Hardcore: Complete Series

by Staci Hart

  One.

  I didn’t know what Jade was going to say. I didn’t even know if I could keep my shit together for this conversation.

  Two.

  Erin, Cher, and Morgan watched me with baited breath. The room was completely silent.

  Three.

  “Hello?” Jade answered.

  I took a heavy breath. “It’s Cory.”

  She was stunned silent for a beat before picking up right where we’d left off. “I thought that might get your attention.”

  I seethed, grinding my teeth together. “What do you want?”

  “Gee, Cory. I just wanted to check up on you. Make sure you’re all settled in.”

  “Right. I’m sure. Tell me what you want.”

  “Listen, I know everybody’s pissed—”

  A laugh burst out of me.

  “—but I’ve got to keep taking jobs or I’m going to lose my contacts. I’m just saying, while you guys get on your feet, we could just do a few more jobs to keep everyone’s pockets full until I can get a new crew and you all can … well, do whatever the fuck you plan on doing.”

  I scanned their faces. “I’ll talk to them.”

  “That’s all I wanted, Cor. See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “Walk in the fucking park.” My fist clenched so tight, my knuckles burned. “Listen, because I’m only saying this once. If Jill sees your face again, you’re going to see mine. You don’t want that.”

  Her voice was calm and condescending. “Of course not. Just don’t avoid me again.”

  “You’re not going to intimidate me, Jade. You had one pass on that and you took it, so from here out, we’re on my terms. I will fuck you up if you cross me again.”

  She paused for a moment. “Heard and understood. Call me after you talk to the girls.”

  I didn’t respond, just hung up and leaned on the table. “Well, that was easy enough to set up. She wants us to work with her until she gets a new crew so she doesn’t lose her contacts.”

  “God, I hate her so much,” Erin spat.

  “Take a number.” I looked over the three of them. “How should we handle this?”

  Erin answered. “Let’s take whatever job she has. We’ll case the place in advance, lock her bitchass in, and call the cops.”

  “And what about Jace?” I asked.

  Morgan sat forward, resting her forearms on the surface of the table. “What about him? They look into Jade and they’re going to find Jace and his ‘business.’ He’ll follow her to jail.”

  Erin chewed her lip. “You think she’ll be able to drag us down with her?”

  I thought it over. “I mean, maybe they’ll have circumstantial evidence, but we’ve never gotten involved with anything on paper. As far as anyone should be able to tell, we were all roommates and that was it. We never left prints at jobs, never kept anything we stole. We never texted about jobs on our main lines, only through burner numbers. And we always ran up. There’s no street footage, no cameras to pull from that would give them anything. That’s if she turns us in. She might not be stupid enough to try to take us down out of spite. She’d only dig her grave deeper.”

  Morgan snorted. “No one ever accused Jade of being smart.”

  Erin shook her head. “It’s possible she would try to fuck us over one last time, but not if she were sure it would put her at risk. Self-preservation is her number one goal.”

  I sat down and tossed my phone on the table. “I’m just glad we never took Jace up on his offer to launder cash for us.”

  Cher rolled her eyes. “That never sounded like a good idea to me. I trust Jace about as much as I trust a pissed off koala bear.”

  Morgan looked at her like she had an extra head. “Koala bears are adorable.”

  “No, they’re rapey assholes cracked out on eucalyptus, and they will eat your face off.”

  “Oh,” Morgan conceded. “Well, that definitely sounds a lot more like Jace.”

  “I don’t know.” Erin’s eyes were locked on a spot on the table. “They’re going to wonder who locked Jade in.”

  Cher perked up. “What if we call in like we’re just random Samaritans? Like we saw someone robbing a place and locked them in?”

  “That could work,” I answered. “She could rat us out, but I still think she’s smarter than that. She’ll keep her mouth shut until she lawyers up.”

  Erin didn’t look so sure. “You give her a lot of credit. She’ll be mad as fuck, like probably madder than she’s ever been in her life. I can definitely see her selling out everyone she’s ever known. Maybe even Jace.”

  Morgan shook her head. “No, she wouldn’t sell him out. I’m pretty sure they have an inappropriate relationship.”

  Cher gaped. “Oh my God. Ew.”

  “Don’t act like you haven’t thought it.” Morgan rolled her eyes.

  “And what about when the cops come sniffing around?” I asked.

  Morgan sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “We tell them we had no idea, that we always wondered where she got all that money. That we were living with her for free. Basically, we play dumb.”

  Erin turned to me. “I don’t know if there’s another way around it, Cory. Do you still think Jade will leave Jill alone? Do you think she’ll leave us alone? Because I’m not convinced.”

  I sighed. “No. I think you’re right. Let’s take her down once and for all. It’s the only way she’s going to let us go for good, and it’s worth the risk if it means we’ll finally be out from underneath her. If we’re careful, I think we can do it. We just need a plan and a story.”

  Erin sighed too. “I’ll do it.”

  “Me too,” Morgan added, and Cher nodded.

  I pulled up my burner app and texted Jade two words.

  We’re in.

  I stood in front of my mirror in my room as I zipped up my leather jacket, flipped up my hood, and pulled my buff over my nose and mouth. The feeling of it against my cheeks was so familiar, something I found comfort in. Something I’d missed. I looked into my reflection’s eyes, green and bright against black kohl and lashes, framed by my dark hood and the jersey stretched across my face. It was something I’d done a hundred times. But this was the last.

  I left my room, followed my friends out of the loft and to the roof, and then, we ran. The moon was high, a glowing pinhole in the vast of the dark. It had been thirty-six hours since we’d agreed to help Jade. Thirty-six hours of planning, of casing the shop Jade had lined up, of stepping toward being rid of her for good.

  I followed the girls across the roofs toward the old loft, watched them jump across a gap, arms out, flying. I ran through the plan again, tried to calm my nerves. I was about to see Jade, something I didn’t know if I was prepared for. But I had to keep it together. Otherwise, I’d blow the entire thing.

  We dropped down a fire escape, scrambled up the other side of the alley, hauled ourselves over the ledge and took off again, running the length of the block. My eyes found Jade at the end of the row of buildings, standing next to the access door where she leaned against the wall with her arms folded. Every step amplified the anger, the tension, and my fists clenched as I pumped them, not wanting to stop. But I slowed anyway as we approached, grateful my face was hidden from her. I pulled my hood down lower.

  Jade didn’t move. “Took you long enough.” She smiled, looking so fucking pleased with herself.

  I stared her down with my nerves crawling because it was the only thing I could do. If a single word left my lips, a fight was coming.

  “You’re lucky we’re here at all,” Morgan shot. “Don’t be a dick, or we’re out.”

  “So sensitive.” Jade pushed off the wall. “I knew you’d come back.”

  No one answered. We were all filled to the brim with the unwavering desire to get this over with. My jaw clenched as she walked a line in front of us, inspecting us.

  “You look good, little birdies. All that fresh air has done you well. Hope you’re all on point tonigh
t.”

  Erin folded her arms across her chest. “You do your job. We’ll do ours.”

  Jade smirked. “Good. Let’s go.” She pulled up her buff and took off.

  My breath steamed under my buff as I followed from the pack, eyes scanning the roofs. No one spoke as we dropped down one building and scrambled up the next like it was nothing, ran through the crisp night toward the store, block after block before we reached the shop’s alley. It was perfect for a setup — no cameras inside or out, and the gate on the street windows locked from the sidewalk. Once Jade was in, there was no way she could get out.

  We approached the door, and Jade knelt to pick the lock on the double doors. Erin and I shared a look as we waited in the quiet alley, and when Jade popped the lock, the door opened with a groan.

  I blew past and looked for the office, but the alarm wasn’t there. I found it behind the counter and opened my pack to pull out my wire cutters. Once I’d popped the plastic face off, I snipped a couple of secondary wires and left the plastic casing off. She’d never know I hadn’t disabled it.

  “It’s done,” I said as I packed my things and stood.

  Jade’s eyes flashed with twisted pleasure. “Well, then. Let’s get to it.”

  She stepped into an aisle and pulled off her duffle bag to start emptying shelves, but the four of us backed toward the door. Jade dumped a handful of graphics cards in her bag and glanced over her shoulder at us.

  “What are you bitches standing around for? Come on.”

  The girls stepped behind me and retreated down the hall to the exit. I blocked Jade from them, stance wide, voice hard. “No. This is it, Jade. I told you. I told you it was over, but you didn’t believe me. You wouldn’t let us go.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Jade turned and stood, eyes narrow as they darted between me and the hall.

  The door opened behind me, and I heard the chains clinking as Morgan pulled them out of her backpack. “You should have left Jill alone.”

  “Fuck you, Cory. You shouldn’t have punked out like a bitch. But you did, and here we are. So you’re pissed. What are you going to do about it?”

  I smiled. “I’m going to leave, just like I said I would.”

  Realization passed across her face just before she lunged for me. “The fuck you are.”

  I spun around and took off, eyes on the girls in the alley. I was steps away from the threshold when she grabbed my arm. I jerked away from her and banged into the wall from the force, but I planted my feet and shifted, swept my arm, catching her in the shoulder as she reached for me again. She wrapped her fingers around my forearm with rage in her eyes, and I snarled as I leaned away, cocking my knee, releasing it like a spring. My boot connected with her chest, and she reeled away from me, arms swinging.

  Hands grabbed me and pulled me out the door, slamming it shut behind me. Morgan put all her weight behind it just as Jade plowed into it with a thud and a shriek, the sound muffled by the thick metal. A string of threats and obscenities came from inside as Erin chained the door shut. Cher was on her phone.

  “Hi, I’m calling to report a robbery. Yeah, my boyfriend and I saw this girl break into ElectroJunkie off 52nd and locked her in the store. Thanks, yeah.” She hung up on the dispatcher and deleted her burner number. “All right, we should be good. Stick to the roofs and alleys. No streets. No cameras. Watch your back.” Her eyes smiled at me. “It’s done.”

  “It’s done,” I echoed, my heart clanging in my ears, hands like ice from the rush of adrenaline. We all exchanged a look and nodded before taking off to the cadence of Jade’s fists pounding on the metal door.

  THE PEDALS OF MY bike spun around like my thoughts the next day as I rode through Midtown, not sure how to feel. We’d all been shaken by Jade and had stayed up most of the night trying to distract ourselves, anticipating the knock at the door, the sirens, the handcuffs. But none came.

  Jace had blown up the burner line that I’d used to call Jade with texts and calls all night long, smart enough not to use our main lines, even as pissed as he was. He was in deep shit, and he knew it. But that morning, everything stopped. Absolute silence. And with that, I knew he’d been picked up.

  My radio crackled from my strap, snapping me back into the moment.

  “Last drop, Cory,” Sam said. “Check your app for the pickup address.”

  “Roger, boss.” I pulled to a stop at a light and checked my phone. 1826 51st. The Kyle Building. My heart flashed with pain as I stared down at my screen.

  A Town Car behind me honked, and I looked up to see the light had changed. He honked again, and I leaned forward, flipping him off without looking as I sped away.

  It wasn’t Van’s apartment. That was the only silver lining, though the thought disappointed me almost as much as I was relieved. Deep down, I couldn’t help holding out hope that he would change his mind, and I let myself daydream for a moment that the pickup was his. That he’d planned it all again, just like the first time. That I’d go to his apartment and knock on his door, and he’d open it with a smile on his face and forgive me. That he’d let me back in after everything I’d done.

  I barreled around a corner, knuckles white as I gripped my handlebars.

  He didn’t want me. Not anymore.

  I pedaled my way through the city, back into Hell’s Kitchen with dread winding its way through me. And when I pulled up in front of that building with the big, silver letters, I wasn’t sure if I could cross the threshold. I locked my bike with fumbling hands.

  George stood at the door, smiling wide. “Miss James, it’s good to see you. How are you?”

  I tried to smile back. “I’ve been better. It’s good to see you, too, George.”

  “Are you here to see Mr. Collins?”

  I shook my head, feeling sick. “No, not today. I have a pickup for a delivery.”

  He nodded, his kind eyes seeing a bit more of me than I’d wanted to show. “Well, let me know if I can help you.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you in a few.”

  I walked through the quiet lobby and to the elevator with my mind a tangled mess as I stepped into the metal box and hit eighteen. I watched the numbers light as the elevator climbed, waited for it to hit sixteen — Van’s floor — willing it to stop and dreading the possibility that it would. But sixteen came and went, and I stepped into the quiet hallway of the eighteenth floor not feeling better or worse about any of it.

  I knocked on the door of 1826 and accepted the package, barely hearing the man as he gave me instructions and the address for the delivery, though I nodded and logged it in my app. The door closed. I walked away.

  When I stepped back into the elevator, I reached for the buttons, pausing over sixteen for a long moment, wishing I had the courage to press it. I hit the ‘L,’ and the doors closed. They didn’t open again until I hit the ground floor.

  I blew through the lobby and toward the door where George stood, propping it open. He tipped his hat as I rushed by.

  “Hope to see you again soon, Miss James.”

  I couldn’t even respond, only gave him a nod and made my way to my bike. I unlocked it in a flurry, swung my leg over the frame, and took off, gears grinding.

  An hour later, I pulled up in front of the loft, my day done. My thighs burned from pushing too hard, riding too fast, but it was a comforting ache. A reminder that I could punish myself in a way that would make me stronger. I hoisted my bike, hooking the frame on my shoulder as I made my way up the stairs and into the loft, pausing when I heard men’s voices echoing from the living room.

  I set my bike down and followed the sound to find Cher, Morgan, and Erin sitting on the couch, facing two cops in street clothes, who stood as I entered. I don’t know how I knew they were cops, exactly. They just put out that air of responsibility and ability to enforce, even without their uniforms.

  One of the detectives extended a hand. “Corinne James?”

  I clasped it. “Cory.”

  “I�
�m Detective Lucero, and this is my partner, Detective Hensley. We were just chatting about your friend Jade Harris and her brother.”

  “What’s going on?” The girls shifted on the couch to make room, and I took a seat next to Erin.

  Lucero and Hensley sat too, and Lucero continued. “We found her locked in an electronics store last night.”

  “What?” I gaped.

  “It seems like an attempted robbery gone south, though she denies it.”

  “Stealing?” I shook my head. “I knew something was up with her. She’s been doing it for a long time, hasn’t she? Was Jace with her too? I knew something was weird with their business, but I never suspected she was stealing. None of it ever seemed right.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” He flipped back a few pages of his notebook but didn’t elaborate. “You’ve known the Harris twins for some time, is that right? Used to live with them?”

  I nodded. “We’ve known them since high school.”

  “How much do you know about their business?”

  “Not much. Party rentals or something? I never really asked, and Jade was always vague. She and I haven’t been close for some time.”

  He nodded and jotted in his notebook. “Did you ever see any suspicious activity while you were living with them?”

  “We usually tried to stay out of each other’s way, honestly. She went out late at night a lot, but otherwise, no. They always had money, even though they slept all day. I really knew almost nothing about the business.” I ran a hand over my mouth. “I just can’t believe this. What do you think they were doing with the stuff they stole?”

  “We can’t discuss an ongoing investigation, although I will say that we’ve potentially connected her with a few other robberies in the area. I have a list of dates here, mind taking a look?”

  “Not at all.” I reached for the offered notepad and glanced at the dates and names of some of the stores we’d knocked off.

  “Do you recall where you were for these dates?”

  I studied the list a moment, wondering how much the girls and I were suspected. “I need to sit down and really look at the calendar. Can I get a copy of this?”