Exposed by Judith Graves Page A

I’d just vacated. Would he make the jump?
    His arms and legs pumped like mad. He just might do it.
    But no.
    At the last second, the guy slammed into the ledge. Instead of using it as leverage, he struck with full force, coming to a complete and utter stop with all the grace of a five-year-old using the ice-rink boards as an emergency brake. The impact had him crumbling backward.
    A growl of frustration echoed across the expanse.
    I threw back my head and laughed. “Maybe next time, kid.”
    From this angle, I could only see the top of his head as he sat there, unmoving. Maybe he’d landed harder than I thought. I frowned. “Supersize?” Named for his larger-than-life personality and not his stature—which qualified as short at best—I knew a show of concern would only make him mad. Still…“You all right?” A stream of swearwords had me smiling. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
    Supersize struggled to his feet and approached the ledge. “So close.” He stared down at the alley below. “I almost made the jump.”
    “ Almost will get you killed. You were right to bail—you waited too long to get airborne.” I fired him a grin. “You weren’t the only one who screwed up. I was so keen on watching you, I didn’t verify my foothold with that awning. Learn from me, young Skywalker. Look before you leap.”
    He laughed. “You’re so full of clichéd wisdom, oh ancient one.”
    The gibe about my upcoming birthday went unchallenged as I sauntered to the edge of the roof and swung a leg over.
    “Quit trying to tick me off,” I said. “I’m your ride home, remember?” Fingers locked onto the ledge, I found the first foothold and let gravity take me down until my vision barely cleared the lip. A soft, red glow backlit the kid. He was small. And so young. Still, he was older than I’d been when I started working for Diesel, back when my boss was just another car jockey. What a difference the years had made for both of us. I wasn’t the same lost little girl, and Diesel was so far from the easygoing stoner who’d recruited me, he was barely recognizable. And increasingly unpredictable.
    He’d said he’d let me go. That I’d done my time, served him well, and that once I turned sixteen I had a choice. Stay, or leave with his blessing. I was seriously torn. He’d taken me in when my parents had all but abandoned me for their one true love: meth. He was all the family I knew. He had given me the tools I needed to survive—I owed him my life. How could I leave when I owed him everything?
    Still, there was no denying that he’d changed. And I had to admit that I was tempted to finally put my escape plan into action. That I dreamed of another life. Wondered what I could be if I had a shot at something different. And the opportunity might be at hand.
    But cutting loose wasn’t as easy as it sounded—and not just because I was torn. I had to train my replacement before I could leave. Diesel had grown accustomed to my unusual skill set. It was my job to scale the tallest, most exclusive, most secure parkades and give the others access from the inside. What I did—the strength, speed and sheer guts involved—had taken me years to develop. Diesel had given me mere weeks to get the kid up to speed.
    “Be at the car in five or I’m leaving without you.” I left my protégé to make his own descent.
    Not bad for a first attempt, but not great either. I’d have to report it as I saw it, no matter the consequences. The kid was cautious. That wasn’t a problem. This was dangerous work, and it paid to take your time, to have a solid game plan. We climbed without ropes, chalk or any of the usual safety gear, leaving no physical evidence behind for the cops to trace. What concerned me most was that Supersize lacked confidence. I could get him there—a few minor successes should build him up enough—but I needed additional time.
    More than I had. There were others on the team who could climb a few stories, but no