Page 107 of Maceo

“You got access to her?”

He nodded frantically as he reached into his pocket and produced a cell phone.

“She only communicates with us through text when she’s not here.”

“Bet.”

I snatched the phone, then put a hot one in his head. Pulling out my phone, I called our connect down at the police station and let him know to keep the bust quiet. I didn’t need anybody tipping Charity’s ass off. Titan walked in through the back door.

“Anybody else out there?” I asked.

“There was one trying to hide, but I got him. Y’all might wanna see this shit, though.”

We all looked around at each other before following him out back. He led us down a short trail to where his crew was standing around what looked like an old storm shelter in the ground.

Upon looking inside, we were greeted by the eyes of six women looking back at us in total fear. The women all looked like they were going to or coming from the club. I could tell they’d been down here a few days. Makeup was running. Hair was matted. The smell coming from below was unpleasant, to say the least.

“Shit,” my father mumbled. He squatted to address the women. “What are your names?”

They looked from him to each other but remained quiet. Maddie came through with that motherly tone and went down into the shelter with them.

“My name is Maddie,” she said softly. “These are the good guys, I promise. I know you’ve probably been through something traumatic, but it’s all over now. We just want to get you out of here. Can you tell me your names?”

One of the girls went to speak, but the others shook their heads at her.

“I want to go home,” she told them. She looked back at Maddie. “I’m Alyssa. That’s Charlette, Sierra, Michelle, Jerika, and Casey.”

Maddie smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, given the circumstances.”

“I heard gunshots…” Alyssa said. “Are they all dead?”

Maddie nodded. “The woman too?”

“Is that who brought you here?”

She nodded. “We don’t know each other; we just have the same story. We met her in the club at separate times. She said she was celebrating her birthday alone and invited each of us to join her. She seemed so nice. I guess she slipped something in our drinks. All I remember was feeling lightheaded. She offered to help me to the bathroom, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the back of a van with them.” She pointed at the other girls.

“Well, don’t worry,” Maddie assured them. “We’re gonna get you out of here and back home. Do you want to come out or wait until the police get here?”

The girls all looked at each other.

“We’ll wait for the police,” Alyssa answered.

Maddie nodded before climbing the stairs back up. Pops was already on the phone, making the arrangements, again, ensuring it was kept quiet.

“She’s got to be desperate,” Smoke said. “Snatching up locals?”

“And nobody is reporting these girls missing,” Mia added.

Maddie shook her head. “I bet they are. They just aren’t getting the coverage they would if their skin was another color. You know how many of us go missing and it’s never shared on a national level? This is why your father does what he does the way he does it.”

Everybody nodded in agreement. We were unorthodox like a muthafucka, but there was a very clear reason why we moved the way we did. You didn’t accumulate power by playing nice, and it damn sure wasn’t by playing fair.

I satacross from Indigo Rogers, in the back room of the bar he owned. He was a long-time friend of my father and somewhat of an uncle to me… Just one I didn’t fuck with like that. I wasn’t happy about being here because I just had this feeling he was about to be on some bullshit. Yet and still, I put business on hold and entrusted my team to act like they knew what the fuck they were being paid for, to come see him.

“How are you, Quinn?” he asked, taking a sip of his beer.

“Cut the small talk, Indigo. Why am I here?”

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