“Are you sure I’m not in trouble?” the girl asked from the backseat.
“Positive.”
“Why were you at the gas station?”
“That’s a really good question,” I said, scrambling for a believable excuse. “I was there to take over for Buddy. He knew he was in trouble, and when he saw me, he freaked out and made you leave. He thinks he’s getting fired.”
“Is he?” The hope I heard in her voice nearly broke my heart.
I glanced up to meet her eyes in the rearview mirror. “I promise you that you’ll never have to worry about Buddy again.”
She held my gaze for half a second, then dropped it to her lap. “What about Savannah?”
“What about her?” I asked, filing the name away. Was she another girl? Or a handler?
“She’s the one who usually takes over for Buddy.”
I’d heard it wasn’t uncommon for trafficked girls to age up and start taking on some leadership positions. Was that who Savannah was?
“She’s busy with something else the boss is dealing with.” I kept my voice steady. “I’m Amber, by the way.” I used my alias on instinct. “Sorry—I forgot your name. Things happened fast.”
“Lexi,” she said. Silence stretched for a few seconds. Then, softly she asked, “Is Nixon mad at Buddy? I heard him say Buddy isn’t bringin’ in enough money.” Her fear-filled eyes lifted to mine in the mirror. “Is he mad at me too?”
My heart kicked hard. Nixon. A direct connection to Knox.
“I didn’t make my minimum tonight,” she continued, sounding panicked. “We just got started. I only made the fifty from that guy, and I hadn’t even done nothin’ yet.”
“It’s okay,” I said firmly. “I promise. There’s something big going on, so Nixon pulled us. He told me we need to lay low for a bit.”
Her face was a mess, so I leaned over, grabbed my backpack from the passenger-side floor, and pulled out a pack of wet wipes. I handed them back to her.
She took them, gave me a questioning look, then pulled out a wipe and started to wash off her face.
“Are we goin’ back to the other girls?” she asked in a small voice.
I considered telling her the truth, who I was and what was happening, but it felt too soon. I needed her to feel comfortable with me first. “No, not yet. It’s not safe. We’re worried the police are about to raid the house.” I watched her reflection to gauge her reaction.
Her eyes widened with fear, confirming my suspicions. They’d probably told the girls that if the police ever got hold of them, they’d be the ones in trouble.
Fresh tears streaked down her face. “Are Maya and the others gonna be okay?”
If I were her handler, I’d put the fear of God into her and use it to keep her obedient. I wouldn’t be doing that. “Yeah. That’s what Savannah’s doing—moving them somewhere else. They’ll be fine.” But I had to wonder how much time we had before Knox realized Buddy and Lexi were missing and then tied their disappearance to me and James.
“How old is Maya?” I asked gently, figuring it made sense I wouldn’t know. I was “new” after all.
“Fifteen.”
I nodded slowly, then lied. “But if they do get raided before the move, she’s young enough that the police will take her into the station, then release her. And one of the others would be there to get her.”
She nodded, looking torn between relief and resignation.
I wasn’t sure how long I could keep up this ruse, but I needed to wait until we were holed up in a motel room before I came clean and, hopefully, got information from her.
I’d already merged onto the highway, heading west on I-30, putting Little Rock behind us. The more distance I put between us and Knox, the better.
Even if it meant putting more distance between me and James.
Then again, maybe he had the same idea.
