Nodding, the girl again glanced at the men. They were currently harassing a boy close to the girl’s age. The boy strained away, anxious to escape, but they kept him in place with a painful grip on his shoulder and a lot of mean-mugging intimidation.
That in itself, the physical detainment of a young boy who wanted to be free, was reason enough for Gaby to intervene, to execute her own form of devastation. But she wanted details on what the girl meant, and at present, the boy didn’t look to be in immediate danger. Scared, yes, but they wanted something from him, so they wouldn’t hurt him. Yet.
If things changed, well then, Gaby would be on the men in a heartbeat.
“How about you explain to me—real fast—exactly what you’re so afraid of.”
“And then you will go?”
“Then I’ll understand.” No way was Gaby leaving.
The girl nodded. “There are few places for children to play, and they often gather here. Then the men showed up and began selling their drugs. Things were not the same. There were gunshots and loud arguments about who could sell here and who could not. A man was beaten, and another was cut with broken bottles. When they started to bother the children, my aunt asked them to sell their drugs at another block, to leave the children here alone.”
“Other than the obvious danger, how were they bothering the kids?” Gaby already had an idea, but she wouldn’t mind having it spelled out.
The girl looked down at her clasped hands. “They get the children to be lookouts when they sell their drugs. My aunt did not like that.”
Had they tried to force the girl? Oh yeah, she’d bet on it. And now Gaby would make them pay. “Your aunt sounds like a gutsy lady.”
Remembered heartache added pain to her tone. “After my aunt complained, they attacked her. Her house was burned to the ground.” Her stark gaze came back to Gaby’s. “She and my uncle both died.”
Pain as sharp as her blade sliced deep into Gaby’s conscience. Why hadn’t she been called on to help the aunt? God knew she couldn’t be everywhere at once, but for this child to have suffered such a loss . . .
“Damn it.” Gaby looked up at the sky. “You know, You could have let me know.”
The girl backed up a step, and Gaby realized she’d scared her. Around here, few probably talked directly to Him.
Around the tightness in her throat, Gaby asked, “When was this?”
“A few months ago.”
Had the girl been living with her aunt when the fire happened? If so, where did she live now?
Gaby didn’t like the probability of her on the street. “The police did nothing?”
“There is nothing that they can do. They try, but they never catch the men doing things they should not. There is no way to prove that they set the fire.”
“But you know they did?”
She nodded, and a weighty maturity showed in her stiff-shouldered posture. This girl had seen life’s uglier side, and nothing would ever negate the bitter reality.
She looked at the men with angry hatred. “I know.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Gaby straightened with commitment. “What’s your name?”
The girl shrank back. “I am no one important.” New concern crumpled her pretty face. “I . . . I only wanted to warn you.”
“And I appreciate it, I really do.” Because Gaby well understood the need for secrecy, she didn’t push the girl. “Do me a favor, will you? Head on home and leave the creeps to me. I promise you, I can handle them. After today they won’t bother you again.”
The child took in Gaby with experienced scrutiny, noting her lack of bulk and no doubt finding her inadequate for the job.
She shook her head with sad acceptance. “You refuse to listen.”
Gaby touched the girl’s cheek, surprising herself with the affectionate gesture, given that affection of any kind seldom had a place in her life of deleterious persuasions.
It was Luther’s influence, and she wasn’t at all sure she liked it. “When I’m through here, maybe you’ll trust me just a little.”
“I wish you to be careful, please.” She looked beyond Gaby to the men. “They have terrible friends. You cannot imagine how scary.”
Gaby winked. “They don’t have anyone who is scarier than me, I promise you.”
The girl’s voice went faint. “But . . . there are some who . . . ” She trailed off.
“What?”
After an audible swallow, she looked down at her feet. “Nothing. I have said too much already.”
“No problem.” She hoped the girl would share her fears later, after Gaby reassured her of her abilities. “I’ll probably have to split after I dispatch these goons. But I would like to talk to you some more. Do you come here pretty often?”
“Yes. My sister likes to play here.”
“Good.” Gaby couldn’t preset a date to meet again, just in case the girl shared that info with the cops who were sure to get wind of this. But Gaby wanted to see her again, to know that she was safe and in good care.
Children in general had such pure hearts that Gaby always felt an exceptional urge toward protecting them. Gaby sensed that this girl had already suffered far too much.
“I will see you again, then?”
With a nod, Gaby said, “Count on it. Now scram before you really get scared—by me.” She turned and strode directly for the men.
The boy looked up and saw her first.
Gaby stared at the youth. “Go home, kid.”
Alarm widened the boy’s eyes, and he strained away, but didn’t get far with the tight hold one man had on him. The bullies didn’t like her intrusion, which suited Gaby just fine. Even as the dogs spit and growled and strained against the leashes, she kept walking.
When the men focused their entire attention on Gaby, the boy jerked free and ran hell-bent into the playground area. He disappeared amid the other kids who were all now gawking.
Gaby locked eyes with one foul individual. He looked clean-cut enough, with close-cropped hair, a pricey diamond in his ear, and immaculate clothes. But a murky, sick aura hung like a wet blanket around him and his cohorts. They were malevolent, unconscionable men, but apparently not sick enough to warrant a call to duty.
Again she glanced up at the sky. “I think I should start picking.”
One of the men laughed. “Baby girl, who you talkin’ to?”
God’s lack of response didn’t matter. Looking at the three of them sickened Gaby, and at the same time, it sent her antagonism surging to the surface.
She gave her icy rage free rein. “Hey, bitches.”
That got their attention.
“It takes a real pathetic bully to push around little kids. And you three look about as pathetic as anything I’ve ever seen.”
One man, taking the role as leader, smiled at her. “You play a dangerous game, sweetness. My dogs are hungry for fresh meat.”
Gaby didn’t even bother looking at the vicious animals. “I’m not playing, asshole. And a word of warning—if you let the dogs loose, they won’t make it, and that’d be a shame, because I have nothing against animals.”
Antagonism brought one of the guys forward. “Bitch, are you stupid or insane? Cuz if we turn even one dog loose, you’re fuckin’ hamburger.”
Gaby stayed a mere inch beyond the reach of the dogs’ snapping jaws. “So on top of being a wimp, you’re a coward who needs animals to protect you. What a laugh.” But Gaby didn’t laugh; she didn’t even smile.
Most times, she wasn’t sure she knew how.
Dark eyes flared, and a strong jaw locked. “J.J.,” the man said in an ominous but commanding whisper, “maybe you ought to show her how we deal with stupid bitches who don’t know the right way to use their pretty mouths.”
Showing large white teeth, J.J. stepped around the dogs with a swaying walk and a shitload of attitude.
Exhilaration sizzled along Gaby’s nerve endings. She let him get close enough to take a swing, which she ducked without effort.
Having a strong propensity toward violence, Gaby relished the attack.
She loved to fight, especially at times like this, when she knew she fought against rampaging cruelty and injustice.