Page 25 of Jobe

She jerked, blushing as she realized that she had been asked a question. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she apologized to the others around the table. “I’m sorry. I’m so distracted. Please, what did you ask?”

Shane smiled as he repeated, “Can you tell us when you first became involved in gang work?”

“I’m not involved in gang work,” she explained. “That was never my intent, although it’s a by-product.” Seeing the confused expressions of the others, she continued. “My thesis was actually in women’s studies at first. Looking at the home lives of why some girls drop out of high school. What I found was that for many of them, they were involved in gangs. If they weren’t getting the love and support from home, they often turned to the family atmosphere of a gang.”

“Family atmosphere?” Gabe asked incredulously.

“Yes, family,” she replied. “Not the sort of family that we associate with the word. But group. A community. A sense of belonging. Even ownership can feel good to someone who hasn’t had that.”

“But…” Vinny started but found himself unable to speak his thought in mixed company.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, a sad expression crossing her face. “Most girls are still beat-in as an initiation. And where the males have to rob or even kill to get in all the way to prove their obedience, the females have to have sex with multiple gang members. And again, it’s not our way of thinking about family, but for most of the girls…it’s what they know.”

Matt questioned her more. “So tell us about the center.”

“With my research, I found that the only way to get women to break out of that lifestyle is to be more independent. So localities who offer GED assistance, career training, etc. in a safe environment have a better chance of getting some of these girls out of gangs and working independently. So my grant does that. The city leases the center and the grant pays for the teacher, the night watchman, the food, and then I get donations for everything else.”

“And the girls there? How do the gangs feel about them being there?”

“Honestly, it hasn’t been a problem. Several of the girls had not joined a gang completely, so I guess it was no big deal when they left.” She hesitated, then looked at the men around the table. “You also have to understand their world. Women aren’t valued as human beings. They’re drug runners or prostitutes. The gang members may not have realized the other girls were gone until it was too late and no one ever came looking for them.”

“Until now,” Shane stated.

She sat quietly, thinking about the situation and how it had gotten so far out of hand. Leaning back, she let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples as a headache was forming.

“You want some water?” Jobe asked. “You need a break?”

She offered him a small smile but shook her head. “No, I’m just frustrated.”

“So, now?” Shane prodded.

“The last girl we took in about a week ago, is pregnant. I was excited to get her because she’d contacted her former school counselor to let her know that she’d like to get away. This was exactly what I’d wanted. And she’s great. Smart, motivated, doesn’t want her child to be born into the gang life. But suddenly she would get afraid and I’d see a car with dark windows drive by slowly. I wasn’t scared; I just thought maybe someone was trying to see what we were about, but there was nothing threatening at first.”

Mackenna hated to admit the next part, but knew that the police and Tony’s group needed all the information. She was looking down when she felt Jobe lay his hand across her shoulders. Instead of feeling awkward, it felt comforting. Right. Normal. She found herself wanting to lean into his strength, but held herself back.

“What’s going on in that mind of yours, doll?” he asked softly.

This time, even him calling her doll did not make her angry.What’s happening to me?

Jobe had not meant to let the endearment slip out in front of everyone and steeled himself for her rebuke. It never came. Instead, she just sighed as she glanced up into his face for a moment before turning back to the group.

“This is where I have to show my stupidity,” she admitted.

Tony smiled, saying, “Don’t worry about it. Everyone in this room has had moments when they didn’t act in the smartest way.”

She peered at him carefully, measuring his words. “I very much doubt that, Tony. I have a feeling that when you all were in the Army, your missions were well planned out and executed. And you two,” looking at Matt and Shane, “if you screw up then people die, so I doubt you make many dumb mistakes. My dumb mistake could have gotten my mom killed!” Her eyes filled with tears and no matter how hard she battled them back, they slid down her face anyway.

Jobe immediately wrapped his arms around her, shooting a look at the others. They all stood to take a break as he held her carefully, letting her cry as she clung to his shirt. “Go ahead and cry, doll. Get it out,” he murmured into her hair, stroking her back. As much as he hated her hurting, the feel of her in his arms meant everything to him. He would take whatever this woman would give him, but what he really wanted was her in his arms every day.

After a few minutes, the men returned. She pulled herself together and glanced around in embarrassment at the spectacle she had made of herself.

“No one’s looking. You’re fine,” Jobe whispered, giving her a tissue.

After a minute, she nodded that she was ready to continue. The men would not let her apologize, instead quickly letting her know how much they admired what she was doing.

Grateful, she continued, “Even though I’ve studied the women and what they need, I have only researched gangs peripherally. I know how they use women, and I know the basics of how they function. I certainly know they aren’t to be trifled with, but there are so many and so varied that I haven’t studied them in depth.”

Taking another deep breath and letting it out slowly, she said, “And that was where I screwed up. When the car drove by the other day, I acted foolishly. I grabbed the baseball bat and charged out onto the stoop in a threatening manner. If it hadn’t been for Jobe and the others showing up right then, things could have gotten ugly. And now, not only have I put the center at risk, but I’ve put my mom at risk. All because I didn’t spend enough time learning about the different gangs that the girls come from.”

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