I Know Lucy (A Fugitive #1)(25)

Food. A bed.

She said the words inside her head, killing off any emotion. Swallowing, she gifted the lady one last smile as she walked away, calling out yet another thank you.

Marlin wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her across the street, keeping up their brother/sister persona until they were around the corner.

Peaking over his shoulder, he saw they were in the clear and tugged Lucy into the alley.

“How much?” She dabbed at her blotchy cheeks, forcing her shaking innards to be still. She couldn’t believe they’d actually pulled it off. Lucy leaned towards Marlin as he finished counting.

“Four hundred bucks!” He whooped. “I told you she was loaded.” He slapped Lucy on the arm with an elated grin.

She tried to match his enthusiasm, but couldn’t quite manage it.

“So what do you want to do first? Eat? Sleep? Shop? What?”

“I don’t—”

Her reply was cut short by the slow clapping of hands. Marlin’s pale eyes jumped with fright before he pulled Lucy behind him and backed up the alley further.

“Bravo.” The black man smiled, his white teeth shining. “Excellent performance.” His British accent sounded posh, but a practiced posh.

Lucy frowned, eyeing him over Marlin’s shoulder.

“Who are you?” Marlin’s voice had a hard edge to it.

“The name’s Shorty.” The man bowed, the posh accent slipping to reveal a street British that seemed to suit him better. He wasn’t a large man, but his personality made up for it. His long skinny legs matched his knuckley fingers. His wide nose and full lips almost made him look like a caricature, but he had a class about him…a flair. His thick gold ring caught her eye as he pointed at them. “What I just saw you kids do, was stella’. Absolutely stella’. How long you been conning then?”

“We…” Lucy looked to Marlin. “We don’t con.”

“Sweetheart, I just saw you do it.”

“No, we…that wasn’t.” Lucy shook her head then sighed. Shorty’s dark eyes were staring her down, turning her lies to ash.

“What do you want?” Marlin stood tall. The guy might be skinny, but he had good height.

Shorty wasn’t intimidated in the slightest as he sauntered towards him. “I, my little friends, want you.”

He pointed at them.

“Us?”

“You pulled off that con without even breaking a sweat. You, Princess Helen, or whatever your name is, was brilliant. I could use some talent like yours.”

“Who are you?” Marlin repeated the question, but his voice was softening.

“I am a con-artist. Moved here a few years back. Been working the area. Lot of money to be made in these parts, but only so much when you don’t have a team. Come work for me.”

Lucy’s first reaction was a shake of the head. “We don’t even know you.”

“So get to know me then. I can tell you one thing, you’d be making a lot more than four hundred measly bucks with me. I’m wanting in on some big scores. I got some good plans going. We join forces and it opens up a whole new ball game.”

Marlin glanced at Lucy, raising his eyebrows. She frowned and shook her head.

“You want to eat a decent meal and sleep in a bed every night?”

Her face dropped.

That sounded divine.

“I can make that happen for you. I can set you guys up for a future off the streets. I ain’t sayin’ it’s risk free, but it’s worth a shot. Am I right?”

“How can we trust you?” Marlin jutted his chin out.

Shorty shrugged, stretching his arms wide. “Well, I let you in and you let me in. It’s a two way street.” He pointed to himself then back to them. “How can I trust you? We’re all thieves here, let’s be honest. But I’m willing to take a risk on you two.”

“The four hundred’s ours.” Lucy’s voice was much colder than she meant it to be.

“Too right. I didn’t earn a penny of that. It’s all yours.”

That made her feel slightly better, but he was a con-artist. He might be lying about it.

“Look, I spotted your con, others probably could too. I can teach you things. I can help you get better. I can make you some decent cash.” He slapped his hands together. “Come on, I’ll show you my place and then you can decide.”

Lucy still felt unsure, but couldn’t really argue when Marlin grabbed her hand and tugged her down the alley. “We just need to get our stuff first.”

Shorty nodded and followed them to a second alley, where they’d hidden their two duffle bags. Marlin carried both of them, Lucy trailing behind, trying to figure out if Shorty was leading them to a death sentence or a whole new future.





Chapter 13





ZACH


April 2014





I tapped my pen against my textbook, knowing I should be studying the text like Dani was, but I couldn’t stop looking at her. My eyes would hit the page then immediately bounce back to the way her blonde hair curled into a U behind her ear or the way her nose twitched just before she quietly sniffed, or the way she brushed her bottom lip with the end of her pen as she was reading.