The man scowled and backhanded Zita. She stumbled back into Johanna, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes and fight past the pain.Feck. He’d actually hit her.
“Know your place,” he said and walked out the back.
Zita’s cheeked burned, but she turned to Johanna. “Stop crying,” she murmured.
The expression on the woman’s face was pure desolation.
“I’ll fix this.” Zita hoped she could keep her promise.
Johanna didn’t respond, but Zita couldn’t wait until she recovered. She walked out and hurried across to the markets, her mind racing as she formulated a plan. She found David not far from where she’d left him.
“What the hell happened to you?” David exclaimed, reaching for her face.
“Shhhh,” she said, brushing his hand away. “Listen to me. Manuela’s done something to annoy the gang and they’re pimping her out today.”
He swore.
Zita took a breath, hating the words she had to say next. “I need you to hire her.”
