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I’m grateful for Max’s encouragement to her. Honeybee is the most nervous of us all. I recruited her only a year ago, but she’s become everyone’s baby sister in that time.
Except for Nico.Hedoesn’t look at her like a sister, not at all.
I keep watching Max and Honeybee as they chat, the way he leans in to listen intently to her questions, his hands making precise gestures as he explains a technique for handling her firearm. It’s hard to ignore the authentic care behind his actions. The anger I’ve been harboring toward him starts to soften at the edges, much as I wish I could hold onto my grudge.
“Bricker,” Nico’s voice pulls me away from my observations, and I turn to face him. He looks eager, almost buzzing with energy. “I had an idea. If Pony’s in the van, why can’t he listen to the scanner, too? Then maybe I could help inside?”
“Nico…” I break off with a sigh. This is delicate. “Pony needs to focus on the road. And look, this isn’t a game. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Come on, man,jeez. You wouldn’t say that to anyone else on this crew, would you?” His eyes are accusatory.
And he’s right. I wouldn’t.
“If Honeybee is tough enough to be inside, I don’t see whyI’mnot,” he says stubbornly. “I can handle it.”
“Honeybee has a special role,” I tell him. “If you want to try wriggling through that shaft—”
“Bricker,” he whines, “I’m serious. You trustMax, even though he’s an outsider. YouknowI’m loyal to the Family. To the crew. Toyou. Give me a chance.” The determination dies away to longing. “Please?”
His words have struck a chord. Trust is a commodity I dole out carefully, and yet I gave it away easily to Max—until I found that radio. But Nico… he’s one of us, oaths and all. I’m doing him a disservice, like he points out, if I trust a Castellani over him.
And if he’s inside, that means Max can keep an eye on him. Keep him safe.
I exhale slowly, deliberating, before giving in. “Alright, you can be part of crowd control. But you better be prepared.”
“Thanks, Bricker!” Nico grins, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “You won’t regret it.”
“I fucking better not.” I slap him on the shoulder, trying to smother the lingering doubts.
This heist is a high-stakes game, and I can’t afford another fuck-up. But as I wander around, see them all working well together...
I finally allow myself a tiny spark of optimism.
Max catches my eye just as I smile to myself, and he smiles back, less guarded than usual. I stare like a dizzy fool for a moment, memories of his hand on my naked hip, his dick nestling against mine—
I turn away abruptly, looking over the crew again.
As long as they keep it together for the job. That’s all I ask. After that, hopefully, Anna-Vittoria will send the Castellani back to his Family.
The sooner this disruption is over, the better.
CHAPTER18
MAX
It’s been a long day,but I’ll say this for Bricker: he doesn’t give his crew even a chance to forget a plan. Just like his old man, he schools them daily, getting them to memorize the staff schedule, repeat their roles, go over options A, B and C.
There’s no question of having solid backup plans this time.
For the second time today, halfway through the afternoon, he calls us all over to the table to go over everything again.
It’s been seven days since I nearly slept with him, and that’s all I can think about when I’m not worrying about the job—or worrying about what’s going on back at Redwood. But Bricker has barely said a word to me at home, keeping up a polite pretense at the Valley house that we’re still talking. It’s lonely as hell, getting locked in my room each night after an impersonal pat-down. Nothing to do but stare at the walls.
I’ve been mulling over whether to tell him about his dad or not. Seems like a shitty thing to do now, since the heist is coming up so soon. After that, Bricker has hinted more than once, my time with the Espositos will be done.
Why make the kid regret propositioning me more than he already obviously does?
Right now, as his crew leans in, captivated by every word as he outlines the plan in that firm tone, he reminds me more than ever of Fabi Soldano at his most compelling.
