“You sure that’s worth putting them through all this?” I asked. “One slip-up, one unlucky mistake, and it’s finished.”
“It’s worth it,” Irene said. “I wasn’t sure at first, but seeing them here today convinced me. They look so much like people I knew out there.” She looked toward the city, up at the massive buildings looming over the relative calm of the river trail. “Everyone on the street’s a little bit lost, and everyone out there’s looking for some hope. If those girls believe this can work, we have to let them try.”
I let that sink in. I took it for granted that Irene was safe and with me now, but hearing her experience again made me understand that this was about more than the Valentinos and the Healys. This was about a bunch of girls that were tricked into leaving their homes and sold into sex work, forced to stay there through threats, coercion, and drugs. It was about giving them something to believe in.
“We’ll try one group,” I said finally. “One group comes out and I teach them, but no more than one. After that, it’s up to Anna to figure it out.”
“Fine,” Sasha said quickly, and Irene stared at me with fear in her eyes, but she seemed determined to move forward.
“Tell her,” I said, and began walking again. Sasha turned and ran back to the dog park.
Irene caught up with me. She slipped her hand into mine and leaned her head against my shoulder.
“You’re not a monster,” she said. “And maybe you do some things for free.”
“Only for you,” I said, squinting at the path ahead of us. “These girls are going to pay for this chance in blood. You know that, right? Are you ready for it?”
“I’m ready,” she said, and squeezed my hand hard.
We walked back together and waited for Sasha at the car, then the three of us drove out to the mansion to plan.
20
Irene
The Healy safe house was tucked away down a quiet West Philly street on the edge of the University of Pennsylvania’s campus. It looked like any other college house, except the front was clean and there weren’t any beer cans next to the curb out front.
“We’re waiting on Anna’s signal,” Cam said, squinting into the rearview mirror. Behind us, a couple more cars pulled up and parked in empty spots.
The last week was a rush of activity. The Don wasn’t happy about letting the girls use his back yard, but he accepted that it was a worthwhile risk. Bea seemed delighted though, and when the gaggle of awkward-looking and supremely uncomfortable young ladies appeared in a series of cabs, Bea brought them all inside, made them all tea, and fed them lunch.
Then Cam took them out back and spent the entire day teaching them to shoot.
They were better than he expected, or at least I thought so. The girls could aim down field and some of them hit the target. But the fact that they showed up at all, risking their lives to do so, was the most impressive thing.
Sasha didn’t want to wait long before we made a move, but Cam wasn’t ready to commit the whole group yet.
Which was why we sat outside of a single Healy safe house in the middle of the night.
Lights flashed down the block. A car turned on its high beams then turned them off.
“That’s it,” Cam said and put a hand on my leg. “You should stay here.”
“No,” I said. “I have a gift for Ronan. And anyway, if they’re going, I’m going.”
He wanted to argue, I knew he did, but shadows moved along the sidewalk and there was no time. He stepped out and joined them, and I jumped out the passenger side and fell in next to Sasha in the back of the group.
Cam led the way. Anna came next, then Linc, then the sisters, Lara and Vera, then Sasha and me. I had a bag slung over my arm, and my heart felt like it might explode out of my chest. My mouth was dry, and my skin crawled, and all I wanted to do was run back to the car, but I was committed to this. If these girls could risk their lives, then I could too.
Although I was going to stay in the back.
Cam jumped up the front stoop and smashed in the front window with the butt of his gun. Anna took a long cannister from the pouch of her black hoodie, ripped off a tab, and threw it inside.
Something popped and hissed, and smoke began to curl back out through the broken window.
Someone shouted inside. There was confusion, more shouting. “Fire!” someone said, and someone else yelled, “Smoke! Where’s the fucking fire?”
Cam pressed himself next to the peeling black door and pulled out his gun. The others did the same and he held a hand up for them to wait.