I rifled through more drawers until I found the cash. Big, thick stacks of it, crisp like it was straight from a bank. Not that I ever got cash from a bank before, I’m just assuming here. I shoved one stack in my pocket and left the rest—better if they never even noticed.
Then I got greedy and went through the desk.
There were papers all over the place. A laptop I knew better than to touch, a stapler, a gun in the top drawer, another in the bottom drawer, and a pile of USB drives in the middle, like way more USB drives than anyone needed, and they all looked old and cheap. I grabbed a handful of them, confused about why the hell Ronan would have so many—
When I heard a sound in the hallway.
I clicked the flashlight off, but it was way too late.
Three guys came toward me. I did what any good thief would do in my position: I ran to the nearest window, threw it open, and jumped the hell out of it. I think I surprised them. That’s the only reason they didn’t jump me instantly. They probably recognized me from all the times I came to drop off loot to Ronan and might’ve wondered if I was there for a good reason. And anyway, I was some twenty-year-old street girl, not really worth their time. But when I got the window open, they realized they had to catch me, or Ronan would be pissed.
You really, really shouldn’t steal from the Healy family.
I went head-first and cut myself on the bottom of the sill. Unfortunately, I landed on top of a garbage can, and the lid clattered to the ground wildly. The guys inside started yelling as I rolled off the side and slammed to the concrete, cursing and groaning. I pushed myself up and sprinted to the fence and jumped up just as the goons came sprinting out from the back door straight at me. One grabbed at my ankle and I barely saw him in the darkness, but felt his nose crunch under my heel as I kicked him in the face.
“Oh, you fucking bitch,” he screamed in pain as I made it over and ran. The other two followed, coming after me full speed.
I’m a pretty good thief. I have a light touch and nimble fingers, so I’m good to picking pockets and grabbing watches on the subway. I work alone, which is unusual for someone in my position, but still. I’m good at it.
What I’m not good at is running.
They gained on me pretty fast. I tore down to the street and sprinted across, narrowly avoided getting smashed by a random taxi, and flung myself over the hood of a parked car. The guys were right on my heels, and I sprinted off down the sidewalk, gasping for air.
No way I’d escape. I turned left and up ahead was a small park. I thought maybe I could lose them in there and hit the opening to the path that wound its way through the playground like a hurricane.
The guys were close, cursing the whole time.
I ran faster through that park than I’d ever run in my life. Probably because my existence was at stake. I blew across a grassy field and burst through a group of bushes like an animal. I turned left down an alley and made it halfway before I stopped in my tracks and fell to my knees.
Ahead was a big brick wall.
I really, really shouldn’t have tried to steal from the Healy family.
Without thinking, I fell to my side and grabbed the cash and the USB sticks out from my pockets. I wasn’t sure why it mattered, it wasn’t like I’d get out of this, but in case I found a way to escape, I wanted a little stash waiting for me. I shoved it all inside a drainpipe and pushed it really far back so it wouldn’t get washed out in the next rain—
And held my hands above my head when the guys finally caught up.
I was lucky. They didn’t kill me right then and there.
They only kicked me until I cried then hauled me back to the safe house. Ronan gave me one long look and put a blindfold on me himself before they shoved me in a car and drove me to some other location.
And that was how I found myself tied to a chair in an unfamiliar building, waiting to die.
I’ll be honest. I’m freely admitting to this. Trying to steal from the Healy family was not my best move. Some of Ronan’s guys are real dumb morons, to be sure, but Ronan’s not. He’s sharp and he knows how to run a crew. I never should’ve tried to pull one over on him, not in a thousand years.