The Job (Auctioned) by Cara Dee (highly illogical behavior txt) 📕

True. We usually worked with others too. Smaller gigs, smaller rewards, more people.

It made me think of the envelopes we were gonna hand out. It was easy to get greedy and selfish in our business, and that was how one lost connections and friends. We were gonna show our appreciation to Jay, Allegra, Mom, Laney, and a few others.

On that note… “Don’t get too attached to the cash in the briefcases. I have plans for us.”

It wasn’t a new plan. It was something I’d considered for years. Like, “If I ever end up with a lot of money, I wanna find a way to do this and this.” And now, we might get that chance. With a bit of luck, Darius could help us.

“I’m not even gonna ask,” Boone chuckled. “I’m just relieved right now.”

I exhaled and nodded slowly. It was a damn good feeling.

Two days later, I drove down to Henderson with two duffels full of money.

Boone was at Ma’s place, along with Ace, Jayden, and Justin. The two boys had apparently taken a liking to Mom, and who could blame them? From my understanding, the boys had spent the whole week at Mom’s place, though Darius and his partner Gray had stopped by every day to check in and have dinner or coffee.

I parked outside a nondescript one-story stucco house on a quiet street. Darius had agreed to meet with me before he picked up the kids and started their journey back to Washington.

Maybe Boone and I would live in a house like this soon.

On the other hand, they were kinda dull. So much beige. My family and I weren’t meant for a cookie-cutter lifestyle.

In fact, the more I thought about the house, the more I hated it.

I knocked on the door and spied Darius through the living room window. He was closing a black garbage bag. Dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and a wifebeater, it was easy to see where he’d been injured. One of his knees was wrapped in a bandage. It looked thicker under his jeans. A big wrap poked out from his shoulder blade too when he turned to pick up his flannel from the back of a chair. Too late to cover up, cousin.

He was shrugging the shirt on when he opened the door for me.

“Oi, kid.”

I furrowed my brow. “You okay?”

He had minor bruising along his neck and some cuts and scrapes on his arms too.

“I’m fantastic.” He opened the door wider and left the hallway. “Coffee? Beer? Coke?”

“Coffee sounds good,” I replied, closing the door behind myself.

“In this goddamn heat? You’re nuts.”

I chuckled and followed him. “You shoulda been here a couple weeks ago. It was brutal.”

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they’d hosted one hell of a party here. I passed six big trash bags with takeout containers and pizza boxes trying to poke through the plastic.

“I distinctly remember you saying you hate takeout food,” I commented. “I remember because it was the moment you broke my heart.”

He let out a gruff laugh and nodded at the patio. He had coffee for me, soda for himself, and a bag of chips.

We sat down on the patio that overlooked a small pool. It was a perfectly nice, middle-class neighborhood, yet the idea of living like this made my skin crawl. It felt almost claustrophobic.

“Do I wanna know what’s in those bags?” Darius asked.

I took a breath, unable to shake the unease from being here. It was this place. Freshly mowed lawn, no weeds between the stone tiles, no cracks or dents, no color, no room for flaws.

“Um. Yeah. I mean…” I shook my head and cleared the thoughts. “It’s money.”

“I figured.” He sat forward, observing me, forehead creased, and cracked his knuckles. “What’s up, Casey? You look… I don’t know.”

I had to say something. “Could you imagine living in a house like this? Minute I sat down, it felt like someone tied a noose around my neck.”

A slight smirk tugged at his mouth, and he sat back again and dug out a pack of smokes. “I wouldn’t live here for all the money in the world.”

It was a relief just to hear him say that.

“I used to picture myself in a small house over by Calico Ridge, Lake Las Vegas—those parts,” I mused. “It’s gorgeous up there. Especially if you find property on the fringes. Step out on your terrace, and it’s all mountains.” I gestured with my hands, painting a panorama of the mountain range not far from here. “More greenery too, thanks to the lake.” Yeah, that’s what I wanted. “Ace wants a pool too—and probably not the above-ground versions I’ve been eyeing at Sam’s.”

Darius chuckled and took a drag from his smoke.

“And I want an Airstream in my backyard,” I said. “A small silver bullet in the corner—as the barbecue area. You know? Like you see in movies. Firepit, bistro lights, wind chimes, colorful blankets, and whatnot.”

He smiled and cocked his head at me. “You lost me at wind chimes, but the rest sounds like a nice goal.”

More like a dream. “It’s expensive out there.” I leaned back in my chair and eyed the yard. “At least along the outer rim. You pay for the view.”

He hummed. “Something tells me money won’t be an issue anymore.”

The memory of standing by our pullout bed at home with all the valuables we’d stolen flashed in my head, and I opened my mouth, only to shut it and rethink my response. Because he’d given me the golden opportunity to broach the topic of why I was here.

“That’s why I wanted to talk to you,” I admitted. “We scored a fuckload that night—more than we could’ve hoped for. And that’s before including this.” I grabbed the duffels from the ground and placed them on the table. “It’s two-point-two mil in cash.”

Darius stared at the bags and raked his teeth along his lip.

“Two briefcases full,” I said. “This isn’t counting the cash we found