Page 89 of Heist in Paradise

“You’re thinking too hard.”

I finished our cigarette and nursed it in my hand until it cooled. “First time for everything.” Then I tucked the butt into my back pocket with the rest of them.

Madoc arched his brow curiously at the action.

“I’ve been saving them,” I admitted to him quietly. “I know you care about the birds and shit.”

He gave no reply, so I slanted him a careful look. My gut twisted at his intense gaze, like he was trying to needle under my skin. “Why?” he demanded coldly.

I sighed and looked up at the stars. “Because I’m a sentimental idiot.”

And I love you, you giant asshole.

Madoc hissed a furious sound. I knew if he wasn’t injured, he would’ve punched me for it. Instead, I simply turned and stared at him, trying not to succumb to my overwhelming love aggression. Don’t squeeze him. He’s injured.

Madoc wrenched himself away. “Fuckhead.” He flicked his good hand toward the others. “Go bug the drama queen.”

“Which one?”

Madoc rolled his eyes. He was still too pale for my liking, but I knew my fussing would go down like a spoonful of razorblades.

“Get Callum to patch you up properly,” I said, wasting my air. Madoc would do only what Madoc wanted to do.

With a weary sigh, I walked away, my boots sinking heavily into the sand. My headache was back, the band tightening around my skull. I took a quick inventory: Zola had the painting, Callum and Ryle had the girls. I checked my watch. The boat would arrive in less than three hours.

Talk about a long working day.

My gaze stalled on the pale blonde sitting on the dock. Even from a distance, their similarities were shocking. Molly was taller, but her face was heart-shaped like Olivia’s, her nose slightly upturned. They had the same frown.

Before I could react, steps pounded toward me, and a body flung itself against my chest.

“Don’t,” Olivia said, her voice muffled in the fabric of my t-shirt. I lifted her up and crushed her against me. Her legs locked automatically around my waist.

She inhaled deeply, as if memorizing my scent. I knew I probably smelled like a cheap whorehouse, and the little priss wrinkled her nose in confirmation.

“You stink,” she said.

“Nobody told you to sniff me.”

Apparently, it wasn’t bad enough to stop her from doing it again, her nose sliding along my collarbone. I patted her down, looking for injuries. My hands swatted at her ass, and she giggled breathlessly.

“You alright, princess?”

She shrugged against me. “I have no idea.” She pulled back and tried to wriggle out of my grip. I smirked and held her tighter, pinning her against me.

“This has been the longest day of my life,” she said quietly. “I keep thinking the whole world has moved on and we’ve been stuck here in purgatory.”

I knew the feeling. “Most jobs feel like this.”

“Bet they don’t end like this.”

I glanced around at the broken girls and dead bodies. No, it wasn’t usually like this, but the heaviness was familiar. We’d made it through another job, pulled off another impossible heist. Hell, we were even a few million richer, not that it mattered anymore. The painting could go to hell with its former owner.

I looked at Olivia, finding the stars in her tired eyes, the collapsing galaxies. “I found Molly,” she said, like she couldn’t believe it. But there was no relief in her voice—just a deep exhaustion that I felt just as profoundly.

Fuck, I wanted to sleep.

Without warning, I dropped down onto the sand, causing her to yelp as she scrambled into my lap. I adjusted her easily, slotting her against my side. She shivered, clinging to my warmth.