Page 44 of Easy Steal

We drove past the first house, and there was no one there. Livie frowned at the house and empty yard.

“Maybe they’re all at the pub? It is Friday night.”

“Would be a busy night for you usually, eh Liv?” Zeke asked.

“Should’ve worn your uniform tonight,” Danny leaned forward.

“We coulda tipped you,” Zeke teased.

Livie reached back and swatted at them as they teased her and I reached out and grabbed the steering wheel as the car swerved.

“Sorry!” they both shouted as she slapped them both upside the head.

She sat back down and grabbed the steering wheel again as I let go.

Liv looked over at me with a frown.

“What are you smirking at?” she reached out and slapped me too.

“Ah, nothing!” I reached my hands up and covered my face.

“That’s what I thought,” she snapped, “one more word about it and I drop all of you at the side of the road.”

“Yes ma’am,” Danny saluted her.

She slowed as we approached the street of the second house. There were only three bikes parked out the front, and the lights inside were on.

“You were right,” Liv said, “they must be at the pub.”

“We’ll get these one’s while we’re here,” I sighed, throwing the boys their balaclavas.

“Off you go,” Livie motioned towards the house.

The boys grumbled as they pulled their masks on and grabbed three trackers from the bag and unwrapped them. Liv reached back and pressed the button on each of them, and a small green light appeared. She pulled out a black marker from the bag and scribbled over the tiny bulb and covered the light.

“Don’t get caught,” she said as they stepped out of the car.

They nodded and we watched them as they ran over towards the bikes parked in the front yard. Livie sighed, pulling out her notebook and crossing out the three bikes. The boys ducked lower, staying close to the ground as they approached the bikes.

Danny stuck one under the first, and Zeke planted the second and third.

I let out a deep breath of relief as they hopped back into the car.

“Easy,” Danny smirked, pulling off his mask.

“Yeah,” Liv chuckled, “the next stop won’t be.”

We all nodded, and the air of playfulness and joking was gone.

She was right, the next stop would be dangerous.

More dangerous than anything we had pulled off before. But I knew if we could do it, then Antoni would be happy. Val could come home. I would have helped The Family and could go back to doing my own thing.

I hated being roped into their mess.

Many times, I had received phone calls in the middle of the night from Toni, saying that he needed me. Only to be dragged to a dark room to do unspeakable things to men I had never even heard of.

I had always had one foot in and one foot out.

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