Feutl - Bike thief

Bike Thief

Rita Feutl

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

Copyright 2014 Rita Feutl

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Feutl, Rita, 1959-, author
Bike thief / Rita Feutl.

(Orca soundings)

Issued in print and electronic formats.
isbn 978-1-4598-0570-5 (bound).--isbn 978-1-4598-0569-9 (pbk.).-
isbn 978-1-4598-0571-2 (pdf).--isbn 978-1-4598-0572-9 (epub)

I. Title. II. Series: Orca soundings
ps8611.e98b55 2014 jc813.6 c2013-906724-8
c2013-906725-6

First published in the United States, 2014
Library of Congress Control Number:2013952668

Summary: Injured in a car accident that killed their parents, Nick and his sister are in foster care. Forced into stealing bikes to repay a debt, Nick gets involved with a violent criminal gang.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Cover photography by Getty Images

In Canada:
Orca Book Publishers
PO Box 5626, Station B
Victoria, BC Canada
V8R 6S4

In the United States:
Orca Book Publishers
PO Box 468
Custer, WA USA
98240-0468

www.orcabook.com

17 16 15 14 4 3 2 1

To Gordon, who happily joins me on all our cycling adventures, come rain, mud or sunshine.

Contents

Chapter One

Ill pay you back. I promise.

Yeah, right. Just waiting for that trust fund to kick in now that you turned sixteen? Gimme a break. Dwayne sneers. He turns and heads into the back of the pawnshop.

My arm aches. I set the shattered flat-screen TV gently on the counter. Right next to a perfect, unbroken, forty-two-inch model with a two-hundred-dollar price tag. Theyre identical. Except for the broken screen.

Cant you use this one for parts? I ask. Dwayne snorts.

Im desperate. This isnt for me, Dwayne, this is for Katie. Shes freaking out. She thinks well get kicked out of this foster home.

Dwayne turns around. How old is she these days?

I dont like where this is going. Shes about to turn twelve, I say warily. Shes still in elementary school.

Popular, your sister?

I dunno. I guess. Truth is, Katie is pretty cute, in that little sister sort of way. Even after all the stuff thats happened to us in the last year, she always has a smile for everyone. Even me. Especially me. And thats why Im trying to replace this shattered TV with a new one before the Radlers come home. Katie didnt mean to knock the fireplace tongs into it. She was just showing me her new soccer move. But things went flying, and now Katie is going nuts. She really doesnt want to upset this set of foster parents. Theyre the only ones to agree to take both of us in. Together.

Good, Dwayne says. We can use her. Heres the deal.

I freeze. Im creeped out. This smells of sexor drugs. Its time for me to rock and roll right out of here. I dont know what Dwayne is offering. But if it involves Katie, I want no part. I pick up the TV . My shoulder throbs, but I ignore it.

Hang on a minute, Nicky.

I cringe. Nobody calls me Nicky. Im Nick. Nicholas to my teachers, but Nick to everyone else. I turn to the door.

All I want is for you to get to know some of the kids she hangs out with. I need some product. And some little runts to supply it.

What? Kids to supply the product? Usually, its the other way aroundkids to buy product. Are we talking drugs here? Im curious in spite of myself.

Dwayne shrugs, and I watch the tattooed snakes ripple up his arms. Nah, nothing like that. Youre good with your hands, right?

I set the TV back down again and nod. I can put anything together if you give me the time. I built my own fixiefixed-gear bikewith some parts I bought from Dwaynes shop. Thats how we know each other.

Tell you what, Nicky. Just for you, Ill let you have the TV for a hundred bucks. And all you gotta do is find some kids who are willing to pick up some product for me. Product that their owners dont seem to want. Your job is to mix it up, and Ill sell it once youre done. TV s paid off in no time.

What kind of product?

Bikes, Nicky. I want bikes. And the more expensive, the better.

Chapter Two

Katies face lights up when I walk in the back door.

You did it! she says. She dances around me. Im so glad. I was really worried theyd come home while you were gone. I dont want to get into trouble, Nick. I really want us to stay together.

I put the flat-screen down on the stand and nod. The Radlers are strict. And Katie already has two strikes against her. Last week she tried to heat a burger wrapped in foil. It made their microwave explode. Yesterday, she let the kettle boil dry. She isnt allowed to go into the kitchen by herself anymore. No wonder shes nervous.

Look, I cleaned up all the broken glass. But theres a chunk of wood missing from the coffee table.

I check out the nick in the wood. This ones easy. You still have your crayons?

While she goes to find them, I attach the TV cables and press the remote. The screen shimmers on, good as new. I wait for Katie.

The crayon trick is my dads. An image of him in our old garage flashes into my mind, and suddenly Im almost drowning under a huge wave ofwhat? Homesickness? Sadness? I close my eyes and wait out the wave.

Here. Katie thrusts something into my hands. I open my eyes. Her crayon case is jammed with junk. I dig through the tiny erasers, pencil crayons, grizzly-bear buttons, broken earrings and bits of paper. Why do girls carry all this stuff around? Finally, I find a brown wax crayon the same shade as the coffee table. I rub it against the raw wood until the surface looks smooth.

Hey, thats great, Nick. I cant even tell. Katie eyes the table critically. She hugs me, but gently. She knows how much everything still hurts. This is going to work. Well make it work, wont we?

I nod. Lets get rid of the rest of the evidence, I say. I drop the crayon back into the pencil case. A slip of paper peeks out from one side. Do u like me? it says. I pull it out. At the bottom it says, Yes, no, maybe?

So whos this for? I wave the note at Katie.

Hey, gimme that. She reaches for it, but I hold it high over her head.

Not till you tell me, I say.

Its mine! Katie jumps for the note, then stumbles back. I grab her just before she goes flying into the TV . Again.

Take it outside, you two. You shouldnt be horsing around in the living room. Katie and I freeze. How long has Mrs. Radler been standing in the doorway?

I look around the room. Just me, my sister and a pencil case. Nothing out of the ordinary. But a little distraction wont hurt. I could bolt that flat-screen to the wall, Mrs. Radler. Im good with my hands.

She looks at me in surprise. Normally, I dont say much around here. Then use those hands to help me carry in the groceries. I swear Im feeding an army.

I give Katie back the note. But not before I see the Love, Alex on the back. I grin. This is a note to my sister, not from her.

And then I realize I know him. Three times a week, I ride over to Katies school to take her to her babysitting job. One kid is always there with her. Short kid. Showing off in front of her. Full of questions about my bike.

Bingo! Ive found my first runt. This is going to be easier than I thought.