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“Cruz!” I exclaimed as people started chuckling around the table, my face burning with embarrassment.
“What? They’ll hear us anyway,” he teased, getting to his feet and moving behind me, kissing the top of my head. “Have fun. Make sure you have lunch too.”
“I will,” I smiled, someone wolf-whistling as Cruz dipped down to kiss me.
Drake was still hurting from Knox and hadn’t wanted more than cuddles, but he kissed my cheek before following Cruz from the room.
Stone gave tasks to some of the other thieves before turning to me, his voice sharp.
“Keep a low profile and don’t do anything stupid. If you get into trouble, I’m not letting the guys bail you out.” He dropped a phone into my hand, surprising me. “The only people you can text and call are the numbers I put into it. Cruz, Drake, and Leah are your options.”
“You’re giving me a parent controlled phone?” I deadpanned, making him shrug.
“Take it or leave it. You’re lucky I spent time organizing it for you at all.”
I frowned when I touched the screen but nothing happened.
“How do I make it work?”
“You don’t know how to use a phone?” he scoffed, his brow creasing when I shook my head.
“Dad never let me have one.”
I gave him a dirty look as he snatched it back, pushing a skinny button on the side to power it on.
“That’s on and off. This other one is volume. Leah can show you how to text her.” He shoved it back at me and Leah gave him a salute before he stalked off, and she let out a whistle.
“He really doesn’t like you, huh?” She took the phone, pressing the message option and showing me how to use it, and Jai gave me a weird look.
“You honestly don’t know how to use that? I thought all rich girls had the latest technology.”
“Not this one. Besides, I’m not rich, my father is,” I pointed out, sending a practice text to Leah. She grinned at me, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Now we’ve figured that part out, I say we take that credit card and give it a work out.”
“Oh,” I said uncomfortably, looking away from her. “I don’t think we should. It’s Cruz’s. I was just going to get some stuff that I need.”
“I was joking, but good to know you’re not looking for a replacement daddy,” she said with a lop-sided smile.
Jai had some kind of job to do, and Will had planned on taking Sandra out for lunch, so Leah and I set off on our own for the day. We blasted music as we drove towards Crestford, and I loved the feeling of freedom. My hair whipped around my face in the wind and Leah sang loudly along with the radio.
I knew some of the songs but not all of them.
“You’ll love it in here. They have the best dresses,” Leah exclaimed, my nose scrunching as we climbed from the car. I hated dresses. I didn’t want to feel like the princess people thought I was.
I wanted jeans, hoodies, maybe some band tees. Everything my father would never approve of.
Leah must have seen my face because she smiled and hooked her arm through mine as we walked towards the store. “Or we can look in here for me then I can take you to Ashburn Valley? They have some wicked streetwear stores.”
Leah was in heaven once we stepped inside.
She grabbed so many different types of dresses, and her arms were full by the time we reached the dressing rooms. I waited for her to show each outfit off to me, and I had to admit, I was having fun.
She did convince me to buy one dress but it wasn’t anything like what my father dressed me in. It was a short cocktail dress, and I knew it would look good on me with the right shoes.
“The croissants here are to die for,” Leah beamed as she steered me towards a cafe once we’d unloaded all the shopping bags into her trunk, familiar smells hitting me all at once.
Estelle loved baking, and for the first time since I’d been taken, I felt homesick. I hated the thought of what might have happened to her once Dad returned to the house to find me gone.
