Page 8 of Easy Steal

“Fine,” I sighed. “I’ll put my thinking hat on, see?” I said, as I slipped my cap on backwards.

“Keep an eye out, okay? None of us are safe now.”

I nodded, closing the door behind me.

We were Santino’s, when had we ever been safe?

3

Chapter 3

Livie

Irolled my head from side to side as I stood in line at the coffee shop.

During the day, I worked with Rome, and I still danced most nights. I was running on caffeine and necessity at this point. Most of my life was spent at Lilith’s. So much, that I had considered giving up the lease to my apartment and setting up a bed in the changing room of the club.

I was exhausted constantly, but still, I enjoyed my life.

People would ask why I was still stripping if I made good money in my side hustle with Rome, but I enjoyed it and the extra money never hurt.

The more that I could send back home to my family, the better.

“Livie?” the barista called, and I smiled as I took the iced coffee into my hands. I walked back out into the heat and looked up, and thought that I was still dreaming.

Or possibly, having a nightmare.

“Olivia,” the man said, walking towards me with his hands in the air.

I only scoffed at him, shaking my head as I turned to walk the other way. I tried to walk faster, sticking to the crowded parts of the streets instead of short-cutting through the alleys as I usually would. I looked over my shoulder and he was still following me.

I groaned, and stopped in my tracks, turning around and looking him dead in the eye.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re doing here, how you found me, or what you want. But just know that I don’t want to hear it.”

“Darling, please-”

“Dad, stop. This is the last time I’ll tell you. Leave me alone.”

I spun again and sprinted down the street. I could feel that he was still following me, and I had nowhere to go on foot. Ducking down an alleyway, I tossed my coffee to the ground as I ran as fast as I could.

I was lucky that I knew the streets of Melbourne better than him. But every time I looked back, there he was in the distance. I put some space between us, and saw an old car sitting on the side of the road. I checked my surroundings, and no one was paying attention to me. I took the opportunity and slipped two bobby pins out of my hair, and tried my best to look casual as I picked the lock.

“Come on,” I said through gritted teeth.

Usually, it did not take me this long.

These old cars were easy targets, which is why technology had replaced many of the security features on vehicles - not that I couldn’t get into them either.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” a man said.

I sucked in a breath and spun around, tucking the bobby pins into my back pocket. I looked up at the man in the blue uniform and smiled my best innocent girl smile.

Since when did cops hang around this part of town?

“Ma’am is this your car?” he frowned, pointing towards it.

“Uh,” I said, looking down the street to see my father getting closer and closer.

---