Page 9 of Easy Steal

My mind was racing.

My nerves would only make me look more guilty, and I knew it. But I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t think straight with that asshole so close to me.

“Ma’am?” the policeman asked again, searching my face.

I felt my heart pounding in my chest.

The cop was growing impatient, and I couldn’t answer him with the lump that had formed in my throat. My eyes darted between the cop, the ground, and my dad who was headed my way.

“Miss, you’re going to have to come with me,” the police officer said, grabbing me by the wrist.

I spun my wrist, breaking out of his grip.

“No, I’m… I was just… I-”

I pressed my back against the car as the cop closed the space between us, I needed my brain to work right now. I needed to find the words. I needed to get away from that man.

“Did you lock the keys in the car again, love?” a voice drawled from the other side of me. I looked towards it and saw Samuel walking casually towards us, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans.

“Mr. Santino,” the cop said, straightening his posture and reaching out to shake Sammy’s hand, “I’m sorry. Is this your vehicle?”

“Well, it’s the misso’s,” he smiled, leaning casually against the car that was neither of ours, “she’s always locking the damn keys inside it, aren’t you darl?”

“Yeah,” I said slowly, realising what he was doing.

Looking to the other side of the street, I noticed my father disappearing into one of the cafe’s and I exhaled a sigh of relief. I had no idea what he wanted, nor did I care. I had successfully avoided him for so long, that I had actually began to forget about him.

It was what I wanted, to forget. But my past always had a way of finding me, no matter how hard I tried to get away from it.

“It’s okay,” he said, draping an arm over my shoulder, “I’ll call the locksmith,again.”

He pulled out his phone and began to dial.

Holding his hand over the microphone he said, “thanks officer.”

The policeman tipped his hat at Sammy, giving us both one last suspicious glance before he walked away. As soon as he was out of his sight, Sam put his phone away, and was smirking down at me.

“What ya doin’?” he asked.

“None of your business,” I said, retrieving my bobby pins and quickly working the lock open on the drivers’ side door. The lock clicked easily this time.

Why couldn’t it have done that before?

Logically, I knew that it was because this time my hands weren’t shaking.

“Bobby pins?” he said, taking one from my fingers and inspecting it closely, “you know there are actual tools for lock picking, right?”

“Yes, but none that I can carry around in my hair,” I pointed to the bun on top of my head.

“Clever,” he smiled, circling to the passenger side door, pulling out a tool from his pocket and quickly unlocking that door.

I sat in the drivers’ seat as he slid into the passenger.

“What are you doing?” I said, frowning at him.

“I just saved your ass,” he laughed, “you can at least drop me back at work.”

“Fine,” I rolled my eyes, leaning down and pulling at the wires beneath the dash, and touching two to each other until the engine sparked to life. I was not in the mood for company right now, but I had to admit that his presence made me feel a little less anxious.

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