Page 78 of Harper’s Renegades

Primakova looked exactly like her picture. Her dreads were pulled back with a black ribbon to match the black skinny jeans and white button-down she was wearing. Around her waist was an apron with the name of the coffee shop on it, confirming she was indeed the girl we were after. She moved with fluid grace, much like the guys did, avoiding all the rowdy people in the shop as she headed into the back with the dishes.

“What do we do now?” I asked, watching the door to see when she came back out.

“Let’s just keep an eye on her, see what she’s doing for work and how best to get a chance to speak with her,” Jaxson suggested.

So that’s what we did. I’d officially become one of those creepy stalker types who watched someone while they worked. Prim wasn’t fooling around. She worked hard and kept busy, always doing something—cleaning, taking orders, stocking, and checking the trash. It was amazing to see because most seventeen-year-olds I knew didn’t ever want to work that hard.

Then our moment came.

We heard her call out something to the shift manager, and he waved her off, going back to what he was doing.

“Let’s go. She’s taking a smoke break out back,” Magnus murmured as he reached for my hand.

I ditched my cup in the trash, being a good human and cleaning up, unlike most people in this place. Magnus and I exited the shop and headed to the left while the other two went to the right.

“Why are we splitting up?” I asked.

Magnus squeezed my hand. “Trust me, doll. We know what we’re doing.”

Arm in arm, we wandered down the side street until we came to the alley for the businesses where their dumpster and street access doors were located. There was Prim, back against the brick wall, one foot resting on it as she blew out a stream of smoke. Her eyes were closed, but something told me she wasn’t unaware of us.

Magnus headed down the alley and called out to her, “Mogu ya vospol’zovat’sya vashey zazhigalkoy?”

She turned to look at him, unimpressed with whatever he said. “Your Russian is good, but we can speak English.”

I tried not to react to how incredibly good her English was with the barest hint of an accent.

“Why have you been watching me?” she asked, taking another drag on her cigarette.

“Your grandfather sent us. We’re here to get you out,” Magnus explained.

Prim snorted, dropped the butt, and ground out the ember with the toe of her boot. “The crazy old bastard never said anything to me about it. How do I know you’re not with the mafia or the KGB? Both of them can’t wait for my birthday in a few months. What’s to stop them from taking me early?”

Jaxson and Ghost appeared out of the shadow on the opposite side of the alley, boxing her in. “If we were either of those groups, we wouldn’t be talking to you. We’d have just taken you,” Ghost pointed out. “Seeing as we’ve come all the way from America to do your gramps a favor, why don’t you just make it easy on us all, and we’ll get you out of this predicament you’re in.”

“You think I’m that stupid?” Prim scoffed. “The four of you show up out of nowhere telling me my grandfather, who I haven’t talked to in three years, is finally giving a shit? Sorry, guys, but you’re gonna have to try a little harder than that to get me in your creepy van.”

“We don’t have a van,” I blurted, totally shocked at how hostile she was being.

“Sure thing, Barbie,” Prim said with a salute. “I’ve got a job to get back to unless you decide kidnapping me is going to be easier.”

“Listen up, you little shit,” I snapped. “We are here trying to help you out of this situation, that is, unless you want to be owned by the mafia. Real winner of a Dad, there to sell you off to them. Or is the KGB you’d rather work for? Be a black widow, have them control your life, treat you like a commodity they can just pretend never existed if you get into trouble. Can’t protect what they never acknowledge to have, right?” I could see her face darkening with anger as I hit home on each of those accusations, but I wasn’t going to stop just yet. “Feel free to be pissed at the men in your life all you want, but wouldn’t you rather be alive to make their lives a living hell? We can give that to you. Let us help you get out of here and make a new life in the States. You don’t have to be trapped here.”

Just when I thought I was getting through to her, the sound of someone else entering the alley had her on alert. “Nice try, princess, but what would you know about a life like mine? Bet you had Mommy and Daddy to look after you and solve all your problems. Well, I’ve been in charge of my own life since I was ten. I think I’ll manage just fine without your charity.”

“You bratty little bitch,” I snarled. “Just wait until the mafia really comes to take you, then there’s no hope of getting out. Look past the chip on your shoulder and do something good for yourself.”

Prim grabbed the door to the coffee shop and yanked it open. “I don’t think so, prom queen. You and your posse of clones can fuck off and leave me alone. Oh, and if you talk to my grandfather, tell him he can stay the fuck out of my life. He doesn’t have any right to be giving a shit.”

Ghost made a move to grab her, but she twisted out of his grasp, kicked him right in the gut, and slammed the door in our faces.

“Oh God,” Ghost groaned, clutching his stomach. “That was one hell of a kick. I think she just rearranged my guts.”

I rushed over to him, checking him over, but he just seemed to have gotten the wind knocked out of him. “You all right?” I asked, cupping his face in my hands.

“Not the first time I’ve underestimated a pink-haired woman. I really should take that as a warning. They are crazy as shit,” he muttered as he draped an arm around my shoulders.

We walked out of the alley back onto the main road toward the front of the coffee shop. “What do we do now?” I asked, looking over at Magnus.