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“But do you have a chance to enjoy the money if you’re always on the run? Working for someone isn’t always bad.”
I thought I had enjoyed my life, but now that I was out of jail and ready to set off again, I wasn’t sure. Had I lost the drive? “You don’t mind your job because you like working with cars.”
“True. What do you like to do?”
I shrugged. “Cheat people.”
He glared at me.
“Figuring out how to get what I want is like a game, a puzzle. I enjoy solving it.”
“What if you worked for the Theriots?” Leland looked almost as shocked as I was that he’d made that suggestion. “I mean, if… you know…”
“I’m not sure they have an open hiring policy.”
“Beau could—”
I shook my head. “If I worked for them, I’d owe them my loyalty.”
“And you’re only loyal to yourself?”
“I didn’t say that.” Even if it was true or had been. “I don’t want ties. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt when I fuck up.”
“You plan to fuck up?”
“No, but you know I just got out of prison, right?”
“How did you get caught?”
I sighed. “It was so stupid. I knew better than to take the job I was offered. I knew better than to trust the asshole who told me the security system was shut off.”
“It wasn’t?”
I laughed. “Hell no. Alarms started blaring a few seconds after I slipped in through the window. I ran, but I didn’t make it out in time.”
I don’t know that much about it because I don’t like to ask questions, but I have a feeling the Theriots make sure their employees have better information.”
“Yes, but do you really want me working for them?”
“I want…” He shook his head. “Just do what’s best for you.”
“Hey, Leland.” He glanced up. “Thank you for caring, not many people ever have.”
He snorted. “Yeah, I know how that goes.”
“What happened? How did you end up here? I get the feeling your life was very different years ago.”
Leland nodded. “I grew up in a wealthy family. We had everything we needed and more. My parents gave me a lot of things, but they also demanded a lot out of me. They expected me to follow the path they’d laid out, and they wanted me to care about the same things they did, stupid shit like how to dress correctly for dinner at the club.”
I laughed. “I’m struggling to see you flitting around a country club in a golf shirt.”
“I rarely did. My father wanted me to. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, then I came out. My being gay didn’t fit with their vision of who their son should be, so they told me I was wrong and to get over it. I knew who I was, so ultimately, I left.”
“You ran away?”
He shrugged. “I ran away before they could kick me out.”
“And then what?”
“I lived rough for a while. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know how to take care of myself, and I sure as hell didn’t know how to do it without money. It’s amazing I survived. I was really lucky to meet Beau. I’d been earning a little money here and there using my ability to fix cars, but I could never secure anything permanent.”
“How did you meet him?”
“There was a garage near where I usually slept. The owner hired me to fill in when someone was out or they were crazy busy, but he didn’t have a permanent position for me. The owner liked me, and when he heard Beau was looking for someone, he sent me to apply for the job. I was scared shitless that day. Beau is…”
“Intimidating?”
“Yeah, but he gave me some work to do as a test, and I impressed him with what I knew. He hired me on the spot, and I’ve been working here for almost a year now.”
“And you like it?”
“Yeah, everyone here is great, and… it’s rare for someone to get shot.”
I grinned. “Just rare?”
“It’s never happened before.”
“Now you’ll be prepared for the next time.”
“Right.” He rolled his eyes.
“I’m sorry about your family.”
“Thanks, but I’m over it now.”
No matter what he said, I could see the pain in his eyes. I was trying to figure out what I could say to reassure him he could be honest with me when his phone rang.
9
Leland
I pulled my phone from my pants. The screen just said “Theriot.” Someone was calling from the number Beau had given me to use for emergencies. “Hello?”
“Hi Leland. It’s Lance. I think we’ve got Snake’s problem fixed. Is he there?”
I should have wanted Lance to have good news about Snake’s problem, but if he did, that meant Snake would leave even sooner. “Yeah. Do you want to talk to him?”
“I’m downstairs. I can explain in person after you let me in, but first I want to make sure you’re okay. Beau asked me to make sure Snake wasn’t causing you any trouble.”
