Underdogs The First Stories - By Geonn Cannon Page 0,37

I didn't steal for fun, I stole to survive. I'm good at it because getting caught meant going to a very bad place for a very long time. All I'm asking for is that trial period, during which I'll be your Dixie cup. If you decide I don't fit in, then we'll say our goodbyes and go our separate ways."

Sadie stared at her for a long time and then snorted a laugh. "What do you know, Beck might actually have found a good one this time." She crossed the kitchen and stared up into Ari's eyes. Ari had a good five inches on Sadie, but somehow Ari felt inferior to her under that stare. "All right, Ariadne. We'll give you the trial period. But we've gone this long without the cops getting on to us. If they suddenly show up now, we'll know who talked. And we'll leave the Dixie cup behind like you said, but some people don't just throw away the Dixie cups when they're done. They crunch them up."

Ari refused to show any fear. She met Sadie's gaze without blinking, and Sadie finally let a smile play at the corners of her lips. She held out her hand. "Welcome to the pack, Ariadne."

"Happy to be here." She looked at Beck and Pen, who had been breathlessly watching the confrontation. "When do we get to do some damage?"

"After dinner. Come on, we all lend a hand."

When Sadie turned to walk away Ari saw the butt of a gun tucked into the back of her belt. She suddenly realized just how high the stakes of her 'job interview' had been, and was glad she'd apparently passed the test.

Chapter Two, Three Dog Night

"I wish you'd just tell me where we're going."

Natalie chuckled and slid her arm tighter around Dale's. "If I knew, I would. Don't worry, I'm sure we won't have to go too far."

She didn't sound too sure about herself, but Dale was willing to give her a little leeway. Besides, the mystery was fun. After dinner they had stopped at her car long enough to change out of her heels and put on her emergency sneakers for the walk Natalie insisted they take. Natalie had worn flats, obviously planning ahead, so she was comfortable with however long the journey took. And to be honest, Dale could think of a great many worse ways to spend an evening. Dale was still feeling heavy from their meal so, if anything, the walk would help her burn off some unnecessary calories.

The sun was gone, but the sky was painting the sky in various shades of watercolor. The buildings around them were starting to light up like Christmas, fighting back the darkness and obscuring the stars before they even had a chance to start shining. At every street corner, Natalie would pull away from Dale and look to the north before continuing on.

When they were half a mile from the restaurant, Dale was about ready to call whatever journey Natalie was on a bust and plead to go back to the car. But Natalie suddenly made a victorious sound and pumped her fist. "I knew it wouldn't take too long."

Dale followed her line of sight and spotted the Space Needle in the distance between the buildings. It was lit up for the night, shining like something from a futuristic television program. Natalie guided Dale until her back was against the brick wall of a building, slipped her arms around Dale's waist, and pressed their foreheads together.

"I love those old romantic movies, black and white fantasies that never happen in the real world. And ever since I moved here, I thought about my perfect black and white moment. I decided it would be me and another woman, standing on a street corner in our very beautiful dresses, kissing with the Space Needle all shining and glorious in the background. And she would kiss me, because that would be the first time I ever said I loved her."

Dale's eyes widened slightly.

"I love you, Dale."

Dale kissed her. Natalie slid her hands up Dale's back, past the edge of her dress to touch her bare shoulders. Dale closed her eyes and clung to Natalie, leaning into the kiss. When they finally separated, Dale brushed her cheek against Natalie's. "Definitely worth the walk." She slid her hands up to tease the hair at the back of Natalie's head. "I love you, too."

"Good." She kissed Dale's cheek. "Glad to have that out of the way. I've been biting