Page 60 of Kandie Shoppe

Me: Nooooooo.

Krie: Yesssss.

Me: You’re at home?

Krie: Nope. At Mimi’s, letting baby Mateo make me happy. While Thad’s wild ass checks my house for bugs and cameras, Kiyoshi put up.

Me: He was watching U?

Krie: He never admitted to it, but I’m pretty sure he is.

I hearthe low rumble of Saban’s bike a few minutes later. Rushing over, I shove the door open. Saban cuts off the bike, pulling her legs over to stand, then turns to help a more wobbly limbed Easy to pull her shorter legs over the body of the bike. She settles with a little hop, removing the bike helmet from her newly matted curls. Saban does the same. Her goddess locs pulled back into a ponytail reach below her bottom.

“Did anyone see y’all?” I quiz Saban.

“Probably.” Saban shrugs. “It’s pointless, anyway. Angel de la Muerte runs these two towns and most of the southeast, let alone the state. How do you think to stop him or get us out?” The words are bitter, hurt, and afraid.

Easy looks from Saban to me, a frown puckering her brow with concern. Dead weight settles in my tummy. The whole family knows how hard she went for Angel when Oz tried to break them up. He left highly upset over her choosing the cartel boss and demanding the family accept him.

I’m so damn proud of her standing up for herself. Easy has spent so much time being a good little Christian since her mom and dad died in Iraq when she was nine. I could have told her that it doesn’t matter because good or bad awful things happen.

“Wait. What’s going on?” Easy’s voice is high and reedy. She looks afraid of what we are about to say.

“You didn’t tell her?” I know my voice is sounding both tired and accusatory as I address Saban. Now, I have to break the news that her new husband is a child trafficker. Ugh. I can’t believe that Saban got her to come without telling her anything. Taking my flask, I offer them both fortification for the news.

“No time. Look, I know Angel is your husband. Hell, he was like a brother to me…” Saban heaves a deep breath, emotions overcoming her. “I never would have thought—” choking on the words she looks like she’s about the be sick.

“Those motherfuckers are dirty.” Unscrewing my flask, I take a swig before waving my arms in a large arc. “All of them. Angel, Snake, Rocco, that tall fine young’un, Pastor?—”

“Padre,” she corrects me, dread filling her face, she absently touches her tummy like she’s about to be sick.

“Yeah, him and old funky ass Ulysses Holier-Than-Swiss-Cheese-Ugly-Ass-Shelby,” I spit out his name with so much venom, knowing I’m hurting — knowing it shows. My voice sounds raw, wounded, tone withering as I recount how I found myself following Ulysses last night out of the blue, leaving out the fact I’d let him fuck me after he ignored me at Nikki’s graduation.

She’s so engrossed, but not so much that she doesn’t call me out. “And just what the heck are you doing with a Shelby, cuz?” She balls a little fist, settling it on her ample hips.

“I messed up, ok?” Shrugging, I don’t have a defense. I feel like I used to when I first got rescued from that evil cult of a foster home Kerania and I were put in and would act out. My nose stings from shame. From feeling stupid for trusting in something I never should have. A Shelby ain’t never meant a Love any good.

To her credit Easy just nods proving that she’s better than me, all that Baptist Training Union really stuck. I can tell she even thinks to give Angel another chance. Like it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. I tell her the rest bursting that bubble with quick efficiency.

“They brought kids here, Ezekiel-Jane. Kids. Some of them like three or four. For nasty motherfuckers to fuck on.”

“Woah,” she stops me right there. “No way. Angel told me to my face he never dealt in kids because of what happened to him.” Saban’s face blanches, obviously she knows more of his story than us because she nods. Easy’s face is a wash of relief until she starts talking.

“That’s what I thought too, Easy.” She swallows. “Snake and I had a big fight the night of the celebration. He’s been acting all fucked up after what happened with Rudy. I don’t know.” She shrugs confused answering a question to herself it seems. “Like it was my fault.” Another shrug, this time stiff and angry. “Anyways, I saw him leave and found him out at a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. You know they have scattered all over the place out here. When I got there I saw Kandie. We waited until they left and snuck in. We talked to some of the older girls. They told us everything. They said El Presidente of El Diablo ordered their resettlement. That’s what they called it. Some of the coyotes had already raped a few of the girls and beat them up to test them out.” Saban shakes her head looking hollow. Looking as broken as I felt.

Disgust ripples through me. The man I lay with last night was an active participant in this. The Remy sours in my tummy. I haven’t eaten, and it almost comes back up. I swallow hard.

I realize she believes us. She can tell every bit of it is true. The conviction and pain are enough. She doesn’t need any more convincing. My cousin knows I’ve never been a liar.

Saban, though much younger than me and I don’t know her that well obviously, has her trust as part of the secret community of bikers Easy has found herself in.

“So what’s next?” she asks us, standing taller than her, barely five-foot-one — brave and heartbroken like the both of us.

“I called the feds,” I tell her. “You know we are always told to put our own work in as Loves but there were over three dozen kids there. They are raiding the place as we speak.” Showing herthe text from LL, I let her read the updates he’s been sending on the operation.

On cue her phone chimes. We crowd around her reading the text from Angel.

Angel:Aye, don’t come home just yet. Hang out at the library for an hour and if I don’t come to get you go to Ma-Pete’s and wait for me there.

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