I Know Lucy (A Fugitive #1)(20)

She was no longer Lucy Tate, she had become…

“Cyan,” Marlin whispered her nickname.

“Over here.” She called into the darkness and listened for the scuffling of feet. He shuffled towards her and as soon as he was close enough, grabbed her wrist and tugged her across the dark field, away from the carefree chatter of the fairground.

“How’d you do?”

“Okay.” She shrugged.

The idea of picking pockets both horrified and thrilled her. She hated that she was a thief. That someone was going to reach into their pocket and find their wallet gone, then have the drama of replacing everything. Reaching into her pocket, she fingered the gold bracelet. That lady was going to think she had forgotten to put it on after all. When she returned home, she would hunt for it and find it missing. Would she cry? Was the bracelet a gift from someone special?

Lucy felt sick, but then came that smile. She hated that smile, but she couldn’t help it. She had managed to get that bracelet without the lady knowing. The art of pickpocketing was a skill she’d had to really practice. Marlin had taught her a couple of months into their time together. At first she’d outright refused to learn, but after three days of garbage scraps, Lucy was going out of her mind. She agreed to do whatever it took to get a decent meal…and so Marlin had become her Fagan and they were an excellent team.

As her skills improved, they’d managed to get some decent cash. It never lasted long, but they’d get enough to spend a night at a cheap motel so they could shower and get cleaned up. She’d been able to buy some warmer clothes for the winter and some decent boots.

Yeah, the pickpocketing had changed her life dramatically, but it had also changed her soul. She’d become a criminal and the pride in her ability was only a flash in the pan thing.

Jumping the fence, Lucy followed Marlin to the spot in the woods where they’d stowed their stuff. Slumping down by the tree trunk, she leaned against it as Marlin pulled out his canvas bag. She waited while he lit the lantern, checking over her shoulder to make sure they were well hidden. She felt satisfied they were and turned back just as the area around her illuminated with a soft glow.

“Okay, what’d you get, Cy?”

She grinned at the shortened nickname. She’d refused to confirm she was Lucy, even though he knew she was. So it had become a game. He’d called her all manner of things for the first few weeks, making her laugh in spite of her desolation. But one night he’d cut the antics short and just stared at her long and hard.

“Cyan.” He’d clicked his finger and pointed at her. “That’s your name.”

She frowned and tipped her head. “Cyan?”

“The color of your beautiful eyes. It’s perfect for you.”

She’d grinned and nodded. It was the perfect name for her… more because it’d been given to her by Marlin. She was falling in love with him. Not in the way a girl loves a guy, but in the way a sister loves a brother. Marlin had quickly become her new family and she would be forever grateful.

With a sigh, she pulled out her loot and laid it on the ground.

Marlin fingered the bracelet with a smile. “No way. Shit, girl!” He high-fived her hand with an elated grin. “This’ll get us through the month easily.”

She grinned back at him, that fleeting pride swelling within her. “What’d you score?”

He emptied his pocket, pulling out a watch, two wallets and a wad of loose cash. She reached for it, counting the notes. “A hundred bucks,” she murmured. Flipping open the other three wallets, she extracted all the cash. It came to a total of $235. “Man, people just don’t carry much cash anymore.”

Marlin shook his head. “We’re not getting into stealing Visa numbers.”

“No, I don’t want that either.” She frowned. “This cash will get us a motel. We can clean up and go sell the bracelet tomorrow.”

“Nah, I don’t want to do it too close to town. Whoever this belongs to might report it stolen and we don’t want any pawn shop guy identifying us. I say we hang onto it for a couple of months. Head north a little further. Get some distance.”

“Okay.” Lucy nodded, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Hey, we did good for a fair ground. It’s summer, there’s gonna be plenty more of these popping up over the next couple of months. It’ll give us time to save for the winter.”

“Yeah, I know. You’re right.” She forced a smile, trying to be brave, but she was tired and melancholy tonight.

Seeing those girls had thrown her, made her pine for the life she should be living. She missed her parents, Maria, school even. She missed sitting in a classroom and learning. She missed normalcy.

Was the rest of her life going to be like this? Constantly on the run? Living from town to town? She was exhausted just thinking about it. Her eyes lost focus as she played her blocking out the world trick for a minute, trying to numb her mind against reality.

Her tummy grumbled, reminding her that their last meal had been breakfast. Reality could never be blocked for long.

“Do you want me to go buy us a hotdog to share?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I want a shower more. Let’s save up the money for tomorrow night. I want to sleep on a mattress with a pillow. It’s been over a week.”