Page 10 of Maceo

“But you’re by yourself.”

“No, I’m not. I have a team.”

“But they aren’t your family. They aren’t gonna look out for you like your family does.”

“We’re good, baby. They’re ex-military and down for the cause.”

I shook my head. “I don’t like this, Mace.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. Don’t I come home to you every single time?”

“Yes, but?—”

“But nothing. I promise I’m safe.”

So far, hehadbeen safe. The guys in the crew were efficient and diligent in their jobs. Since I’d been with them, they’d rescued nearly a hundred people. This was never something I pictured myself doing. It started with making sure my man brought his ass back home safely, but now, I loved it.

Seeing people reunited with their families did my heart some good. After Salima was kidnapped right under my nose, that shit stirred up something in me. Not knowing where my bestie was for three days had my heart in shambles. If she’d never been found, or if Councilman Hayes had killed her, I would have lost my fucking mind.

I could only imagine what the families of these victims were going through. I left my CNA job to do this full time, four months ago. The money was great, but I felt like I was doing something that made the danger worth it.

Upstairs, I knocked softly on each door to check in with our guests. Everyone seemed to be getting along okay. As I made my way to the last door where Charity was, I could hear her talking softly. Lightly, I tapped on the door before opening it. She scrambled from the floor beside the bed.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m fine. Just… a little overwhelmed.” She wiped her tears away as she looked at me. “Did you need something?”

“No. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and see if you needed anything. I know this is a lot.”

She nodded. “It is. One minute, I was waiting at the bus stop, and the next, I was in the back of that van.”

I moved toward her and took a seat on the bed. “How long were you with them?”

“Maybe a day or two. Like I said, I was at the bus stop. I heard this woman call for help in the alley behind me, and when I went to see what was up, somebody grabbed me. All I remember is a cloth over my mouth before I blacked out.”

I eyed her discreetly. She didn’t look like someone who’d been held captive for days. There was no sign of a struggle on her. No ripped clothes, no bruises, not even a broken fingernail. Her story, however, was plausible.

“Where are you from?” I asked.

“Nowhere, really. I grew up in foster care, so I don’t really have one place I call home. Honestly, I’ve been living in my car for the last couple of months.”

“I thought you were at the bus stop?”

“Oh, I was. I decided to go for a walk, and my feet got tired, so I sat down for a while.”

“I see. So you don’t have anybody that’s like family or friends that would be missing you?”

She shook her head with sadness in her eyes. “All I have is me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Where will you go from here?”

“Back to my car if it hasn’t been towed. I definitely have to get away from that place now. If it wasn’t for you all, I could be dead right now. How did you even find us?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know the details. I just drive the van and play hostess.”

I was lying. Maceo told me the ins and outs, but why would I tell her that? Until she made her way up out of here, she wouldbe treated like everybody else. That meant she wouldn’t be privy to information that didn’t concern her. I stood from the bed before she could ask anything else.

“Well… don’t let me hold you. I’m sure you want to get showered and into something clean. The food is downstairs whenever you want to eat.”

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