Despite what he'd just done, Kit didn't dwell on it. He did what they needed to do to survive, to finally escape London and be free from its harsh walls. Now he knew that if he needed to use the gun again, he wouldn't hesitate to do so. Whether that made him a bad person or not, he didn't know, nor did he really care.

So long as they got out, nothing else really mattered.

Kit was surprised at just how easy it had been to shoot Matthew, to watch the life drain out of his eyes in seconds. He got the same hum of excitement in his body that he usually got after a job stealing a motorcar or a store. His body came alive in a way he'd never expected. That familiar itch returned to him, even after stealing Matthew's black Rolls Royce, and he knew it had nothing to do with stealing.

The thrill came from using the gun. It came from squeezing the trigger and finally doing something rather than sitting back and letting everything happen around him. Rob had sorted out the documents and the car. Emily had been quicker to react towards the police officers than he was. He'd spent so long committing petty thefts with the others, that he had always made himself out to be a hardened criminal. Now he was.

Shooting Matthew tightened the noose around his neck. There would be no backing out, not that he had planned to. It would be all or nothing until they got out of the damn city.

"What do we do now?" Emily asked, voicing the question Kit had yet to think of an answer to.

"We get out of here. They'll be looking for the motorcar, so we need to get as far away from the city as quickly as we can."

"Right." She paused. "I'm sorry I told you to go there. I never thought Matthew would betray us like that."

"People will do anything for money. I've seen it myself." Kit glanced at her. "Don't worry about it. We got away. That's all that matters."

Emily's stomach grumbled, a reminder that they hadn't eaten anything since the night before. All the food, blankets, and medical supplies Rob had given them were all in the other car, so they were heading out of the city with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the money he'd tucked into his jacket. The money was supposed to be for wherever they ended up, but they would need it sooner than that if they wanted to survive.

"We should get some food. Once we get out of the city, it might be a few hours until we can stop again," Kit said. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. The last thing he wanted to do was pull the motorcar over and risk being spotted, but they needed food.

"There's a bakery. Pull over."

Kit pulled over but left the engine running so they could get away in a hurry if someone spotted them. He reached into one of the inside pockets of his jacket in search of some coins.

"Leave it. We'll need them for later. Just be ready to move."

Emily scrambled out of the motorcar, walking in front of it and heading towards the bakery. She disappeared inside and Kit sat watching for the moment she reappeared. He couldn't believe how far she'd come in just a short space of time. From being reluctant to go with him a week before, she killed those police officers without blinking and was willing to steal from a bakery so they could eat.

Whatever first impression he made of her had all but melted away as the real Emily started to come out of her shell. He wondered if she'd always been as rebellious, or if the break from her father had given her the opportunity to find herself that she never had before. Either way, he was glad to have her by his side and thought they made a pretty good team.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, the soft purring of the Rolls Royce increasing the nervousness building in the bit of his stomach. Kit watched everyone who passed the motorcar and kept his eyes peeled for any sign of the police. Everyone who met his eye was suspicious.

"Go, go, go!"

Emily sprinted out of the bakery with several loaves of bread tucked under her arms. She threw them all into the backseat and scrambled in beside him, her chest heaving. Kit didn't wait to see if anyone chased after her. He spun the steering wheel and pulled out into the oncoming traffic without looking to see if anyone was behind him. The Rolls Royce narrowly avoided a passing Ford as they set off once again.

"I always wondered why people would steal, but I understand it now," Emily turned to look at Kit, a large smile on her face. "That was fun."

"Nothing quite beats the thrill of a good steal. Bread is one thing, but you should try taking money or a car. Ain't nothing better," Kit said.

"If Father could see me now, he'd have a heart attack."

"At least it would get him off our backs."

She laughed, reaching behind her to grab one of the loaves of bread from the backseat. Kit focused on the road, but accepted a small piece of bread that she'd torn off, the crust still warm. In all his years running jobs with Rob and the others, this was the taste of freedom he'd been missing. Driving through the streets in a stolen Rolls Royce, munching on warm bread without a care in the world, it was the sort of thing he only imagined in his dreams.

Beside him, Emily tore the cap from her head and shook her short, red hair. She raised her hands above her, tilting her head back to feel the wind on her face and the warm sun on her skin. Kit watched her out of the corner of his eye.

After every job he'd done in the past, he had to be cautious. They'd make their escape and lie low until the heat died down before they could go out again. Now, hiding didn't matter. Now he could embrace the rush he felt from each steal and enjoy the moment as long as he possibly could. It was a new sort of freedom, and he had someone to enjoy it with.

Kit looked at Emily and the wide smile on her face. He smiled too. How could he not?

~~~

First Published - February 9th, 2024