Hardcore: Volume 2 Read Online Free PDF Page A

don’t want to be a part of it.”
    Jade shrugged. “More cash for us.” She folded her arms across her chest.
    “More cash for you. I’ll tell you how to get in and out, but I’m not going with you.”
    She laughed, the sound joyless. “Fuck you. You’re coming with me.”
    Anger flared, but I held onto control. “I’ll give you what you want. Why make me do this? You don’t need me to hack in, you can get one of your ‘connections’ to do it. So why? Just to make me miserable?”
    “I can’t say that’s not a motivator, but no. I don’t trust you, Cory, so you’re coming with me. If you set me up, you go down too. You won’t touch the painting, and you won’t go without me.”
    The answer was no surprise. I’d known what she’d say before I asked. I took a breath and let it out slow. “Then that’s that.”
    She crossed her legs as her horrible smile stretched wider. “You’re awfully accommodating today. How’s your head?” she asked, half laughing.  
    “Great. Feeling like a million bucks,” I deadpanned.
    “Or fifteen.” Jade was amused, shaking her head. “God, you are such a fucking sucker. I can’t believe you thought you’d actually put me on the ground.”
    “My mistake. I forgot you weren’t human for a second there.”
    Her eyes narrowed again, and she assessed me. “So you’re really not going to put up a fight?”
    “Would it do me any good?”  
    “Not this time.”
    “Didn’t think so.” I laid my palms on the table, hearing the hardness in my voice as I leaned toward her. “But I’ll tell you this, Jade. You lay another finger on me, and I’ll break it. Touch my sister, and I will fucking kill you.”
    She leaned forward, not afraid at all, which was her mistake. She should have been terrified. “Don’t fuck up and I won’t have a reason to.”
    I contemplated hitting her. It would feel so good to hurt her, to take all of my pain and give it back to her. But it wouldn’t change anything. There was no reasoning with someone who existed at that level of crazy.  
    That, and I didn’t know if I could stop myself once I got the best of her.
    She didn’t wait for a response from me. “When are we going for it? I need to coordinate with Sammy and Trevor for the drop.”
    “Who are these guys?”
    “Just a couple of fences that have contacts with master fences. They said they can sell the piece, but I need to set up the drop. So when’s it going to be?”
    There was only one time I knew he wouldn’t be home. “He’s got a show day after tomorrow, at night.” One I was supposed to go to. But I’d never see him again.  
    “That’s it, then. How do we get in?”
    “You’ll need to pick the lock on his door. I’ve got the rest.” My stomach churned at the thought of breaking in, and I swallowed hard.
    “Good. We’ll figure out the details tomorrow with Jace.”
    “Have you told them who I am?”
    “Why does it matter?”
    “Because I don’t want to get involved with these fences. That’s my other condition. I’ve stayed out of that part of the job for this long, and I’m not about to start now. Not with this job.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
    I nodded and turned for my bedroom.
    “Glad you came around,” she called after me. “Smartest thing you ever did.”

    I sat on my bed among stacks of laundry late that afternoon, doing my best to be productive. I’d washed five loads, not even realizing I had that many clothes or that it had been so long since I’d done laundry. One of the best things about living in the industrial space was that we had our own washer and dryer, which in New York was practically mythological.
    My phone buzzed in my pocket again. I hadn’t looked the last three times it had gone off, afraid it was him. I pulled it out of my pocket, intending to put it on my nightstand, but when I saw his messages on my lock screen, I couldn’t help myself.
    3:24: Please, talk to me. I’m not ready to walk away from you,