“And we’re going to a real restaurant, too, not the cafeteria. You pick.” Mariella tugged her toward the parking lot. “I don’t think I’ve seen you eat an actual meal in weeks. Consider this an intervention.”
“Can I drink while we’re there?” Addison asked grumpily. A drink sounded really good right then. She was tired of being on edge about everything. She was tired of being sad and missing Fox while trying not to go crawling back to him.
Mariella nodded emphatically pressing the key fob to unlock her Honda Civic. “Absolutely. I’m driving anyway, and I’m also hoping you’re going to spill all the crazy shit you seem to be hiding lately.”
There was no way in hell she could spill the beans to anyone, let alone Mariella. Damn. She wouldn’t be getting that drink after all.
Chapter 16
It never ceased to amaze him how easy technology made it to steal cars. Far from the risky methods his uncle had been trained in back in the day, now it was about timing and technology. High-tech, expensive cars made customers feel safer but in reality, their security systems had some pretty big flaws.
Fox was going to take advantage of those tonight. He stuffed the rest of his equipment in what looked like an ordinary toolbox then headed outside. Luke and Atlas were loading up the car parked in the driveway.
Six cars in one night. It was crazy. They were crazy for taking the job. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t say no, or didn’t ever say no—on the contrary, they’d become more and more selective as time went on—but the payout for this job was huge, and proving themselves capable of a big job like this gave them the choice to opt out of pretty much anything in the future without losing face.
He’d looked over the target sheet. Relatively easy marks. Delivery was local and the orders weren’t hard to find between the city and the wealthy housing developments close by. Their buyer was leaving the country in two days and wanted the cars at the warehouse tomorrow so he could look them over before he left.
Atlas nudged him. “Why do we have to do the manual labor while you direct things?”
“Because I’m the mastermind.”
Luke snorted as he shut the door of the Cadillac behind him.
“I thought I was the mastermind,” Atlas objected.
“You’re the computer mastermind. I’m the . . .”
“Evil genius?” Luke interrupted.
Fox grinned. “Having lax principals regarding the laws of personal property isn’t the same as evil. Besides, unlike me, the evil genius always gets the girl.”
It was a running joke between them. There was a big difference between what they did and true evil. They had no hang-ups about the profession. Not only did they pay their taxes, but they donated to charity and took care of their family and friends. They didn’t hurt anyone and they didn’t steal from the poor. Really, they moved property around. If anyone suffered from what they did, it was the big insurance companies.
“Finish loading up,” he said. “I’m gonna try calling Addison.”
“You got it, boss,” Atlas answered sarcastically.
Luke followed him into the house.
“The point of me coming in here was for a little privacy, fuckstick.”
His cousin leaned against the door frame and gave him a smile that flashed his dimples. “Don’t do it.”
“Don’t do what?” Fox snapped, irritation sharpening his words. Fucking Luke always acted like everything was a joke. Knowing him the way Fox did, he could read the true concern behind the typical glib facade, but he wasn’t in the mood to laugh at himself right now. Maybe the guys thought he was being ridiculous, but having things end—or not end—like this was eating at him.
“Don’t call her again. Give her some space to figure things out,” Luke said, his dark eyes amused. “I
know the pussy is good, but using your hand for a few more weeks won’t kill you.”
“You’re a dick, you know that? You seriously think that’s all she is to me at this point?”
Luke sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “No, I know better. Addison is awesome. If you weren’t into her I’d finally have proof you’re a complete idiot.”
“Oh, like you needed more proof,” Fox said sourly.
“Nah. Licking that pole and getting stuck when we were in Toronto pretty much sealed the deal on that one.”
“That happens to a lot of people!” Fox growled.