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.
I think she could tell I was looking at her because occasionally she’d glance up, hitting me with those blue eyes and making me blush.
She’d gotten prettier, I swear.
Before I left for spring break with Elliot, I would have raised my right hand and told the world I was 60% more intrigued by Dani than I was falling for her. But being away from her, thinking every blonde girl I spotted at Venice Beach was her…it made me realize I was kind of obsessed. I found myself pining for my morning swim and desperate to get back to school just so I could pass her in the corridors or sit next to her in class.
I missed her smile.
I wanted another Sociology assignment to work on. I wanted any excuse I could get to hang out with her. I wondered if she’d missed me too, because the first Monday after spring break I invited her out for coffee and she said yes without skipping a beat. Since then we’d started doing a lot more after school stuff. We saw each other most days and she regularly hung out with my crowd on the weekend now. This afternoon we were sitting in Vincenzo’s studying, supposedly studying, for our upcoming Sociology test.
“Okay, try these.” AJ swung into the room and placed a plate of steaming meatballs in front of us.
“Where’s the sauce?”
“I’m trying out some different flavors. I need you to taste them sauceless so I can get an opinion on if you like the cilantro or you think it should go.”
I wrinkled my nose at Dani, feeling way under-qualified for the task. She giggled and grabbed her fork. We’d been taste-testing stuff since getting here. AJ had skipped last period and come to the restaurant early. Wednesday afternoons were often quiet and the boss let him experiment in the back corner.
The meatball was so hot I had to spit it out and grab my glass of water. Dani, the sensible one, had blown on hers and nibbled the edge. With a chortle she passed me a napkin, then looked at AJ seriously.
“The cilantro works. I really like it. You don’t need sauce with these, they’re delicious just like this.” She took another bite.
AJ’s eyes lit up, his hands jerking into the air. He jumped on his tiptoes with a gleeful grin. “Wait till you taste the sauce.” He rubbed his hands together and practically skipped back to the kitchen.