Read Thief for Free Online Page B

silently to forgive me. Hoping he really was well off and this wasn’t his rent money I was stealing.
    He passed by me, and I swayed.
    Bump.
    I dropped my hand.
    I hipped bumped him as I turned, lifting at the same time.
    “Oh!” I said softly, faking a laugh. “Pardon me.” I turned my body toward him, masking my hand behind my back as I slipped his wallet in the spot between the small of my back and my underwear in my shorts. Easiest place to hide a wallet without looking like you’ve got a wallet bulge yourself.
    The old man focused on my face, his lips curled into an instant smile, which made me feel worse than ever, but glad he was willing to be distracted by my face and not my breasts. “Pardon me, young lady.” He bowed his head politely, and headed out the door, packages in tow.
    My heart thundered, and I stared at a jar of candy to count off a couple of seconds, giving him ample time to create some distance from us.
    When I counted a full minute, I pretended to check the time and dashed out the door, heading in the opposite direction. It didn’t matter where I was heading, now, as long as I got out of eyesight of everyone who could have possibly spotted me.
    I swallowed back the wedge of emotion in my throat. The aftermath of stealing was always the worst. Guilt really started to settle in then. Fear, too. It was a crucial time. At any moment, my target could check for his wallet, and put two and two together with my face. I had to get out of the area.
    At the mall, there were easily a number of corridors and bathrooms and places to wait out time until I was sure things had calmed down.
    Since I wasn’t familiar with this area, I dashed down the street as quick as I dared without drawing attention. The first spot that caught my eye as a good place to hide was an alleyway between two shops. I turned into it, pretending to be familiar and ran down it. There was an old dumpster near the back fence that separated this street from the one behind it. I was hoping for an intersection, but a place to hide would do.
    I crouched behind the dumpster. I recoiled at the smell, and held my hand over my nose as I backed down the alley, checking to make sure I wasn’t followed.
    When no one appeared, I patted the wallet through my clothes at my back. I was eager to get home. I wasn’t sure where I’d leave the wallet this time. Weren’t you supposed to drop lost keys into a post office box? Did that work for wallets, too? I didn’t want to leave it on the street. Maybe I could keep it just for now, and find his address, maybe even stuff it in his mailbox later. A risk, but I’d rather do that than put it somewhere unfamiliar to have it stolen by someone else.
    Maybe I could do it before he got home.
    I dipped my fingers into my shorts, tugging out the lump.
    I pulled out a folded piece of newspaper, made square into the shape of a wallet.
    I stared at it, confused. I blinked heavily several times, sure I was going crazy. Nope. Still a newspaper.
    What did I just do? My heart raced as I retraced my steps. I snagged the wallet. I was sure. I felt the leather.
    “You’re amazing,” said a male voice.
    My body erupted in a tremble, startled, and I landed on my butt on the gravel. A sharp rock stabbed itself into the flesh at the back of my thigh and I yelped.
    The old man stood above me. His blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “There’s only one other kid I’ve seen be able to make a pull like that. You definitely have the advantage though.”
    “What?” I asked, not really asking anything at all, only panicking out of my mind that he had already called the cops. I started pushing myself off the ground, ready to run.
    He held out a hand to me, offering to help me up. “I think it’s that pretty face. Most thieves try to turn attention elsewhere. You draw it right to you. You command it.”
    I blew out a sigh, not wanting to knock an old man over to throw on top of my list of horrible things I’d done. I let him