by River Savage
“What’s up?” An issue in a house like this can be as little as a fight between the boys, or as huge as one of the kids getting into serious trouble.
“Mitch hasn’t come home for curfew.”
Shit, not what I want to hear today.
“What about the other boys?” I stand, packing up my desk.
“All in and accounted for.”
“Has anyone seen him since school let out?” I try to think back to what his schedule looks like on a Monday. Four of the six boys we house here are old enough to work. On Mondays, Cam, Jonah, and Will head off to work, while the other three boys, Mitch, Garrett, and Brooklyn come home, check in, and start on their homework.
“He checked in, then was cleared to leave with Garrett for the library. Garrett says he thought he saw some of The Disciples hanging around.”
Shit.
The Disciples are a local street gang Mitch’s brother hangs with.
“Are you kidding me right now?” I reach for my keys.
“Where are you going?” she asks, following me out of my office and inside to the house.
With the capacity to house up to nine boys, Boys Haven is a big house. Built for the sole purpose of what we do here, we have the luxuries not a lot of other houses like ours do.
Two bathrooms, one large kitchen. Two recreation areas, a large back yard, plus the garage, which was turned into two offices. The boys and the staff have it very good here, all things considered.
“I’m going to get him,” I tell her when I step into the house and make my way down the hall to one of the recreation areas.
“I don’t know, Liberty.” She seems unsure, but what are the other options? It’s not like Mitch to miss curfew. After spending the day with him last week, I know he’s having a tough time, but he’s trying really hard. He wouldn’t throw it all away. If he’s missing curfew for his brother, it’s for a reason. If he’s missing curfew for The Disciples, then he’s in deep shit.
“Excuse me, boys.” I interrupt the conversation in the main recreation room. Even though we're not to capacity, most days we’re kept on our toes. Situations like this make it tenfold.
“What’s up, Liberty?” Brooklyn, one of the oldest boys, looks up from his homework.
“You know where I can find Mitch’s brother?” He looks from me to Sue, then back to me. Brooklyn is a good kid. With a dad who left before he was born and a strung-out mom who stopped giving a shit, he was placed in the system when he was five. Now almost seventeen, he’s worked his way up from being in serious trouble, to serious potential. And with my recommendation, he will stay at Boys Haven until he turns eighteen. Then with the help of our team, we'll help transition him into independent living.
“I don’t know exactly where, but word is he hangs downtown on Lexington.” He gives me something to work with.
“Thanks.” I nod and then keep moving back through the house to the front door.
“Liberty, wait,” Sue calls out before I can make it out the front door.
“I’ll be safe. I’ll drive around. Maybe Garrett was wrong and he’s still there. Caught up in his work. God knows it happens to me.” I know she wants to believe me, but like me, she’s worried.
“You know protocol here. We need to call this in,” she gently pushes, always one to follow the book. I know the protocol, but right now, my only concern is Mitch.
“Let’s give it half an hour before we go making any formal reports.” She looks so unsure, I almost tell her to call the cops, but she ends up giving me a nod. “I’m gonna head to the library first. I bet you he’s there.” Deep down I know he’s not, but one can only hope.
“Okay, well, call me if you find him.” She’s as invested in these boys as much as I am. Boys like Mitch have it difficult to start with and watching them walk down the wrong path is a hard pill to swallow.
“Will do.” I wave as I walk out the front and get into my car. Trebook is the type of place where it’s big enough to have a big city feel, but still small enough someone knows someone. On my own, my search could last all night, but with a few connections on the street, I may have a good chance of finding him.
I head to the library first, my concern growing when I don’t find him there. I drive around for another fifteen minutes, almost too afraid to head in the direction Brooklyn told me. Knowing I have no other option, I suck it up and make my way downtown to Lexington. My trust is shattered when after driving down the street twice, I notice a group of boys standing at the side of the convenience store.
Mitch.
He’s there, clutching a metal bat in his hands, the group of guys crowding him.
Pulling off to the side of the road, I put the car in park, and unbuckle my seatbelt.
“Jesus, Mitch. What the hell are you doing?” I whisper to myself as I reach for my phone and dial Sue’s mobile.
“Liberty?” She answers on the first ring like she’s been sitting there anticipating my call.
“I found him,” I tell her in greeting.
“Oh, thank God. Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. He looks fine, but I think he’s with his brother and his gang.”
“Crap.”
Yeah, crap all right.
Gangland culture in Trebook and the surrounding areas of Arizona has increased dramatically in recent years. Gang violence and youth involvement have particularly grown. Gangs like The Disciples have contributed to the increasing levels of youth violence and incarceration numbers. The guys Dominic’s been hanging with are bad news, and I refuse to let Mitch get involved with them.
“I’m putting a stop to this right now,” I tell her.
“Now hang on a minute, Lib. Maybe you should come back to the house. I don’t want you getting yourself into trouble.”
“Well, I can’t leave him here,” I argue. If he gets caught hanging with these boys while in the program, there will be no helping him.
“I’m calling this in, Lib. Don’t you get involved.”
“The police will take too long. Besides, as of right now, he’s not doing anything wrong other missing curfew and meeting up with his brother. If I want to stop Mitch from fucking up his clean record, then I have no other choice.”
“Liberty, you can’t save them all, and you can’t put yourself into a position that is going to hurt you. You know Dominic’s history. He’s not someone to mess around with. Just stay in your car and call it in.” I consider what she is saying, but still something compels me to reach out.
“Maybe I can scare them off. Can you stay on the line for me?” Sue starts to argue, but I pull the phone away and get out of the car, slowly walking over to them.
“Mitch!” I call out when they all start to walk toward the convenience store. Mitch’s head comes up, his eyes growing wide at the sight of me.
“Liberty?” He freezes, looking at Dominic then back to me.
“I’ve been looking all over for you. You missed curfew.” I keep my eyes on him, hoping he’s not about to go into the convenience store wielding a metal bat with this gang.
“Well, well, look who we have here. Liberty, is it?” Dominic steps into my path before I can reach his brother. With the height of a man and none of the bulk, Dominic looks only marginally older than his younger brother. His dark hair sticks out from under a red bandana and, unlike Mitch, his Latin skin is branded and scarred. My eyes briefly collect the visible marks, knowing each one tells a story you wouldn’t want your children to ever hear. Each one proof as to why Mitch has to stay away.
“I think you’re in the wrong neighborhood, little lady.” The boys in his crew snicker at his attempt of intimidation while I keep my gaze on Mitch.
The last time I saw Dominic was five months ago when he was told he couldn’t come to the house to visit. He lost his shit, swearing and threatening bodily harm. We ended up calling the police when he refused to leave. In the end he left, but not before telling me I would pay for keeping his brother from him.
“Mi
tch, get in the car.” I ignore Dominic’s tactics and focus on what needs to be done.
Get Mitch safely back to the house
“Sorry, Liberty. Mitch isn’t going anywhere right now. He has some business to attend to.” Dominic answers for him, stepping out of my path and walking toward his brother.
“Mitch, you know the rules. The police have been called. Go get in the car now.” I stay strong. This is all a power struggle for Dominic. The last thing he needs is for his crew or his brother to have a run in with the police.
“You’re full of shit.” Dominic calls my bluff, his earlier bravado marginally slipping.
“Stick around and find out then.” I keep my composure and hope Sue has already made the call. “Mitch, I’m not going to tell you again. You’re already in a lot of trouble. So get in the damn car before I can’t help you.” I may have a potty mouth outside of work, but don’t normally speak to the boys like this. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Mitch looks torn. I can see he wants more than anything to get into the safety of my car, but something is holding him there. Something Dominic has over him.
“Mitch is done taking orders from you, Liberty. So I suggest you turn your tight ass around and get out of here before you find yourself in trouble.” Dominic takes a step toward me.
“Why are you doing this, Dominic?” I ask, not giving in. I can’t walk away from Mitch. Not if I know for sure this isn’t what he wants.
“We’re family. Family stick together.”
“Family also support each other, Dominic. Mitch is doing so well at Haven. His grades are improving. He’s top of his class. He doesn’t need to go down this path.”
“Ahh, Liberty.” His condescending tone is almost comical. “What’s wrong with this path? I got myself a good life.” My heart thumps in my ears, as the gaze he sets on me tells me he’s hiding something.
“If you’re happy with your choices, then I’m happy for you, Dominic. But don’t you think Mitch deserves more?” I notice two of the guys come around the side of me, starting to box me in. One larger than me, the other around Mitch’s size.
“You gonna teach this uppity bitch a lesson, Dom?” A prickly unease filters through me, and an overwhelming urge to run tingles into my toes. He steps forward as I step back.
“Come on, guys, leave, Liberty alone. She has nothing to do with this.” Mitch shrugs off one of the guy’s arm and steps in front of me. It’s the worst thing he could have done. Not one to be told what to do, the guy brings his fist back and connects it with Mitch’s face.
A tight scream pushes from my mouth as I reach out for Mitch.
“Please, Dominic, don’t let them hurt him.” I cringe as blood spurts from Mitch’s nose, but he doesn’t react like I expect him to. Instead of cowering away, he stays strong, standing tall between us. Protecting me.
“Mitch, you best be moving,” Dominic warns before his crew can do more damage.
“You need to teach your boy a lesson.” The guy who just punched Mitch tells Dominic.
“Kid, you need to move.” Mitch doesn’t budge. Standing in front of me, he holds his brother’s stare.
“Why, are you going to hit me, too?” Not two seconds pass before Dominic’s fist comes out, and punches him, this time knocking him down. Mitch rolls to his side, groaning in pain.
Oh, God, what the hell is happening here?
I don’t have a chance to help him up before Dominic sets his sights on me. Reaching for me, I outstep him only to back into the hardness of another body.
Shit.
“You know what, Liberty? If you think you can keep my family away from me, then you and I have some business to sort out.” Mitch tries to stand from the ground, but another one of Dominic’s boys steps in and keeps him down with a boot in his back.
“Dominic, you don’t want to make threats. You know the system,” I warn. It’s not much of a deterrent for a man like him in his position, but there isn’t much more I can do.
“I think you telling me what to do, isn’t in your best interest.” Arms come around me, holding me in place. The hard body I found myself backing into keeps me from retreating.
After struggling in his grasp, my fight finally dies when Dominic steps in closer.
“You need to know your place, puta. You stepping in, putting your nose in where it doesn’t belong, is messing up my plans. Now Mitch is my family, not yours, and I’m not gonna take too kindly to you stepping in again. So I’m gonna give you a warning, and you’re going to listen to it.” His hand reaches out and wraps his fingers around my jaw, squeezing tightly.
I hold my composure. It’s not the first time I’ve been confronted by a group of boys or dealt with physical assault. Working in an all-boys home makes you tough.
“You’re gonna back the fuck off and let Mitch do what he needs to do. If you don’t, then you and I are going to have problems. You understand me?” His fingers dig deeper into my face.
Unable to move my mouth, I nod instead.
“Good. Glad we see eye to eye on this.” He releases my face with a push, then steps back. “Mitch, Liberty’s right. It’s late. Past your curfew. We’ll pick this up next time.” He nods to his crew then turns and starts walking away.
The guy holding my arms releases me with a push, forcing me down to the ground.
“And keep your mouth shut, bitch.” He delivers a kick to my ribs, followed by a boot to my face. A throbbing ache radiates through my face and a scream dies in my lungs almost immediately as an almighty sharp pain shoots up through my side, rendering me breathless.
“Liberty.” Mitch crawls forward, trying to help me to sit up, but the movement only causes me to yell out in pain.
“I’m so sorry, Liberty. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.” Mitch starts crying, his hand raking through his hair and pulling at the ends in a frenzied state.
“It’s okay, Mitch. Just get me to the car.” My words come out in small bursts of air as I fight against the pain, against the fog threatening to take me under. My head is spinning, the blow to my ribs having altered my ability to stand, but I know if I don’t get up soon, I may pass out.
“Liberty? What’s happening? Do you need to go to the hospital?” He picks up something is wrong at about the same time realization hits me.
Something is definitely wrong. And not so much with him, but with me.
“Mitch, I-I….” My words slur and eyes blur as warm blood trickles down my cheek.
The last thing I hear before passing out is, “Police.”
Seven
Hetch
“You know what I think? I think she’s the first woman to knock you back, and you can’t handle it.” Sterling continues to give me shit hours after telling him about Liberty turning out to be the annoying woman in apartment seven.
“No, you know what I think?” I answer with my own question.
“What?” He sits a little straighter. He’s been waiting all night for me to bite. Ever since we started our shift, he’s been on my case about whether I’ve heard anything from my neighbor.
“I think you should mind your own damn business.” He laughs, not deterred from pissing me off.
It’s a quiet Monday night, and while Trebook’s tactical unit is closer to a full-time unit than part-time, we are still required to work patrol shifts on a rotating roster. Tonight is our shift.
Accident reports and domestic disputes have taken up half our night, add in Sterling’s bullshit prodding about my new neighbor and I’m about done. Give me training, give me drills, give me a twelve-hour hostage negotiation over this shit.
“Just fucking admit it. She has you messed up.”
“Control to 347, we have reports of an assault at the front of a convenience store, over on 6th and Lexington.” The call comes in over the radio, halting Sterling’s interrogation.
“347, 10-4, en route,” Sterling responds, while I take my next left, and pull the cruiser around to make my way back up to 6t
h.. We’re only three blocks away, and within two minutes, we pull up out the front of the convenience store.
The parking lot is quiet and dark, but as I park and exit the vehicle, I spot movement over to my right.
“There.” I point out to Sterling on our left. “Police,” I shout out, letting our presence be known. “Let me see your hands. Show me your hands.” Sterling comes around the cruiser, and we walk forward, flashlight in one hand, gun in another. My flashlight lands on a male, hunched over, while Sterling’s lands on a woman who appears to be passed out.
“Step away from her now and show me your hands,” I repeat my order, this time closer. I’m expecting him to run, can see him seriously thinking about it, but he complies with my order and steps back.
“Don’t shoot.” He raises his hands in front of him, showing me he’s not armed. My flashlight shines on his face, and I get a good look at him.
Jesus, he’s only a kid.
“I’m not gonna shoot you. Keep your hands where I can see them.” I walk forward to pat him down while Sterling checks on the woman.
“Please, you have to help her.” The kid doesn’t have any weapons on him, but I’m still not taking any chances, considering he was about to run, and his face looks like he’s been attacked.
“I’m just gonna put these on until I know what’s happening here.” I place the cuffs on his wrists. It’s not normal protocol, but considering the situation, and the area, I’m not taking any chances.
“What’s your name kid?” I ask, spinning him back around to face me.
“Mitch.” His voice is shaky, but he holds my eyes in a way that tells me he’s not afraid of me.
“You have a last name?”
“Westin.”
“347 requesting a 10-57 on Lexington and 6th, we have an unresponsive woman,” Sterling calls in for an ambulance while I tell the kid to take a seat on the ground.
“Okay, Mitch, want to tell me what happened here tonight?” I ask when I take stock of the scene and where we are. Trebook houses some shifty areas, and downtown is definitely one of them.
“I missed curfew. I didn’t mean to. I was at the library studying, and then my brother cornered me. Liberty turned up and tried to get me home.” Her name cancels out the kid's story and has my head spinning around to get a better look at her.
