Page 12 of Queen of Madness

“Too many of the women werelievefrom the Murphys are falling back into their clutches. Whether it’s because of their addiction or their family’s rejections, we lose over half of the ones we rescue.”

The Murphys. The crappiest people in the world. They are the family on the other side of the city, and while I don’t know too much about them, I know enough to appreciate I wasn’t born on that side. For one, they make a lot of money selling women, which is one of the main reasons both my mom and I are both black belts.

My father has our ports monitored and is able to stop any shipments from passing through our side, but it seems as if the Murphys are getting some of them back anyway. It makes sense considering they get the women addicted to some type of drug and promise them more after they do theirduties.

Hot nausea roars in my tummy, and I wince at the thought.

Imagine if the flower didn’t have those thorns to protect it.

These women don’t have a family like mine. Some are left for dead. They need to be helped in more than just saving them from a van. They need… “What’s that place Uncle Antonio went to a few years ago?”

“Rehab?” My mother speaks up, moving beside me. “We already send them there.”

“But do we ever check up on them and make sure they’re going?”

My mother’s angelic smile fades. “It’s not our main priority, honey. We have other things that take precedent.”

Ugh.

My shoulders deflate, the death of my idea before it’s even formed weighing heavy in my chest. I get what she’s saying. I mean, heck, the first van my father blocked was him making a point to the Murphys that they weren’t allowed to run through our territory. But then my mother urged him to save the girls inside. Now, the soldiers at the port, and even in neutral areas, keep a lookout for their vans.

I like to think of us as a twisted type of vigilantes. It helps me compartmentalize—my vocab word of the week used in a sentence, check—but in the end, it’s not enough to me. There has to be something more we could do.

“What about a place they can check into full time? And they don’t get out until they’re able to take care of themselves. Oh, and therapy. Uncle Antonio used to tell me how much he loved it. Do they have a place like that?”

My father sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Baby love. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say, but I’m not Batman. I am the leader of a very large and lucrative crime family. We supply drugs and weapons to thousands of people while also running various other businesses. You know this.”

That I do. I don’t touch the money, but once a week, I sit with some of the accountants that go over money drops and things. I’ve picked up a few terms here and there, but there’s still so much to learn.

He places a soft hand on my shoulder. “It is not within my moral compass to waste any more manpower to check these women into facilities they can’t afford for the long term.”

I think over one of the few finance lessons I received. There was something we talked about… something about why we use real estate. It was called... “What about if we opened ourownplace. Use it for taxes, maybe?”

He chuckles at this, but I know I got the term right. “We use our real estate properties for that.”

“Yes, but...” My mother perks up, her eyes bouncing between mine. “Perhaps if we had a private rehab center where they live part time, we’d save them, while also not wasting our time by having them run back to the Murphys. It would be an additional tax incentive and may put us in more favor with the right side of the law.”

I nod, pride swelling in my chest at the smile on my father’s face. He likes the idea. I love when I’m able to help them with the business. It gives me a feeling of purpose I can’t quite describe, and the happiness streaming from my pores is pure glee.

My father looks at my mother, who pulls me into a hug. “This is a perfect idea, Onyx.”

He nods, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “That could work. But since it was your idea, you have to draft up some plans. Get with Floren and Winston in finance and work up a budget. It will be your first real project, baby love, so take your time and do it right.”

My heart quickens, the sudden need to run into the house and get started right away, making my arms shake with jitters.

Mother must notice and runs her hand along my arm, her voice calm when she speaks. “What will you name it?”

I gaze past the bush that broke through my skin, to the red heart roses lining the hedge just outside the kitchen windows. They are my mother’s favorites and my least, since their prickles are the worst. But they are her most prized possession, and I’d almost bet my life she’d pull a Queen of Hearts if anything happened to them.

These women need to be protected just as fiercely. Mind made up, I uncoil myself from my mother’s embrace and peer up at my father.

“Embros Hearts.”

Three shipments on First Street. So busy there this week. I’ll have to talk to Maddy and get some more pick-me-ups to get me through. There’s just so much to do this week. There’s so much. I won’t stay awake if I don’t have something. There’re some drop offs in neutral territory too. I wonder why.

But Onyx approved the list. She said it’d be fine.

Onyx.

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