Chapter 1
River's POV -
"You see that guy? The one with the shiny Rolex and slicked-back hair?"
I nod, keeping my eyes on the man who looks like he's in his early forties. Normally, I'd try to be discreet about staring, but he's too busy flirting with the ticket clerk's wife to notice. There's usually a small part of me that feels guilty after stealing from someone, but not this time. This guy had it coming, and I wasn't about to feel bad for him.
My uncle rubs his dry hands together, a glint of mischief lighting up his beady brown eyes. "You pull this off, and we'll be set for a few months." He says that every time. Then, a week later, he'll stumble back to the apartment, broke and drunk, having gambled it all away.
I push off the brick wall I've been leaning against and glance over at him. "Same plan?"
He nods, already moving toward his position. "I'll have the car ready," he mutters before disappearing into the crowd. Best to leave immediately once the job's done-sticking around is too much of a risk.
As I head toward the sleazy man, a question nags at me: what would my parents think if they saw me now? I can already picture the disappointment etched across their faces. God, when did I get this bad? Sink this low? I know better, but here I am, still doing what I shouldn't.
It's one of those "oh well" moments, really. No point in dwelling on something I can't change.
I take a deep breath, mentally bracing myself for what's about to unfold. My fingers run through my hair, adding a bit of volume before I "accidentally" bump into the man. He lets out a surprised "ooph" and stumbles slightly. I keep my expression sincere, pushing out my bottom lip to really sell the act.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" I squeak as he turns around. I fight the urge to gag when his eyes travel down my body. It's not like I'm dressed provocatively-just a plain black shirt with a band logo and matching shorts-but his gaze makes me want to go home and scrub my skin raw.
The woman he was talking to shoots me a glare before scoffing and walking back to her husband, who's been oblivious to the entire exchange. I roll my eyes; I practically saved her from this creep-she should be thanking me. Honestly, I feel like I deserve a medal for this heroic act.
"Ah, don't worry about it. No harm done," he says, a smirk playing on his lips as he rubs his jaw. "It's not every day a pretty lady like yourself bumps into a guy like
me."
I wanted to call him a pedophile, but I kept the words to myself. Despite my desire to escape his presence, I took a step closer to get a better look at the priceless watch on his wrist.
"Aww, that's sweet of you to say," I coo, batting my eyelashes to capture his full attention. I've got him right where I want him-while he's distracted by my flirtation, I deftly work on the clasp of his watch and slide it off his wrist without him noticing. As his gaze starts to lower, I step back, slipping the watch into my back pocket and smiling innocently.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I should get back to my friends," I lie smoothly.
He's still in a daze, and I mentally applaud myself for my stellar acting. As his gaze finally shifts away, I turn and head toward the parking lot. Once I'm swallowed by the crowd, I quicken my pace, making my way to the parking lot where Uncle's gray sedan is parked.
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Quiet is never a good thing, which is probably why I'm always finding something to do-so my mind doesn't wander too far. Unfortunately, tonight I have nothing to occupy my time. I rarely do, which is why I usually take sleep medication before bed. I ran out last night and was too preoccupied to pick up more.
My eyes are fixed on the ceiling, cracked and chipped. A few glow-in-the-dark stars, remnants from my childhood, are scattered here and there. Even though I'm eighteen now, I haven't had the heart to take them down.
Uncle left as soon as he dropped me off, heading to a pawn shop to get some cash. I'm not sure if he planned to come back; it's already one in the morning. I can easily picture him now, lost in his gambling addiction at the city's top casino.
Just as that thought crosses my mind, I hear the front door creak open and then slam shut. Looks like he decided to end the night early. I don't move; instead, I roll onto my side, facing the wall. Just as I'm about to close my eyes and at least attempt to fall asleep, I hear heavy footsteps pounding through the house, growing louder and louder until my bedroom door is flung open.
"River!" Uncle whispers urgently, his tone setting off alarm bells in my head. I spring out of bed immediately.
"What?" I ask, taking in his fear-stricken expression. He steps forward and thrusts something into my hands. I look down and see a tiny USB drive, though for what purpose, I have no idea.
"I need you to... hold onto this for me, okay? Don't let anyone see it-got it?" His head nods frantically, and I notice his hands trembling.
I furrow my brows in confusion. "Why? What is this?" I ask, my fingers nervously fiddling with the small object.
"Stop asking questions that don't matter! Just do this one thing for me," he snaps. His voice is sharp, filled with tension. "Look, I need to head out and take care of some things. I'll need some of the money, but you'll figure out how to get by. You're good at outsmarting people-get yourself food, or whatever else you need."
He's rambling now, the way he always does when he's nervous.
I don't press further, not wanting to deal with the inevitable tantrum that would follow. "Fine, keep your sketchy secrets. At least tell me when you're coming back." He owes me that much, at least.
"I'm not sure yet. Just lie low until I get back-I don't need DHS showing up or some crap."
I raise an eyebrow. "I'm eighteen, I'm allowed to-"
"I'll see you soon," he cuts me off, walking out of my room, muttering profanities under his breath as he heads for the front door.
And just like that I'm left alone, again.
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"Will that be all for you, miss?" the cashier asks after scanning the bag of chips and soda. I nod, keeping my gaze fixed on the counter, and slide the bills over to pay. "Yeah, that's all."
"Have a good day," she says, handing me my change along with the bag of food.
I exit the small gas station and head towards my uncle's old beat-up car that he left me. I suppose he was in the mood for a bit of a challenge when he took that monster of a motorcycle, which I can honestly say should be in a junkyard then out on the streets.
As I walk towards the car, I spot a group of four large men with intimidating tattoos arguing amongst themselves. They look really pissed off, so I quicken my pace.
One of them-a man with striking brown hair and piercing green eyes-raises his head when he notices my movement. I gulp, my heart pounding. Why is he staring at me? Am I about to get murdered? I regret not just going hungry and waiting until morning for food.
Just as I'm contemplating a hasty retreat to the car, the handsome yet still very intimidating man turns his attention away from me, allowing me to breathe a little easier. Sheesh, doesn't he know it's rude to stare? Maybe he didn't have a mom-though clearly, he must have one, or he wouldn't be here. What I'm implying is that maybe she wasn't around to teach him some manners.
Just shut up, River. We should be running instead of thinking about people's moms. Wait, that came out wrong-
"Shut up, shut up," I whisper to myself, feeling like a crazy person.
God, I need to go home and sleep off all these ridiculous thoughts.
.
.
.
Awkward.... I wonder who those guys could be? Or who Mr Green eyes was? Hmmmm... "Cough, cough - Future Husband - Cough, Cough" I mean what?
<3
