Though she was a little feral, truth be told. I caught her casing the Don’s study one night and when I asked what the hell she was doing, she just shrugged and said, “Might be something worth stealing in here.”
I had to make it very clear that she could not, under any circumstances, steal from the Don.
She probably understood.
I navigated toward West Philly and parked down near the South Street Bridge. We walked to the hiking path that snaked along the Schuylkill River and ignored the crowds out for a stroll on a sunny afternoon. The girls kept close to each other, talking in soft, nervous whispers, and I led the way, keeping an eye out for threats, though it was unlike the Healy family would be stupid enough to do anything violent in such a big crowd. The river path was a major destination for city folk on a nice day and the runners, walkers, and bikers dominated the area, with more lounging around on the benches.
I spotted Anna sitting outside of the dog park on a bench that looked in through the fence. Two girls I didn’t recognize were with her, and I spotted a few young, pretty, vaguely European girls in skimpy outfits sitting at another bench nearby. I saw a few more scattered around the park, standing in groups of two or three, all of them young, all of them attractive, and all of them with the savage look of a girl that had been through some shit.
I looked back at Sasha and motioned her forward. “You see them?” I asked, nodding in the direction of Anna and all the others.
Sasha perked up. “She brought more than I thought,” she said.
“Do you know them all?”
“Most,” she said. “The ones I recognize are good people. The others, I can’t speak for.”
“Fair enough,” I said and let out a breath. I had slight nerves, but I pushed them aside, and approached Anna and the two girls with her.
Anna stood up, beaming. “I wondered if you’d come,” she said.
Sasha ran ahead and hugged her. “I thought maybe you got yourself killed.”
“Oh, no, not me,” Anna said. “I’m a survivor, remember?” She let go of Sasha and gave me a look. “Although your men haven’t exactly been gentlemen.”
I cocked my head. “Anyone touch you?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, of course not. But they drink too much and gamble all night. Keeps me awake.”
“I’ll talk to them,” I said, relaxing a bit. I didn’t think Linc or the others would be stupid enough to try something on this girl, but you could never be sure when it came to mafioso.
Irene stood next to me, stiff and uncomfortable. She glanced at Anna and Sasha, then at the other girls, scanning across the park toward the other groups. Anna followed her gaze and her grin got bigger.
“I brought more than you expected, I bet,” she said. “I tried to keep it small, but more girls kept wanting to get involved.”
“How many are there now?” Irene asked.
“Twenty,” Anna said.
I let out a sharp laugh. “Twenty?” I asked. “You’re kidding?”
“Not kidding,” Anna said.
Sasha beamed proudly. “Told you, these bitches are powerful,” she said, and punched Anna in the arm.
Anna grunted, rubbing at the spot. “More like angry,” she said, and gestured for the two girls to join her. One was blonde with very dark eyebrows, and the other was a brunette with her hair up in a tight braid. Both were pretty in an almost severe way with tight outfits, high heels, and scowls like they wanted to burn the place down. “This is Vera and Lara,” she said, gesturing at them. “They’ve been a lot of help.”
“You’re the big strong mafia guy, huh?” The blonde girl, Vera, stepped up to me, arms crossed over her chest, a scowl on her lips. “Anna says you want to help us kill the Healy pigs.”
“Easy,” Anna said. “He’s on our side.”
“None of them are on our side,” Lara said, nudging up against Vera. “Unless he gives us guns. Then he’s okay.”
“Guns are coming,” Sasha said. “I promise you that.”
Vera seemed skeptical and she draped an arm over Lara’s shoulders. “Me and my sister, we want big guns. Very, very big funs.”
I grimaced slightly. Sisters, fucking hell. Forced to sleep with men for money together. I could only imagine how messed up that was and truly didn’t want to know the details of whatever sick shit the Healys forced on them. Irene tensed at my side and I guessed she had the same thought.
“You’ll get guns,” I said. “But first I need to make sure you can use them.”
“Point and shoot,” Vera said, making a barrel with her finger. “Bang, bang. Not so hard.”
“There’s more to it than that,” Anna said softly.
“We’ll teach you,” I said, approaching the sisters. Both girls glared at me defiantly. “We’ll have to start with these outfits though.”