Okay, so she was mad at me. Fine. I really didn’t care much. Tonight I just had to grab some expensive watch from some rich guys. That wasn’t going to be hard for her to do. She was good at stealing.
Anjolie stopped texting and stood up with a groan. “I have to leave, everyone,” she said, grabbing her backpack out from under me. When it wouldn’t budge, she shoved me away forcefully and ripped it out from underneath me.
“Why?” Hudson asked, standing up and walking over. I knew that if I were a dog, I’d be panting like crazy just watching her walk over like that. As a matter of fact, every girl in this room was crazy hot. Was I lucky or was I lucky?
Anjolie shot me a glare. “An idiot bailed on me. I’m stuck with the job now.”
Hudson looked over at me and I shrugged. “I’m taking a sick day,” I said lightly, plucking on the banjo in front of me. Olive giggled next to me.
Anjolie rolled her eyes so far back in her head that I thought she’d get stuck like that. “You know how much I hate it when people bail on me,” she said, growling.
I ignored her and continued plucking on the banjo. Only when Hudson kneeled down and stared at me did I pay attention again. “Cam, you should go,” she said, staring at me with her reddish-brown (mahogany?) eyes. “I don’t want Anjolie to have to do all the work.”
“Anjolie’s strong, she can handle it,” I said, smiling at Anjolie.
Hudson shook her head. “Get up and go,” she said, patting my leg. She stood up and walked away.
“Seriously, Anj?” I said, getting up and grabbing my bag. “Why do you always have to whine about missions? Stop acting like a little girl.”
“I am a girl! And I’m not whining!” she protested. “I’m just annoyed because it isn’t my job! It’s yours. Now you heard her. Let’s go.”
“I’m coming!” I barked, glaring at her. Anjolie rolled her eyes and left the room. I glanced over my shoulder at Olive and instantly smiled. “You coming?” I asked her under my breath.
Her eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder at the rest of them. They were all busy with the instruments. “I can’t,” she whispered. “They warned me about missions. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’ll keep you safe,” I said. I knew that if anything were to go down tonight, my eyes would be on Olive. Especially after the way I’d treated her during the last mission.
Olive eyed me for a moment before standing up and grabbing her bag. Smiling, I looked over at the rest of them. “Olive’s gonna show me the way out, alright?” I lied, taking her hand. When our hands came in contact, Olive shivered. I looked over at her and saw her blushing.
“Alright, see you guys,” Hudson said with a wave. Armando nodded a goodbye and I smiled.
Then the two of us rushed from the room laughing.
Chapter Thirty
Olive
“Why did you bring her?” Anjolie shrieked from the passenger seat. Her eyes had gone all huge and angry. If I hadn’t disliked her so much, I probably would have been scared.
Cam laughed as he climbed into the driver’s seat of his car. He started the engine. “Anjolie, get your panties out of a twist,” he laughed.
Anjolie flicked her eyes at me and briefly glared. Then she spun around and faced Cam. “Tonight you have to steal the four watches on display. They’re brand new and he wants them all. They have the lasers and everything so you have to be really careful.” She looked over Cam’s body with disdain. “You have to change. No way will you go unnoticed with a polo and plaid shorts. Pull over.”
“What? Why?” Cam asked.
“I brought an extra shirt and jeans tonight in case you forgot to get home before seven,” Anjolie said, yanking clothes out of her bag. “Go stand in the bushes and strip down. Put these on instead.”
Cam pulled over and put the car in park. “I don’t have to stand in any bushes,” he said with a grin. “Two hours of working out every night shouldn’t go unnoticed.” He slid out of the car with the clothes and walked around the car to stand right in front of it. The headlights shone right at him.
Then he stripped down. The second his clothes came off, I instantly blushed all the way to my toes. Cam was not lying about his workout schedule, I can tell you that. His abs were to-die-for, his arms were beautiful, and I fell in love with the rolling muscles.
“Oh, quit gawking,” Anjolie said, sliding a shimmering dress on. When had she started changing? “Must you feed his already huge ego?”
I wanted to tear my eyes away from his body but I couldn’t. If he hadn’t pulled the T-shirt over his stunning torso, I would’ve remained gawking like an idiot.
“Haven’t you seen his body already?” Anjolie asked, brushing makeup onto her face. “You’re going out with Cameron, right?”
“Yes,” I said a little too quickly. I cleared my throat and said lightly, “I haven’t seen Cameron’s body since sophomore year’s pool picnic.” And trust me, it was not nearly as impressive as it was now. Not even close.
“That long ago?” Anjolie asked, gazing at me with wide eyes. “But you… you’re a couple. You didn’t already…” she trailed off but her arm gestures finished her thought.
“We just got together, Anjolie,” I said firmly, but blushed anyway. Why did I have to blush! Couldn’t I just act like a normal teenage girl for two seconds?
The car door swung open. “Talking about me?” Cam asked as he slid into the driver’s seat. He glanced at me with a grin. “Did you like what you saw, princess?” he asked, widening the grin.
My face felt as though it were on fire! “Yes—no—I mean, sure. I mean—” Why couldn’t a normal whatever possibly leave my stammering lips? Did I have to have Hudson here whenever I talked to a hot guy? Come on!
Cam winked at me and started the engine again. When he got back onto the road, he looked at Anjolie. “What are you doing in a dress? Trying to impress me again, Anj?” he asked with his famous grin.
Anjolie shook her head as she pulled on her heels. “And why would you think that?” she asked, stuffing what looked like guns into her white purse. It took all of my cool to not freak out and jump out of the car in fright.
“Come on, Anj. You’re always trying to get in my pants. What’s new?” Cam asked, smiling at me through the rearview mirror. I smiled back.
Anjolie sighed. “What is wrong with you, Cam? I don’t want you!” She spat out the words as she pulled her hair into a high bun.
“That’s not what you said last month,” he said.
“I was drunk and so were you. Can we leave it at that?”
“Only if you don’t jump my bones tonight.”
“I promise you that won’t ever happen.”
“Am I supposed to take your word for it?” Cam asked, pulling the car to a stop in front of a large mansion. Lights gleamed from every corner, illuminating the house like the White House. The fountain in front was laced with sparkling lights, shining up to the night sky like diamond stars. It was breathtaking.
“Stop flattering yourself and let’s go,” Anjolie said as she hopped out of the car.
Cam quickly bounded out of the car and went to my window. “This is what’s going to happen, beautiful,” he said after I’d rolled down the window. “You’re going to drive the getaway car. When you see me running out of the house, you start up the engine, shut off the headlights, wait for me to hop in through the open window, and drive. Got it?” he asked, staring at me with piercing gray eyes.
“There is no way I’m driving a getaway car, Cameron,” I said, shaking my head fervently. Did he honestly think I’d be an accomplice to his illegal activities? I mean, come on! I’m not an idiot!
“You mean Cam,” Cam said, pulling his black beanie over his platinum-colored hair. The way his face stiffened proved his disapproval of my name slip up. Sometimes I was so stupid even I couldn’t be around me.
“That’s what I meant,” I said flushed.
Cam rolled his eyes and shook his head. “It’s whate
ver,” he said, shrugging my name-flub away. “All that matters is that you’re on board. I need you to help me out. Without a getaway car, I might not… well, get away.”
“Why can’t Anjolie drive the getaway car?” I asked in an unflattering whiny voice. At least my voice didn’t crack.
Cam looked over his shoulder at Anjolie, who was already hiking up the long driveway in foot-high stilettos and a white gown. “She’s going to the party. She needs to be there so that the other Gray Eyes can know where to find the stuff.”
My face broke out in shock. “There are other Gray Eyes?” I gasped loudly. Images of angelic-looking people swam through my head.
Cam cupped his hand over my mouth, gazing over his shoulder. Apparently Anjolie had heard me; she was turned around, flapping her arms angrily. Cam glanced back around and stared at me with warning eyes. “Yes, there are others,” he said in a quieter tone. “But I doubt you’ll ever see them. The only reason they’re here is for the mission. Most of them work or go to school upstate. Anjolie and I hold up Los Angeles.”
“Why do they need to be here?” I asked, making sure my voice was ten times quieter.
“We’re breaking into a rich guy’s house to steal his stuff. It’s a pretty big house and there’s a lot to steal. We need backup tonight.”
“How will the others get out?” I asked.
“I assure you, they’ll find a way,” Cam said, pulling on a fitted jacket. He buttoned it up to his neck and pulled up the collar. “Now, Olive, please. I can’t get away as fast as the others — I’m not a full Gray Eyes. So please drive the getaway car. Please.” His gray eyes bore into mine with so much pleading, I felt it in my stomach.
I groaned and ran my hand through my hair, my fingers getting caught in the tangles. “Fine,” I sighed reluctantly. “I’ll drive the getaway car.”
Cam’s face broke out in a smile. “Thank you!” he cried and moved away from the car quickly. But before he was long gone, he swiveled back around and came up to my window. “You just have to drive up a few miles and then you could drop me off. You can take my car and drive yourself home after that, okay?” he said and then he took off running up the steep driveway.
Then I was alone.
I sighed again, suppressing my urge to shriek. What had I just done? Now I’m a part of an illegal mission to steal stuff from an innocent man? Am I an idiot? I sure am! Who in their right mind agrees with this kind of thing?
I groaned and crawled into the front, falling into the soft driver’s seat. I’m guessing that if I was the getaway car driver then I’d better be ready. Now that I was sitting in the driver’s seat, I decided it was time to prepare myself.
Cam would jump in through the passenger window so that window should be open. I rolled the window down.
Check.
Were the headlights off? I flipped the switch.
Check.
Key in the ignition? Seat adjusted? Rearview mirror set up?
Check. Check. Check.
Now, I was ready. All I had to do was wait.
I stared into the darkness, trying to clear my mind of anything that would distract me. If they expected to steal something, they’d have to do it quickly, right? That means that Cam would be out here any second.
I focused my gaze towards the bright shining house, waiting for something to happen. What was going to happen? I didn’t know. But I suspected that Cam would be tearing it down the driveway with a chest of jewels or something, hop into the car, and then I drive. And all of that would happen in seconds. I was ready for it.
But then my cell phone rang.
I jumped and looked around, scrambling for it in the backseat. Stupid cell phone had to be somewhere. Feeling around in the darkness, I found my cell phone underneath the seat. I steadied the vibrating machine and pressed the screen, answering the call.
“And where are you?” Hudson shrieked on the other line.
Crap. I’d forgotten about my sneaking out. “I snuck out,” I said truthfully.
Hudson moaned loudly on the other line. I heard her cover the phone and tell Armando the news. He gasped. She got back on the phone. “Are you crazy?” Hudson cried. “You snuck out with Cam and Anjolie! They’re Gray Eyes! They’re going on a mission — an illegal one — and chances are you’ll get dragged into it somehow! You have to come back before they scout you!”
Too late. “They’re already on their mission,” I sighed. “I’m driving the getaway car.”
Hudson shrieked and told Armando. Armando yelled in the background, disapproving of my actions. “Tell her that she’s screwed!” he yelled.
Hudson got back on the phone. “You’re screwed,” she said, as if I hadn’t heard him. “You can’t drive the getaway car! You drive ten miles underneath the freaking speed limit!” She was screaming at me, past the point of hysterics. I could picture her tugging at her hair like she always did when she was in freak-out mode. “They’re going to catch you, Olive. You don’t have telekinesis. You’re so stupid sometimes. I can’t believe you. Who in their right mind does this! You’re probably the most idiotic, stupid, no-brained—”
I held the phone away from my ear, not wanting her to break my eardrums. Or wanting to hear the truth. I knew what I was doing was stupid — I’d already established that. But the more I heard her scream at me, the more I wanted to do this.
“—die if they catch you, you know that? They won’t think twice! And what if you’re arrested!” Hudson was still screaming. I was thankful when Armando snatched the phone away from her.
“Olive, you can get out now,” he said in a calmer, but still angry voice. “I advise you to drive like crazy right now and do not look back. You’ll be breaking a lot of laws and I’m almost certain that you’re going to jail if you wait for Cam — but there’s a chance you could get out if you leave now. Forget the speed limit, forget that you’re on this guy’s property, forget everything. Just drive now!”
“What about Cam?” I asked, biting my lip. He’d told me that he needed me to help him out. He’s not a full Gray Eyes. What if he couldn’t get out?
“Forget Cam! He got you in this mess without thinking. He put you in danger and that’s a jerk move on his part. You have a chance to get out. Take it.”
I sighed, rubbing my eyes. “Okay,” I whispered into the phone. “I’m leaving.”
Armando yipped in joy and told Hudson the change in plans. Hudson sighed happily. “Good choice, Olive. We’ll be waiting for you here, okay?”
I nodded even though they couldn’t see me and hung up the phone. I placed it in my pocket and went to start the ignition but I saw motion at the corner of my eye. My head whipped to the right and I gasped.
Cam was sprinting out of the house, two others following after him. He held a black bag like the other two and they were all headed towards my car.
Hands shaking, I turned on the ignition and shifted the car in drive. When I looked back at Cam, I saw that five men in suits were running after them, shouting and shooting. Memories of the last time Cam was getting shot at flashed through my mind and for a second I felt as though I were going to faint again.
But I didn’t.
I cleared my throat and peered at them as they ran down the long driveway. The other two with him didn’t look as if they were trying to kill him; in fact, they looked like they were running with him, trying to escape, too.
I narrowed my eyes, searching for Anjolie among the crowd that was spilling onto the front lawn. I spotted her running out of the house in her dress and heels. When some guy grabbed her arm, she punched him in the face and kicked another guy in the groin. Then she grabbed up the hem of her skirt, kicked off her heels, and ran for the car.
All of them were escaping and I was their only hope of getting them away.
Cam got to the car first. He jumped through the window as I unlocked the other doors. The two other Gray Eyes with him catapulted into the backseat, panting heavily.
“Drive!” Cam cried, tryi
ng to right himself in the passenger seat.
My gaze shot up to where Anjolie was, running for her life down the long driveway. She was stopped by a few guards and she fought them off with her purse. When the guards were down, she bolted down the driveway.
“Drive!” Cam cried again when he saw the guards closing into the car.
“What about Anjolie?” I cried out, trying to steady my shaking hands. “She’s headed for the car!”
“Just drive!” Cam begged, and then his foot came out of nowhere, slamming down on the accelerator.
The car lurched forward and hit sixty miles per hour in seconds. I shrieked and grabbed the steering wheel, swerving onto the road and steering through the darkness. Cam kept his foot firmly pressed on the gas as I maneuvered through the dark streets. A few gun shots hit the rear of the car but in a second, we were gone.
Chapter Thirty One
Olive
“We got out,” Cam breathed, a smile spreading over his tan face. He spun around and high-fived the others in the back.
I clutched the steering wheel. Cam had thankfully taken his foot away from the accelerator and allowed me to drive at a normal speed. Now I was staring at the road with wide eyes, wondering when my heart was ever going to beat regularly again.
“And we’ve got all the stuff,” the guy Gray Eyes said from behind me. He tore the beanie off his head, revealing a shock of dark-brown hair.
“El Rey is going to love us,” the girl said. She looked a lot like the other guy next to her. Maybe they were siblings. I didn’t care to find out.
All I cared about was getting my breathing right again.
Cam smiled at me. “Nice job out there, Liv,” he said. “Well, except for the part when you wouldn’t drive. But other than that, nicely done.”
“We left Anjolie,” I said, remembering how she’d been running for her life away from the guards.
Cam snorted and the others in the back laughed. “She’ll be alright, trust me,” Cam said, pushing his fingers through his limp hair. “Why? Because she’s the boss?” I asked, still clutching the steering wheel.
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