The Bandit (The Stolen Duet 1)

“I heard you the first time,” Angel cut in. “But her father didn’t pay you twenty grand so you could sit on your ass and not know shit. Someone had to be held accountable. You’re lucky it wasn’t you.”

Twenty grand?

Oh, crap.

I wasn’t even aware my father had that type of cash.

“Now just a minute, young man—”

“We’re done here. Mian is going to class, and you aren’t going to do shit but ensure this doesn’t happen again.” I watched, entranced, as Angel dominated a man at least three times his age. I felt heat on my cheeks and in my belly and didn’t understand how it got there.

“I won’t take orders from a child!” For the first time since we arrived, I saw Angel react, as infinitesimally as it was. His jaw ticked.

“I can call my father if you like?” Angel’s voice was calm and low despite the muscles working in his jaw.

“No. That won’t be necessary. I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m sure you will.” Without looking at me, he said, “Go to class, Mian.” I wasn’t sure why, but I hesitated until his head turned and repeated the demand with just his cold gaze.

I left the office and dragged my feet down the hall. I’d just turned the corner when I heard the familiar fearful cry of one Jesse Newman. Peeking around the white brick wall, I saw Jesse was trapped between Angel’s tall frame and the wall. He was bent low so that he could talk in Jesse’s ear. I strained to hear, but he spoke too low. A second later the hairs on my skin rose, and I realized I was being watched.

Jesse was gone, and Angel stood alone.

“Class,” he ordered before disappearing through the school doors.Chapter ThirteenA stolen son.

MIAN

Present“This is afine watch. Yes, indeed. I can tell a pretty penny was paid for this. Not a crack or scratch on the bezel. Eighteen-karat gold. Stainless steel…”

He continued to appraise the watch while Caylen slept in my arms. My patience was running low, waiting for the guy to finish eye fucking the watch and pay me.

We were hungry.

After leaving Caesar’s last night, I went home to more bad news. Not only did Caesar deny me a job, but Caylen had also caught a bug. This was the most peaceful he’s slept since last night when I arrived at Brandi’s to hear him screaming away his poor lungs. I’d heard him from the stairs since the walls were thin, and the few moments it had takenbefore Brandi opened the door with him struggling in her arms were the scariest. I took him away from her and checked him over for injuries while she looked on nonchalantly. I rushed back to my place before she could ask how the audition went.

Anna had still been out on her date with Joey, so I hoped that meant it went well.

“I can give you six hundred for it,” the shop owner grunted. I pushed aside my woes and glared at the shriveled up man with a receding hairline.

“That’s an eight-thousand-dollar watch. Six hundred isn’t even ten percent.”

“I’m trying to run a business here.”

“And I’m trying to survive.” I had no money and no insurance to pay for a doctor’s visit for Caylen. It broke me each time he’d fret and cry. I knew he was suffering and there was nothing I could do about it.

“Fine. Eight hundred.”

“One thousand or no watch.”

He continued to try to talk me down, but I refused every offer until he finally said, “Nine hundred. I can’t do more than that, and no one else will give you nearly as much.”

“Sold.”

I took the money and hurried from the shop just as Caylen began to stir. The pawnshop was only a few blocks away, but the neighborhood wasn’t safe to walk with a pocket full of cash.

Desperate to get home, I hurried around the first corner and bumped into a wall with arms that saved me from a painful fall. “I’m sorry,” I said when I was steady on my feet. “I’m not usually so clumsy.” I checked to make sure Caylen was still asleep and then looked up at the stranger who saved me from a broken ass. Instinctively, I took a step back. His unfamiliar face was harsh and angry. “Uhhh… sorry again.”

I sidestepped him when he didn’t move, but another stranger stepped forward to obviously block me. Panic kicked in so I looked around the secluded street, but there were no bystanders around since the city was still recovering from the fourth. There were two black beamers sitting on the curb. I squinted hoping to see someone sitting inside, but the windows were tinted pitch black.

The engines were running, but the lights were off.

“Mian Ross?”

Cold dread crept up my spine.

He knew me.

“Yes?”

He didn’t bother to answer. His creepy gaze rose over my head, and suddenly, I felt hands wrap around my biceps. My heart thumped fast and hard until it fell at my feet. I fought as hard as I could with Caylen strapped to my chest. He had woken up when I started to struggle and sent a cry into the air.