more successful than we ever could’ve imagined.

Clicking on the notification, I scanned through the newest entries. After a few failed attempts when we hadn’t researched the requests, we added a section that ran a basic background check so we didn’t find ourselves in any other sticky situations.

We might murder people, but we had morals.

---