Lady Night

Chapter ten

•Ten Years Ago•

"An allegory," I lowered my hand as my

English teacher nodded.

I hadn't learned her name yet, and I wasn't sure if I really saw the point in filing it away in my memory. Audrey and I already spent three weeks in this home which was our usual length before we were moved. Sometimes it was because we wanted to leave. Sometimes it wasn't.

This one wasn't so bad. Gerald and Kamala Neale had three other foster kids— all younger than Audrey and I- so they generally left us alone. We preferred it that way. At least, I thought we did.

Up until one Wednesday morning when I was sitting in the very same English class and one of the office workers poked their head in the door asking for me. My teacher, whose name I still didn't remember and who still hadn't learned mine, looked around the classroom searching for god knows who.

Audrey was in the hospital.

They couldn't reach Gerald or Kamala. Our social worker, Lacey, was already on her way to pick me up. Every word that they said sounded like it was coming straight through water. Audrey was in the hospital again.

Audrey was in the hospital.

The state sent extra money to help pay for her insulin, but with five foster children... sometimes the money ran out. The Neales at least tried to cover the costs. Some of the other families we stayed with, well, let's just say Audrey never saw a dime of the money that was supposed to go to her medication.

I've never liked hospitals, and I've especially never liked the way my little sister looked in a hospital. She always seemed swallowed up by the big white hospital beds and her red hair seemed duller next to gray-painted walls. She was pale now but the smell of antiseptic seemed to turn her skin a little green.

Still, she would smile at me. Even when Lacey would discuss the importance of taking her meds on time. As if it were Audrey's fault that she couldn't remember and not the fact that money for the drug didn't appear in our pockets every month. Audrey only ever nodded, apologized, and promised she would do better.

Then Lacey would turn to me and I was forced to make the same promise through gritted teeth. That day, walking out of the hospital, I promised myself that my sister would not rely on the state or random foster parents to make sure she got the drug she needed to live. I didn't know how I was going to keep that promise, but I didn't care how— just that I meant it.

That was also the day I stole my first wallet.

Pick-pocketing, I came to learn in the coming months, was all about timing rather than stealth. There were two boys at school- Ryan and Oliver- who walked me through the best streets and the best times of day to do it.

Always when people were on the way to and from work because they were always in a rush and usually focused on getting where they needed to go.

Nobody ever questioned bumping into an almost-fifteen year old girl. I always made sure to look nice when I went to lift wallets, because nobody ever questioned somebody who looked pretty either. Their fault.

Oliver would ride the bus or the metro to find a good mark, Ryan would be the obstacle once they got off at their stop, and I was always the one they bumped into. The least threatening of the three of us—seeing as Oliver was built like a wrestler and Ryan was almost 6'4.

We would split the proceeds of whatever we made that day. We only ever took the loose cash that we found in the wallets- credit cards were too risky. Still, on a good day I could make enough to buy Audrey's medicine for a whole month.

For the whole next year, Audrey had enough medication and we even had a little extra to start saving for college. I told her that I'd gotten a part time job - and it wasn't a lie. I was keeping my promise.

That is, until I started reaching into the wrong pockets.

"Lesson number one, little Red," a dark voice, dripping in malice, "don't ever steal from someone you can't outrun."

***

"Lesson number one, Bina," Lane teased, tossing a lime toward me, "never agree to listen to the DJ's mixtape."

Darius snorted, nodding along to her clear rule.

I groaned, slicing the lime peel as a garnish for the cocktail I was making. Lane was laughing her ass off and Darius gave me a sympathetic look.

"I didn't know what it meant!" I argued.

"You didn't know that when you agree to listen to the mixtape you're agreeing to have s*x with him?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "How in the world am I supposed to know that that is what it's code for? Who in their right mind-"

"See? That's your first problem," Darius interjected, pointing a bottle of gin at me,

"assuming that any DJ is in his right mind is already an error."

I groaned again, but this time I laughed with the other two bartenders. The night was early so we weren't as busy as we normally were which was why they were able to torment me. I should've never admitted to one of my more embarrassing stories from when I was at APEX. Still, I liked that they didn't treat me like their boss, and I'm sure they appreciated that I didn't go lording my title over them all the time.

However, tonight, I was using my position to cut out of work early to meet some friends for some drinks. I excused myself from behind the bar, to head upstairs to change. Part of me was nervous, these were friends that I hadn't seen in a long time but every time they came back into town we all made a point to meet up.

The elevator was occupied when I entered to go back down and my breath shorted when I saw him leaning against the railing.

"Miss Night," Gio drawled, the left corner of his mouth pulling up in a smile. "A pleasure."

I gulped one last breath that wasn't filled with the smell of him before stepping on. If I spoke I would have to breathe in that intoxicating scent, so I merely nodded politely at my boss and looked forward. He, however, turned to lean against the elevator wall to look at me.

It was one of the first times I'd ever seen him not wearing a suit. Damn. Now that I noticed, it was almost impossible not to keep noticing it.

A tight long-sleeve black shirt and dark chinos with shoes that probably cost about the same as my old rent. Maybe my rent at this place too. A small gold chain hung around his neck with a long golden pendant. It looked like there was something scrawled on it, but I could hardly tell what it was unless I was inches away. An intriguing thought.

"How are you spending your night off?" he asked after a moment.

I could almost hear his thought process before he asked the question. He wanted to know where I was going, but did he struggle with sounding too interested? I glanced up at him, blinking my eyelashes slowly.

If he was thinking that hard, that meant I was already winning. But responding meant I had to breathe in air that was filled with him. A small sacrifice to make.

"Spending time with friends," I responded, picking at a nail, "and you? No suit, I see."

He breathed a laugh. "Shocking, I know. But I do own other clothes."

"Would've never believed it had I not seen it myself," I teased. "Not to say that I mind."

His returning smile only reminded me that he avoided my question and I debated for a moment whether I was going to push him on it, but he answered without me prodding him.

"There are a couple investments that I need to check on tonight."

Ugh. As vague a response as mine was.

The elevator dinged and we stepped off onto the marble floor of the lobby. I swear the moment the staff saw him exit the doors they all straightened- as if on instinct. They watched as he led me to the front doors, his hand inches away from the small of my back but not ever making contact with it.

"Can I drive you somewhere?" he asked when we stepped outside, fixing the cuffs on his shirt.

I c****d my head up at him. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Are you planning on taking public transportation?"

"Yes-"

"Then where I have to be can wait until after I drop you off."

I opened my mouth to object. Jesus. Standing in the same elevator as this man for a few minutes was stifling. Sitting in the same car with him? It would be a miracle if I got to the bar without passing out.

Still, any opportunity to get close to him was one I needed to take.

So, I nodded.

To my surprise, the man who was waiting outside of his car- I didn't know s**t about cars but this one screamed expensive- handed Gio the keys. When I climbed into the front seat next to him, he eyed my expression with curiosity.

"What?"

"I dunno," I settled back into the black leather seat. Oh yeah, definitely expensive. "You just strike me as a guy who gets driven around not the guy who does the driving."

He grinned. "I live my life to surprise you apparently, Miss Night."

Rolling my eyes, I still chuckled a little. His brows narrowed, but he said nothing else and merely waited for me to type in the address on his phone.

His phone. Holy s**t. His phone was in my hands. I tried not to act suspicious and typed the address in as fast as I could before handing it back to him.

The information Marafi wanted- the information I need to set myself free- had to be on that phone. And he just... handed it to me.

Now was not the time to go through it with him sitting right next to me, but there it was.

Gio glanced at the address before letting out a surprised noise.

"What?" I asked, wondering if he could somehow read my thoughts.

"Looks like we're headed to the same place, Leoncina," he said, backing out of the parking space.

I swallowed as the lump in my throat grew, too stunned to even bother asking what he just called me.

"You're kidding," I deadpanned.

Gio shook his head and I squeezed my eyes shut.

That's just perfect.

The guy whose life I'm supposed to ruin driving me to meet the friends who helped me become a thief. Great.