Their Thief: Redemption

Chapter 16 (Part 2)

A tense silence developed as Luca strummed his fingers against the stirring wheel after paying. It only grew worse after he was handed the food that he then held out towards me as pulled away from the window. As I settled the bags in my lap while he placed the last of the drinks in the cupholder, instead of heading for the exit like I thought he would, he pulled over, parking across multiple stalls just before it. Not that there was anyone around the empty and desolate parking lot at such a late hour to mind. Despite the bright lights lining both sides of the street, not another soul or other open signs could be seen aside from the small one in the fast food building's window signaling the drive-thru was open 24hrs.

The bags in my lap crinkled as my arms shifted nervously while the car idled. My eyes watched the condensation coating the outside of the cups in the cup holders as drops dripped down the plastic-lined paper as I wondered if he was stopping to check if the bags held everything we ordered. My hands prepared to hand him the bags if he reached for them, my stomach growling when any movement had the scent of grease-coated food wafting to my nose, but he never did. As my hunger deepened, it grew evident Luca wasn't stopping to account for everything when all he did was readjust his grip on the steering wheel and the gear shift, prompting me to finally look towards him in question at the creak of leather. I found his eyes watching my fingers fidget with the bags.

"Aris," he said as he rose his eyes to mine. His eyes briefly flicked down to my lips when I pulled the bottom one in to chew on the chapped skin. I couldn't help but look down to his when he flicked out his tongue to wet his plump lip. For once it wasn't flattened into a hard line.

While my mind wandered with my eyes, his next words had it snapping back to his tightening hands as I froze with my teeth sinking into my lip.

"I'm going to need you to get in the back and hide. Just until we make it inside the parking garage under the building."

My teeth pressed down further into my lip before releasing it. "What?" I couldn't help but ask as blood rushed to fill the freed lips as it pulsed with my heartbeat.

Concern could be seen in the tightening of his features as his eyes flicked over my paling features. They grew slack as I sunk into the seat as unease twisted in my stomach.

"The apartment is a few blocks away from here, but I want to play it safe," he explained. "I don't want to risk it, especially given the lengthens some of the hired eyes have gone to in the past to try to get a glimpse past what we let them see. If they catch sight of you, those we want to keep you a secret from will know about you in a matter of moments."

"Oh." It was all I could get past the growing lump in my throat. I tried to clear it before squeaking out a small "Okay," as I clicked my seat belt off.

"Here," he said as he reached for the bags in my arms. After handing them over, when I went to reach for the door handle, he stopped me, patting the console between us. "Just hop over it into the back," he said, his eyes pointedly going to the windshield that was starting to be speckled with raindrops.

I gave him a flat-lipped nod before placing a knee on the leather console and climbing over it into the back seat just like he wanted. Instead of going to sit on the seat spanning the back, I aimed for the space on the floor just behind the one I had been occupying only moments ago.

"You don't have to sit down there. The windows are tinted darker back there. Staying low in your seat should suffice-"

I shook my head, doubtful he would see it in the darkness I had tried to hide in, but it still had his words halting. "It's better to be safe than sorry," I said, hugging my knees to my chest. "I'm fine down here."

A stretch of silence answered me before he found his voice.

"Okay," he said, hesitance drawing the simple response out. "I'll drive slower."