Smash_ A Stepbrother MMA Romance(147)

“No,” I said honestly.

“Good thing I’m here then.”

Thom laughed nervously. “Told you he was legit.”

“Let’s get going,” I grumbled, annoyed at Tim, but thankful that he knew what he was doing.

We stalked across the lot, heading down the street toward the Blue, sticking to the shadows. The area was totally empty as we crossed the street and headed down the alley toward the back of the building. Our footsteps echoed off the old brick buildings, but only some nearby owls heard us.

“Masks on,” Tim said.

I pulled my ski mask over my face and Thom did the same. Tim pulled his own down and then put his glasses back on over top. If I hadn’t known any better, I probably would have laughed.

We stopped at the back door. “You’re up,” Tim said.

I pulled out the key, my hands shaking softly. I took a deep breath to try to steady myself.

I wasn’t a thief. Tim was right about that. Maybe I did some things I wasn’t proud of for my family, but I wasn’t a criminal.

But things were happening, and fast. I didn’t know what I was becoming. Sometimes it scared me. Instead of giving into that fear, though, I kept moving. I had to keep moving forward.

I pushed the key into the lock and turned it. The door opened quietly.

We moved inside. “No alarm,” I said.

“Lucky us.”

Thom gave me a look as we moved into the empty building, shutting the door behind us.

“Place looks weird like this,” Thom mumbled.

Tim shushed him as we found the door to the office. Tim gave it a turn and it pulled open easily.

“See, I knew it all along,” I said to him.

“Lucky guesses.”

We pulled out flashlights and turned them on. The office itself was tiny, with barely enough room for two people. “Thom, keep watch,” I said.

“Sure thing.” He stood just outside the door.

Tim crouched down. “Let’s see what you are,” he murmured to the safe.

I leaned against the wall and watched him, my arms crossed. He moved deliberately but quickly, pulling out tools from his bag. He started by inspecting the safe from the outside, taking special note of the brand and the serial numbers. Next, he put a single round patch against the front of the safe and a pair of wireless headphones over his ears. He began to turn the dial, clearly listening to the headphones closely.

“Talk to me baby,” he said softly.

I looked away, back at Thom. The guy was weird, very weird, and he gave me the creeps. But he was clearly good at what he did.

After another two minutes, I looked back at him. “How much longer?” I asked.

He didn’t seem to hear. He pulled out another tool and began to tap at the body of the case, working it into the eaves and listening carefully.

“How much longer?” I said more loudly.

His head whipped up. “Quiet. I’m almost done.”

I looked away and sighed. Thom gave me a sheepish look.

I hated waiting. I wasn’t the kind of guy that liked to stand around while other people did the important work. I needed to be busy, trying to do everything I could to make sure things went off well. Standing around waiting for the geekiest thief in the world to work his magic was painful for me.

Suddenly, from over near the kitchen, there was a noise.

“The fuck?” Thom said. He pulled a gun out from the waistband of his pants.

“Thom, put that away,” I hissed.

But he was already moving, his flashlight pointing toward the noise.

“Fuck,” I said. I looked back at Tim, who didn’t seem to notice, and then quickly followed after Thom.

The place felt like a maze in the pitch dark. I knew it wasn’t even that big, but for some reason the night made it seem like it was impossible to navigate. I found myself on the main floor and had to double back, making a different turn.

Finally, I found the kitchen.

“What the fuck, Thom?” I hissed.

He looked up at me, his mask pulled up. My heart was pounding hard. Why did he take his mask off? And why was he pointing his gun down at the ground? I reached back into my own waistband, fingering the gun slipped in there.

There wasn’t anybody else that I could see as I swept the room with my flashlight.

Thom’s face was elated, his eyes shining like a rat as my flashlight hit him.

“Check it out,” he said.

I walked over. Down on the ground at his feet was a mousetrap with a mouse caught inside, still struggling slightly. I made a face and loosened my grip on my gun.

“Are you fucking serious?” I asked him.

“We heard this sucker get caught.”

“Put your gun away.”

He slipped it into his pants. “Tim almost done?”

“Yeah,” I said, turning away. “I’m never eating here again.”