Among Thieves by David Hosp Page B

she had the speech patterns and attitude
     of someone much older.
    “Yeah, that’s right,” he said. “Basically. Except for the fucked part. Like I said, it’s only for a few days.”
    “What’s he in for?”
    Finn glanced at her. “Robbery.”
    “No shit, Sherlock, that’s what he does. What’d he steal?”
    “Clothes.” He didn’t mention the panties. He considered telling her not to swear, but figured it wasn’t his responsibility.
    “Clothes?” she asked. “What, is he down to shoplifting? Is that even a felony?”
    “They were really expensive clothes,” Finn replied.
    “So definitely in felony territory,” she deduced. It occurred to Finn that no fourteen-year-old should be so well schooled
     in the specifics of criminal practice. “Well then, you must be a pretty good lawyer if you think you’re going to get him out
     of it. He’s been in before, so it’s not like a judge is gonna feel sorry for him. If you’re doing anything other than collecting
     a fee, you must be a real genius.” It was also remarkable how well she had mastered the subtleties of sarcasm at such a young
     age.
    “Why don’t you let me worry about that,” Finn said. “That’s my job.” Candidly, he agreed with her legal assessment, but he
     didn’t mention that to her. “In any case, he’ll be out on bail by Wednesday, Thursday latest, and the time will go faster
     if I know your name.”
    She twirled a finger angrily in her hair. “Sally,” she said.
    “Sally,” he repeated. “Really? Sally Malley?”
    “What can I say? My mom has a quirky sense of humor.”
    “That’s a good thing, I guess.”
    “And a wicked bad crack habit.”
    He let that sink in for a moment, and once it had he realized there was nowhere to go with it. “It’s a good name,” he said
     instead. “
Sally Malley
.” He tried saying it with some amount of reverence, but the damage was done. She stayed silent. “Say, I know a good ice cream
     place,” he said after a moment. “You want to grab some ice cream on the way back to my apartment?”
    “So, I’m guessing you don’t have any kids of your own, Finn?”
    He could feel his teeth grinding. “It shows?”
    “Only when you talk.”
    “I’m still young,” he said. “Maybe someday.”
    “I wouldn’t bother. Kids are nothing but a hassle. I remember the day my mother dropped me with Devon. The look on his face
     was priceless. He didn’t even know I existed before that moment.”
    “That must have been strange.”
    “Let’s just say that ‘surprised’ doesn’t begin to describe it. That was a year ago, and we haven’t seen my mother since. Devon
     does the best he can, but he’s not exactly cut out for the father scene.”
    “Seriously, it’s really good ice cream,” Finn said after a moment. He threw a look at her and thought he could detect a smile
     tug for just a moment at the corner of her mouth. Then it was gone.
    “Okay,” she said. “Ice cream would be okay. But it better be good goddamned ice cream.”
    “Trust me.”
    She turned her head to look out the passenger window, away from Finn. “Right. Trust you,” she said quietly. Finn could tell
     she’d heard those words before.

    It was a nice house, at least. Sally tossed her duffel onto the bed in the guest room. Much better than the dives and flophouses
     where she’d often found herself in the past when her mother was bingeing. Still, no matter how nice the surroundings, she
     was fending for herself again, and that meant she had to keep her guard up. If life had taught her anything it was that you
     had to look after yourself, because no one else would.
    She reached out and put her hand on the bottom of the duffel bag, feeling around for the familiar lump. She hadn’t taken the
     stuffed bear out of the bag in over a year; she was too old for stuffed animals. It was a gift from her mother on her fifth
     birthday, though—one of the few birthdays her mother had remembered—and she