The element of surprise.
As if reading my mind, Jasper goes ahead and opens his big fat mouth, “Your name is known by every major police station in Europe. The moment someone starts sniffing, they’re going to find you.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not hiding then.” I offer their dubious faces a confident smile, “After all these years, I would have thought you had more faith in me.”
Horace opens his mouth to say something, but Mae cuts him off with a look.
“We do have faith in you. It’s just…” Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, biting nervously, “You’re used to being the big bad wolf in our part of town. That’s not going to be the case over there.”
At my affronted look, Jasper quickly jumps in, “What Mae is trying to say is, you can’t just walk into Wolf Hollow with acocky smirk and a bag full of bad intentions. These people are dangerous, Deville. Not the kind of dangerous we’re used to.”
Before I can let my irritation show, Horace throws his arms around Mae and me and pulls us in for a cuddle.
“Fuck it, Iamgoing to miss you. Especially knowing you’re going to get the shit kicked out of you.”
“Why does everyone think I’m the loser in this situation?”
“The rumours, Deville.” Letting out a loud sigh, Jasper slinks over and joins the group hug, “You haven’t heard the rumours.”
We stay huddled like that for a long time. Someone’s tear hits my cheek and it doesn’t matter whose it is.
We all feel it.
“Alright, enough sappy shit. I’ve got to get ready.” Shaking my family members off my body, I force myself to swallow the emotion back down, “Got people to rob and things to steal.”
“That’s the spirit!” Horace thumps my back, and just like that, we’re back to the ragtag crew known for finding the best sort of trouble there is.
God. I’m going to miss these fuckers.
“Wait a second. How are you going to make it past the border if you’re not a homeowner?”
Ah, yes. And then there’s that variable as well.
Mae and Horace are looking at me suspiciously while Jasper scurries to hide behind his monitors. The coward gives me a weak thumbs up, his position enabling him to duck easily should Mae decide to throw something.
She has a terrible tendency of doing that.
“I happen to be related to a new homeowner.” Grabbing my keys off the counter, I start walking towards my car, “So that won’t be an issue.”
“Who?”
It’s ironic, the fact I have to leave my family, the people who love me the most in this world, to return to the one person who taught me I wasn’t enough.
I would never be enough.
“My mother.”
Mae makes a choking sound and I don’t have to look at Horace to know his jaw is on the ground. Without giving them a second glance, I climb into my car and turn the engine.
Remember you’re doing this for them.
Chapter 4
CALISTA
I got tired of waiting for a prince to save me.
Pitiful, really, thinking there was ever a chance a man could live up to my expectations. Pathetic to hope that a knight in shining armour would ride into town on his white stallion, sword and eyes blazing as he fights to find a way to rescue me.
