Page 56 of Tristano

“I didn’t disappear on my own, Ricky. You know me better than that. Tristano did everything in his power to find me. He found me, Ricky. How can I focus on the shit he does that I don’t like when the man flew across the country to rescue me?”

He lets out a deep sigh. “I’m going to pretend I heard none of that, but I am glad you have him. Just be careful. I don’t want to see you fall on the wrong side of the law.”

“Don’t you ever get tired of walking the straight and narrow? Fighting through all the red tape just to get our guy? I’m not saying Tris always does the right thing, but fuck if he can’t make a problem disappear faster. I mean, the man who took me when I was seventeen? He had done it before, and he would have continued to do it. If Tris hadn’t stepped in, who knows how long it would have taken the police to find him. That’s if they ever did. I thought we were making a difference, but I feel like as each year goes by, the political bullshit just ties our hands more and more. Sooner or later, policing is going to look like being a crossing guard at an elementary school. When is enough going to be enough?”

Ricky slowly pulls the car to the side of the street. I let out a relieved breath when I see Meredith standing on her corner looking our way.

“I get it. I really do. It’s frustrating. Are you sure you want to do this though? Throw away your career for him?”

“What career, Ricky? I was only given that spot because of Uncle Ben. I never truly felt seen there. I was only a pawn. I worked so hard to become a cop because I wanted to continue the family legacy, and I hated it. Was I good at it? Sure, but I never felt like I was making a difference, and it ate at me. I just can’t do it anymore. I’m going to find my real calling.”

“I’ll always be here for you.”

“I know. Thank you.” I pat his hand before slipping out of the car.

Meredith looks at me weird for a moment before recognition hits her.

“Girl, you are a sight for sore eyes. Where have you been? You finally snag you a sugar daddy?” she asks, looking over my shoulder at Ricky.

“Not exactly.” I pull out a wad of cash Tris gave me. “I need some of your time.”

“I’m not taking money from you,” she hisses at me.

“You are because by taking it, you will be agreeing to hear me out. So let’s take a seat and talk.”

She hesitates, but I see the look in her eye. She needs this money. Reluctantly, she takes it, shoving it in her cleavage before sitting on the curb.

I sit next to her, giving a thumbs-up to Ricky as agreed.

“Who is really in the car?” she asks.

“A friend of mine. Listen, I need you to take what I say very seriously. I’m going to give you all the answers you want, but you need to listen.”

She nods but stays silent.

“I was kidnapped by the men who are taking working girls. Only they aren’t just taking the at risk. They’re taking children from the streets as they walk home from school or when their parents look the other way. It’s a ring. They take the girls to a shipping container, then move them to the next city by train. These men are ruthless. They aren’t taking us to rape or kill us. They are selling us. I was rescued before we got that far, but it’s serious. I need you to keep an eye on the girls. Report anything that you find.”

“I’m not talking to the cops,” she interrupts.

I wince, handing her a card. “The top number is to Ricky. He’s the man in the car. He is a cop, but he’s one you can trust. I promise. The second number is to the Catalini crime family. They will take any information you pass along seriously.”

“What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?” she asks, her eyes wide.

“Meredith, I need to be honest with you. My name isn’t Sabrina. It’s Serena. I’ve been working as an undercover cop taking down johns who specifically want children.”

She gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. I can see she wants to flee, so I reach out, touching her leg.

“You promised to listen. I swear I never meant to deceive you. We were never here for you. All we wanted was the johns. Not even those who are just enjoying a woman. Only those who specifically asked for young girls. I’m talking under eighteen.”

She shakes her head as the puzzle pieces start to fall into place. “It all makes so much sense now. How you were so picky about who you saw. I thought you had daddy issues.”

“Not quite. I have pedophile issues.”

She sighs. “Well, on one hand, I’m pissed that you lied, but the other is so glad that you’re not really a seventeen-year-old selling her body. Wait, you’re not seventeen, are you?”

“No. I’m twenty-two. I was a cop at Jersey City Police Department, but I’ve been let go. I’m moving to New York, but I couldn’t leave you here without giving you a heads up. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you. I even have a way to give you a tracker if you want one, so if you are ever taken, we can find you.”

“No. No way. I get what you are saying, and I’m not even really mad at you, but I can’t let you track me. I know it might seem stupid to you, but I can’t do it.”

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