Page 33 of The Thief

“Well... you’re not at all what I thought you’d be.” That furrow only grew deeper as he tried to comprehend what I was saying.

I could feel Ava growing heavy on my lap. She was tired, so I cradled her as best I could to help her fall asleep and get a little reprieve from the nightmare we were in. Then I took a deep breath, ready to jump off the proverbial cliff.

“I might’ve lied earlier, when I said we’d never met.”

Tyler’s eyes fell to the floor as he tried to locate in some recess of his brain the memory of me, a woman called Jess with a little girl. Or just a woman. But I could tell from the confusion on his face, he couldn’t recall anything.

Why would he?

I’d been a girl myself when he’d last laid eyes on me.

He glanced back up at me.

“We’ve met before? You know me?” His eyes stayed locked on mine for what felt like the longest time until he shook his head. “How? I don’t remember.” Then, as if to make me feel better about his memory loss, he added, “Was it at the club? I meet so many people when I’m working, I sometimes forget.”

“No. Not the club.” I knew my next words would spark something in him. “You knew my dad... Alfie Porter.”

I realised that was a name that was etched into his brain. I could tell by the way his eyes grew wide. He didn’t need to think, becauseit all came flooding back to him, and he whipped his head around and said in a low voice so as not to alert the gunmen, “Alfie? You’re Alfie’s daughter...” And then an expression I couldn’t read cloaked his face as it dawned on him what that meant. “You’re Jessica Porter.”

We both stared at each other.

Neither of us said a word as I let the truth settle between us.

And then...

He laughed.

“Oh my god, you’re Jessica Porter,” he repeated. “You hated me.”

I was relieved he’d used the past tense.

“I didn’t hate you,” I replied feebly, feeling more than a little ashamed that he was actually right in what he said. Despite everything he’d done for us since we’d walked into this bank, and everything he did for my dad, there had been a time when I’d hated him. Okay. Maybe hate was too strong a word. Perhaps dislike was more appropriate. “I just didn’t know you,” I added, trying to dig myself out of a hole.

“Oh, you knew me all right. You told me so a few times.” He chuckled, then tilted his head in thought. “What was it again? I was a dirty thief, a low-life scumbag, or something along those lines.”

His grin was wicked. He knew he was taunting me.

“Well, obviously, I don’t think that now,” I said in a hushed voice, watching the men in the office as they filled bags with money from the security boxes.

“Don’t apologise.” Tyler smirked. “You had the measure of me back then. And you stood up for yourself. I liked that about you.”

“I was justprotective of my dad. He was always so kind. I didn’t like to think of anyone taking advantage of him.”

“I know. I felt the same. How is Alfie, by the way?”

I paused, wishing I didn’t have to give the answer that I did.

“He died two years ago. Cancer.”

Tyler’s face fell. He looked genuinely heartbroken.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. He was a good man. One of the best.”

“He was. We were glad he lived long enough to see Ava born and that he got to spend a bit of time with her.”

Tyler nodded, and we both peered down at a sleeping Ava.

“What do you think he’d say, if he was here right now?” Tyler asked, taking me aback.