The Devil’s Plaything

Chapter 2

Reese

Nine Years Earlier

I’m about to fall asleep over my textbook when I hear my bedroom door open without warning. I turn around abruptly to scold Dad for not knocking, but I fall silent when I see that it’s Nick who is in the room.

“Are you still sulking, Reeree?” he asks in a mocking tone.

I cross my arms and glare at him.

“It’s really annoying that you always exclude me from everything when I’m the one who gives you the best ideas,” I grumble.

“So that’s a yes,” he murmurs, walking toward me with his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans.

“Whatever you say.” I turn around and start gathering the books and notebooks I have scattered across the desk.

Before I can finish, I feel Nick’s presence behind me, and immediately his hand appears in front of me. He places it on the surface of the desk and presses his nose against my neck.

“You have no idea how much I miss you when you leave, little one. This morning my sheets smelled like you. I almost came looking for you.”

A shiver runs down my spine and I smile, biting my lower lip. I love it when he speaks into my ear in that sensual tone, and the bastard knows it. I let him take me by the chin, and he forces me to turn my head to look at him.

“Dad could come in at any moment,” I warn him.

“You think I don’t know that?” He moves around me and bends down to lick the corner of my mouth. My heart speeds up, and I struggle to contain the impulse to wrap my arms around his neck and sink my tongue into his mouth. He kisses so well… “The only reason you’re not naked yet is because I’m very aware that your father could catch us, but tonight I expect you to visit me in my bedroom again.”

He pulls away and I look at him, shaking my head. He enjoys provoking me.

“I can’t keep doing this. Dad will find out about us, and we’ll both be in big trouble. We’re going to have to find another way to see each other.”

His playful smile disappears and he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Let’s leave together,” he says, surprising me.

“What?!”

“You heard me. After the job, let’s get out of here, you and me. We won’t have to worry about what your father thinks anymore.”

“Nick, have you gone crazy?!” I exclaim, getting to my feet so I’m at his height. “We can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“For starters, because I’m only eighteen. Dad would lose his mind if I ran away with you.”

“Little one, the good thing about having a criminal for a father is that he’s not going to call the police if you run away with his partner.” He smiles again, but I don’t find it funny at all.

“He’ll kill you,” I state.

“Darren Kennedy?” He bursts out laughing. “He’s the sharpest and most brilliant thief I’ll ever know, but incapable of killing a fly. His thing is using his brain, not his fists.”

“I’m his only daughter. Believe me, for me, to protect me, he’d be capable of anything.”

“Fine. Then what do you suggest? Sooner or later he’ll find out about us. Do we stop seeing each other? Is that what you want?”

“What?! No, of course not!” A knot of anguish settles in my throat at the mere idea of never being with Nick again. He’s the love of my life, the man I plan to spend the rest of my days with. “After the job, I’ll talk to Dad. He’ll have to accept us.”

“Reese, are you serious?” He exhales hard and takes me by the chin again. “You’re eighteen years old and I’m twice your age, besides having been present in your life since you were a kid. There’s no possible way Darren can understand that his best friend is f*****g his eighteen-year-old daughter.”

“I’ll find a way,” I murmur, lowering my gaze.

I immediately feel Nick wrap his arms around my waist and pull me toward his body.

“All right. I don’t want you to get sad about this. After the job, we’ll talk again and find a solution, okay?” I nod, and he smiles as he slides his hand along my side. “Good. Now be a good girl and let me kiss you.”

I nod, and as soon as his lips make contact with mine, I feel my entire body ignite. I know I’m going to make Dad suffer when he finds out about us, but I can’t help it either. Nick is older than me, so what? You can’t put age barriers on love. What really matters is what we both feel. We’ll manage to stay together, I’m convinced of it.

I hear Dad calling me from downstairs and hurry out of the bedroom. As soon as I look down the staircase, I see him standing by the door. Nick is with him, and so are three other men I don’t know. I assume they’re the ones who were missing to complete the team to carry out the job.

“Reese, come here for a moment,” Dad asks, although from his tone I know it’s more of an order.

I nod and practically run down the stairs. Dad’s affectionate and easygoing personality disappears whenever any of his associates are around. Other than Nick and me, no one really knows him. Everyone thinks Darren Kennedy is a tough and uncompromising man, capable of taking down anyone who tries to f**k with him.

“What is it?” I ask when I reach the bottom.

“This is Chuck.” He points to a tall, thin guy who must be around thirty. I nod in his direction and he frowns. “Those are Billy and Keaton.” I turn my head toward the other two. Billy is somewhat younger, with brown hair and several tattoos peeking out from beneath the collar of his T-shirt. Keaton has a scar on his cheek that runs from the edge of his left eye to the corner of his mouth. He greets me with a crooked smile and sniffs through his nose. I don’t know him, but I already don’t like him. “They’re going to come with us tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I whisper.

I start putting the pieces together in my head. It’s already been more than a week since the conversation we had in the garage. Dad and Nick have been working on my idea, but I didn’t think we were going to carry out the job so soon.

“Yes, we leave as soon as it gets dark.”

“Wait.” The guy named Chuck steps in, raising a hand. “She’s our sixth man?” He points at me and my father frowns.

“Reese is my daughter,” he clarifies.

“Yeah, that’s fine, but she’s only eighteen. I’m not putting my life and my men’s lives in the hands of someone so young.”

“Watch your words,” Nick hisses in warning.

My father might not be very inclined to use his fists, but I’m sure Nick wouldn’t have any problem breaking the face of anyone who had the bad taste to mess with me.

“Easy, man. I’m not trying to offend anyone.” Chuck gives a fake smile. “I just want to make sure I’m not going to spend the rest of my life locked in a cell.”

“Reese is more capable and useful than most guys like you,” Dad growls, drawing the attention of the three outsiders. “And believe me, I’ve worked with plenty of them.”

“Fine, in that case…” Chuck takes a step back in apology, and his friends nod in agreement.

“We’ll see each other tomorrow afternoon to load the tools into the van and go over the plan one last time. Understood?”

The three nod affirmatively and, after a few more instructions from my father, they leave. Dad turns toward Nick with a huff.

“They’re good at what they do,” Nick says before my father can scold him.

“Where the hell did you find them?! I told you to find three guys with experience and you bring me some brainless idiots who look like hired killers.”

“They have experience, Darren. I assure you they’re very good.”

“You’re going to make sure they’re watched, and I don’t want them near my daughter.”

Nick glances at me out of the corner of his eye and exhales hard.

“Maybe Reese shouldn’t come with us this time.”

His words fall over me like a bucket of ice water.

Did he seriously just say he doesn’t want me to go with them?! Why?! I swallow hard and hold back my tears. The bastard doesn’t even look at me. His betrayal is more painful than I could ever have imagined.

“What do you mean?” Dad looks at both of us in confusion. “She’s the best. I need her to open the safe.”

“I can find someone else to help you. You’ll just have to guide them and…”

“Have you gone crazy? There’s no time to train someone new. The plan will be carried out tomorrow night.”

“This job is the biggest one we’ve done so far. Reese is very young. She could become a liability.”

Every one of his words is like a dagger sinking into the center of my chest. My father pats him on the shoulder and shakes his head.

“You just keep those idiots away from my girl.”

As soon as he leaves, Nick exhales hard and turns his head in my direction.

“Asshole,” I hiss, letting the tears fall down my cheeks.

“Little one, I’m only trying to protect you. It’s a very important job, and dangerous too.”

“And you don’t think I’m capable of handling it?”

“I didn’t say that,” he whispers. He tries to touch me, but I pull away and wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand. “Reese, I don’t want to have to visit you in prison or for you to have to do the same with me. Understand that it has nothing to do with your abilities, it’s just…” He huffs again and locks his gaze with mine. “I’m afraid of losing you. The thought that you could get hurt terrifies me.”

I lift my chin with determination and shrug.

I won’t let anyone tell me what I am or am not capable of.

“Luckily, you’re not the one making the decisions here. Whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to put up with me.”

“Reese…”

“By the way,” I cut him off, “when I get into your bed, you don’t seem to have any problem with me being so young. Your moral compass is very curious depending on the situation.”

Before he can say anything else, I turn around and climb the stairs two at a time back to my bedroom. I hear him calling me, but I don’t give in to the impulse to turn around. I don’t care about his fear. What he did today isn’t something I’m going to forgive so easily. Nick knows how important it is to me to be able to take part in this job. I’ve been training for it for years.

As soon as I close my bedroom door, I muffle a scream of anger and frustration with a pillow and throw myself onto the bed. I lock my door before going to bed, and in the middle of the night, when I hear Nick trying to open it, I simply stay still and wait for him to leave. He’s going to have to do much more than sneak into my bed in the middle of the night if he wants me to forgive him.