Page 62 of Fallen to Thievery
I beamed at them. “Then why don’t you boys walk me to the door?”
Jason smiled brightly, shaking his head. He held his arm out for me, and I took it, pressing myself against his side once again. I also interlaced my fingers with Max’s, earning a shy smile from him too.
I looked for Grayson as we headed for the door, but he wasn’t perched on the iron beams anymore. Not anywhere I could see him at least.
When we reached the large glass doors, I turned towards the two men again.
“So, you will visit us again tomorrow?” Jason asked, placing his hand softly on my hip. He was the boldest of the two.
“How could I not? I love men in uniform.” I stood on my tiptoes and placed a quick, soft kiss on Jason’s lips, before doing the same for Max. I felt kind of bad for leading them on. They seemed like good guys. They had both been very respectful.
I waved at them as I pretended to head back to Ballers. When they were out of sight, I headed back to the car, sticking to the shadows. I prayed that I had bought enough time for Grayson.
I was pacing nervously behind the car when Grayson strolled from the shadows towards me, a marked box tucked underneath one arm. Relief washed through me as soon as I saw his face.
I started laughing. It bubbled out of me. I threw my head back, laughing up at the stars. The rush I felt was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Not even the biggest barrel wave could make me feel this exhilarated.
Grayson stopped in front of me, eyes bright.
“How did I do?” I beamed up at him.
His fingers enclosed lightly around my throat, as he pulled me closer to him, making me strain on my toes. His eyes were alight like I’d never seen before, taking my breath away. “You were fucking magnificent,” he breathed.
And I swear to the gods, I was glowing.
Iknockedonthedoor of Grayson’s motel room. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Last night went by in a blur. Grayson got each of us a motel room and we went our separate ways. The bed was clean and comfortable, considering it was a motel. Yet, I couldn’t sleep. I was too jittery. Too excited. Grayson had assured me that he fried the hard drive of the camera system and that no one would suspect foul play because it was something that happened quite a lot. Hard drives were known to have a short lifespan in CCTV systems. Yet, I found myself peering out the window every few minutes, expecting the police to drag me away in cuffs.
Grayson opened the door wearing nothing but sweatpants, still half asleep.
“I’ve committed a crime,” I blurted out. It had been thundering around my mind all night. It felt good finally saying it out loud. But it also terrified me. I had committed a crime!
A slow smile spread across his face as he pulled me inside and made his way back to bed. The lines of his back, so fucking perfect, brought up an image of my nails dragging down…
Stop it, Ava! Focus.I closed the door behind me.
“Are you referring to how you woke me before dawn?” he finally answered with a yawn.
There was no chair in his room, so I went to sit cross-legged at the foot of his bed. Mindful not to sit anywhere near him. I chewed at my nails.
An accomplice to a crime, that’s what I was. I had willingly participated in theft.
“Come now, Princess, don’t look likethat. Last night you were levitating with excitement.”
I glared at him. “That’s because I hadn’t thought of the consequences yet.”
Grayson chuckled. “What consequences? Except for you breaking those guards’ hearts, you’re fine.”
I smiled slightly. Itwasfun. I was scared to death, but it was so much fun. Like a rollercoaster ride. “What did we steal anyway?” I was so excited by the experience last night, I forgot to ask.
Grayson pulled the box from under the bed and placed it in front of me. I opened it, holding my breath. I felt a tinge of disappointment at what was inside. I took one jar out, inspecting it, trying to see if I’m missing something.
“It’s paint,” I stated, confused. It was beautiful paint, don’t get me wrong. It was metallic. The kind that was two colours, depending on how the light reflected on it. But why did Grayson go through so much trouble for it? I shook the bottle and listened if there was something inside, but nothing. I scowled at him. “I don’t get it.”
Grayson smiled brightly, loving my confusion. When I thought I was about to burst, he handed me a hundred-dollar bill from the nightstand. “It took me a minute too, but it’s the paint they use on money.”
I inspected it. The shiny parts on the bill, were the exact colour of the paint. My mouth fell open.
“The company that manufactures that specific paint for the government has a storage unit here with a few jars they apparently forgot about,” he clarified.
