Page 60 of Heist in Paradise

His hair had turned copper under the bleeding sky. “I didn’t take you for a romantic.”

“I’m very romantic,” he said with a quirked brow. “I just unloaded in your throat, and now we’re watching the sunset. Tell me you’ve had a better date.”

I recalled candlelight dinners and Heath’s unironic movie nights full of horror and heavy petting and realized he was right. This was better. Not that I’d tell him that.

The reminder of sunset—our deadline—came prickling in like a slow poison, turning me cold. I shivered. “So what happens now?”

Jax hummed, staring over my shoulder thoughtfully. “We assemble the evidence you need. Wipe the place down. Scrub the surveillance and sit pretty on the beach until dawn. Our boat arrives at five.”

“I meant after we leave.”

His eyes found mine. “You want to know your future?”

I could tell from his tone that I wouldn’t like it. But apparently I was a sucker for pain, so I nodded.

“The princess returns to her cushy little life with her meathead boyfriend and trust fund. She settles down, earns a white picket fence, a few kids. Cute kids,” he added, giving me a fond grin. “All stubborn and uppity, like her.”

I jabbed his shoulder. He caught my fist and squeezed it.

I looked away, my throat tight. “Sounds nice.”

“It is,” he agreed. “Nice and safe.”

If that was the case, why did it scare me so much? That future was all but set in stone—he’d described Molly’s ideal life, the one my parents had carved out for us. I hated being such a cliché. So predictable and boring and normal.

Jax wasn’t normal. He’d never feel safe. He came with so many red flags I could start my own parade.

“And what about you?” My voice came out scratchy.

Jax lit up another cigarette. “Me? I’ll be lucky to live to middle age.”

“No plans to settle down?”

He puffed and smiled. It was just shy of bitter. “This life chose me. It won’t let go until I’m useless and dead.”

“That can’t be true.”

“It’s true enough,” he said with a shrug. “People like you get vigils. People like me get forgotten.”

I won’t forget.

Jax caught my expression. “No looking back. Only forward.” He reached up and tugged on my ponytail gently. “I’m already your past, princess.”

JAX

“Is this everything?”

“Yep,” Zola confirmed, passing me the flash drive. “Four hundred and sixteen hours of pure snuff. I hope you know I’m going on a spa retreat when we get back.”

A spa retreat or a bottle of Jack and a two-day power nap? I knew which one I’d prefer. “We bounce in five.”

“Finally.” Zola looked relieved as she gathered up her remaining tech. Then she paused, her fingers idling on the zippers. “What are you going to do about Nate?”

Right. That big idiot. I rubbed my eyes tiredly. “We could roast him over a fire?”

Zola grinned wickedly. The tension lingered, but her eyes brightened. “That would smell too bad. And attract too many predators. We could blindfold him and push him over a cliff?”

I smirked. “I’m not wasting the blindfold.”