Page 27 of Steal Me (Rebel Hearts Heists 1)
Chapter 11
It’s Complicated
Blaine
I don’t know Sloane that well.
But I know her well enough to see that something’s wrong. That something changed. We’re back in the car and she’s been extremely quiet, Royce is looking frustrated and upset. I’m half pissed at him because I didn’t think Sloane was in the place for anything sexual, but that was her choice. I’m also half understanding of it because fuck if I had walked in on her naked in the shower, who the hell knows what I would have done.
Clearly I wouldn’t have left the room, her soft and ridiculously hot moans were enough to make River leave the room and had Kaden groaning before putting in headphones. I just kept watching the news but I felt every single one of those little moans go straight to my other head, so I couldn’t really tell you what was being said on TV.
It isn’t like my step-brother and I haven’t shared someone before. It’s different with Sloane though, which is why I’m worried about her odd silence now and the way her forehead is resting on her pulled up knees.
It’s getting harder to focus on the main goal. I shouldn’t say that. I’m very much still focused on finishing what we started. The difficult part? Explaining to the other two men why my brother and I have to ditch out to go find my mother and the piece of shit asshole that started this mess. I narrow my eyes thinking about our father, well the only father I ever gave a shit about among all my mom’s rich husbands, and the justice he deserves. This: robberies, this mess of being on the run, everything will be worth it to see the asshole’s kingdom go down in flames.
When a small frame leans against me, I realize that Sloane just fell asleep. How long have I been caught up in my thoughts? I brush my hands through her damp hair as I pull it from its braids. And what about Sloane? Now that we know that the FBI is working with her abusive ex, we can’t just leave her. At least I’m not positiveIcould leave her.
I wasn’t joking earlier. I want to lock her up in our safe house for more reasons than one.
“River!” Royce calls out. “Can you check the maps, Kaden is knocked out.”
“Fuck you,” River says calmly.
Royce mutters a curse and lets out a tired sigh. I turn to look at River, seeing the jealousy and frustration in his gaze. “River, you can’t get like this over her.”
“I’m not getting like anything.” He responds blandly. “No fucking idea what you’re talking about.”
I don’t speak very often but when I do, I try to at least say something useful. I speak loud enough that they both can hear me without waking Sloane. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t think I know exactly what the hell happened between her and Royce? Her and Kaden? How about her and you? You don’t see me throwing a fit over it, so cut it the fuck out and stop being jealous.”
His jaw clenches. “It doesn’t mean shit to me, so no reason to be jealous. It gets lonely on the road without anyone to hookup with, so I figured she’d work. I mean what's the real difference, right?”
He’s overexplaining himself and he’s a goddamn liar. But we have a way bigger issue. One that includes a very light sleeper that’s now very much awake and staring straight ahead from where her head is on my lap. I feel anger surge through me as tears fall down her cheeks and she lets out a small sound before burying her head in her own arms pretending to be asleep.
I look back at River and I see the realization in his eyes and something that looks a lot like pain, before he lets out a curse turning to look out of the window. Prideful asshole. I smooth my hand over Sloane’s hair as she tries to pretend like she isn’t crying.
This fucking sucks.
It sucks that we’re in this situation and that she’s gotten dragged into it. It sucks that River is an asshole and that Kaden is very much awake and just turned around in his seat staring at Sloane’s curled up form. I inhale and meet Royce’s gaze and he offers me a confused and frustrated one himself. What the actual fuck are we doing?
???
Sloane
We reach San Francisco.
Yet, all I want to do is to go back to UCLA and hole up in my dorm. I don’t want Pierce to find me but I also don’t want to be around these boys right now.
“It didn’t mean shit to me.”
Why did I think it would? That doesn’t make sense because you know, this is fucking River we’re talking about. The minute we get to the hotel, I tug up my hoodie over my hair and distance myself from Blaine. I know he hasn’t done anything but then again, no one denied what River said. No one defended me.
Tears well in my eyes as I try to ignore my hurt feelings. I’ve always been a bit of a crier. Any emotions from happiness to anger can bring the tears out, but these are sad tears. I swallow down any comments as Royce checks us into a double queen room. While this hotel isn’t like the one in LA, it’s very much an upgrade from the motels. As we ride the elevator up, I can practically feel them looking at me. So I keep my head tilted down slightly because I’ll be damned if River gets to see me crying.
The minute we’re in the room, I lock myself in the bathroom and tug down my hood. Fuck. I’m a hot mess. I wash my face and brush my hair, trying to make it look like I haven’t been crying.
‘It didn’t mean shit to me.’
You didn’t mean shit to me.
