I turned and faced them, standing on the edge. “How’d you end up here?” I asked.
“Met a man online.” She made a face. “He sweet-talked me. Said nice things, called me pretty, said I could model. He said he was a talent scout from America. I assume he meant a model scout. But that wasn’t the talent he was interested in.”
Irene glanced at me and I clenched my jaw. “So you came over, thinking you’d be modeling.”
“I figured it out pretty fast,” she said. “On the boat over here, I figured it out. Some of the other girls were in denial, were convinced that we were going to be models. But we weren’t all pretty enough for that.”
“I’m sorry,” Irene said, looking horrified.
Sasha waved it away. “It’s fine, it’s in the past now. Look at this though.” She spread her arms, grinning. “What a place. I never thought I’d see something like it.”
I walked over and sat on her other side, leaning my elbows on my knees. “Don Valentino says you can stay here for a while,” I said. “At least until this is over and we’ve taken care of you.”
Sasha eyed me sideways. “Taken care, how?”
“Money,” I said. “Mostly, anyway. We’ll set you up with a job too, if you want it.”
“I’m not fucking anymore,” she said harshly. “I’m done being a whore.”
“That’s not what I mean,” I said, looking at Irene for support.
“We’re not doing that,” Irene said softly. “I swear, that’s not why you’re here.”
Sasha chewed on that for a second. “Kira talked about you once,” she said suddenly, glancing at me. “That’s why I listened when you called. She said you’re a murdering piece of shit like all the other mafia guys, but you’re not so bad.”
“What a compliment,” I said, deadpan.
“From her, that’s basically the nicest thing she could say.” Sasha stretched then put her arms above her head lazily. “What’s the plan then? What do you want from me?”
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Before I could start explaining, the back doors opened and Don Valentino stepped outside. He wore a slim navy suit with a white pocket square and a pair of black sunglasses. He walked down toward us, hands in his pockets and stopped a few feet away.
“Look at this crew,” he said. “Weird little group.”
“Don,” I said, standing.
He held up a hand. “No need to be formal right now,” he said. “Sit down. Call me Dean, please.”
I hesitated, but sank back down and nodded gratefully. I knew some of the guys closest to him still used his first name, and I felt almost honored to be given the privilege, if at least only for one conversation.
“It must be my lucky day,” Sasha said. “The big boss himself comes and graces me with his presence.”
Dean snorted. “You’ve got an attitude on you,” he said.
“Damn right I do,” Sasha said. “Everyone needs some way to survive being forced into whoring. Mine happens to be an upbeat attitude and a sharp intellect.”
“I’m sure the Healy guys loved it,” Dean said, grinning.
Sasha shrugged. “Not really, but okay.”
“I was about to explain the plan,” I said, shifting in my seat. Dean gestured for me to continue, so I cleared my throat. “I’m thinking we’ll keep this simple. Thanks to a trove of information about their trafficking business, I want to dismantle the entire operation from the ground up.”
Sasha let out a sharp laugh. “Ambitious,” she said.
Dean’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. Irene only looked anxious as she chewed on her lip.
I plowed ahead.
“I want to start with the girls,” I said. “You know a lot of them, so they’ll listen to you. My idea’s pretty simple. We’ll find some sympathetic conspirators, give them money and guns, and kill as many Healy fucks as possible.”
Sasha laughed. She seemed absolutely delighted by the idea of arming a bunch of battered, trafficked women, and letting them loose on their captors.
It wasn’t an elegant plan and there was no small measure of risk involved, but the Healy family would never see it coming. Those girls could get close to some very high-up men, and if we supported them right, attacked at the right times, we’d be able to score some serious blood.
We might even be able to topple their entire business.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Dean mused. “Depending on whether the girls are reliable or not.”
“Some are,” Sasha said, waving a hand in the air side to side. “Some aren’t. I won’t ask the ones that are too addicted to do more than spread their legs.”
“So you’re in then?” I asked.
“You give me money and guns and tell me to kill Healys, and I’ll pledge my undying loyalty to your stupid little mafia family.” She sat up suddenly, baring her teeth. “I hate those fucking pieces of shit and I want to see them all bleed.”