Page 61 of Stolen Goods
She nodded mutely. The vacant expression made his chest tight, as if a hand had grabbed all his insides in a fist and twisted. But there was nothing he could do. It was better this way. Better if he didn’t try to console her. Better for her last memories of him to be full of pain and confusion—it would keep her safer. And that was all that mattered.
By the time he got back from the car, Addison was in the shower. He dropped a set of her clean clothes inside the bathroom door and shut it softly. When he turned around, Jo was watching, a question in her gaze. He froze, holding her stare. The space between them filled with invisible words, all the things they should say, all the things they wanted to say—explanations and apologies, demands and answers. Thad saw them all, hovering there, blocking his path, not sure where to begin. Jo blinked and patted the spot next to her on the couch. Just like that, all the words disappeared. They didn’t need them. Love was like that sometimes.
Thad sat down beside her. Jo curled her knees into her chest and leaned against him, putting her head on his shoulder. Thad wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close as he rested his head on top of hers. They sat like that for a few minutes, the same way they used to when they were kids—when she ached for her mom or he tried not to miss his, when they were so full of emotion they couldn’t speak, but they didn’t have to, because they knew what the other was thinking regardless.
“I missed you, Thaddy Bear,” Jo whispered. “I was worried.”
“I know, Jo Jo,” he murmured back. “I only had to go about twenty-four hours without knowing what happened to you, and I almost went out of my mind.”
“Try two whole weeks, asshole.”
He sighed. He didn’t want to cause her more pain, but he had to know, for the closure. “Wh—”
“I cremated him last weekend,” she cut in softly. Of course she already knew what he was going to ask. “It was small, just me and Nate, and not even a ceremony really, though Daddy never cared much for those anyway. The Feds gave me the remains they recovered at the scene, and I took them to the river and spread his ashes. I thought it would be nice, you know? That way he and my mom could somehow be together.”
“They are.” Thad forced the words through his tight throat and closed his eyes, dropping his head against the top of the couch. He remembered the day they’d spread her mother’s ashes in the ocean. Jo and her father had only moved to the island compound a few weeks before. The house hadn’t been built yet—they were living on their boat at the time. Saying goodbye to her mother was sort of their twisted christening of the new home, a way to keep her with them in a new place. It had been a gorgeous day, clear blue skies, gently rolling waves, a slice of paradise. There were no priests or anything, just family, just the four of them.It’s what Robert wanted.“I should’ve been there.”
“I kept a little vial for you, just in case. I knew you had to be alive, somewhere. I just knew it.” Jo sat up a little straighter, hearing the shower turn off, and took a deep breath. She turned toward him, looking older and more mature than ever before. “I thought you might want to share a part of him with your father.”
Thad grimaced and closed his eyes.
“Thaddy—”
A door opened, cutting Jo off. He didn’t look up until Addison softly murmured, “Your turn.”
He shot to his feet and gave her a grateful look. But even without Jo’s watchful gaze, Thad couldn’t shake her words.
My father?
He scoffed as the water blasted his face, wishing soap could somehow clean ugly thoughts away too. His father had been an arrogant man, with an inflated idea of self-worth. When Thad had been born, he’d built a family mausoleum on their old estate grounds. But he never wanted a family—he wanted a dynasty. So, when his father died, Thad buried his body in the family vault, the way he’d always wanted. In all those grandiose plans, Thad didn’t think his father ever expected to spend eternity there alone.
But he would.
Thad hadn’t visited the grave since the day the Russians had shown up to his dorm and placed a gun to his skull, a brutal awakening to the man his father truly was. He hadn’t been to the house either. It could’ve burned down for all he knew. It didn’t matter, anyway. The Feds had already frozen all his accounts, seized all his assets. That land was owned by the government now, and it sort of felt like a fitting end to a man who always thought he’d been above it all. So, no. Thad wouldn’t be bringing any of Robert’s remains to those cursed grounds. But he was happy Jo had saved a little bit for him so he could say goodbye.
Maybe I’ll take him to the Louvre, Thad thought as he dried off.Robert would like that. To live eternally among the masters.
When he stepped out of the bathroom, refreshed in more ways than one, Parker was leaning against the wall, suit on, comm in his ear, looking more like a Fed than ever. Well, except for the crutches. Everything else was very official looking.
Thad sighed. “My terms?”
“I got the okay. The rest of the team is already in position. They’ve been watching the house for a week.”
A sudden jolt raked up his spine, as though someone had tried to scrape a match along his bones, leaving his insides burning. Thad kept his mask on, hiding the anticipation and the fear and nerves raging through him. “Okay. Let’s go.”
On the way to the door, Jo pulled him into a tight hug. He couldn’t lift his arms to reciprocate. His body was revolting. Nothing worked.
“Good luck,” she whispered fiercely, knowing exactly how long he’d been waiting for this moment, exactly what it meant to him.
Thad met Addison’s eyes over Jo’s shoulder. She stood at the other end of the room, shifting her arms as though she didn’t know what to do with them—crossing, uncrossing, tucking her hair behind her ear, dropping both by her sides. But her gaze didn’t wander. It remained firmly planted on him, studying every inch of his face, until the light inside of her eyes dimmed with understanding. Because, somehow, she’d always been able to see right through him.
Goodbyes were like that sometimes. They didn’t need to be spoken to be felt. The soul splintered in silence. His mother had never said the words. But he’d known, despite the feigned smile on her lips, the assurance she was only going out for groceries. He saw the truth in her eyes when she put her hand to his cheek, and whispered,You look so much like him. She walked out the door and his heart split. He’d known. Which was probably why he’d gone sprinting after her car as it raced down the driveway, too fast for his eight-year-old legs to catch. Jo sat with him outside for hours, until their fathers came home and found them.
This time, she’d sit with Addison. And if everything went according to plan, he doubted either would bother to chase him.
Jo pulled back.
Thad tore his gaze from Addison and followed Parker out the door. The car reeked of the FBI. All black. Tinted windows. The inside was fitted out. There was a police beacon sitting on the windshield. He squirmed when the locksclicked into place. This was the closest he’d ever come to being arrested, even without the handcuffs or a divider separating the front and back rows. They eased off the curb. Thad’s body buzzed as if he’d just chugged a gallon of coffee, jittery and wired. He needed a distraction. Stat.
