Chapter Text
“She’s cute.”
Jade, controlled as ever, did not react. “I suppose,” he said after a beat.
Floyd’s smile was sharp. “You don’t buy books for just anyone, JJ.” He put the car in gear and set out for the freeway. “’Sides, I saw how you were looking at her when she broke that guy’s hand.”
Jade’s lips parted enough to allow a smooth chuckle. “Is it so wrong to enjoy that? I believe you had a similar reaction.”
“Nah.” Floyd palmed the 48-ounce cup of limited edition cherry limeade Slurpee adorning the cup holder and sucked down enough of it to give himself another brain freeze. “Gahh, fuck.”
“You are going to rot your teeth.”
Floyd squinted through his headache and made a disgusting show of flossing his tongue between several of his teeth in response.
“How unbecoming.”
“hOw UnBeCoMiNg,” Floyd repeated mockingly. “Whatever, mom.”
Jade trusted him to drive well enough, so he returned his focus to the outside world zipping by at the speed of sugar-high-Floyd miles per hour. He rested his chin on his knuckles. Today’s job would be routine enough by their standards. He wondered whether it would be too forward of him to pay her a visit in another week or so. Perhaps he should think of another gift. Something not too extravagant, but not too personal just yet.
Jade was mulling this over still as his brother was wrenching open the safe with a crowbar.
“I could have opened it for you,” Jade said primly as he paged through the documents on the desk.
“No way, you’re on a date in your own head.” Floyd nearly snapped the crowbar before the door gave way, but he managed it. “This is more fun, anyway.”
Abruptly, there was a key in the door, the lock clicked, and a man was stepping into his office. His surprised gaze landed on Floyd, then Jade, then Floyd again. He was frozen for several seconds. Then he tried to run.
Jade loved it when they tried to run.
He leapt over the desk and grabbed the man’s shoulders, throwing him backwards into the center of the room. Floyd caught him and wrestled him into a chair and a gag before he had time to scream.
“You plotting your next move?” Floyd asked as he continued rifling through the safe.
“Planning, dear brother. Plotting is for other things.”
Floyd held up a fistful of rubies gleaming like blood against his pale fingers. “Girls like jewelry, right?”
“I think that would be going a bit too far at this point.” Jade wrenched the man’s arms tighter behind his back, his screams coming out as thin whines through the gag in his mouth. “For the second time, then, where is the other safe?”
“You never asked him the first time,” Floyd called. “Hey, there’s gold in here, too! Zuzu’s gonna love that.”
“Oh, didn’t I?” Jade shrugged, but he did not release his grip. “I do apologize, sir. I find myself distracted today.”