“She’s a nuisance,” Atticus growled. “I was focused onworking. She was in the way. I wasn’t paying attention like I should havebeen.”
“And that’s her fault?”Dymetrusasked in a low, menacing voice.
Atticus’s expression flattened. “She’s a pickpocket.She steals for her dad. She’s good at what she does.” All of his accusationswere true. None of them felt like a compliment.
They were crimes to be punished.
Sins to be judged.
“Your father is the bookie?”Aleksanderasked, his eyes on my dad who stood a few yards away, not speaking.
Not defending me.
My chest squeezed, but I managed to answer.“Y-yes.LeonValero.”
Roman’seyesnarrowed.“And youare?”
“Caro Valero.”
The three brothers shared a meaningful look I couldn’thope to decipher. “You helped recently with a shipment of TVs?” Rocco asked.
I nodded. “And the shipping container two months ago.”I closed my eyes and willed my nerves to get out of the way of my memory. “Andthe, the… the thing at the bank.”
“How old are you?” Roman demanded.
My heart dropped to my stomach and started swimmingaround, doing laps, permanently refusing to go back where it belonged. “T-ten.”
Roman nudged his chin at Atticus. “He’s right thatyou’re good at what you do,da?”
I shrugged. His question felt like a trap.
Roman didn’t need a better answer than that. “What didyou steal from him?”
My hands trembled from fear and I started to sweat. Icouldn’t show him. I certainly couldn’t tell him—and not only because I wasnervous. This was going to end so badly for me.
“Show him, Caro,” my dad demanded from the distance.
The six men towering over me, glared at my father forspeaking without permission. Now I was terrified for his sake.
Just to get their attention back on me, I lifted myhands that were covered by the sleeves of my hoodie. The men turned back to me.Atticus’s grip on my neck tightened. With trembling fingers, I pulled out his wallet.
Atticus snatched it away from me, quickly checking itfor money. “There was a hundred-dollar bill in here, Caro.”
His fury made it difficult to swallow. I was playing arisky game. And I was losing.
But before I could retrieve the money,Aleksanderspoke up. “Are you telling me that she took yourwallet straight from your person. And now, standing before us, she continues torob you?”
Atticus didn’t respond verbally. His furious glaresaid everything for him.
“Little girl,”Aleksanderlaughed, “what courage you have.”
I shook my head quickly.“It-it’snot courage.”
Aleksandercontinued tostare at me. They all did. With expressions I could not read. I felt like anexotic animal at the zoo, locked away, put on display, expected to perform.
“What were you going to do with the money?” Romanasked in a careful tone.
“Candy,” I lied. “And I want a new doll.” I didn’t,but that’s what all men assumed girls my age wanted.
