“Tick-tock, Cherry,” Jericho said. “We’re losing our patience.”
Ever closed his eyes, willing Cherry to make the right choice. He really didn’t want anyone to lose a limb.
“I’m not a snitch,” she said meekly.
Ever leaned over her, forcing his voice to be as cold and unfeeling as the others’ had been. “You’re going to die. And so will all your friends. Soon, there won’t be anybody left to care if you talked or not.”
Ever could see Arsen’s shocked expression in his periphery, but he forced himself to keep looking at her. He needed her to understand there was only one choice and that was to talk. “Look. I don’t want them to torture you, but I won’t stop them, either. Think about that.”
Ever could smell the sour stench of Cherry’s fear. Her face was a mask of frustration as she seemed to truly understand there was no way out of it. “I knew when we found that bitch dead that you were going to be trouble. They didn’t believe me,” she said. “They said you’d just disappear. But I knew better.”
“Do you want a gold star?” Lake asked.
Silence stretched until it grew uncomfortable. Arsen’s lip curled in disgust. He looked at Asa. “Just do it. She’s clearly not going to talk.”
Avi grinned then grabbed the torch on the table, showing it to them as a blue flame erupted from the tip. “I’m ready. Let’s go.” He leaned into Cherry’s space. “I want to warn you, burning flesh smells a little like barbeque. It can be kind of disconcerting when it’s your own.”
With that, he nodded towards Asa, who placed the teeth of the saw against her wrist.
“Wait!” Cherry shouted. “Wait…” she said again, softer. “I’ll talk. What…what do you want to know?”
“Where do they keep their cargo?” Jericho asked. “We know there are other victims.”
Cherry’s eyes shut slowly, and for one terrifying moment, Ever thought she was going to change her mind. Then she said, “There’s a shipping container on an empty piece of property about forty minutes outside the city. We keep them there.”
A shock rocked Ever’s whole body. There really were more people like him. He’d known it on some level, but to hear her say it was…too much. His heart was hammering, blood rushing in his ears.There were others. There were others.“How many?” Ever muttered. When Cherry stayed silent, he grabbed her bloody face. “How many?” he screamed. “How many? How many?”
“Ever…” Arsen said, pulling him away from the table, even as he tried to get back to her. He wanted to hear her say it. He needed to hear her admit there were more.
“A handful!” she shouted. “The others have already been placed. And don’t ask me who because nobody tracks that shit. There are a few kids we picked up online and two girls they brought over from Vietnam.”
“Picked up online?” Ever echoed. “What does that mean?”
“Kids are easy to come by,” she said. “There’s nobody keeping tabs on them. We buy them from re-homing sites, out the back door of immigration camps. Hell, some parents will sell them flat out for a small fee. And nobody even looks for the foster kids once they’re placed. There just aren’t enough employees, and half the ones there are willing to look the other way for a price. Kids are disposable.”
“Is that how you got me?” Ever asked, breathless. “Someone just gave me away?”
She turned dull eyes on him. “Don’t blame that on me. You were before our time. We only got involved after half of the original crew was locked up on gun running charges. Those cops hate doing their own dirty work. We didn’t want the heat, either, but they reminded us that working with the cops was better than making enemies of them. Besides, they paid well.”
“Where does your crew hang when they’re not at that bar?”
“That house on 9th and Hoover. The pink one with the green shutters. But you won’t find them there. They’re at the cabin. They’re making the exchange tomorrow.”
“The exchange?” Jericho asked. “What exchange?”
She rolled her eyes. “The exchange, the sale. Whatever you want to call it. The cops know you took out Detective Douche. They’re worried you’re onto them. They’re dumping the cargo off on some wannabe Hell’s Angel types in exchange for fentanyl, which is much easier to hide than a bunch of whining, screaming brats and hysterical girls.”
“They’re going to just…pass them off to a biker gang? What will they do with them?” Arsen asked.
“The girls, they’ll turn out, and the kids, they’ll probably sell. Sometimes, they keep them. Just depends.”
Ever wanted to scream. He wanted to grab that knife off the table and stab it into her heart. How could she say something like that? Like they didn’t even matter? Like they weren’t even people? “Don’t you care at all?”
“You really are just a tiny baby still. Maybe she should have taken you out of that house every now and again. Even after everything she did to you, you really still think there are good people in the world? There are only two kinds of people. The victims and the victors. You just have to decide what team you’re on. I got tired of being a victim so I did what I had to do to survive. I can’t worry about other people. Only myself. You worry about other people and the world will eat you alive.”
“Wow,” Asa said. “I thought I was cynical.”
“Just kill me already,” she muttered. “I gave you what you wanted.”
