Page 55 of Steal Me (Rebel Hearts Heists 1)
Yes, he still is a crazy motherfucker and I find it hard to trust him with my life but I know he wasn’t lying. Is breaking the law justified when you do it for worthy reasons? I used to think that the answer was definitely no, but lately I’m not so sure anymore.
I mean, I still think that robbing banks is wrong but I understand what drove my friends to do this. And the guys aren’t my only worry. Sloane changed everything, from the dynamic between the four of us, to our plans for the future.
What will she say when she’ll find out who I really am?
“Hey Kades? Something smells amazing in here …”
“Oh, fuck!” Her voice makes me jump and throw the second pancake on the floor, dropping the spatula on the counter.
She covers her mouth with both hands and I don’t like the terrified look in her eyes. I reach her in two short strides and once I get close to her, she ducks and closes her eyes, as if she were scared to be yelled at, or worse. I surround her rigid body with my arms and try to keep my voice low and soothing, like you would with a scared animal.
“Baby, baby, what’s up? Sorry I yelled. You caught me totally by surprise and I jumped.” She opens her eyes and I still see uncertainty and the last vestiges of fear in her green gaze. I even out my breathing to signal to her that it’s fine, that there’s no reason to be scared.
“Sloane, what did you think I was going to do to you?”
“Nothing,” she says it with a small voice, as if she were scared to tell me and I pull her closer to my chest because I realize that sometimes the look in my eyes can be stern, even when I don’t want it to be. My soldiers used to say that I’m scary as fuck before you really get to know me. Call it the equivalent of resting bitch face, I guess.
But she isn’t one of my soldiers or one of my agents, and this isn’t the first time I see her having this cowering reaction when one of us yells. So I hold her close until I feel her own breathing slows down and she relaxes in my arms and then I ask her as gently as I can.
“Baby, did he ever …”
She doesn’t look at me and I feel her voice reverberate on my chest when she speaks next. “Hit me? Once. That was when I left. I wasn’t going to give him the chance to do it again. Before that last night, he only ever yelled at me or punished me by giving me the silent treatment for days and days for any perceived infraction. I don’t even know why I stayed that long. I guess because at first he treated me like a princess and I didn’t see the real him. I didn’t see how that was only a façade and how he was with everyone else around him. He manipulated me from the start.”
I tighten my arms around her and I can’t help the words that leave my lips, even though maybe my first concern should be to make sure that Sloane understands that I would never, ever raise a finger against her. But I feel my blood boil at the idea of what her ex put her through, so I can’t keep myself in check.
“I hope for your ex’s sake that we never cross paths, Sloane. Because if we ever do, he’s a dead motherfucker. Sloane, you do know that I would never, ever hit you? Damn, Icanspeak for the others too when it comes to shit like that. None of us would ever hit you, baby. Not even River.”
As if summoned by my words, River steps into the kitchen followed by Royce and Blaine. “Do I smell bacon?” Sloane takes one single step away from me but holds my hand briefly in hers and squeezes it, signaling that she knows that I’d never hurt her.
“Kaden is making us his famous chocolate chip pancakes.” She beams, making River chuckle.
“It’s about time he did something useful around here, other than looking pretty and scowl.”
“No shit, Rivs. What’s your contribution to the family then, huh?”
River grins, unapologetic as usual. “Nothing in the kitchen, I’m afraid. Unless you like boxed Mac and Cheese and microwave burritos. I leave all that domestic goddess shit to you and Blaine. I guess since you’re the pretty one and Royce is the brain, I’m the fun-loving one.”
I swat his hand with my spatula as he tries to steal a piece of bacon from the plate on the counter. “Why don’t you set the table instead? Get some orange juice, cut up some fresh fruit … make yourself useful, since you said it yourself that you aren’t the pretty one.”
Everyone laughs at River’s stunned expression: it doesn’t happen often for him not to have a smart ass come back. “Whatever, dude,” he mutters as we both reach for a knife on the chopping block and start working on the punnet of strawberries that Blaine has carried to the counter.
“Who put a knife in the wrong way around?” Blaine extracts one of the knives that was in its slot with the hilt facing the wrong way and straightens it, making River snicker.
“Dude, stop being so anal about your kitchen!”
Blaine gives him a knowing smirk. “Oh if you want anal, I can make it happen.”
River looks at Kaden with his own triumphant smirk. “See, Kades? If I weren’t pretty, Blaine would offer to do you in the ass, not me …”
Blaine shakes his head. “Right, I’d rather pass on both your ugly asses.” His eyes land on Sloane who’s now blushing to the root of her hair. “But that’s beside the point. What I meant was, please try to keep my kitchen tidy.”
When we all deny touching the knives Blaine makes a sarcastic comment. “Well, I could’ve sworn the knives were all facing the right direction when we put the groceries away yesterday. So either one of you touched them or we have a poltergeist. Whichever it is, I like my kitchen tidy.”
???
Sloane
Four Days Later
