“She didn’t ask if the kid was going tobesafe,” I hear myself say the words before I realize that I’m even talking. “She asked if she wouldfeelsafe.”
Pan sighs. “Same difference. What’s your point?”
“My point…” Treasure shakes her head. “Pan. Please. Use that empty head of yours for once. One girl. With five men. Five men she does not know. In, as you said, a tattoo parlor across the street from a titty bar.”
“Hey,” Fox interjects. “This is an exotic dance club.”
Treasure swipes a hand at him, her eyes still on Pan.
“You know what kind of place this is, Pan. What kind of placeyourun in Neverland.” Her voice is clear, strong, resigned. “I know for you all, with your little bikes and ink and cards and whatnot, think it’s all just fun and games out here. You never really have to grow up. But girls?” She slides a glance down the bar again. At Wendy, nibbling her chicken. At Emerald, turned to the bar, the bare skin of her back glowing blue around her halter top and ass hanging out of her tiny silver shorts. At everything around us.
“They don’t have a choice,” she concludes, turning back to us.
Pan’s silent a moment. A long moment.
“It wouldn’t be like that,” he says, his voice unusually firm. “It wouldn’t—fuck, Trez, come on. We’d take care of her!” He jerks his head at Fox and Kit. “We coulddefinitelydo better than the system. Just until we can find her dad, or whatever. Right?”
And then he has to look at me.
And I hate it.
I hate that I want to believe him.
I hate that IknowI’m going to believe him.
But I do.
Because I’ve seen Pan save people before.
Even if he has no idea that I know.
“Yeah,” I hear myself say. “We can handle it.”
Thump, thump, thump, goes the music.
“Fuck this.” Blue’s voice is sharp and sudden as he steps past me—stepsintome, really, almost hard enough to be a shoulder-check. I just stay frozen, not able or willing to react.
“Jeez.” Pan lets out a low whistle, craning his neck after Blue. “Who lit the fuse on his tampon?”
There’s aclunkas Fox sets his glass down on the bar, shooting Treasure a smile. “Can I get another?”
Treasure rolls her eyes and waves Emerald over, who snatches the glass for a refill.
“Look, I’ve gotta get back to work,” Treasure says. “But I wanna make a few things clear. First, this is not my problem. But I do feel bad for that little girl, so I’m gonna help you out. Okay?”
Pan nods. I nod. Fox and Kit nod.
“Good,” Treasure says. “Second, even though your motives are stupid and what you did was stupid, you did save her from having to see something really, really ugly. So props for that, Iguess.”
Pan starts to grin?—
“Third—” Treasure interrupts, finger in his face before he can smile too wide, and makes a grabbing gesture. “Gimme your phone.”
“What?” Pan balks. “Why?”
She turns to me. “Tink, give me his phone.”
I dart for his back pocket before he can stop me.
