Free Hardcore: Volume 2 by Staci Hart

to celebrate him, saw him staying up all night with the police, staring at his ceiling, unable to sleep after someone had violated his home. I wondered how violated he’d feel if he knew it was me.
    I took a breath. “I hope he’s okay.”
    “He will be, and so will you.”
    Morgan laughed from the kitchen, and Erin smiled. “Jade isn’t here or no one would be laughing.”
    I chuckled, but my smile slipped away. “I’ve got to tell them what happened.”
    Erin sat and nodded. “Better now than when Jade’s here.” She stood and walked to her dresser to dig out leggings for herself and clothes for me, tossing them on the bed. “Let’s get something to eat and you can spill.”
    I shrugged on a loose, black tank. “I’m so over it, Erin. Fucking for real. Morgan is going to lose her shit.”
    “Probably,” she said, hanging a hand on her hip as she waited for me to pull on sleep shorts and get out of bed. “This is all going to be over eventually, but it’s like an earthquake. You’re dealing with aftershocks. Just keep hanging on.”
    I tried to smile, and she didn’t ask me for more agreement than that as she opened the door. We made our way to the kitchen where Cher and Morgan sat at the table over sandwiches. Their faces tightened at the sight of me, and Cher stood and met me halfway with a hug.
    “Are you okay?” she asked into my hair.
    “I will be.”
    She backed away and looked up at me with velvety brown eyes. “Want a bite to eat?”
    I nodded, and Cher patted my arm, turning for the kitchen. Erin and I sat on the bench at the table, exchanging glances as Morgan leaned on the surface.
    “What happened?” Worry creased her brow.
    “We got the painting, and when we made the drop, they gave us a fraction of what they promised Jade and Jace.”  
    “Oh my God.” Cher had spun around and was staring.
    “Yup.” I nodded. “They pulled a gun on us, and one of them put Jace on his ass. For a minute …” My eyes slipped out of focus, remembering the feeling of standing there with our lives in limbo. I blinked it away. “I don’t know. For a second, I didn’t know if we’d make it out. The whole thing was stupid. It was a stupid risk for a stupid price.”
    Morgan shook her head. “Except you’re really the only one who paid.”
    “Well, it’s over now. Have you seen her yet?”
    “She wasn’t here when we got up. We’ve been hanging around all morning waiting for you to wake up so we could find out how it went.”
    “It was a shit show. But we got in and out of Van’s without any trouble.” I sighed and looked down at the wood grain of the table. “Walking into his apartment with Jade last night was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever done. There’s no coming back from that.”
    “Not true.” Erin glanced at me, looking tentative.
    I folded my arms on the table and shook my head. “Pretty sure it’s completely true.”
    “You could always return the painting.”
    I snorted. “Right, sure.”
    “I’m serious, Cor, I haven’t stopped thinking about this, and now that the job is done, everything has changed.” she pressed. “Look, I respected your wishes, even though I didn’t agree. Now we have an option.   Jade fucked up, Jace fucked up. You got fucked. So take it back and tell him the truth.”
    “Because it’s that easy.” I gaped at her. “I don’t doubt that they would have shot all three of us in that parking lot last night if we’d even considered fighting back. And you’re suggesting that I singlehandedly break into a warehouse guarded by thugs, steal a multi-million dollar painting, and then what? Knock on Van’s door and be like, ‘Here’s that Rothko back. Sorry I stole it from you. Kiss me.’”
    “I know it’s dangerous—”
    “No, it’s stupid. And it’s pointless.”
    “You don’t have to do it alone. I’ll help you get it back.”
    Morgan and Cher exchanged a look before turning to me. “We’re in, too,” Morgan