Chapter 2: Stealing

A week passed and Martin met with his new friends everyday to play basketball or just to hang out with them.

"Hey, lets go down to that liquor store and steal some booze!" Vince stated. They all seemed to be thrilled by this, with the exception of Martin. He disliked stealing as much as vandalism or any crime for that matter.

"Hey, guys…I…I can't." Martin had to think of his father and what would happen to him if he got caught. Victor's promotion could be on the line.

"Why not, what's wrong with you, Marty?" Danny asked, trying to get Martin to join them.

"The owner knows my dad and…my Dad's job is in the line." Martin shook his head. He couldn't betray one of them.

"Dry your eyes!" Dom barked.

"What's your father's job?" Danny asked, trying to talk with Martin.

"He's got promoted last week but the ceremony's still to come…" Martin fussed around. He was afraid of what the others would think of him. He so wanted to be accepted by them and be a part of their group.

"What's his job?" Danny pressed.

"He's the Deputy Director of the FBI." Martin told them and that was a shock for every single one of them. "That's why I can't come with you. I would be out of here before you could even blink."

"Crap. What now? No we can't do it 'cause you know us! You're a stinking rat!" Randy screamed at Martin. Martin didn't know what to do, so he just shut up and looked down.

Danny, once again, stepped up and in front of Martin: "He's one of us now and we have to accept that! We never dragged you into something you didn't want to be in." Danny was calm as ever.

"I could go in, talk to the owner and convince him to buy me some booze for my Dad's promotion while you go in and steal it. I could try to distract him a bit," Martin suggested. He didn't want to be left out and if something went wrong, he might be able to help a bit.

"You don't have to do that, Marty," Danny shook his head and held Alex back, as he wanted to say something.

"You're my friends and I want to help you. Maybe I can pull something in case you get caught," Martin told them. He prayed they would accept that.

"Okay, fine," Vince nodded. They began to make a plan of some sort..

The next day Martin stood in front of the owner of the liquor store and talked him into helping to find the best Malt Whisky there was.

Only in the corner of his eye saw Martin what went on. Mike and Danny went in, grabbed a bottle and ran out.

The owner couldn't react fast enough and Martin tried to follow his friends but the owner held him back. "Don't get into trouble, Martin. Stay here and call the police."

Martin did what he was told and filed a report of what had happened and that he couldn't see anything. But what Martin and the others didn't know was that the store had video cameras installed just two days ago.

Martin was allowed to watch it with them and Martin gasped. "Oh my god…"

The police officer looked funny. "Martin?"

"I'm playing basketball with them…they would never…God, they're so nice to me! How could they…" Martin played dumb. If he ever learned something, it was how to mask his feelings behind a Fitzgeraldian mask.

"You know them?" the officer asked. Martin just nodded. "So, who are they?"

"I'm not going to rat them out!" Martin told the officer and shook his head. He couldn't let that happen.

"Well, then I'll have to think you have something to do with this." The officer wanted to take Martin with him, but the owner told the cop that his father was the new Deputy Director of the FBI and that Martin was there. He asked him for help and wasn't at all aware of what was happening.

"Please, officer…could you ask the judge to give them a choice?" Martin asked nice and told them what he knew about his friends; about them growing up in foster care, no one really cared for them…

"Okay, I'll see what I can do," he nodded before going out to look for them.

"I gotta go, too. My father's about to come back home…" Martin excused himself and left to store to go to the yard. He was so worried about his friends.

"Where have you been?!" Danny asked him worried. He was really upset that Martin hadn't shown up earlier.

"They've seen you on video tapes! I convinced the officer in charge to give you a chance. I tried everything," Martin told them everything that went down. He told them that he pleaded with the officer to do so.

"I think you just ratted us out," Dom told him straight in the face with a snarl.

"Thanks Martin, I think you did everything possible," Danny told him, already drunk but sincere.

Martin snorted and called "later" before leaving for the night.

tbc...