He leans forward, his voice dropping slightly. “You let me hold on to it. I pass it up the chain. If he bites, you get paid. But it won’t be today.”
I hate this. Every instinct in my body tells me not to walk away empty-handed. I hold Milo’s gaze, my fingers curling into fists. “You know I don’t enjoy leaving with nothing.”
He shrugs, completely unbothered, taking another drag of his cigar. “And yet, here we are. You want top dollar? You’re gonna have to play it my way.”
I weigh my options. I could leave, find another fence, but who else has access to this kind of market? And right now, I’m more concerned about getting rid of this hunk of metal without getting jail time. I release a sharp exhale. “Fine. But if I smell bullshit, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Milo grins, flashing a smile that is unnaturally white for someone with his habits. “Sweetheart, trust me, I don’t wanna fuck you over.” He sips his coffee. “I just wanna stay under the radar.”
I leave with no watch and no cash to show for it, unease trailing me out the door. Deals like this don’t sit well with me, but I’ll play it his way for now.
I can hear Lexi in the kitchen when I finally walk through the door of our condo. It’s nothing much, just an industrial-style loft downtown, with exposed ductwork, polished concrete floors, and quartz countertops. The faux-unfinished look almost reminds me of mymom’s apartment, except this is intentional. Nothing like the places Lexi and I grew up in.
When we first moved in, we spent weeks poking fun at the fact that anyone dared to market the spaces as ‘luxury’ condominiums. We quickly realized that our much wealthier neighbors get off on living a ‘modest’ lifestyle.
For us, it’s the perfect blend of the comforts of home, if you can call them that, and small luxuries we can finally afford. And it’s the only place where the noise and chaos of the outside world can’t seem to touch us.
The smells of bacon and coffee hit me first. Then the sound of a small voice, high-pitched and bubbling with excitement, drifts through the open space between the kitchen and living room and down the small entry hallway I’m walking through.
“Tía Arden! You’re home!” Zoe races toward me, her ashy blonde curls piled into two bouncy buns that spring with every step. Her fair skin catches the sunlight, and her wide, excited eyes stay locked on me as she launches herself into my arms.
“You’d think I haven’t seen you in a year!” I laugh, squeezing her close. “I missed you, too.”
Lexi hands me a mug of coffee, still steaming. Her bright orange hair is pulled into its usual messy bun on top of her head, and her amber-flecked green eyes are shining as her gaze drifts past me towards Zoe. “Hey, kiddo, movie time in your room. Adults need a minute,” she says with a grin.
As soon as Zoe is out of sight, she leans in, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Story time! What were you up to last night?” she says, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
I sigh and turn to the living space, sinking onto the couch. “What do you think I was doing?”
Lexi narrows her eyes in my direction. “Obviously, I knowwhatyou were doing. The question is, withwho?”
“No one noteworthy,” I shrug, lifting the mug to my lips.
Lexi tilts her head, shooting me a look out of the corner of her eye. “Uh-huh…”
I exhale sharply, giving up any attempt at being nonchalant. “Fine. I met a guy.”
I hesitate. Not because I don’t want to talk about him, but because I kind of do.
“He’s not like anyone else I’ve ever met at a bar. Not some desperate trust fund idiot looking to impress a girl with his daddy’s money…although his friend certainly fits that bill… but he had a presence. Control. Like he was used to people waiting on his next move.” I shake off that thought, avoiding trying to figure him out right now. “His watch alone could probably net me fifty grand.”
Lexi nearly chokes. “FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS?” She looks like she just had an out-of-body experience. “From one watch?”
I smirk and give her a slow nod. “I’m telling you. He was next level… in every way possible.” I give her a quick wink at that last part.
Now she’s hooked. She pesters me until I spill all the details, down to what I took from him and how I got out of his hotel room without drawing attention. When I finally finish, she just stares.
Shock? Amusement? Disapproval? Even I can’t tell sometimes. Then, “Well, what was his name?”
I shift in my seat and mutter, “Lochlan.” Taking another slow sip of coffee, “Lochlan… something. He didn’t tell me his last name, actually, but he told me to call him Locke.”
Lexi instantly snatches her phone off the coffee table and taps the screen furiously.
I scoff, “You’re Googling him? Seriously?”
She doesn’t even look up. “Uh, yeah? You robbed a guy who had an amazing suite, a watch that could resell for fifty grand, a knife onhis dresser… and who knows what else was hidden! That’s not some random rich dude, Arden.”
I roll my eyes, stretching against the cushions. Trying to give the illusion that he was nothing more than another target. Even if absolutely everything felt different. “Lex, I always do this. He was just another —”
