Page 78 of Along for the Ride

I try Ralph’s birthday: 0417.Invalid pin.Next, I try his ex-wife’s birthday.Invalid.My research was for nothing. Sweat gathers on my forehead. We have three to five tries before it locks us out, then we’re fucked. I lift my finger to try the son’s birthday, but Leana’s small hand wraps around my wrist. She grabs the flashlight, leans close to the pin pad, and punches in four numbers before I can stop her. The alarm flashes green and deactivates.

“How?” I ask her.

She shrugs. “I saw the slightest bit of wear on the buttons. One, two, three, four. I assumed they were in order and that the guy is an idiot. And voilà!”

I grab her face and pull her into me for a kiss. My smart little wanderer. I should have noticed that first, but my mind was on too many other things. I take the flashlight from her and find the light switch.

We flip on the lights, and pristine marble floors gleam up at us. A grand staircase leads up to the second floor, and a chandelier over the dining room table reflects the foyer light. Chandeliers are such a douchey requirement for these people. Have you even made it if you don’t have one?

“What now, G?” Karson asks. “That piano is covered, and so is some of the artwork. If he’s been staying somewhere else, he’s probably stashed his cash somewhere else.”

I shrug my shoulders and shut off the flashlight. “We’ll have a look around. He’s definitely still living here. The couch is uncovered and the remote for the television is on the table beside it. Plus, this is the address George gave us long before shit went sideways. This is the right house.”

We go upstairs, sweeping the place for the master bedroom. When we find it at the end of the echoing hallway, it’s bigger than my entire apartment. Intricate patterns line the wallpaper, sectioned off by wood trim. A fireplace dominates the room, only rivaled by the massive king-size bed that faces it. How fucking romantic.

Karson and I open closet doors and scrounge through the clothes. These people have so many fucking closets. Karson moves aside a mirror and exposes a safe. Our payday.

I try his birthday again, his wife’s, the kid’s, and finally, the simple numerical pin that he stupidly used to safeguard his entire fucking home. The green flashing light shows that our dear friend Ralph is not only predictable but extremely dumb. I hold my breath as I open the safe. Wereallyneed this. For her. For us.

Stacks of money stare back at us, standing tall like the pillars outside of this place. I release a sigh of relief. It’s more than we expected. The anxiety about our future evaporates and leaves me feeling a few pounds lighter.

“Fill the bags,” I tell Karson before stepping out of the closet.

“Did you find anything?” Leana asks.

“All of it,” I growl as I pull her into me. I kiss her. For once, because of her, everything is going exactly right. I release her once Karson exits the closet, and the moment I do, she flops onto the bed with a contended sigh.

Goddamn it.

“You’re leaving your fucking DNA all over that blanket,” I snap, gripping her arm and yanking her into a sitting position.

Karson drops down beside her with a smirk.

“Really?” I ask.

“She’s already on it. Might as well make the best of it. We’ll just take the fancy fucking blanket with us,” Karson says, leaning onto his elbow.

He’s not wrong. We’ve already fucked it up.

His hand snakes around Leana and draws her into him, and a low growl leaves my throat. “Come on, G. I only need three minutes, remember?”

“We aren’t playing here,” I tell them. He’s lucky I don’t want to get caught. Otherwise I’d paint the fucking walls a gaudy shade of Karson red.

Leana grips my pants and pulls me closer. “Why don’t we play a little and then get out of here? You got the money, so there’s no need to kill him.”

Before I can respond, Karson sits up and shakes his head. “Fuck that. As much as I’d love to fuck your brains out on this rich asshole’s bed, we have a hit to do. I’m not leaving a job unfinished, and I’m sure as fuck not passing up the chance to murder a celebrity.”

Tears fill Leana’s eyes. She really thought she could make a difference. She believed she could change Karson’s mind at the last second and save this man from his fate. Not even I could stop Karson from doing what he was made to do. That’s like trying to teach a tiger to live a vegan lifestyle. Ain’t happening.

“Are you crying, thief?” Karson asks. “Don’t fucking cry. This guy is a piece-of-shit junkie. He’s not worth your tears.”

She looks at him, unashamed of the visible pain in her eyes. “I was a piece-of-shit junkie too. When you two found me, I was so hooked on that shit that I wanted to die. If you hadn’t saved me, I would probably be six feet under. People can change, Karson. They can clean their shit up and find...” She stops, her voice breaking. “They can find something to live for.”

I can’t stand to see her like this. If he’s too stupid to comfort her, I’ll have to do it. I might suck at it, but I’m learning. I go against my better judgement and sit on the bed. When I pull her into me, she doesn’t fight it and just leans against my chest.

I look at Karson over her head, and he only looks away. I’m about to try to help Leana understand when a door slams downstairs. The time for reasoning has ended.

“Showtime,” Karson says with a gleeful laugh.

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