by Angel Lawson
“Sometimes, boys are inappropriate. Many don’t have the best role models or impulse controls. It’s one reason why girls need to be wary.”
“They touch you and things—like they own your body.”
Ari swallowed, fighting back anger for these young women. She nodded, affirming Shanna’s thoughts.
Margaret raised her hand. “I had something happen to me a couple months ago.”
“Do you want to share?” Ari asked.
She shrugged and said, “I was down on the corner hanging out with some friends. We were going to go to the playground and watch some of the boys play basketball. This guy came around. I didn’t know him but the other girls did.” She looked up at Ari from under her bangs. “He gave everyone some candy. One of the girls asked him for some weed. He laughed and said he didn’t have any with him but that if she went with him he could get her some.”
“Did she go?” Shanna asked.
“Not at first, but he drove back around later when we were at the park and I saw her get in his car.”
“Do you know her name?” Ari asked.
“Dani or Debbie or something. I never saw her again,” she said. “But it’s not like we were friends or anything.”
Margaret broke down the barrier and the other girls began sharing. They each had stories about dangerous situations and weird behavior from some of the boys and men in the community. Some of it was typical. Teenage boys were awkward and strange. Other men were scary and Ari had a renewed fear for the kids she worked with. Just before the hour was up, she took a shot in the dark. “Have any of you heard about girls being forced to prostitute themselves? Like being held against their will?”
Shanna shrugged nonchalantly, but Clarice said, “This one girl in lockup said she’d been held at a house for a month. The guy who owned the house made them do tricks for men. She only got out because she got arrested.”
“Do you know her name?” Ari wondered if it was Hope.
“Nah. I just heard her talking about it in the cafeteria. She got a visit from some dude, and they released her the next day.”
“Some dude? Who was that?”
“I figured he was her lawyer or social worker or something. I don’t know. I stay out of people’s business.” Clarice wrapped her small, thin arms around her waist defiantly.
Ari closed the group, thanking them for their candor. As they filed out the door, she knew where she needed to go next to help these girls.
* * *
“More,” she whispered. They kept their voices low. Coming to Davis’s office had been insane. Stupid. Completely unprofessional. She’d started it, like usual, coming in at the end of her work day under the pretense of needing to talk about work. Partially true, but she’d simply wanted to see him, share her idea with him. The idea of sex…in his office hadn’t been on her mind, but the GYC was empty and they were alone.
Things progressed between them rapidly, from a causal touch to a heated kiss. Before she knew it, they were skin to skin and her skirt was up to her waist. It was wrong. Incredibly wrong.
Ari felt sweat trickle down her back and around the curve of her hip. His or hers, she didn’t know. Bent over the arm of the leather couch she kept an eye on the door, convinced that at any moment it could open. The idea flamed fear and excitement in her belly, mingling with the arousal and desire already building. One damp palm slipped and she tightened her grip, bracing herself for Davis.
His appetite seemed as relentless as her own. Searching for some higher…feeling? Connection? Whichever it was, it felt good. Really good, and Ari arched her back searching for the feeling of his hard muscle against her softer curves. Like the sweat, she could no longer identify which heartbeat was her own. They both rushed through her ears.
“Keep going,” she begged. Davis only huffed in reply. Seconds later, her mind blanked and her body relaxed. He had an arm around her waist, holding her against his flat stomach. Her breath quickened and so did his motions and with one final push, he offered a strangled growl and fell onto her back. She remained upright as long as she could before turning and sliding backwards onto the couch, bringing him with her.
Wow.
“Jesus,” Davis said.
He ran a hand down her side, linking a galaxy of stars. “When are you going to tell me about these?”
Ari looked up at him. Handsome and charming. Fantastic lover. Strong and successful. But she wasn’t letting down her guard. “Someday,” she said, meaning “never”. Davis lifted his body and she heard the clink of his belt buckle. She still had on her skirt, but lost her shirt, panties and bra along the way.
“Here,” he said, handing her the clothes. The office was dark, only the shadowy light from under the door lit the room and the soft glow from his laptop on the desk. She slipped her clothing back on, stopping in surprise when she felt his hands on her back, linking the hooks on her bra. He sunk next to her on the couch, his shirt unbuttoned, revealing his toned stomach. While she fussed with her clothing, Ari felt his hand carefully smoothing her hair back into place. What the hell was she doing?
He spoke first. “That was—“
“Unexpected? Inappropriate?”
“Well, yes, but I was going to say amazing.”
Right.
“So, believe it or not, I came here for a reason,” Ari said. She stood up and straightened her clothes.
“Other than that? Because that was a pretty good reason if you ask me.”
“That,” she said, with a little smile, “was a nice bonus. But I have a favor to ask you.”
Davis’s legs stretched into the middle of the floor and it was all Ari could do to not to climb back in his lap. “Anything. What do you need?”
“I’ve been thinking about these murdered girls and my clients and how vulnerable they are. I want to help them protect themselves.”
He nodded. “I think that’s a great idea. What do you have in mind?”
“I’ve started a self-defense safety group for my girls. Mandatory, as part of their probation. We meet at our offices in the community room but I thought maybe you could do a demonstration of some kind. Teach them some defensive moves?”
“I’d be happy to help you with that.” He smiled at Ari and swiped at the bottom of her skirt. “Anything else?”
Yeah, she needed something else. Round two, but that wasn’t going to happen. “I think I should probably go, you know, before the kids get back.”
“That would probably be a smart idea.”
He stood up and walked her to the door, checking the hallway and the gym to make sure no one was back. The building was silent. Ari picked up her briefcase and checked her hair with her hands. Davis guided her down the hall with his hand on the small her back. She fought the urge to run at his gentle touch. So intimate. Was that okay?
“Be careful,” he said at the door.
“I will.” She pulled her keys out of her bag and the shiny silver tag caught the parking lot light.
Davis caught the tag in his fingers and rubbed his fingers over the markings. “Perfect timing,” he said.
“What?”
“Those characters. It means ‘perfect timing’. Well, they’re numbers actually.” He noticed her confused expression. “In Chinese.”
“You read Chinese?”
“Some, yeah. My mother was Chinese. She taught me a lot.”
“Oh.” What kind of message was that? ‘Perfect timing’? Before Ari could ask more, a blue van pulled up and Peter jumped out of the passenger seat before the car had come to a full stop. He flung open the back door. Boyd got out of the driver’s side and ran to help him.
“What happened?” Davis asked, rushing to the van. Boyd helped a fair-skinned boy with red hair out of the car. His face was bandaged and a splint covered his nose.
Peter’s eyes flicked to Ari and he said, “Liam fell at the park trying to do a backflip. No broken bones, but he has a concussion.”
“The hospital let him leave?” Davi
s asked.
“Yes, we just need to keep an eye on him.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Ari asked. She noticed the boy from the main fight, Alvarez, helping Peter and Boyd.
“I think we can handle it,” Davis said. He gave her a quick smile. “I’ll call you about next week, okay?”
“Sure.”
Curtis climbed out of the backseat along with the other boys. Most of them were quiet, too. One had scuffed up knuckles and another had a puffy eye. She walked over to Curtis and checked him out. He had no visible injuries. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am, I’m fine.” He watched as the rest of the boys and staff helped Liam inside. Davis disappeared into the building.
“Davis is going to come to my office next week for a demonstration. Would you like me to see if your grandmother or mother can come? It’s about time for you to visit them.”
Curtis smiled so big he covered his mouth. He then dropped his hand and said, “That would be great! Do you think you can get them to come?”
“I’ll pick them up.”
“Thanks, Ms. Grant.”
Ari stopped him before he could go inside. “Are you sure you’re okay here? With the training and fighting?”
“It’s hard. Davis has a lot of expectations on us with school and group and stuff, but I like it.” He shrugged. “I’m good at the training. It’s weird being good at something, you know?”
Ari smiled. “I’m glad you’re doing well.”
“Night,” he said and walked into the building.
SEVENTEEN
The following week, Ari directed Curtis and several other boys to clear an area of the community room for their presentation. She’d spent the last hour in a reunion with him and his grandmother. His mother didn’t come. In fact, Ari wasn’t even sure where she lived at that point. She hadn’t been at the house when she picked up Mrs. Wilson.
“Mrs. Wilson, you can sit here if you’d like,” she said, offering the elderly woman a seat close to the front.
“Thank you,” she said, using her cane to lower herself into the seat.
Ari checked her watch and scanned the room. It was nearly four. Davis said he would be there early to help set up and direct the boys. A different guy was there, instead. Attractive and built like the rest of the guys at the program. His long, blond hair swept back in a ponytail, which only proved to reveal his chiseled jaw. He looked like he belonged on a romance novel cover. He’d introduced himself as Aaron and seemed perfectly able to lead the demonstration. She ignored the pinch in her stomach and refused to admit how much she looked forward to seeing Davis.
The girls had slowly dawdled in. Each stopping to sign in at the front desk. “Where’s Shanna?” she asked Devon.
“I don’t know.”
Shanna definitely knew how to push her limits, including showing up exactly on time if not a minute or two late, but she wanted out of the program and attending the group session was the fastest way to make that happen. Ari couldn’t imagine her skipping entirely.
Margaret and Clarice found their seats among the other girls and Ari stood in front of the room. “Alright ladies, I invited the men from the Glory Youth Program to give us a demonstration on self-defense.”
She introduced Aaron and he came to the front of the room. Ari heard the girls whispering around her. She didn’t blame them. Aaron was hot.
“Good afternoon,” Aaron said. “Ms. Grant asked us to come today to show you some simple moves that could help you if you’re in a dangerous situation.”
The girls, who normally would ignore Ari and her efforts were at full attention. “I guess I should bring in more hot instructors,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Aaron called the boys to come up and assume several offensive and defensive positions. Once they went through the motions a couple of times, he called the girls to go up and practice. Surprisingly, everyone went up without argument.
“Sorry I’m late,” Davis said, slipping into the empty seat next to Ari’s. “How’s everything going?”
“Aaron is very capable,” she said. They watched as he showed Clarice how to elbow one of the boys in the ribs while stopping on his foot.
“He’s one of our best instructors.”
“It doesn’t hurt that these girls will do anything for the attention of a cute boy. Probably half the reason I’m having this class in the first place. I may be defeating my own agenda.”
“Ari?”
She turned and saw Rebecca waving her over to the doorway connecting the entrance from the community room.
“Now?” she mouthed.
“Yes! Come here!”
“I’ll be right back,” she said to Davis.
“What is it?” Ari asked. “I’m in the middle of that group.”
“You won’t believe what’s happening right now.” She led Ari over to her desk.
Ari peered over and saw the computer monitor showing a paused video. “It’s the mystery guy!” He seemed to be in a parking lot, fighting with some men. His motions seemed erratic and especially violent. “What’s he doing? Why is he kicking that guy?”
“I don’t know. Someone with a camera phone caught him fighting some kids and put it up on the internet. It just came across my Facebook feed,” Rebecca said. “I started watching it, but ran to get you before I finished.”
“Kids?”
“Yeah older teens or something. But watch. It gets crazier.”
Ari watched as a guy rushed to the Vigilante, stopping his attack. The new guy had on gray sweats and a black jacket. His baseball cap fell to the ground as he challenged the Vigilante, revealing short cropped hair. His motions were fluid. Skilled. For a moment the kid might have had the upper hand, but the Vigilante did something totally out of character. He reached his hand inside his jacket.
“Oh my god, is that a gun?” Ari cried.
He leveled the gun at the man in the sweats, who stood before him with his hands up. He’d surrendered. What was the Vigilante doing? Why did he have a gun? “He never caries a gun,” she said. The man glanced upward he looked directly at the camera. His movement was enough for Ari to see his face. She gasped.
“I know him. He’s from the GYC.” Raising her voice she called, “Davis! Come here! Davis!”
“What?” Rebecca asked.
Before she could answer Davis stood by her side and also asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Alvarez,” she told him, pointing at the screen.
He didn’t reply but felt his body stiffen. They stood silently and watched the screen as the Vigilante ordered Alvarez down on his knees.
“What is he doing? What’s he doing?” Ari asked.
The Vigilante lifted his gun and held it to the boys head. Ari shifted her body toward Davis but couldn’t stop watching as the Vigilante fired the gun. Alvarez’s body rocked from the bullet and dropped to the ground. The screen went black.
“Oh!” she cried, pressing her face into Davis’s shirt. Rebecca ran from the room, slamming the door to the bathroom down the hall. The sound of her retching echoed down the hallway.
Davis gently pushed Ari back and walked away.
“Wait! Davis, where are you going?” Ari asked, following him.
Without responding, he walked out the front door, slamming it shut behind him. The glass shattered from the force, sending pieces down to the ground like hail.
* * *
“What happened here?” Nick stepped over the pile of swept up glass. The maintenance guy was in the middle of replacing the door. “Did the kids get in a fight?”
“Valid assumption,” Ari said. “But no. It just broke when someone closed it. The glass must have been faulty or something.”
Ari didn’t follow Davis the night before. The group was still in process and she couldn’t just leave. Holding back tears, she thanked the men from the GYC for coming. None of them realized one of their members had been just been executed on camera.
“Let’s
go to my office,” Ari said to Nick.
Once the door was shut, Nick pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m sure you saw the news last night. About that kid from the Youth Center?”
Nodding into his chest, feeling uncomfortable with their closeness. “Yeah, I saw it.”
“Had you met that kid before? I know you have a student there.”
“His name was Oscar Alvarez. Oliver and I saw him fight. He was very talented.” Ari was surprised he fell to the Vigilante, but she supposed a gun outweighed even the most skilled hands.
“Guess the Vigilante isn’t such a good guy after all,” he said into her hair.
“No, I guess not,” she agreed. Ari pulled away and sat down. If the Vigilante wasn’t good, then what did that mean for her? The two times he’d saved her? The two different times she suspected he’d been in her room? She’d suspected Davis had been the Vigilante but now? It was impossible. Who was it? “I wonder what happened, why he used the gun.”
“Maybe he decided to finally show who he really is? Whatever he wanted to prove, the cops are all over this. He’s now considered armed and very dangerous. Their top priority.”
Ari stared at the pile of papers and files on her desk. Shanna’s was on top. She was willing to give her another chance but she had to track the girl down first. She was so close to graduation that screwing up now seemed idiotic.
“What a mess.” Ari had to admit her caseload looked more and more depressing. Hope and Shanna were missing. Maria was dead. Now Davis would have to go to another funeral. She thought about how upset and hurt he seemed yesterday.
“Hey,” Nick said, rousing her from her thoughts. “You okay?”
“Just thinking about how these kids seem to be drowning. Either running wild or being murdered on the streets. I keep trying to find a way to help, but nothing seems to work. It doesn’t matter what I do or you or Davis…we can’t save these kids.”
A line creased between Nick’s eyes. “Davis?”
“Yeah,” Ari said. She shifted around some papers on her desk. “I really should call him. He was here when it happened.”
“Here? With you?”
