Rock Hard: A Stepbrother Romance (Extreme Sports Alphas) (25 page)

T
he sun was already starting to dip in the sky as I climbed out of the car and made my way into the Blue. My work clothes felt a little scratchy, almost like they were wool, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that they didn’t fit me right. It was probably just nerves, but I felt hot and uncomfortable.

I pushed into the back door and nodded at a girl I met last week. I began to put my stuff in a little locker, moving slowly.

I had gotten in early with the intention of stealing a key. I couldn’t believe I had agreed to it, but the dinner rush was the busiest time, and my shift was supposed to start just a few minutes into it.

Which meant that the best time to sneak into the office to grab a key was right away.

I had never done anything remotely like this in my entire life. I lived the straight and narrow. I was a good girl.

But Reid needed my help. And I knew that our parents needed my help, too, even if they didn’t know it themselves.

It was crazy. What was I doing? I felt like I was risking my life.

Blue wasn’t a twenty-four hour diner, which I was really glad about. It closed around midnight every night and opened again at four-thirty, just barely enough time for people to get some sleep if they had a double shift. But that meant there would be a window for Reid to break in and rob the place.

I sighed, leaning up against the bank of lockers. Nobody was back in the employee area, probably because they were too busy taking orders and bussing tables. I knew the manager, Marla, would be up front for the next three hours at least.

How sure was he that the mob owned the Blue? I couldn’t imagine that Reid would just rob the place for no reason. Everything I learned about him proved over and over that he wasn’t motived by money alone, but that he was trying his best for his family. Still, what if he was wrong?

Shit, Becca, it’s now or never,
I thought to myself, imagining Reid’s cocky grin.

The past few days had been such a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, and I still wasn’t sure how I felt as I moved across the room, heading toward the office. I wanted Reid, wanted him in a deep way, and was clearly willing to help him out, even if that meant robbing some mobsters.

But what did that really mean? How far was I really willing to go for him?

As I put my hand on the doorknob of the office, it dawned on me. I already knew how far he was willing to take things. He was willing to sacrifice everything, to put himself in dangerous and even deadly positions just to make sure his family was taken care of.

And I had to do the same thing for him. He had to get away from those mobsters if he was ever going to open up and live his own life.

Even Cora knew he needed it.

And I could help him. All I needed to do was open the door and grab the key. I knew exactly where it was hanging. Nobody would notice if the spare went missing for a few hours.

After all he had done for me, all he had done for everyone, I knew what the right answer was.

I turned the knob. The door pushed open with a soft click.

The office was a cramped, air-conditioned little cubicle, mostly dominated by a safe and a desk. I hardly had space to shut the door behind me and turn back around without bumping into anything.

Which was why it was so shocking when I heard her voice.

“Becca?”

I froze.

I was caught.

They knew what I was doing.

They knew I was Reid’s stepsister and that he was their enemy.

I looked down toward the voice.

My heart was hammering in my chest.

I was fucked.

I was terrified that they were going to kill me. Worse, I was terrified they were going to kill Reid and my dad and Cora, all because I was too stupid to knock first.

Crouching down on the floor in front of the safe was Lindsey.

“What are you doing?” she asked me.

I cocked my head to one side. What the hell was
she
doing? It took me half a second to notice that the safe was open and her hands were shoved inside of it.

“Uh,” I stuttered, shocked. “I was looking for next week’s schedule.”

“It’s not posted yet,” she said, frowning.

“Oh. What are you doing?”

Quickly, she did something in the safe that I couldn’t see and then slammed it shut, turning the little dial a few times. She stood up, her face a cool, calm mask.

“Marla asked me to check on something.”

“In the safe?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, in the safe. Got a problem?” She seemed angry that I was asking questions.

Her sudden aggression surprised me. “No, I mean, that’s fine.”

She pushed past me, throwing open the door. “You should knock next time you barge in somewhere.”

“Sorry.”

She threw me a dirty look and stormed back out, retying her apron and heading for the floor.

I watched her go for a second. Why would Marla need her to go into the safe? Actually, why would she be given the code to it at all? As far as I knew, Lindsey wasn’t in management, and there was no way they’d trust a regular staff member with the code to their safe.

And then there was the way she got angry when I asked questions. She seemed defensive, like I had caught her doing something wrong. Plus, she seemed to have bought my weak story about the schedule. Everyone knew the schedule was posted at exactly five in the morning on Sundays.

I didn’t have time to reflect too hard, though, as I remembered my mission. Quickly I shuffled across the office, located the spare key hanging on a hook, and grabbed it. I slipped it into my pocket and then got out of there, shutting the door behind me.

I froze for a second. Lindsey had seen me going in there. What if she put two and two together? But no, there was no way she would suspect me of anything. I was the goody two-shoes. Besides, Lindsey was my closest friend in Ridgewood. I couldn’t imagine her turning me in for anything, especially based on a wild hunch.

I felt so hopped up on adrenaline that I didn’t bother to think it through any more. Instead, I clocked in, grabbed my apron, and hit the floor.

As the night wore on and nobody said anything about the missing key, I knew I had done it. I knew I had pulled it off.

I knew how far I was willing to go to save the people that I cared about.

I
pulled into the abandoned parking lot at exactly two in the morning, sweating slightly already.

Becca had come home earlier that night completely excited with triumph. She had stolen the key, just like we had planned.

Part of me couldn’t believe that she had done it. The girl that first came home to Ridgewood from college would never have taken a risk like that. But she was changing, shifting from the good girl who did nothing to a person that would take a chance to save the lives of the people she cared about.

I couldn’t say I was proud of her, because I had put her in danger. Frankly, I fucking hated myself for doing that. But it was necessary in the long run.

And she had stepped up. She did something she wasn’t comfortable with. For that, I was impressed.

The parking lot was empty as I killed my engine and stepped out. Thom was on his way with another guy he knew. That was unavoidable; neither of us knew how to crack safes, so we had to hire someone.

This whole operation was hinging on there being a lot of cash stashed in that safe. If I was wrong, and the Blue was just a normal diner, then I was screwed.

But I didn’t think I was wrong.

Almost on cue, another pair of headlights pulled into the lot. I leaned against the hood of my car, my dark shirt and dark jean blending in with the black paint. Thom’s car pulled up next to me.

Thom was wearing all black, military style. He looked serious and almost badass, if I didn’t know how much of a goober he was.

The guy that was with him, however, was the nerdiest person I had ever seen.

“This the guy?” I asked as Thom came over.

“Reid, this is Tim.”

“Good to meet you,” Tim said, smiling.

I shook his hand. “You too.”

Tim was about five foot six, maybe a bit taller, and had thinning brown hair. I guessed he was in his late thirties, or maybe his forties. His glasses were thick and black and he wore a button-down oxford shirt tucked into khaki slacks and brown loafers. He was carrying a briefcase in one hand, and he looked like he was on his way to an office IT job, not about to go crack a safe.

I looked at Thom. “He doesn’t look like a thief.”

Tim laughed. “I assure you, I’m the best there is in Ridgewood.”

“He’s solid, Reid.”

I looked him over one more time and nodded. “Okay, fine.”

“So what’s the plan?” Thom asked.

I pulled the key from my pocket. “Plan is, we walk right in the back door, into the office, crack the safe, steal their cash, and leave before anyone even notices.”

“Is that the key to the place?” Thom asked.

“Sure is.”

“Where’d you get it?”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said, slipping it back into my pocket. I looked at Tim. “You ready for this?”

“Does this place have an alarm?” he asked.

I blinked. “I’m not sure.”

“What if it does?”

“Then we’ll move fast.”

He sighed. “I can disable the alarm too. What about the office door? I assume the safe is in an office.”

“We’ll break it down.”

He shook his head. “I’ll pick the lock.” He paused and grinned at me. “Have you ever done this before?”

“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.