Impossibly Possible Page 3

  Kenzie’s jaw dropped halfway through this so-called brilliant plan. She stared at Taylor, waiting for her to start laughing because it was a joke. She narrowed her eyes and shifted to the wall then back to Taylor in utter shock. “Oh, my God, you’ve officially lost your mind.”

  Taylor flinched. “Wait, what? It’s brilliant.”

  “Brilliant? Are you insane?”

  Kenzie jumped up from the couch, pacing around the room frantically, jerking back to face her friend who’d obviously lost all common sense. “You wanna steal money from a man who runs an illegal fight club, which by the way, is probably funded by men who are probably on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ list. Then you want to lure Drew out of hiding with the promise of cash?” She widened her eyes in disbelief. “Cash that you stole, and somehow get him to just come with you to the bail bondsman. That’s your plan?”

  “Okay, I know…”

  “It’s crazy! It’s fucking absurd.” She threw her hands above her head. “No, no way am I being part of this.” Kenzie rarely shouted, but this situation called for it. Taylor had absolutely lost her mind.

  “Okay, just calm down. I never intended you to be a part of it, Kenzie. This is my shit, and I won’t drag you into it, I promise.”

  Kenzie scoffed. “Wake up, Taylor, I am in it. Smacked down right in the middle of it.”

  “If I leave now…”

  Kenzie snapped. “No. You are not leaving.” She immediately started in on her middle finger, gnawing on the cuticle as she walked to the love seat and sat down. “There’s got to be another way. Stealing and running can’t be the best option.”

  Taylor shrugged. “I’m up for suggestions.”

  “I’ll loan it to you. I have money.”

  “Not twelve thousand.” Taylor got up from the couch and seated herself next to Kenzie on the love seat. Their thighs pressed against one another before a soft hand landed on her back.

  “Look, I’ll be safe and smart.”

  Kenzie snorted, shaking her head. There was nothing safe or smart about this situation or the intended plan.

  “I’ll pay the money back. As soon as Drew is in custody, I’ll return the cash. Two days tops. In that time, yeah, maybe they’ll figure out who swiped it and come looking for me, but I’ll be smart. I won’t get caught.”

  This was stupid. Of course, she would get caught. Taylor was impulsive, she had no sense of patience or waiting for the exact time to make her move. That’s where Kenzie came in—she was usually the voice of reason, the one to convince her best friend to let shit play out and wait until the right moment. It was what made them work. Of course, none of their foolish schemes and plots had ever been this dangerous or risky.

  “When are we doing this?”

  Taylor shook her head and opened her mouth, but Kenzie cut her off. “We either do this together or not at all.”

  Taylor’s eyes flickered over her face. She was probably evaluating how serious Kenzie was. There was no way she would bail on her best friend. It wasn’t the good times which defined a friendship. It was how the bad were handled.

  “Friday night.”

  “Okay. But we are giving that money back, Taylor. No shopping sprees. It’s not ours, and we will do the right thing.” She dropped her face into her hands and mumbled, “The right thing. That’s a joke.”

  “It may be crazy, but it’ll work, and I promise, I will return the money, maybe even before they realize it’s gone. It’s my only option.”

  Her elbows rested on her knees, her chin in her palms. Her only option? It couldn’t be, there had to be something else they could do. Unfortunately, Kenzie didn’t know what. She knew that if she didn’t go along with this plan, Taylor would do it alone.

  Taylor leaned closer, resting her head next to Kenzie’s. “I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

  “As long as neither one of us gets killed or jail time, I’m in.”

  Taylor burst out laughing. “Famous last words.”

  »»•««

  Bogs stopped mid-step and looked up the staircase. The building was old, with the character of construction from the sixties. The staircase was wide open. He leaned over the railing and peered up. He couldn’t see her, but the heavy footsteps were an indication she was running to her apartment. The echoing of her heels, then the slamming of the door made him laugh.

  Run, little liar.

  “Let’s go, man.”

  Bogs continued down the stairs following behind his brothers. That was quite the show Mackenzie Sutton gave them. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen someone stumble over a lie as badly as she had. Kenzie.

  He thought her driver’s license picture was hot, the real thing standing in front of him was possibly the most stunning girl he’d ever seen.

  “What did the lady say, last door on the right?” T asked when the made it to the main floor.

  “Yeah,” Stone answered as he walked to the back of the building. He glanced over his shoulder at Bogs. “Fucking Casanova.”

  Bogs chuckled. “What? She’s beautiful. I couldn’t resist. You see the way she squirmed?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Damn, that face, right?”

  “Not here to get you laid, man.”

  Bogs snorted. “As if I’ve ever needed your help getting laid. Got that covered, man.”

  T stopped at the door, pausing. “Keep your fucking focus on the job, not pussy.”

  Bogs chuckled. “Says the man who…”

  T stepped into Bogs, bumping his chest. “Shut the fuck up, man. If you mention my wife and the word pussy, I’ll beat the shit out you.”

  Bogs smirked. “You beat my ass and baker girl won’t be giving up…” He paused knowing better than to tease him too much. “Anything to you. Your women love me. Like it or not, they won’t take kindly to you picking on the little brother.”

  “And you fucking feed off that, don’t ya.” Stone rolled his eyes.

  He had a great relationship with both their wives, Sadie and Cassie. Being the last single man of the Garrison brothers, the women seemed to dote on him. And Bogs let them.

  T ignored Bogs and knocked on the door. A man he assumed was the Super, answered the door, cautiously eyeing the trio. He took a step back. The three brothers together always got that same reaction. Fear.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Fix the fucking elevator,” T barked.

  The man flinched. “Uh, do you live here?”

  “No, I don’t fucking live here. If I did that elevator would have worked months ago. You get it fixed. If you don’t, I’ll be back, and trust me—you don’t want me coming back.” T growled and started down the hall. Stone followed but not before giving the man a warning glare.

  Bogs laughed, gaining the attention of the Super. “Get it done, man. That guy is no joke. You don’t want to see him mad.”

  He leaned out the door, watching T and Stone. “He looks mad now.”

  “Exactly. You don’t want us coming back. Have a nice day.” Bogs walked down the hall and through the door smiling.

  They made their way to the truck and filed in. Bogs took the back seat and immediately fired up his laptop. They had found their mark and knew where she was hiding out. The assignment would be handed back to Trent and Declan as it was theirs. However, Bogs was intrigued about how Kenzie had gotten herself into this mess, and another piece of information her neighbor leaked had his fingers tapping over the keyboard in a mad frenzy.

  “Whatcha looking for?”

  “The ex.” He pulled up the court documents within seconds. He scrolled down the names until reaching M. Sutton. The restraining order was standard. He read the report. Her ex-boyfriend hadn’t laid a hand on her, but he’d roughed up her place causing damage. He saved the file. He might have to revisit it soon and make sure he was staying away from Kenzie. A heated flare of possession ripped at his chest.

  “What? Trent’s got that intel. Fucker’s on the run.”

  Bogs closed his laptop. “Not Ta
ylor’s ex.”

  Stone turned around in the passenger seat and twisted his lips in a mocking smile. “You’re fucking kidding me, right? That chick’s ex, that who you are looking up? Damn, Bogs, can’t you meet a girl at a fucking bar like the rest of Texas?”

  Bogs furrowed his brows. “You serious right now, man? You want me to take dating advice from you?”

  T chuckled. “The little shit has got ya there, brother.”

  Stone had met his wife Sadie when he practically kidnapped her, and T was only slightly better in that he was undercover, banging Cassie’s roommate when he met his wife. The stories these two would have to tell their grandkids would need to be seriously altered. However, given even the most unconventional way of meeting, once they met their future wives, they were done.

  Bogs’ phone rang.

  “Hey, man.”

  “How’s it going?” Trent asked.

  “Good, we got your girl.”

  Trent laughed. “My girl? You mean Taylor. God help the man that makes that woman ‘his girl.’”

  Bogs had to agree with Trent. Taylor was trouble. The girl hadn’t been in trouble with the law until now, which was almost surprising considering the company she kept. It seemed she had a type. Mainly prison bound.

  “She’s at her friend’s. Just made contact with Kenzie, she’s covering for her.”

  “Kenzie?”

  “Yeah, Mackenzie Sutton, goes by Kenzie. We got eyes on their place now. How do you want to play it?”

  “Dec and I’ll head down now. Got the tracer on her phone, as long as she doesn’t lose it, we got her. Hasn’t left the building in a week. She’s gotta be plotting. Sooner or later, she’s got to come out, and when she does, we’ll get her.”

  “What do you need from us?”

  “Nothing right now. Would appreciate you guys being on standby though.”

  “You got it, man. Later.”

  “Later.”

  He hung up and gave the info to his brothers. They were heading back to their office downtown. Two more requests came into Garrison Securities, and they needed to handle it. He may not be watching her, but the thought of sweet Kenzie Sutton was taking up space in his mind. He’d get more on her and go from there. It had been a long time since a girl had caught his eye the way this green-eyed beauty had. There was something about her. An innocence that most women his age lacked. If the blush on her face was an indication, she was not only innocent but possibly inexperienced. Some men would balk at that. Not Bogs, he was intrigued.

  Chapter Three

  The last few days since their plan was formed had been quiet. Taylor lay low, secluded in the one bedroom apartment, growing more stir crazy each passing minute. Kenzie couldn’t be sure, but she had the sneaking suspicion Taylor had ventured out once or twice while she was at work, though she never copped to it.

  She took on the responsibility of prison warden and worked from home for two days. Being a network analyst for a large communications company gave her the freedom to work from home when necessary. That lasted two days. By the third, she was back in her hybrid office catching up on two days of work. Trying to work with a bored Taylor was what she imagined dealing with a two-year-old must be like.

  Are you almost done? Is it break time yet? What are you working on? It sounds boring. When do you break for lunch? How do you work like this? You seriously work the full eight hours? By the end of day two, Kenzie was ready to strangle Taylor. She sympathized with her friend. Being cooped up in her small place was driving her crazy, too. But it would be all over soon, and hopefully, they’d still both be breathing.

  Kenzie wasn’t sold on the plan Taylor had concocted. There had to be an alternative route they could take, a safer and legal way to get her best friend cleared and out of the shit storm Drew dragged her into. When she heard the entire story from Taylor, she realized there was a Plan B—she just needed Taylor to go for it.

  It was Friday morning, and the plan was set for tonight. She had spent the last thirty minutes getting ready for work while plotting a way to talk Taylor out of her scheme for the night. This was her last-ditch effort to abort what she had deemed their “suicide mission” and come up with something new.

  Kenzie made her way to the corner chair in her living room. She stared intently at her best friend waiting for her to look up from her phone. She had made the couch her bed since the apartment was a one bedroom. Taylor’s meager belongings covered her small living room.

  She must have known she was being watched. Her head jerked up.

  “What?”

  “I need the whole story,” Kenzie insisted.

  “I told you.”

  “Tell me again.”

  Taylor rolled her eyes and slouched onto the couch where she had been sitting. “Okay, well, Drew got picked up for an unregistered car and suspended license.”

  Kenzie narrowed her eyes. “Taylor.”

  Taylor sighed. “He may have had some drugs on him, too. Anyway, they locked him up, so I reached out to the bail bonds guy, and I co-signed the bond. He was scheduled for court a few days later, but he never showed. Now, these pricks have been on my ass for the past two weeks.” Taylor folded her arms. “It’s bullshit, I was trying to help that douche out, and this is what I get. Fuck him, and fuck those pricks, I’m not paying.”

  Oh, she would pay. Kenzie didn’t know too much about posting a bond, but she did know someone had to pay it back, and from what Taylor just told her, her best friend was that person. She refrained from saying “I told you so.” Hearing it wouldn’t help Taylor.

  “What did the bail bondsman say?”

  Taylor snorted and twisted her lips. “He said I signed the contract and I am responsible for paying it back. I could lose my friggin’ car, Kenzie.” She shook her head, huffing. “The jerk actually set up a payment plan, can you believe that?” She pushed up from the couch. “I’m not paying it.”

  “So, that’s why they’re after you?”

  “Basically.”

  “You realize you are legally bound to pay it, right? I mean, Tay, you signed on to be a co-signer, promising to pay the money back if he didn’t show.”

  “I didn’t know he wasn’t going to show.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You signed for him.”

  Taylor scowled, narrowing her brows. “I’m. Not. Paying.”

  “You have to.”

  “It’s bullshit!”

  “No, it’s called being an adult. You signed it. He didn’t show, now you gotta pay the money back.” Kenzie sighed. “Look, I’ll help you, okay? I’m sure I have enough money in savings to cover the payments for a while. In the meantime, we can look for Drew. Have you tried talking to the bonds guy?”

  “Trent?” She scoffed. “No, he’s an asshole. When I explained my situation, you know what he said to me?” Taylor scowled, and her face shaded to pink. “He said I should make better choices in men in the future. That signing for someone with a rap sheet like Drew’s was foolish in the first place, and maybe I should think long and hard before putting someone else’s needs in front of my wellbeing. Then he said my inability to make smart choices was not his responsibility.” She ran her hand through her hair sharply. Angry was a perfect word to describe Taylor. “See, total asshole.”

  Kenzie clamped her lips together. If she dared to say anything right now, it would only start a fight with her best friend. Truthfully, this Trent guy hit the nail on the head. He wasn’t being an asshole, he was being accurate and calling her out. Everything he said to her was on point.

  “Can I say something?”

  Taylor cocked her brow. “Not if you’re gonna agree with him.”

  Kenzie sat silently, eyeing her best friend. What else could she say? This Trent guy was right. She stood up and walked over to where Taylor stood. She had about three inches on Kenzie.

  “I think we should call Trent and see if he can work with you to find Drew. I mean, have you even talked about helping him find Drew? I assume h
e’d rather get Drew and be done with this than see you pay and have this go on.”

  “No, he wouldn’t. Like I said, he’s an asshole.” She turned around and walked into the kitchen. “Douchebag probably gets off on it. He’s laughing his ass off at me. Stupid girl falling for Drew’s bullshit, just to have him up and leave me with this mess. He probably thinks I got what I deserved.” Taylor’s words trailed off into a whisper.

  Kenzie sighed. That wasn’t what he thought, that was what Taylor thought. About herself. It was her way of admitting she fucked up by falling for yet another asshole that left her with his shit to clean up. The vibe in the room shifted from anger to self-pity. It was hard to admit being wrong, especially for someone like Taylor, who spent her entire childhood being told everything she did was wrong. Unfortunately, when she got free, she went wild and made catastrophic mistakes. Taylor was misunderstood by most people. They took her confidence for arrogance. It wasn’t. If ever there was a girl who faked it, it was Taylor. Only the lucky ones, the rare few she let in, like Kenzie, got to see who she really was, a woman with a big heart, fierce loyalty and unfortunately, a poor choice in men.

  “Look, if you don’t want to do this thing tomorrow night, that’s fine, Kenzie. Hell, I don’t want to get you more involved than you already are with this.”

  Kenzie smiled and reached out pulling Taylor’s arm to her and embracing her. She was a hugger, stemming back to when she was a kid. Kenzie’s dad was big on hugging. She felt Taylor’s body relax slightly and her hands on her back.

  “I’m in, Taylor. I got your back. Always.” She stepped back but kept her hands on her best friend’s arms. “You made a mistake, and we’ll fix it. But you are not, nor have you ever, been stupid. You hear me?”

  Taylor nodded. Kenzie had the distinct feeling Taylor was merely appeasing her. Of course, she felt stupid. Spending years and years of having it ingrained in her head, eventually a person started to believe it. Damn her parents. They were the true assholes.