Fuck, I'm being unfair. She's just a cog in the fucking system, and her piece of shit daddy hasn't been doing her any favors. She's naive as fuck, but she hasn't inherited a single mean bone in that little body of hers.
I've got a mean bone I want to put in her, though.
Jesus, what a cheesy-ass line.
What did Emily think of Karen? It's good for her to see that there are real people here. Even if her daddy's shit, maybe she'll turn out better.
On the way back, we pass the old school. Shuttered several years ago, and the brick facade is crumbling. If that's not fucking symbolic, I don't know what. A group of kids are in a circle in front of it. Another damn fight. With a sigh, I wave for the guys to pull over. We're not the fucking babysitters of the neighborhood, but I recognize several of the kids.
We pull up and shut off the bikes. The closest ones look over their shoulders at us, and part to give us space. The others are still jeering and encouraging the fighters, except for one familiar, shrill voice that cuts through the yelling. “Stop it!”
“Are you going to stop them?” Emily asks Hero, but I'm the first to get off my bike. This is my territory.
The fighters are barely teenagers, maybe fourteen at most, one of them way taller than the other, though the smaller one is a furious bundle of muscle. Like a bulldog. I've dealt with both of them before. Jackson and Gabe, and they're always at each other.
The shrill voice belongs to a twig thin girl with dirty brown hair who nearly disappears in a T-shirt that's way too big for her. She's fearless, though, and charges the two fighters with a shove. “I said quit it!” For a moment, she's drawn in, before the shorter kid shoves her back out. Sophia, Gabe's little sister.
My turn. “What the fuck's going on here? She said stop. Break it up before I break you.” The boys grimace when I grab their shoulders and pull them apart. I could be gentler, but no lessons are learned from that.
“I told them!” snaps Sophia.
The boys launch into heated explanations, which I allow for all of two seconds. “Jesus, shut it. You sound like fucking babies.” I shove the taller one away. Not too hard, but enough to give him direction. “Jackson, fuck off. Blow off steam. If you keep fucking around, you'll start finding out, got it?”
His mouth opens to argue, but I left all my friendly expressions at home today, and he reconsiders. Smart boy. He takes off, leaving me to deal with Gabe.
“Okay,” I growl as I force him to face me. We've had this fucking talk before, and he knows it. He refuses to meet my eyes. “What did I tell you last time?”
His jaw's clenched. He's proud, and at fourteen, admitting mistakes doesn't come easy to him. Fuck, I get it. It still doesn't come easy to me.
“Say it.”
“To watch out for Sophia.”
“And…”
“And to stop getting into fights.” At least there's nothing wrong with his memory, even if he lets his temper drive him around. Fucking teenagers.
“So why the fuck am I seeing you in a fight, and with a bigger kid at that?”
“I can take him!” he explodes. He's built square, all powerful shoulders and thick neck. If he looks like this at fourteen, he's going to be a fucking powerhouse when he's older, assuming he lives that long.
“Of course you fucking can. What if he comes back with friends? What if he has a fucking knife, or a gun? Sophia would be vulnerable, you fucking get that? She's only nine. I know you don't see your mama much, and I know you kids are out here alone, all the fucking time. I won't always be here to break up the fights. I can't always fucking save you. Some fucker beats her to death and you're not there, it's your fucking fault. If someone puts a bullet in her skull and her brains get splattered all over the fucking wall, and you're not there to protect her, it's your fucking fault.” I make a gun with my index finger and thumb, and pretend to fire it in her direction.
“King.” Hero's hand on my shoulder is heavy. He only says the one word, but I get it. The kids look terrified, and Sophia has hidden behind Gabe, looking at me with big eyes around his side. Even he's got his jaw open.
I'm going too hard, but I can't fucking help it. I see Gabe and I see Sophia, and all I can think about how I fucked up when I was supposed to protect Allison. If only Gabe knew what it fucking really feels like.
It's better that he doesn't know. I shake off Hero's hand.