Page 55 of Live for Me

“Whatever this is, kids,” he said and took the napkin from his lap to wipe his mouth, “I don’t want any part of it. Excuse me.”

“You’ve been in the organization longer than any other Executioner,” I said quietly. “And I need your input.”

“I don’t have anything to offer,” he said and shoved his hand into his pocket to pull out his phone.

“It’d actually probably help my case if you’re calling Akron,” I said. “She’d be interested in this, too.”

He paused to look at me then, breaking his focus on Utah for the first time.

“And who might you be?” Tennessee asked.

“It’s probably in your best interest if I don’t actually tell you that.”

He turned slightly to look around the diner, and I watched him pause when his eyes landed on a security camera over his shoulder near the entrance. He looked down to his phone next and I squeezed Utah’s leg under the table. His hand dropped down on top of mine immediately after.

I had no doubt that he was texting Akron to get into that camera, to have her figure out who we might be. My fear was that someone with this many years invested for our President would be way more interested in the contracts for the two of us than he would be in what we had to say. That put me under a time constraint for this interaction.

“The President has been having entire families murdered to recruit broken people who have nothing left, turning them into Executioners and Judges. Whatever you believe happened to your brothers and your parents, I can guarantee that it didnothappen the way you think it did.”

I watched his face start to turn red.

“I’m not really here for that though,” I said quickly. “I just wanted you to know that I know who you are. You’ve been involved the longest, Tennessee. Did you know there’s a human trafficking element to this organization?”

He sat back in the booth, but his eyes narrowed while I kept talking.

“I’m talking about children. Girls and boys as young as three. Women of any age at all if they’re alone in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kids plucked right out of the safety of their lives, only to be thrown into the lion’s den. They’re groomed. They live in a house together under thecareof a group of women and under theprotectionof a specific set of men. They’re taught how they’re allowed to behave in the presence of the people who would buy them, torture, and abuse them. They’re taught that they don’t matter outside of what their bodies can offer their owners. That unacceptable behavior deserves the vilest forms of punishment.” I stopped when my voice cracked. Utah’s hand shifted so that he could take mine in his where it sat on top of his leg.

Tennessee shifted uncomfortably in his booth.

“That shouldn’t be surprising to you, dear,” he said quietly. “If you’re part of this organization, you already know that none of us are the image of civilized people.”

“Have you heard of it before? Dealt with anyone involved in that side?”

He inhaled a giant breath and looked around the diner another time. “Who is it you’re looking for?” He asked. “Someone pick up your daughter? Son?”

I hesitated for a second on that and wondered if he’d be more open with me if I said yes. Maybe I could convince him that someone sold my child into sex slavery, and I was searching for how to find her.

“If that’s the case, they’re already gone,” he went on when I didn’t answer right away. “Nobody makes it back out, dear. Move on.”

Utah scoffed and I felt his entire arm tense against mine.

“How do you know that?” I asked. “Common knowledge from the news and the understanding that humanity as a whole fucking sucks? Or is that specific to this organization?”

“They have a whole set of U.S. Marshalls working on both sides of it,” Tennessee whispered. “No one gets back out. No one gets turned in. No one gets in trouble.”

“How do I find them? The Marshalls?” I asked. “Just give me a city. Give me a fucking state and I’ll figure out how to narrow it down from there. Give me a starting point, please.”

“They move,” he said. “They don’t stay in any one place for more than a year to make sure they can’t be found.”

“The Marshalls?” I asked.

“The whole operation, dear. It’s on a rotation from state to state. They spend way too much time in Tennessee way too often. That’s why I know about them,” he whispered, leaning froward across the table a little more. He glanced down at his phone when it vibrated, then his eyes darted back to me. He laughed and looked at Utah after that.

“Is that a fucking joke?” he asked amidst all of his laughter. “Youare Memphis? The Judge causing all the problems? Does that make you New Jersey then?” he asked and nodded at Utah, at which Utah promptly scoffed again.

“Which one of you really killed the President’s wife? His son? You kids have some outrageous stories being told between the Judges out here,” he said and laughed again. “Some outrageous money being offered for you too.”

Tennessee looked down to his phone again before he sighed and put it in his pocket. He pulled his wallet out and tossed several bills down on the table. Utah stood instantly.

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