Path of Thieves

by Sunniva Dee

  My buddy registers the light on the opposite side of the pond before I do. It moves and grows, multiplying into swiping flashlights, and I instantly turn off the only lamp in the living room.

  Bear locks the front door. The girls must not have heard me, because Nadine jumps when I touch her shoulder in the bedroom.

  “Someone’s here. Time for bed.”

  “We were finished anyway.” Nadine pants like she’s in need of oxygen.

  “Asthma?” I shift my hand on her chest.

  “No, I’m just scared shitless.”

  “Let’s close the curtains everywhere first,” Liza says.

  “Yeah, maybe they don’t even realize we’re here.” Bear stalks back into the living room. Draws all curtains. Then we wave goodbye to each other, an overly dramatic gesture considering how we’re one thin wall apart.

  “Take off your clothes,” I whisper to Nadine once we’ve closed our door. This isn’t how our first night alone was supposed to begin, but if the police come, we need to look like we’re asleep and we should be dressed accordingly.

  “I’m leaving my underwear and T-shirt on,” she whispers back. Good, because I’d have a heart attack if the first time I saw her naked was while waiting for the cops.

  I lift the covers and climb in next to her. Arms open, she waits for me, and I sink to the pillow, pulling her in close.

  Our hearts pound together, mine in a mixture of fear and lust. Her breath shivers warm against my throat, so I cup her head and hold her still.

  “Shh,” I say. “We’ll be fine. Shut your eyes and get some sleep. It’s been a long night. When they see the cabin locked up, they won’t even bother knocking.”

  Nadine’s body relaxes a little, and she tangles her arms around my waist. I hope she can’t feel how scared I am.

  Her breathing slows as the minutes pass. I try to match mine to hers. I won’t sleep, not until we’re safe, but with my effort comes Nadine’s comfort.

  I stiffen at the approaching footsteps. Voices, so low I can’t catch the words. They quiet, but the footsteps don’t. Dry palm leaves rustle as they’re being stepped on, and suddenly a beam of light flashes over our curtains.

  Frayed. I hope they don’t try to look through those frayed curtains. Why wouldn’t they though? They’re searching for criminals. Our cars. Goddamn. Of course: our cars are on the road.

  Two flashlights search every inch of the window. Slowly, I scoot us to the middle of the bed. Nadine begins to squirm, confused and half asleep, so I cover her mouth and say, “They’re here.”

  A bright ray finds the lower left of the window, right where the moths have feasted on the fabric. Squinting, I study the beam and how it dances over the empty sheet.

  “Breathe,” I tell my innocent girl. She hasn’t exhaled since I told her. ‘They can’t hear you breathe, okay? You need air, baby.”

  She nods, a slow movement I register with her still in my arms.

  The light shifts to Bear’s window. I don’t remember the state of their curtains. Are they intact? Bear is big. He might not have room to move the two of them away from the window and still be on the bed.

  My heart clenches and releases in fast, syncopated beats. Outside, they talk again. They must have rounded the corner from Bear’s bedroom, heading up front to the porch.

  The porch! Did we straighten it out?

  Of course we did. We kept walking in and out, grabbing stuff… Or at least the girls did? I’m not going to ask Nadine. She’s so scared her hands are cold around my neck.

  Knock, knock.

  There it is. Doomsday.

  Knock, knock. “It’s the police. Open up.”

  “Crap,” Bear mutters on the other side of our wall.

  We get up. I turn the light on. Hand Nadine a skirt I find in her backpack. I want to say, “I’m sorry—I’m sorry—I’m so sorry.”

  “Just a moment!” I call out.

  I’m first into the living room. I’m the only one who deserves this confrontation. Dad has imprinted in me that if the police don’t have a search warrant, they can’t rifle through private property. I’d like to hide my friends in Bear’s closet, behind the bags of party evidence.

  Before I open, I backtrack to Bear’s bedroom. Open the door ajar and ignore Liza who turns her back to me, half-dressed. “Guys, let me do the talking.” Bear frowns because it’s out of character for me. Still, he bobs out his uncertain agreement.

  “Did you hear that?” I ask Nadine too. She’s holding onto the doorframe, mouth pressed against the wood as she waits.

  “Yeah.”

  Knock, knock. More insistent this time.

  “Coming,” I say, and then I open. There they are, four men. Four? Isn’t that a lot for a middle-of-the-night patrol over a cabin break-in?

  It’s not a sheriff I know or any of his minions, but by the uniforms and guns on their hips, there’s no doubt what they are.

  “Mornin’.” I make my voice groggy. “How can I help you?”

  “Okay, let’s start out with some IDs, here,” the small, middle-aged one in the front mutters. “You’re clearly under-aged. What are you doing out here in the woods? Are your parents with you?”

  He looks past me and zeroes in on one friend at a time. I turn enough to register Bear’s polite greeting and the girls’ wave of a hand.

  “No, sir, they’re not. We’re here celebrating our high-school graduation, just the four of us.”

  “Do your parents know?” Bushy eyebrows lower with concern.

  “Absolutely, sir. In fact, a few of us had to borrow money to rent this shack,” Liza pipes up in a bright voice. At the corner of my eye, I see Bear tug on her hand as if trying to make her shut up.

  A low sound vibrates beneath his moustache, but then he clears his throat, serious again. “All right, well. Can we come in?”

  “Sure.” I make a small mi-casa-es-su-casa gesture with an arm.

  “There’s been a break-in at the Worchester property. You know anything about it?” He steps inside, followed by his colleagues, all sets of eyes taking in the room. They fan out, their spokesperson piercing us with a stare as he examines the worn-down, Spartan yet spotless kitchen.

  I open my mouth to tell him we don’t when Liza cuts in before me. “Is that where the alarm came from? That thing was freaking loud! Sorry,” she covers her mouth innocently, like she can’t believe she spoke out of turn.

  My scalp freezes in goosebumps, and I don’t even know where to go from here.

  “That sound stopped abruptly though. Do you know what happened?” Nadine asks, voice low and sweet, and if it weren’t for years in closets under stairways, I would have gasped out loud. My guilt must be painted on me in thick, black layers.

  The leader guy doesn’t look at me though. No, he looks from Liza to Nadine, both of whose eyes sparkle. I never realized how long Liza’s eyelashes are. Now it’s like she’s waving with them. What the heck?

  “Well, the alarm was dismantled. By pros,” he adds in a serious tone.

  “Oh no!” Liza stares at Bear, fear making her eyes glitter even more. He plays along and takes her hand in his, patting it soothingly. Nadine reacts too, scooting closer to me. I tuck her to my side.

  “Are they dangerous?” Nadine whispers. “Could they… hurt someone?”

  “We don’t believe so, no. They’ve already fled the scene. I apologize—we do have to see those IDs now. And do you mind if my men take a look around?”

  “Of course not. Anything we can do to help. Oh goodness, you don’t think they’d be hiding around here, do you?” Liza bites her lip anxiously, and Bear mumbles something low in response.

  “Shh, Liza. Don’t worry.” Nadine’s voice is so sweet it’s warm Georgia peach pie and whipped cream. Speak like that to me and I’ll go through fire. “If those thieves are here, th
e law will find them, okay? They’re professionals, and they’ve got weapons. We’re safer here with them than back at home, I bet.”

  I dare a glance at our main guy. Does he see through them? He’s studying our IDs now, handing them back one by one with a small smile under his moustache.

  “Oh we’ll find them. Don’t you worry, Miss. That’s what we’re here for, to make sure people like yourselves are safe.” He tilts his head at the bedrooms, pointing at different officers. They oblige, and Liza scurries after on bare toes.

  “Sorry, officer—it’s a bit of a mess in there.” She lets out an embarrassed giggle, and I see her back as she gathers clothes from the floor. She’s not going to the closet, is she?

  That’s the sound of the closet opening!

  Bear manages one step in the direction of his bedroom before the same door slams shut again.

  “Better,” Liza says. “Whoa, we just didn’t think we’d have visitors.”

  “My girlfriend’s a neat freak,” Bear says to the officer who’s still with us in the living room. The guy strokes away yellow bangs that look too young for a policeman.

  “I’ve got one of those at home too.” He smiles fondly. “The missus. She sure knows how to keep the house immaculate.”

  “I hear you,” my eighteen-year-old buddy says. “That’s my future, right there. Any house with that one will be immaculate.” He tips his head in Liza’s direction. She emerges, legitimately flushed, because wow, that was close.

  I still can’t believe my own ears when Liza quips, “Don’t look in the closet!” and gets the answer, “No, Ma’am,” from an amused officer.

  The sun has risen by the time they leave. They’re from Accreton, two towns south from us, and that’s where the mighty Worchester family lives. By the sound of it, their alarm system goes straight to the sheriff’s station. I feel my shoulders hike up high, my chest filling with air as I watch them leave.

  I’m in the doorway with Bear next to me. We’re filling it. But in front of us stand our heroines: Liza with her half-cropped white locks, a head shorter than Nadine with her long, brown hair. They wave after the police officers. The youngest of the men, the one with the neat-freak wife, turns and waves back, his lip quirking in friendly acknowledgment. We don’t move until they’ve disappeared from view.

  Bear turns to me, cheeks blown up behind pursed lips.

  “Whoa,” I say as he exhales.

  “Damn” is his verdict.

  “Saved by the belles?” I zoom in on our southern belles. I don’t even realize at first that my head moves from side to side with incredulity.

  Nadine pirouettes slowly, meeting my eyes. Liza bounces forward, jumps into Bear’s arms, and gets carried inside. But Nadine and I just stare at each other. She bites her lip, which sort of spellbinds me.

  “That was wild.”

  “You’re welcome.” Nadine is so cocky.

  “No, really. You girls are naturals.”

  “It was nothing special. Men like women, and we played into it.” She tips her chin up like this is common knowledge. Do guys get duped on a daily basis by girls like Liza and Nadine?

  We’ve all been on high alert for a long time, and now that the danger is over, my blood is getting replaced with slush. I’m in the middle of a dreamy blink when Nadine puts her arms around me.

  “You surprised me,” I sigh, and she leans her forehead against my shoulder. The sun hits me in the eyes, which feels strange when my body wants it to be bedtime. “You know what’s funny?”

  “What?” the girl I don’t deserve asks.

  “The sun didn’t get the memo.”

  “What memo?”

  “That bedtime was postponed, and now is when it really begins.”

  I’ve never been fascinated by the color pink before. In three weeks, I turn eighteen, and I guess there’s a time for everything.

  I know I’m late. Not a late bloomer, just late, but in my defense, my schedule’s been damn full of my “overprotective” father. I’m not one to share my crap with everyone though, so not even Bear knows I’ve never had sex.

  Nadine wears pink pajamas bottoms with white rabbits on them. She dons a matching tank top with thin straps linked over her shoulders. I don’t ask why she didn’t wear that when we fake-went to bed earlier. All I know is it’s more alluring than any lingerie I’ve seen on the internet. Geez, Nadine just might be the sexiest girl in the world, and I’m the only one who knows.

  Our flimsy curtains don’t block out the morning sun. It yellows the room, and I’m warm, warmer when she tangles our legs together, soft fabric brushing over us and her knee nudging and making sure I’m receptive.

  I didn’t drink much last night, but the last twenty-four hours are seeping into my muscles, a deadening, doped-out feeling. “Can I kiss you?”

  “Of course...”

  “I wanted so much for us tonight.” My voice is husky, but she shushes me. With an eye half-open, I register her pointing at the wall dividing us from our friends. I bob my head. “You know it was supposed to be us tonight.”

  “It is now,” she whispers back, kissing me. I groan a little, because we’re not on stolen time. There aren’t just minutes until we have to leave each other to go to different places.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m so sleepy,” she breathes, the sweetest sound.

  “Sleep, baby. Then...”

  “Then?” I hear her smile.

  “Then, who knows.”

  She’s curled against me when I wake up. My head and eyes are still drowsy. The rest of me is not. Nadine and I are wedged close, and lumberjacks would be proud of the wood I’m sporting.

  I stroke hair away from the nape of her neck. It makes her stir. A quick glance at my watch confirms that we’ve slept for three hours max. Just, I’m heart-poundingly awake with my instrument of doom.

  Next door, Bear and Liza are dead to the world. Not a creak reaches us through the wall.

  My resolution is to let Nadine sleep. After what I put her through yesterday, after how she saved the day, I’m not going to wake her up. I’ll just kiss her neck. One little peck at the base, here, right at the indentation beneath her collarbone. Have I kissed her here before?

  She lets out a breath. I still.

  When her breathing evens, I lower my head to the pillow behind her and close my eyes. Then I spoon her.

  Spooning is an awesome invention. Wow, you get so close to the person you love, with every surface molding to each other’s. We share warmth, scents, and even our breathing works in unison.

  It’s not my intention, but my hips sort of thrust forward on their own. Mentally, I curse myself, but I seem to find her ridge and glide against it. The first time I couldn’t help. It wasn’t me. It was just my deadly device talking my hips into it. The second time there’s no lying. That was all me working with it, because damn that felt good.

  I’ve got my arms around her, one under her body and one over her stomach. A small hand finds mine. I loosen my grip, because that hand has plans I’ll agree with. She takes me under her top and leaves my palm over a boob. The way it forms to my fingers is familiar, amazing, but my pulse races with possibilities we haven’t explored yet.

  “You should sleep.” My lips touch the soft shell of Nadine’s ear. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Instead of listening, she wiggles closer.

  “I’ll hold you, and we’ll sleep?” I hope she says no. Because—

  Rock-hard calamities ready to detonate.

  I want this to be special and something to remember for her.

  “Mm, I don’t think you’ll let me sleep anyway. Plus, I like this.”

  Jitters.

  A girl’s first time is a big deal. Me, I’ll be damn happy no matter what. Hell, I’m already stoked in all senses of the word, but do I know enough
to make her happy? It looks easy on the internet!

  Nadine slides out of my embrace, sinking to her back. With messy brown lengths fanned out, she’s pretty much the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

  How did we end up in this situation? Oh right: I’m weak and self-indulgent, and it’s why I allow myself to be in love with her.

  What if I mess up?

  “We’ve been together for five months. I’m eighteen, and you’ll be eighteen in a few weeks. Isn’t it time we... You know?” She blushes.

  Oh god, all this stuff fills my chest, good stuff that’s not dark and weighty. I can’t believe she’s here with me.

  “Seriously? And here I was being a gentleman this whole time.” My voice is smooth and low and sexy, totally like in movies. I draw a lazy circle around her cheekbone. It causes her to giggle, so I continue my path up to the fine skin of an eyelid.

  She blinks slowly. “Mm, give me your best shot, babe.”

  “Best shot?” I burst out and instantly regret my volume; I really don’t want Bear or Liza to rise and shine right now, because I’m all adrenaline, testosterone, and whatever those other things are called that packs a dude full of action and stage nerves. “Oh I’ll give you a shot, all right.”

  The weird thing is I’m scared. Weirder is that there’s nothing I want more. It’s like being sucked toward a rollercoaster by crazy strong magnets.

  I stretch from the bed in search of my backpack. The room is so small I can almost touch the door. It only takes me seconds to locate the brand new pack of condoms in the front pocket.

  I’ve practiced—I wasn’t going to look like a newbie when the time came—but this particular box doesn’t even want to be opened.

  “Here, gimme,” Nadine says.

  I turn. She has removed all of her clothes?

  “What just happened? I wanted to undress you,” I whisper, but then I see her and lunge. She’s in my arms. Under me. Nadine laughs softly, absorbing my kisses and letting me touch her everywhere. Ah it’s how I discover how much I love pink.

  It’s self-explanatory. It’s duh, yet somehow I hadn’t considered it; Nadine has places that never see the sun. These places are so silky my hands can’t stop gliding over them, and I want to caress and probe. I want to taste these places. The higher I move, the pinker, the more I need to get my mouth on her, so finally I do. I kiss her at her pinkest center, and Nadine jolts like she’s in pain.