“Hey, Eva.”
I whipped around, pretending I was surprised to see him.
“Kamal?”
He stood tall, firm, like a boss. He’d cut his hair at some point during the day. He looked handsome. “Are you serious about wanting a job?” His stare was piercing, like he was trying to uncover any possible deception.
“Of course.” I looked him directly in the eyes.
“Well, I may have one for you.”
“Seriously? I passed?”
He rubbed his closely trimmed beard. “Look, I’ve been watching you all day and good grief. You picked in three different groups’ territories today, including mine, and if you’d been seen by anyone but me, you’d have been dead. I told you that yesterday.”
He looked at me like he wanted an explanation about why I’d risk it knowing what I knew. “Well, I didn’t know if you’d really be getting back to me or not. I have to make a living, you know. I couldn’t just sit around and wait for you. Besides, I was really careful.” I thought about my team and how it might have been a blessing that I wasn’t “hooked up” with them at the moment. Kamal and anyone who worked with him wouldn’t be able to discover them.
“I can’t argue that you aren’t good. You are, and I think the only reason I was able to see what you were doing is because I knew you were doing it. But mark my words, if you keep going on your own, you’ll be discovered and these leaders—they aren’t forgiving. You’ll find yourself dead or tortured in terrible ways if they find you. A kid, only twelve, was discovered stealing a bag in another group’s area, and they stabbed stakes into his hands and feet and hung him on a wall. He was probably just some poor kid looking for a way to get some food, and they tortured him. You need to watch your step and follow the rules if you join our team.”
I looked at my feet and swayed a little as if in deep thought. “So, why didn’t you hurt me or kill me or something when you found me?”
His dark eyes narrowed and he pressed his thick lips together. “I’m not sure exactly. Maybe it was because you were so good at what you were doing. I mean, you aren’t perfect, but you said you’ve only been doing this a little over a week and if you’re this good already, I can hardly imagine what you’ll be like in a couple of months. I picked up Daniel last year after he tried to steal from me. He’s one of my best pickers now. You remind me of him. Do you want to join or not?” His face was unreadable.
“If you want me, you can have me. If there are people out there just waiting for me to slip up so they can kill me, I need to be on your team. I mean, I really need the money.”
“You’ll be on trial for a while. You’ve impressed me, but the big bosses need to be convinced. And you’re pretty inconsistent right now, which makes me think maybe you’re just lucky. We need to change that and take luck out of the equation.”
“Well, maybe you should introduce me to the leader.” I could only hope to meet the person above him.
“No. You don’t need to do that. In fact, I’ll be your only contact. Just do a good job and bring your stuff to me and everything will be all right. I’ll show you where our territories are and teach you how it all works over the next day or two. After that, you should be golden.”
“Wait. Are you saying I have to work for free for a while?” I threw my hands out to my sides.
“I didn’t say that. I’ll pay you and be your only contact.”
I nodded. “Okay. Thanks for finding me. If you hadn’t, I guess I could have been dead by next week.” I pressed my lips together and pushed them out in a pout.
“You’re good, but sometimes you’re a little sloppy, a little reckless. We’ll practice together. You’re a natural. It shouldn’t be too painful.”
He seemed so nice. So kind. How could he be a part of a vicious pickpocket gang?
“But only if you acknowledge the fact that there are distinct boundaries and rules for each picking group. Even in our area, there are rules.” His voice turned stern. “And you don’t break the rules.”
“How will I ever learn all those rules and the boundaries and stuff?”
“I’ll teach you. And it’s easy to know who is in what group. Each group has symbols that identify its ‘members’.” He held up an empty fanny pack.
I squished up my nose in distaste.
He pointed to the three gold stars on the pack. “Each group has its own symbols. Our symbols are the sun, moon, and stars. The symbols identify us and protect us, especially when we’re in an area that more than one group picks.”
A group of giggling teenagers passed us by.
I remembered the moon on the over-the-shoulder bag from yesterday and the sun from the jacket on the boy who stole my bag. I nodded.
“Oh, and while you’re on trial, you get ten percent of what you pick.”
“Ten percent? That doesn’t seem fair.”
“A lot of people need their cut of what you pick. Consider yourself lucky. Other groups don’t pay anything during training.” I thought it was interesting that he called the pickpocket rings groups instead of gangs.
I figured he was the one who
