Cute Little Thief

Darcy

The usual smell of the police station made my stomach turn and my eyes roll painfully to the back.

I could already hear the screams and ranting from my dad. His loud, dumb argument made me want to turn my heels and walk away and leave him there to rot.

The police officers stared at me with disdain and unblinking stares as I walked into the siren-filled station. I was used to this—being here every three days made me a regular and a customer of scorn.

My legs slowed when I walked toward the ward, where Chester’s voice was the loudest.

The police officer in charge stopped me. “Hey kid. He’s not going out until three months.”

“Three months?” My voice rose unexpectedly, and my chest was already hammering. I didn’t even know if I was happy or not.

“Yeah, he did worse yesterday.” The female officer nodded. “Three kids. He’d kept them to make money in his gay club. That’s kidnapping, boy.”

I hated the fact. Hated how she looked at me like I was a disgusting piece of trash owned by a trash father. My fingers balled into a fist as I stared at my dad from the rear window. His beard and sweat made him look almost mad.

He was not sane in the first place.

“Give me a minute with him, ma’am.” I clamped my sweaty hands together. The weight of losing everything today still pressed heavily on my shoulders.

She nodded and left me to it. I strode slowly toward the cell, turned the keys, and got in.

Chester’s face was not pleasant. He stared at me like he regretted ever having me.

“It was all your fault I’m here. It was all your dumb-ass fault.” He stood up from the floor with a pointing finger.

“I didn’t ask you to kidnap minors for sex, Dad. You’re just madly desperate.” I spat out the words slowly, maybe it would sink into his brain this time. But it never did.

“Desperate? You call me desperate when you’re a gay bitch only seeking attention and not getting anything in return.” He laughed tauntingly, coming closer to me.

“I fuck whoever I want to, Chester. And stop acting like you’re a saint. You claim you’re straight but still run a gay club?” I smirked dryly, my eyes going hot. “You’re despicable.”

Chester’s face flushed with anger, veins throbbing on his neck. “Say that again, Darcy.” He lowered his voice gravely.

“You’re despicable.” My mouth ran before my brain could catch up.

A hard slap landed across my cheek. My body jolted as the hit went straight into the back of my head. I swear I saw stars.

I could have raised my fist back—he’d always told me to do so when someone hit me. But my fist just kept shaking as I stared at him with burning eyes.

“You drugged me. You drugged me to use me for your bitch business, you dumb man. You know how that felt. I fucking felt disgusted by you, Chester. I footed all my bills down to tuition and not for once have you asked how I was coping. Do you even love me?”

I couldn’t let the tears fall, not in front of him. My chest was already heaving. I felt like I could faint anytime.

And Chester wasn’t even moved. He looked me in the face and told me he gave me shelter. That wasn’t shelter. That was hell in disguise.

“You’re going to bail me out of this cell. Two days.” He said with finality, like he had a house full of safes.

“You kept money somewhere?” I raised my brows with skepticism.

“You hustle it. You always did, didn’t you?” He looked at me with equal smugness. Total indifference.

I closed my eyes briefly, the whole letters of the words seeping into my brain and rearranging themselves. “You don’t know how I get money.”

He scoffed loudly. “Who cares about decency or sailing close to the wind? Money is money.”

At a point, I stopped believing this ugly, senseless and very useless man was my father. He had the guts to say such. A sigh escaped my lips as I kept staring at him, knowing I wasn’t complying.

“If you release me, son, you won’t have to bother about anything. Everything’s going to be smooth from then on. Express.” He smiled with his fallen teeth, brown and almost disgusting. “But if you don’t—you’ll be homeless. I’ll personally make you, and you know what that means, right?”

I couldn’t even guess what Chester was thinking, but whatever it was wasn’t good news. The way he kept smiling made my stomach twist harder.

I left the cell.

Outside, I stood still for a moment under the station lights, just breathing, before my legs started moving again. My brain couldn’t wrap up everything that had just happened even after I’d left. I felt drunk and stupid, every nerve in my body trying to break free as I walked into the dark night. Chester’s words swayed me side to side on the street as I moved on. I couldn’t be homeless, not when I’m still a young player who hasn’t even achieved anything except getting favors from the board.

The tattoo guy’s bracelet would cost fifteen thousand dollars if not more. It was more than enough to pay the bills and more change would be left. My eyes blurred at the thin bracelet on my palm. I couldn’t bring myself to sell it. I couldn’t even look at it without remembering that night. Those eyes and that voice that sounded too sure.

I ran a hand through my hair, frustration aching every part of me.

I didn’t know where I was heading until I found myself back in front of Coach Lee’s office. The night had enveloped me and the party down the hall was now a mere heartbeat.

The door was unexpectedly open with no one in. My chest hammered at the thought of what I was going to do there. I didn’t look back. I never did. I tiptoed, almost with confidence. But my chest was drumming so loud I feared anyone outside would notice.

I traced the lockers, searching for safe keys to the equipment room. I rummaged through, growing impatient as my heartbeat started resembling footsteps.

Fuck.

I felt sweat dripping down my spine. The weather was so cold actually. Inside a sealed elastic bag, the key was there. Gently, I opened it, taking out the pinky-size key and walking to the smaller door—it was hardly noticeable but as a captain for years, I knew almost everything inside out.

The door jerked once before opening softly and I got in, without checking surveillance. Just got in and started searching like a stupid person.

High-end cameras and GPS stared at me from the cupboard. This would be worth it, I whispered to the air, taking them in my arms. Everything I did screamed wrong but I was too deep into it that I didn’t even notice a thing.

The silence grew wilder. My eyes snapped back to the door. Nobody. I kept searching, fixing the cameras inside my jacket pocket with shaky hands. I closed the safe back gently, scared it might stop the music playing down the hall. This was it. It had always been this easy. I smiled half-heartedly.

A slight shuffle echoed in the dark behind me, a camera clicking right behind my ears.

But God save me when I turned. I freaking turned and I wasn’t alone in the office.

“Well, well, that’s a whole big heist.”