“Good,” Sasha said, sitting back against the seat. “Now, I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat.”
“Okay then,” I said, and headed out toward the suburbs.
15
Irene
Don Valentino let us keep Sasha at the manor house. Bea got her set up in a large, comfortable room, and I sat on a little couch at the end of the bed, legs curled under me as the girl bounced on the bed, her eyes wide with delight.
“I’ve never been somewhere so nice before,” Sasha said.
“Me neither,” I said, grinning. “I was like you before, you know.”
“Like me, how? From Ukraine? Barely speak English when you first come here?”
“No,” I said. “Lived on the street for two years though.”
She waved a hand, making a face. “Not like me then. I never lived on the street, and I never had a choice.”
I bristled at that. “I never had a choice either.”
She ignored my comment and flopped back on the bed. “Your man, Cam. He can be trusted?”
“He’s not my man,” I said defensively.
Sasha shrugged like she couldn’t care less. “Tell me about him anyway.”
I stood up and paced across the room. It had a working fireplace at the far end and a set of chairs in front of it. Books lined the shelves and extra sheets, pillows, and blankets were stashed in the closet, along with clothes from some long-gone former guest that apparently liked a lot of leopard print.
“Cam’s looking for Ronan,” I said. “He wants to take the guy out, and help you girls in the meantime.”
Sasha snorted. “Do you have any clue how many girls the Healy family owns?” she asked.
“No, we don’t,” I admitted. “But we can try to help as many as we can.”
“They own a lot,” she said. “More than you’ll ever see, and they keep tight control over them. Real short leash.”
“We have to try,” I said, feeling frustrated. Every step felt like we struggled forward, only to find that there was even more struggle ahead.
“Try all you want,” she said, shrugging. “Probably won’t do them much good.”
“Why are you here then?” I asked, glaring at her. I didn’t like that defeatist, selfish attitude. I was a survivor, a wolf that struggled on the streets, and even I wanted to help as many people as I could. Sasha should’ve felt more solidarity for all the other girls that were stuck where she’d been.
“Revenge, like I said.” She stretched her legs out and sighed. Her feet almost touched the end of the bed. “I’ll help you with Ronan, no doubt. I just don’t think you can save all those poor girls, as much as you try.”
“We’ve got some ideas,” I said.
“All right, whatever you say.” She shrugged and looked to the side, toward the window. “When I was a girl, I dreamed about coming to America. That’s a cliché, isn’t it? Girl from Europe dreams of a better life in the glowing lights of America.”
“How are you liking your stay in this country so far?” I asked, tone heavy and sardonic.
“It’s wonderful,” she said, eyes bright. “Despite being sold as a whore, I love it here. Did you know there are so many things on TV? It’s amazing, and the stores. So much food, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
I laughed despite myself. She was strangely callous, but had an odd, almost childlike side to her that I found disconcerting.
“America the beautiful,” I said and approached the bed again. “We need you to convince more of the Healy girls to help us out.”
She frowned at me, eyes narrowed. “Why do you need them so badly?”
“Part of the plan,” I said, which was true. Cam wanted to recruit as many of the girls as possible to use as leverage against the Healy family. How he’d accomplish that, I wasn’t sure, but he insisted he had a good idea.
“Plan, plan, plan,” she said, waving a hand in the air and making a face. “I hear so much about plans from men. Do they really have plans, or are they making it up?”
I tugged at my hair, shaking my head. “Doesn’t really matter. Can you do it?”
“I can try,” she said. “Some will help, some won’t. Some are too addicted to what the Healy can do for them, if you understand me.”
“Drugs,” I said.
“Exactly. Get them hooked, then keep them hooked. It’s disgusting, but it works.”
“We’ll do what we can for them,” I said, though I wasn’t so sure.
Sasha only looked over toward the window again. “Tell them I’ll help, but I want something to eat first. I’m starving.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, and left her there alone in the room.
Cam stood in the hallway, leaning against a statue of a warrior holding a sword above his head. Whoever decorated this place sure did love ancient weapons and all that crap.