There’s a five-year-old with the brand from a prostitution ring on her back. No wonder Fiona lost her mind.
“But all the information about this ring stopped about sixteen years ago. It’s like they vanished off the face of the earth. Though the FBI thinks the ring moved because someone found out they were close to making arrests. Urbium P.D. doesn’t think they moved. Around that time, they picked up several prostitutes with that brand on them. They think the ring fell apart for some reason. There are still women in the system with that brand...mhmmm…there are eighteen women in the state prison system.”
“No men?”
“Nope.”
Five…That girl is five. What does Fiona know?
More importantly…how does she know? I don’t think I want the answer to that question. But I’m going to need it.
***
The Street is eerily quiet as we walk down it.
Everett looks up from his phone. “Whoa. What happened?”
“No. Idea.” But we’re about to find out. “They’re at the clinic.”
“Was anyone hurt? Did someone else attack The Street?”
“A little girl arrived. They’re checking on her. She’s the one with the brand.”
“Oh no.”
My thoughts exactly.
“Does this mean you and Maddox are going hunting?”
He’s perceptive. “Probably.”
“Can I help?”
Not without skills. “You can help with the research, but you need more training for anything else.”
“Okay.”
My father and Maddox are sitting outside the clinic when we approach.
“Did anything change?”
Dad stands up and walks over to me. “No. Your mother is in with Fiona and the child. I sent Hope home with your uncle. Otherwise, everything has been quiet.”
“We moved the entire street to lockdown, and all the kids are restricted to their dorms. Which isn’t ideal, and Fiona knows that. She must suspect a threat. I just want to know what I’m looking for.”
“A prostitution ring,” Everett chimes in. “According to the FBI, they were responsible for more murders than all the other rings combined. They would gleefully kill cops left and right. Then brand their faces with a spider.”
And Everett didn’t think to mention that while we were driving?
“Why haven’t we heard of them?” Maddox turns to the boy like he has all the answers.
“Because they shut down before I was born. Everyone assumed they were gone for good.”
“I’m calling Vex. He’d probably know about them.” Maddox takes out his phone as he walks away from the group.
A car purrs to a stop in front of the clinic.
That’s definitely not standard issue around here. They prefer black SUVs. Not foreign cars that come with their own mechanic. Knight steps out and walks around to open the door for Daria.
