Free Among Thieves by David Hosp

firms got to their desks. Lissa was already sitting at her computer when Finn ushered the bleary-eyed girl through
     the front door.
    “I have to drive her to school over in Southie,” Finn said by way of greeting. “I figured Koz and I could head over and talk
     to Vinny Murphy, as long as I was going in that direction anyway.” He looked down at the girl as though he’d forgotten for
     a moment that she was still with him. “This is Sally,” he said. “Sally, this is Lissa.”
    Lissa nodded.
    Sally said nothing, plopped down in one of the uncomfortable chairs against the wall. The tiny firm was thriving financially,
     but Finn hadn’t yet plowed any of his profits back into the office décor. An architect had drawn up ambitious plans, but Finn
     hadn’t had time to follow through. The office still consisted of one large open space where both Finn and Lissa had desks.
     Kozlowski’s office was in the back.
    “Koz in?” Finn asked.
    “His office,” Lissa responded.
    “I’ll be right back.”
    Lissa wasn’t sure whether Finn was speaking to her or the girl. In either case, he disappeared into the back without another
     word. Lissa looked over at Sally. She wore thick black work boots, a black skirt over leggings and an oversized sweatshirt.
     Nothing about her demeanor or her wardrobe invited interaction. She was looking back at Lissa, scowling slightly. Neither
     of them said anything for a few moments; they just stared at each other, seeing who would crack first. In the end, it was
     the girl.
    “You’re pretty,” she said to Lissa. “Is that how you got the job, or can you type, too?”
    “Don’t mess with me,” Lissa replied.
    “You’re tough, then?” Sally asked.
    “Only compared to some. And only when pushed.”
    The girl said nothing.
    “I’m sorry about your father,” Lissa said.
    “Why? He’s not dead.”
    “I know.”
    “So, why are you sorry?”
    Lissa considered the girl and the question in equal measure. She liked both, she decided. They both seemed brutally honest—a
     quality, in Lissa’s experience, that was hard to come by. “I don’t know,” Lissa said. “I guess I was just assuming his arrest
     might be hard on you. I was trying to offer some sympathy. You can take it if you want. Or not. Up to you.”
    “You gonna tell me it’s all gonna be all right now?”
    “No.”
    “Good. I hate it when people say shit like that.”
    “So do I.”
    They lapsed into silence again, the girl slouching down deep into the chair, her brow furrowed, looking stymied by Lissa’s
     refusal to play the traditional establishment role of coddling adult.
    “So, what do you do around here?” Sally asked after a moment.
    “I’m a lawyer,” Lissa replied. “I work with Finn.”
    “Really?” The girl seemed both impressed and skeptical.
    “Yeah, really.”
    Finn and Kozlowski came in from the back room. Lissa was amused by Sally’s reaction to seeing Kozlowski for the first time.
     His size was imposing, and while his features hinted at a time when he might have been handsome, the long, deep scar on the
     side of his face gave him a distinctly menacing appearance.
    “Sally, this is Tom Kozlowski,” Finn said.
    She sat up a little straighter but didn’t respond, trying to dispel any impression that she was intimidated. Lissa could tell
     it was an act, though. Kozlowski said nothing.
    “Right,” Finn said. “We have to drop you off at school, and then Mr. Kozlowski and I have some business we have to deal with
     together. My car’s a little small for the three of us, so I figure we can take Koz’s car.”
    Lissa could see the girl go a shade paler at the thought of riding with Kozlowski. She stood. “You two have a lot to deal
     with today. I have a doctor’s appointment later, but other than that I’m not that busy, so why don’t I take Sally to school?”
     She wasn’t sure who looked more relieved, the men or the girl.
    “Really?” Finn said. “That’d be great.