Heists and Vengeance

Nine

Erin

"Oh man, I like the new girl so much!" Erin grinned at Brett. Ryder had taken the girl, Lana, upstairs to show her new living quarters, and Cole had wandered into the kitchen. She shuffled to the side as Brett jumped up on the sofa. He leaned back into the cushions and sighed relaxedly.

"Of course, you like her. You adore taking newbies under your wing. You're like...you're like a mother hen."

"A mother hen?" she said, with mock indignation. "I'm not a chicken. If anything, I'm a graceful swan." She extended her leg to emphasize her point, and promptly smacked it into the coffee table.

Brett laughed and patted her hand absent-mindedly, unaware of the jolts of electricity it sent through her. Heart racing, she held her breath, and tried to find something, anything to say.

"So, what did Ryder have you researching last night?" A lame question, but the best she could come up with. Brett shrugged as he gave her hand a final pat.

"Eh...nothing that interesting," he yawned. "Just, you know, stuff about the boat, the gala, and..."

"And?" Erin said, after a few seconds of silence. She turned to see Brett conked out on the sofa – he was wiped out after that all-nighter he'd pulled for Ryder. She frowned. Brett and Ryder were best friends, but Brett didn't usually go to great lengths to get his work done quickly – in fact, he had a reputation for taking his time, and doing things late.

Erin stood and pulled the blanket over him, just like she'd done last night. She watched him fondly for a minute or two, before leaving him to sleep in peace.

She stepped out of the room and softly closed the door. Just as it slid shut, Ryder noisily came down the stairs, evidently, he'd finished showing Lana around.

"Shh!" she whispered to him. "Brett's asleep."

"Oh-sorry," he replied, pulling on his coat. "He's exhausted, huh?"

"Yeah – because he was up all night doing all that research you asked him to do. Honestly, I think you ask too much of Brett sometimes, and when he doesn't manage to do everything, you can be really hard on him. Where are you going?"

Ryder paused in the middle of tying his shoelaces. "I need to speak with some people. For the job. I'll explain later, once I've got the whole plan ready." All finished, he unlocked the door, but just before stepping out, he stopped.

"Do...do you really think I'm too hard on Brett?" The sadness in his eyes made something in her heart soften.

"Not always. It's just..." How did she explain this? "You and Brett have different work ethics. He's more relaxed than you. And I'm not saying-I mean, I understand why you're not as flexible as him when it comes to this but...you've got to understand that Brett has his own way of doing things. Sometimes, it's best to just leave him to his own devices." She shrugged.

Ryder nodded. "Yeah...thanks Erin. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright, I've got to go. Oh-by the way, I think Cole needs your help in the kitchen."

"Oh god. What's he done now?"

"Hey, Cole." She was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching Cole ransack the cupboards, looking for who knows what.

He turned at the sound of her voice. "Hi! D'you reckon you can help me out here? I'm trying to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I can't find the peanut butter. Or the jelly. Or the bread."

She laughed. "I'll do you one better. Blueberry pancakes."

"Yes!" He hopped onto a stool, as she moved around gathering the ingredients. "So...what do you think of the new girl?"

"Oh, I like her. She's got snark."

"Yeah, she does. And, she'll be really useful. She's like an expert on Carmichael."

Erin turned away at the sound of his name. Even now, hearing it brought a surge of anger and helplessness as old memories threatened to resurface. She shook her head, and forced them down, and tried to focus on pouring the milk into the bowl. The girl had been right. She wasn't just doing this for the cash.

Cole added something else, and it was like he could read her mind. "Hey-remember what she said? About how she didn't think we were just doing it for the money? Do you reckon she was right about that?"

"No...no of course not. Definitely not." Erin tried to sound as convincing as possible, but she was a bad liar. She flipped a pancake, as she tried to think of something to smooth over her awkwardness. "I mean...ten million! What other motive do you need?"

Cole nodded, slowly. "You're right. Though...she's very observant. Keeping a secret from her would not be easy."

Erin agreed faintly, as she handed Cole the first few pancakes. He dug in, completely forgetting the conversation. But Erin backed up, her hands gripping the counter to keep her upright. She was glad that Lana was there, of course, but at the same time she'd bring a lot of trouble.

Keeping a secret from her would not be easy. Cole was right. But she had to try.

A/N: So...first chapter from Erin! What do you guys think?

Gonna try update on a more regular schedule - twice a week I hope.

Please do comment feedback, and do vote! ❤️