Page 63 of The Thief
“I mean we send them as a message to Number Three, Con Hinds. We’ve got his address. What better way to tell him we’re coming for him than to leave these two strung up in his living room? A surprise for when he returns from Portugal, because hewill return... eventually.”
He didn’t mean alive, which was fine by me. And when we eventually slit their throats later that night, after spending a little longer giving them the retribution they deserved, Adam took great pleasure in carving the words ‘Return to Sender’ on both of their chests.
“Should we carve our names into them, too?” Will asked. “Let them know who they’re fucking with?”
“And give away the surprise?” Devon replied. “Not a chance.”
“Sometimes less is more,” Colton said with a wink.
Later, as we were clearing out the warehouse and loading the bodies into the van, I opened up the CCTV link for Jess’s house on my phone. I might’ve spent the night living in hell, but I felt like I needed a small taste of heaven.
When I saw her, my heart twisted, and it reminded me why I was doing this. In the living room, her TV was still on, and it lit up her face as she lay curled up, at peace. She’d fallen asleep on her couch. I could see a blanket over the back of the sofa, and I wanted more than anything to go over there, take that blanket and cover her with it. Keep her warm. Instincts told me to do just that. Pick her lock, bypass the security we’d set in place today, and go in. Make her comfortable. Keep her safe. But a quiet voice in my head said,“Don’t do it. If she wakes up, you’ll scare her. She’s still getting over what happened during the robbery. She’s still vulnerable.”
And what if Ava woke up, thinking it was the men coming back? It would be selfish of me to go over there. I’d made progress, getting them to open up to me. But it wouldn’t take much for that trust to shatter, and that was something I neverwanted to happen.
So, I fought my overprotective impulse and need to control everything. I focused on what was right for my girls. But later, when I fell asleep in my bed in the early hours of the morning, it was with my phone on the pillow beside me, so I could watch Jess as she slept.
Knowing I could see her made up for not being able to get to her.
But as I drifted off to sleep, I still felt pain in my chest. A pain I knew only she could ease.
Chapter Twenty-Three
JESS
Iwoke up with a stiff neck and leg cramps after falling asleep on the sofa the night before. It wasn’t the first time I’d woken up that way. I think, subconsciously, I felt better sleeping downstairs in case anything happened. It was my way of protecting my little girl and our home, being on guard and more alert. Ready to kick into action if I needed to. I always woke before Ava anyway, so I was able to start breakfast and hide the fact that I hadn’t slept in my bed. If she came down, she’d find a super organised mummy making pancakes or waffles. I was good at putting on a front. My appearance might look like I was all together, but my head? That was a different story.
I’d decided to make a fry up for us both this morning: bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, the works.
“I can smell cooking,” Ava announced lazily as she cameinto the kitchen, still wearing her pyjamas, her curls sticking up all over the place as she rubbed her eyes.
“I’ve cooked the best breakfast ever,” I stated proudly, keeping my tone upbeat.
I always liked to start the day on a positive note. I tried to end it that way too, but it was hard to do lately.
“Sit yourself down,” I told her. “Try to eat as much as you can.”
I placed the plate in front of her, then heard a knock at the door.
I turned the hob off and grabbed a kitchen towel to wipe my hands.
“Are we expecting visitors?” I asked, raising my brows in question. “Did you tell all your friends at nursery how awesome my breakfast skills are and now I’m going to have to cook for an army?”
Ava frowned back at me like I’d gone crazy. I chuckled and walked to the door, leaving her to mumble away to herself.
When I got to the door, I used the spy hole the security firm had fitted the previous day to see who was out there, and then I smiled, my stomach rolling with anticipation and nervousness when I saw him standing, waiting.
I flung the door open with a huge grin plastered to my face.
“You’re an early bird this morning.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Tyler replied. “Too much screen time, I think.” He winked, and I stepped aside to let him into the house.
“Is that bacon I can smell?” he asked with a hint of excitement as he wandered down to the kitchen. Then, when he saw Ava sitting at the table, he smiled. “Morning, short stuff.”
Ava’s eyes sparkled as she peered up at him. “I’m not short. I’m thetallest in my nursery. Apart from Jacob. But I’m not short stuff. That’s a silly name. You always call me princess.”
Tyler gave a low laugh. “You’re short to me. And I think it’s cute... princess.”
