Read No Such Thing as a Free Ride for Free Online

in the hospital has. Maybe they’re a part of some kind of street club or something. If we could find out where they hang out, maybe we can go down there and they’ll I.D. the girl in the hospital.”
    Bobby shook his head. “No good.”
    “Why not?”
    “The police have already done a sweep of known hangouts. Nobody’s talking. Street kids don’t give each other up to the cops.”
    “Unhh! But we’re just trying to help!”
    “To a youth living on the street, cops are the enemy, Sweetheart.”
    “Then it makes perfect sense for me to go. These kids just need to know someone cares about them. Once I explain why I’m there, they’ll talk to me.”
    “
And
we’re back to square one. Brandy, these kids aren’t the innocent little flowers you think they are. They have to be tough to be able to survive on the streets. They’re all con artists, most are druggies—and those are some of their better qualities. I know you’re on a crusade to save the world, but until you understand certain realities you’d better sit this one out.”
    “Boy, are you cynical,” I sniffed.
    The little vein on the side of Bobby’s temple began to throb. That was my signal to back off.
    “Okay, fine. I’ll leave it alone.”
    “Sure you will. Just be careful and call if you need me.”
    *****
     
    Bobby told me not to get my hopes up of finding the girl’s street family. Homeless kids used to be more visible, hanging out in parks, bus stations, in front of super markets—anywhere there was a possibility of scoring free food or shelter. But business owners began complaining that the kids were desecrating their property and hassling the customers, so the police cracked down and the kids went underground. To the general public, out of sight, out of mind, but they were still out there if you knew where to look. The problem was I didn’t.
    I decided to cruise around the 7-Eleven where I’d last seen the girl from Uncle Frankie’s gym. The gym, 7-Eleven and a homeless youth center were all located within a two mile radius of each other. I figured these kids probably wouldn’t have their own transportation, so unless they hopped a bus they’d likely stick within walking distance of their haunts.
    After about an hour, I lucked out and found Leather Boy standing on a corner smoking a cigarette next to a dingy, brown, brick building. The sign on the door said, “Tarentino’s Bar & Grill.” By the looks of things it’d been quite some time since Tarentino had done any entertaining. To the right of the door was a large plate glass window boarded over by mismatched pieces of decaying plywood, sadly, a common sight in this part of town.
    I pulled over to the curb and rolled down the window and yelled across the narrow street to him. “Excuse me.”
    The kid looked up, bored. If he recognized me from the other day he didn’t show it.
    “Yeah?”
    “I’m looking for someone.”
    His interest piqued, he approached the car, a slow, boozy smile playing about his lips. “Will I do?”
    There was a provocativeness to his question that was well beyond his years—or mine for that matter.
    “Um, I don’t think we’re on the same page here. See, I’m trying to locate this girl. She—” My phone rang, interrupting me. “Oh, uh, could you hang on for just a second?”
    I looked down to grab my phone out of my bag, and when I looked back up he was nowhere in sight. Note to self: Street kids have short attention spans. Next time, talk faster.
    Okay, that didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, but if the boy in the leather pants was hanging around here, maybe the blond girl was close by. I traveled east a few more blocks, slowing down to watch a family of rats scurry into a hole in the wall on the side of a condemned building.
    The street I’d turned onto was narrow, dirty and smelled like a urinal. I started to roll up the window and blast the air conditioning when I saw her. She was with a guy who looked to be in his late forties. He