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“What were you guys doing?” I asked, my voice blunt and hard, without any hint of the hesitation I’d had earlier with Misael. “And why the hell did you decide to bring me along for whatever it was?”
“Told you. A job. We didn’t have time to drop you off anywhere, and we weren’t gonna leave you behind with a bunch of drunk people that hate you. Don’t think I need to explain to you the type of shit that happens at parties like that to people who aren’t liked.”
His smooth, matter-of-fact answer just pissed me off even more.
Of course, Bishop never missed a beat, did he? Well, neither would I. Not this time.
“No. Fuck that! I want an actual answer,” I pressed. “You robbed someone. What the hell were you thinking? And I know it was because they’re rich! You went to a nice neighborhood, and I know those kinds of files. They’re probably trade agreements or business arrangements or something. Did you even think about the kind of harm you could be doing to someone by breaking into their house to steal what doesn’t belong to you? Do you even care? God, you aren’t any better than the rich people you say do terrible things! Doing terrible things right back doesn’t make you any better, you know. It just puts you on the exact same level as the people you hate! Well, fuck you for doing this, and fuck you for bringing me along on your stupid little illegal adventure. I want out. I didn’t sign up for this.”
The boys were quiet as I ranted. None of them interrupted me or cut me off, and that fact surprised me so much that I ran out of steam before I wanted to, the wind ebbing from my sails.
I broke off, breathing hard. I was still furious, but I couldn’t figure out what their game was, why they were all just watching me in silence. Kace’s face was unreadable in the flash of streetlamps, and Bishop’s brows were drawn together, his lips pressed into a line. I wondered for a moment if I had angered them.
For the first time since I’d met them, I honestly didn’t care if I had. There might be consequences for this later. But right now, I just wanted answers.
After a moment, Bish spoke.
“Hey, Misael. Pull in up there.”
He didn’t point an
ywhere, but Misael seemed to know what he was talking about. A few blocks ahead of us, a little twenty-four-hour food shack stood on a street corner, its blinking, yellowed lights making it look like the perfect setting for a horror film, but Misael didn’t seem bothered as he pulled into the cracked cement lot and parked.
“Stay in the car.” It was the only thing Bishop said before he, Kace, and Misael got out of the convertible, heading up to the kiosk on one side of the small shack.
I stayed. My stomach churned with anger at having to obey them once again, but it wasn’t like I had much choice. Even if I figured out how to get home from here, there was still a decent stretch of city between me and the house, and I wasn’t dumb enough to go marching off down dark, unknown streets by myself just to prove a point to these boys. Besides, I’d already learned they weren’t above tailing me in a car from point A to point B, and that was an embarrassment I was keen to avoid.
After several long minutes, the boys returned to the car with their arms laden with food. Misael handed me what I discovered were two huge coney dogs with chili and cheese and a rather large sack of tater tots.
“Eat,” Bishop ordered. “Then we’ll talk. I think your little attitude comes out when you’ve got alcohol in your system.”
I scoffed. “It comes out when I’m forced to play around with criminals.”
“I thought you were used to criminals. Y’know, given your daddy and all.”
Kace’s words cut deep, and I almost threw a bitter comment back to him before deciding it wasn’t worth it. Let them think what they wanted about my father. What I was concerned with right now was the three of them. What they were doing. Why they were doing it.
Then we could talk about who deserved more condemnation.
Under better circumstances, I think I would’ve actually enjoyed the coney dogs. They were surprisingly delicious for a having come from a shack in the middle of a run-down neighborhood, and while I was pretty sure there was nothing remotely healthy or nutritious about them, I could see why the Lost Boys liked them. Then again, the Lost Boys were down to eat anything that was greasy, fatty, and covered in something saucy and salty. About halfway through my first coney, I looked over to Bishop.
“Well, I’ve eaten.”
He raised a brow. “You sure are pushy tonight.”
“Yeah, well, I think I’ve earned it,” I said sharply, my anger spiking again. “I think I’ve earned the courtesy of an explanation, even if I can’t do anything about it. You should’ve given me one before dragging me out on this excursion blind. I might belong to you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a fucking person.”
I’d never cursed so much in my life, but I was shaking with lingering adrenaline and anger, and the polite words I’d been raised to use just didn’t seem to cut it right now.
Bishop shrugged. “Fair enough.”
He shoved a fry in his mouth, as if this conversation wasn’t anything that bothered him. I wished I could be like that, totally unbothered with things that should definitely, one hundred percent upset me.
“You wanna know what we were doing tonight, and why. You wanna know like it’s an easy answer, like you already know the ins and outs of shit. But you don’t. Because despite what you’ve seen of Slateview and the wrong side of the tracks, you still don’t fuckin’ get it, Princess,” he said, his voice cool and blunt. “Yeah, we broke into a place, and yeah we stole, and yeah we didn’t fuckin’ tell you. Because you know why? It’s our damn job. We’ve been doin’ this for years, Princess, and you suddenly plopping yourself into the middle of our lives isn’t gonna change that. You ever heard of Nathaniel Ward?”
Blinking slowly, I shook my head.
“Yeah, well, of course you wouldn’t. He’s a bit of a crime lord around here. Leverages information. Sometimes drugs. Got his hands in a lot of shit, actually. He’s powerful and connected enough to do pretty much whatever he wants without the cops gettin’ involved. The three of us have been working for him forever, because it’s the only viable option for three guys with no families and a need to take care of themselves.”
