Slight of Hand

Chapter One

Under normal circumstances I would speak my mind, but.... with a gun against my head, and a 500 foot drop a push away, I figure it would be better to keep quite and listen to the proposal offered by the police. Hi, I'm Rye Ranger, and how I got myself into this predicament is a rather interesting story. I'm a member, of the Fourth Reapers. The local gang of thieves made up of our techie, Booker Win, tracker, Kay Alice, and me, the actual thief, Rye Ranger. Anyways, there's been a string of unsolved crimes in our town, Pike and the local law, surprise, surprise, can't crack the case. So they tracked down us to the Den of Thieves and brought us out on the Timberwolf Bridge. Now my group and I have a choice, either help them, and go free, or don't and they kill me. "Tough choice isn't it boys?" I called to my friends. Booker seems terrified, and Kay looks like he's about to one of the cop's the bones. "Very funny Ranger, now, will you help us or not?" The cop, Officer Kathrine Quince growled. "Um, how about, I go, and you leave me alone?" I responded. Kathrine sighed. "Look," she said, helping me back from the edge of the bridge. "I don't want to hurt any of you, least of all you Rye." She said a small frown on her face. Holstering her gun, she continued. "Please, help us, you're the most skilled thieves out here, we need your help." Kathrine looked up at us, a pleading look in her eye. I wasn't convinced of her lack of intentions to still kill me, but, what can you do? I wanted to help them, but first, I was going to, of course, put on a bit of a show. "What's in it for us?" Kay asked. "Money? Fame, power? Glory?" Booker added. "A pardon for all our crimes?" I put in, a cocky look on my face. Kathrine responded with a knowing smile. "How about the slightest amount of honor? I mean, I know you don't have any." She questioned. For once I was at a loss for words. I was aways the one to talk back, have a cocky and smart alec answer. "Seems you've met your match Roadrunner," Kay muttered to me. I shook my head to clear it. "Alright fine. We'll help you." I said. I really just wanted to prove to my friends I could win in this war of wits Kathrine had just declared. I held out my hand, Kathrine took it, shaking and sealing the deal. "Good choice." She responded. "Welcome to Operation Slight of Hand."