Exposed

by Judith Graves

  “I’m not an idiot.”

  “You are if you’re breaking in through the front door.”

  “Thanks for the tip, but you notice the trees cover me. Go away.” She pushed past me, stepped down the stairs and headed to the back door.

  “You don’t have any bags. No car.”

  “No wonder you’re a climber. Talk about eagle eyes.”

  “Spotted your sorry attempt to play cat burglar from a hundred feet, didn’t I?”

  She didn’t say anything.

  I sighed. “I’ll keep watch.”

  “Why?”

  “’Cause if I don’t, you’ll ruin the neighborhood for the rest of us. I’ll give you a signal if anyone comes your way.”

  “What’s the signal?”

  “Me screaming, ‘Run!’”

  That made her laugh. “Fair enough.”

  We got to the back, and it took her ten seconds to open the door. “See?”

  I shrugged. Yeah, she’d gotten in, but her technique was sloppy. “I’m beside myself, I’m so impressed.”

  We stepped into the quiet house. The girl totally ignored the flat-screen, the surround sound. She just kept scanning. This wasn’t a random job. She knew what she was after.

  “You’re lucky they don’t have an alarm system,” I said. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. Members of my team were moving out. “Hey!” I prompted. “You sightseeing or shopping?”

  “Stay here. Watch the door.” The girl pulled out a flashlight and strode into the kitchen. She waved the thing around enough to bring on a seizure. Why did I always take on the underdogs? Then she aimed the beam at the living room.

  “Get what you need,” I said through my teeth, “and get out.”

  She jumped at the sound of my voice. “I thought you were keeping watch.”

  “You seem like you need supervision.” I moved to the fridge and opened the door. “Geez. There are enough meds in here to start a pharmacy.” I leaned in and read the name on a prescription label. “Dollie Sharma.”

  “Close the door—you’re letting out the light.”

  “I’m hungry.” I pulled a soda from the door. “And thirsty.”

  “Got it.” The girl stuffed a laptop into her bag as she bolted for the kitchen door.

  “All that for a laptop?” I followed.

  “It’s what’s inside that counts.”

  “According to you and Big Bird.”

  “Thanks for your help—if I can call it that…”

  “Raven. My name’s Raven. And you can call it whatever you want,” I said as I closed the refrigerator door. “Just be smarter next time.” I stopped and glanced around the kitchen. Going to a pad of paper, I scribbled my number, then handed it to her.

  She took the paper. “Yeah. Right.”

  We walked to the front of the house. I took off, heading to Salter Street to meet up with the crew.

  SIX

  Diesel rode us hard the next night, and then on Friday—the best night for car nabbing because the masses were out clubbing and taking cabs so they could get completely wasted—he upped the stakes. He sent two groups of us out on a mission to up his tally. The challenge? Ten vehicles in a single night. Normally, that would be divided equally, five per team. But he’d made Supersize the other team leader.

  Even though I had said he wasn’t ready.

  All of this meant I intended my team to do the bulk of the heavy lifting and score at least seven rides so Supersize wouldn’t feel as much pressure. I’d also ranted at him before we left the warehouse. “My team takes the high ground. Don’t climb more than two stories. You may think you’re ready for more, but I promise you, when your blood is pumping and the job is live, sometimes you take risks. Things go south, and they always do, you just react instead of sticking to the plan. Those are rookie mistakes that can get you in serious trouble.” Supersize grinned up at me. “Why are you smiling?” I narrowed my eyes, hoping I looked as fierce as I felt at that moment. “Do you see me smiling? This isn’t a joke.”

  “If you could see how hot you look right now…”

  I made a face. “Seriously? You’re such a freaking boy.” I shoved the laughing Supersize out of my way and gathered the rest of my team.

  We would keep in contact via text.

  Two hours later, and so far so good. Each team had six bodies. One trailing on lookout, one scouting ahead for potential targets on street level, and four doing the actual thefts. This involved breaking into the vehicles and driving them back to the warehouse. Supersize’s crew had two cars bagged to our four. I hoped this last parkade would do the trick.

  Once I got in, I’d use one of the parked vehicles’ automatic remotes to open the bay doors and establish access for the others waiting on the ground.

  I focused on the goal, slipping easily into the zone. The scuff of my shoes on the wall and the rasp of my breath beat in time with the distant thrum of late-night traffic and the pounding of my heart. Growing louder in my ears by the second.

  This had to be quick. It had to go smoothly.

  I reached for the next handhold, and as my fingers scraped along the rough brick wall, I was thankful for the calluses that had built up on my fingertips. Sixty feet below, my team watched my progress from the ground, waiting for me to gain access from the roof and open the door from the inside, bypassing the security system. A parkade like this had no internal alarms, relying entirely on its imposing height and a token number of cameras at the entrance.

  The sound of sirens cut through the night, drifting to my ears from far below. The rhythmic screams drew closer.

  Better get a move on.

  The pounding of my heart grew louder. Almost there. I glanced at the roof edge, just a few feet farther up, only to be blasted by a brilliant white light. Blinded, I froze in place, clung to the wall and turned my head away from the light. Blinked away a serious case of sundogs. Only, at two in the morning, it wasn’t the sun beaming down into the night, and it wasn’t my heart I’d been hearing, but a police helicopter. The searchlight was aimed at the street below.

  Son of a…

  Shuffling along sideways, I tucked my body into a hollow gap in the facade near an air vent. Just wide enough for me to slip into and hide in the shadows.

  My brain raced. The sirens. The chopper. The cops were hunting someone down. Someone close. I hoped it wasn’t Supersize. I had to get topside so I could call and see if he and his crew were all right. If I was lucky, the cops would just scan the ground for their suspect and not even spare a glance at the sides of buildings.

  By now, everyone from my crew on the ground would have scattered. All part of the training Diesel so kindly provided. At the first sign of the cops, everyone knew the drill.

  Don’t get caught, even if it means leaving someone behind. How was that for one big happy crime family?

  Still, we all understood the logic. One member of the ring getting caught was nothing, easily glossed over as a botched first attempt by a rookie car thief acting alone. That’s how the cops Diesel had on the inside would handle it. But two or more hogtied and brought in? Now that was trouble. That led to Diesel’s cops having to report to higher-ups and being unable to contain the damage. We were talking a special investigation team.

  Then the suits would really lose their profit-loving minds.

  And the infinitely scary side of Diesel would be out in full force.

  The spotlight zigzagged over the streets below, working away from my location. I let out a breath. That was close. Too close. I shifted out of the gap and reached the roof in record time. Once over the edge, I plunked down on the concrete, pressing my back against the perimeter wall and keeping myself small in case the chopper returned.

  I fired a quick text, the one Supersize and I had established as a warning to bail on whatever job we’d been assigned: Get home now or you’re grounded for life. I waited five minutes. He should have replied by then if all was well.

  My stomach knotted with dread
as I bolted for the rooftop door and entered the parkade. I hotwired the first set of wheels I saw and got out to the street. None of my crew waited in the shadows, which wasn’t unexpected. They’d have scattered when they saw the chopper. But the sirens in the distance, the chopper…something had gone down, and whatever it was, it was close. I knew in my heart it had to do with Supersize. I rushed for the warehouse, skidding around corners and running red lights. Zero thoughts of being stealthy or playing it safe.

  I had the steering wheel in a death grip, but my hands still trembled in shock. “Please be okay, please…” A plea, a prayer I repeated over and over again, but deep down I knew they were just words.

  Powerless. Helpless.

  Like me.

  I peeled into the warehouse, sending the chop-shop guys off in all directions. I bolted from the SUV I’d stolen, leaving the driver’s door wide open and the engine running. Link was waiting, arms folded across his chest.

  “Is everyone back?” I asked, spinning in a slow circle.

  “Yeah, sure.” Link popped the hood of the SUV, and his voice grew muffled. “Your crew’s all accounted for.” Besides the usual grease monkeys, kids from my team gathered around, showing off their rides. Faces glowing. No hint of drama. Just the rush of a job well done and coming out on top of a close call.

  Still, my gut told me the ax was about to fall.

  “My crew,” I echoed. “What about Supersize and his team?”

  Link peeked out from under the hood. He leveled his gaze on mine. “No sign of them yet.” The tension in his voice betrayed his concern. “Radio silence too.”

  At least I wasn’t the only one stressing about Supersize not having checked in. I glanced up at Diesel’s office. Blinds down. No lights. Figured. “When will he be back?”

  Link shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. The boss hasn’t been exactly forthcoming lately.”

  “Hey, Link,” one of the guys working the bay doors called out. “What do you make of this?” Link and I stared at the small monitor mounted on the wall, displaying video from the security cameras. Yeah, a car-theft ring with security. I was aware of the irony.

  But Diesel liked to know what was coming his way.

  And from the look of the five kids at the doors, some with expressions of absolute blankness, what was coming wasn’t anything good. They’d shut down.

  “Open her up. Up. Up.” Link waved his arms at the doors. “Get them inside.” The clanging metal lifted, and the other team stumbled across the threshold.

  Everyone but Supersize.

  Kat, one of the smaller girls, who’d been around almost as long as I had, met my gaze and slowly shook her head. She didn’t have to say anything.

  I already knew he was gone.

  When Diesel finally returned for the night, he wanted all the gory details. I suffered through Kat’s retelling of the events leading up to Supersize’s death. How he’d insisted on climbing one of the newly constructed car parks. The ones with all the reflective glass and few hand- and footholds. Buildings even I avoided.

  Kat and the rest of his team had waited below. They debated calling me, but no one did.

  About halfway up, Supersize lost his grip. Fell thirty feet.

  “We didn’t believe it at first. Thought he’d be able to grab on. But he just slid down the glass. We could hear him screaming,” Kat choked out.

  I closed my eyes, imagining it. The panic, the terror, as he scratched at the unforgiving glass. His own reflection screaming back at him.

  “He landed on one of those airport-limo rides,” she continued. “Set the alarm off. There were a bunch of people on the street. They filed out of the bars to see what was going on. Someone must have called 9-1-1. When they heard the sirens, the rest of the team took off, but I hung around until the chopper showed.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “They lit him up for a long time before moving on. Once I saw he was really dead, I left.”

  There was a long moment of silence.

  “Is there anything I need to worry about?” Diesel asked.

  “No,” Kat answered, her voice firm. “I got close. He was…” Her voice broke. She shook her head and began again. “He was crushed by the impact.”

  “Thank you,” Diesel said finally. “You may go.”

  Kat wrapped her arms around me in a fierce hug. Whispered into my ear, “Diesel made him do the climb. Threatened him, Raven. Said you’d never get your chance to leave the warehouse if he didn’t do it.”

  My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn’t respond. Supersize had been trying to protect me. To make sure I got my happy ending. And Diesel…he’d pay.

  “I’m so sorry, Raven,” Kat said in a normal tone, stepping back. “He was a good kid.”

  I nodded, fighting back tears. Now wasn’t the time to lose it.

  When the office door closed behind Kat, I stared at the floor. Diesel and his two goons talked together in low tones, giving me a moment to think. I struggled to pull myself together. The crying could wait. I stuffed all the rage, the pain and the guilt deep down so I could say what had to be said.

  I owed it to Supersize.

  Dead inside, I lifted my chin. “I told you he wasn’t ready.” Speech was difficult, my mouth dry with tension.

  Diesel pursed his lips. “Yes.”

  “But you still gave him a team. Threw that challenge in our faces like a freaking red flag. You knew he’d do whatever it took to get your attention.” I concentrated on keeping my voice even, with no betraying waver of fear.

  A flush surged up Diesel’s neck. His dark eyes narrowed.

  Sure, I’d sassed Diesel before, but I’d never openly challenged him, and certainly not in front of witnesses.

  “Now, there’s where I think you have it wrong, Raven.” He pushed his chair back and came out from behind his desk. His goons flanked him, making an imposing line.

  Knees trembling, I fought the urge to back down and retreat a few paces. They had their height and muscle, but I had a well of anger to draw on. I stood my ground.

  “I barely knew the boy.” Diesel held out open hands as if to say, Sorry, it wasn’t me. “Supersize didn’t attempt to climb that building to catch my eye. He knew very well that his status in the ring depended on one person—his mentor.”

  And then I understood who Diesel was going to pin this on.

  “The only person Supersize was out to impress was you.” Diesel and his goons shared a look of confirmation. When he met my betrayed gaze, his expression darkened. “I know it’s tough to swallow, Raven, but it’s your fault the boy is dead.”

  SEVEN

  My fault?

  Was it? Diesel had used Supersize’s feelings for me and his generous nature against him, but without me as motivation, Supersize wouldn’t have attempted such a dangerous climb.

  I dragged my feet through the halls of Laurier Secondary in a haze of grief. Everything from my looming birthday to Emmett’s dark, searching looks faded to white noise. Drifting from class to class took little effort. I was on autopilot, but at least I wasn’t on crash and burn.

  I’d held it together so far. Mostly because of the burning rage deep in my gut, simmering under the confusion and the heavy weight of guilt. By morning, Diesel’s theory of me being responsible for Supersize’s death had made the rounds. I knew why he’d done it. He couldn’t afford to have his decisions questioned. So he’d made me the fall guy.

  But understanding his logic didn’t mean it didn’t sting like hell. The man I’d looked at as a father, the man I’d encouraged other kids to trust, had betrayed me. Had gotten Supersize killed. The pain was constant, like an open wound. Exposed. Raw.

  And what cut even deeper? Everyone agreed with him, it seemed. It had been decided that I’d been negligent in my mentorship and Supersize had paid the price. Even Link wouldn’t meet my gaze when I left for school.

  I swallowed the lump of bitterness in my throat and entered my English class. I lingered just inside the entrance. Nop
e. Wasn’t happening.

  I had zero interest in sitting through another of the teacher’s recitations or facing the stares of the other students as they noticed my red-rimmed eyes, raw from holding back tears.

  And a tidal wave of self-doubt hit me.

  Maybe it was my fault that Supersize had gone against every bit of advice I’d ever given him. I’d set out to protect him. But he’d gone and lost his life trying to protect me. Diesel had everyone convinced I’d gone too far. That I’d stifled Supersize’s abilities. So much so that he had put his own life on the line to prove he was ready to fill my shoes. Did they really think the kid had wanted my place in the ring that badly?

  Couldn’t they see Diesel for what he really was?

  A user. A manipulator.

  Not the only family I’d ever really known.

  He was a lie.

  The tears came then. Uncontrollable. I was out of control. Had to get out of there.

  I spun on my heel to burst through the door, hoping for a clean exit, but I slammed into a wall.

  No, not a wall, but a guy’s solid chest.

  “Sorry,” I said, pushing off lean muscle and shooting a glance upward. Stifled a curse.

  Emmett’s face, narrowed in concern, stared down at me. “Raven, you okay?”

  “Back off.” I held up a finger in warning. “I can’t deal with you right now.”

  Emmett took a few steps backward into the hallway. “Deal with me?” he repeated. Concern shifted to frustration. “Why, what did I do?”

  “You’re just…always around.” I waved a hand to take in the whole school in general. “You show up at all the wrong times.” I sniffled, swiping a hand at my wet cheeks. “With the looking at me. And trying to figure me out. You’re just so…so…” I couldn’t explain my reaction to Emmett—not even to myself. Words failed.

  “So what?” Emmett stepped closer, warmth from his body seeping into mine, which was still numb with shock from all I’d been through over the last twenty-four hours. “What am I to you, Raven?”