SWNOVELS Runner: Chapter 33
“Give me another,” I told Caleb over the phone as I tapped on the steering wheel.
He sighed. “Mili, maybe you should take a break—”
“I want to work,” I cut him off sharply. “I know there are more jobs. Give me the details, Caleb.”
“You should come to Florida and visit me. I miss you.”
“I’ll come next month.”
“I don’t think you should be alone.”
I frowned. “Why? This is how we’ve been working for years. I’m always alone.”
“I know,” he said carefully. “But this time it seems different. Ever since you left Ridgewood.”
“It’s been three weeks since I left, and I feel fucking phenomenal. They were trying to trap me.”
“Even the mayor?”
I scowled. “I never should have told you about him.”
“You’re hurt. Because you liked them. All three of them. It’s okay to admit that.”
“No, I’m pissed because now I can’t do the Panther job,” I argued. “Now we have to wait an entire year for our next chance. And I need to come up with a whole new plan because next time I’m doing it myself. No more relying on anyone.”
“You’ll always have me,” he said softly.
I half-smiled. “I know.”
“Come home. I’ll grill. You and Tucker can argue over the music as I cook. It’ll be fun.”
I stared at the sun setting, thinking about his words. “Not yet. I need to keep my mind busy a little longer.”
“Fine,” he said, defeated. “I’ll email you details.”
“Thanks. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Stay safe, Mili.”
“Always.” I hung up and tossed my new phone on the passenger seat. All my phones were easily replaceable, but I’d left my main one in Ridgewood when I fled. I was sure by now Kade and Gray had attempted to hack it. Even if they did, they wouldn’t find anything.
“Fuck me,” I muttered, lightly banging my head on the wheel. I was exhausted from running jobs nonstop over the last few weeks. But it was better than sitting still and being stuck with my own thoughts. After this next job, I’d have to take a break and sleep, or I’d start making mistakes.
I glanced at the phone, resisting the urge to call Rylan for what felt like the thousandth time. I felt bad about how I’d just left. And if I was being honest, I missed him. Even Kade and Gray—as much as I detested it. Life had been fun when I was in Ridgewood until they had to go and fuck it up. I wondered if they were looking for me. It wouldn’t do them any good. I was two states away, and even while working jobs, I’d be impossible to find. I wasn’t in their city anymore, where eyes were on me. I could slip under the radar like I always did.
My leg bounced as I glared at the phone before my resolve fucking broke. I wouldn’t call Rylan. Because leading him on wasn’t fair to him. I had told him he wouldn’t hear from me again, and I didn’t want him to think I was coming back. Instead, I found Gray’s number. Caleb had all my numbers from my old phone, and I stupidly told him to give them to me for my new phone. I shouldn’t have asked, then I wouldn’t be calling right now.
“Yeah?” Gray’s curt tone had a rush shooting down my spine. It was the first time I’d allowed myself to feel anything since leaving.
“Have you been hunting for me?” I asked sweetly. The pause was so long, I thought he’d hung up. Until the volume changed and I realized he put me on speaker. “Mm, let me guess. Kade is there too.”
“What do you want?” Kade snapped, his voice colder than ever.
What did I want? I had no fucking idea. Caleb was right about me being lonely. It had never bothered me before. Before I went to Ridgewood. Before I met Kade, Gray, and Rylan. Now I felt restless being by myself. Which was ridiculous because I had been alone half the time I was in Ridgewood too.
“I asked you a question first,” I tossed back.
“We wanted you gone,” Gray answered stiffly. “Why would we look for you?”
“Liar,” I purred. “I haven’t been gone long enough to forget that Kade, at least, was trying to force me to stay.”
“Planning on coming back?” Kade asked.
I laughed. “Absolutely not.”
“I thought you’d go underground after running,” Gray grumbled.
I bit my lip, stopping my grin as I heard a loud thump that was most likely Kade hitting Gray. “How do you know I’m not underground?”
They both stayed quiet, and I chuckled, leaning back in my seat. “You two are looking for me.”
“There’s been talk about Sapphire running jobs,” Kade muttered. “Everyone has heard about it. Especially since you barely took any during the last few months.”
“There are always rumors surrounding me,” I said in a bored voice. “But even with all the talk, no one ever knows where I am. By the time people hear of my jobs, I’m already long gone.”
“We know,” Gray grated out.
My heart flipped. “You’ve tried finding me.”
“You owe me a car,” Kade stated.
“You stole my Jeep. Consider us even.”
Gray snorted. “You stole that Jeep.”
“Stop looking,” I demanded. “You won’t find me.”
“You think we’d have better luck looking for Caleb?” Kade asked.
My blood ran cold. “You’d have better luck finding me.”
“Maybe we’ll test that.”
I took a deep breath, realizing what he was doing. “Trying to draw me out, Kade? Nice try, but it won’t work.”
“Why’d you call, Mili?” Gray asked.
I hesitated, and it was Kade’s turn to laugh. “You don’t have a reason, do you?”
“I wanted to tell you to stop looking for me,” I snapped, not enjoying how quickly they’d picked up on that.
“Sure you did, Rebel,” Gray piped up.
“Be careful,” I warned. “Or I’ll come back to finish what I started. You wanted me gone, I’m gone. If I come back, you won’t like what I do.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?” Kade asked in a low voice. “Because I think Gray and I would love the chance to see what you’d try to do if you came back.”
“Not just us. There’s a certain heartbroken mayor who would probably lock you in his office if you showed up.”
Gray’s words were like a slap to the face. What was I doing? I never should have called.
“You better be leaving him alone,” I snarled. “He isn’t involved in this—”
“He got involved the second he touched you,” Kade cut me off. “You want to make sure he stays safe, then maybe you should come back.”
I rolled my eyes. “Even you aren’t stupid enough to kill him.”
“So you’re not doing the Panther job?” Gray asked, changing the conversation.
“That’s none of your concern anymore.”
I hung up before either of them could answer. Staring at Kade’s number for a moment, I deleted it and then did the same with Gray’s. They were temptations I didn’t need. My finger hovered over Rylan’s number, and a notification popped up that Caleb had emailed me. Keeping Rylan’s number, I read the details of the new job, forcing my thoughts away from the guys in Ridgewood.