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Harry slumped back in his seat, the weight of the decision slugging him like a heavy cement block to his gut.
“Think about it, Harry. You hate this shit. I’ve been watching. This isn’t what you want to be doing. You can be a part of something bigger, something that will make amends for the past. We need you to help us save those women and children. Are you in?"
“Who do you work for?” Harry pressed, seeming to already know he wouldn’t get an answer. “I want more. Details. A guarantee that you’re not going to screw me over. I want a deal on paper.”
“Because you’re going to give me enough to put all these men away?”
“If that’s what it takes. I just want to know for sure the people I care about are not going to pay the price for the things I’ve done.”
Mick's gaze bore into Harry's, a silent reassurance that they were in this together. "We'll protect you. I don’t personally think you’re worthy of that protection but the people way above my paygrade think making deals with devils pays off in the end.”
“I’m no devil.” Harry seemed insulted and Mick found that laughable.
“The good news is we don’t have to agree on that. All I need to know is that you’re willing to be our man on the inside. I need information. The locations of all the properties. Best times to strike them to keep people safe. I want to know who in the leadership of this organization is culpable. I want to take them all down.”
“Gee is that all?” Harry sighed loudly. “You have no idea who you’re up against. These people are well-connected. At the end of the day, you can bring this all to light and odds are someone will just bury it again.”
“The people I work for have the right kind of shovels to dig it all up. Just get me what we need and I’ll take it from there.”
With their fate now entwined, Mick and Harry sat in the quiet diner, hashing out the details of what was to come next. The battle against Angels of a New Day had just escalated, the scale of success tipping in their direction now.
“You think I’m a piece of shit?” Harry asked, looking suddenly concerned about Mick’s opinion of him.
“Who cares what I think? You give me what I want, and you get what you need. That’s all that matters here.”
“I’m not a monster,” Harry mumbled, pulling the menu up as though he had a sudden urge to read it. “I started this job thinking I was going to do some good. I’d heard about this charity helping single mothers. That’s how I grew up. My mom busting her ass to keep us fed and off the streets. For her, there was nothing that could really make a difference. We were always falling behind. Always scraping to get by. She decided having a man was better than doing it alone. She just didn’t choose very wisely. He decided something too. She didn’t deserve to live.”
“I uh...” Mick sat up a little straighter.
“I signed up to help women like my mother. At first that’s what I was doing. Intakes. Convincing women this organization would save them. That was a year ago. Six months ago, I was sent to one of the buildings where they were short-handed. A flu or something broke out and suddenly they’re sitting me down in some shit hole apartment building, telling me I can’t let anyone leave. That the women weren’t to leave without an escort. The children were kept separate. At first, I was told these women were struggling. Not safe to be around their kids. This was a last ditch effort to help them stay in the program and keep their children. I thought I was helping them.”
“You didn’t notice the chains and the criminal behavior?”
“It wasn’t like that, or they didn’t let me see that at first. A month went by. I was supposed to be keeping the children safe. Keeping the women from leaving so they couldn’t get themselves in trouble.”
“When did you know?” Mick could see the pain on Harry’s face growing. The story was plausible. An organization this vile could certainly pull people in.
“One night there was this argument. I overheard one of the other guys fighting with a woman named Alexia. He was pushing her around. Saying she hadn’t worked hard enough that night. I pulled him off her, started asking questions, and it all unraveled from there. I didn’t know they had these women out selling drugs, I thought we were trying to keep them from using. It hit me like a ton of bricks.”
“And you didn’t say anything? You just went along with it?”
“They were watching me. Waiting to see if I would turn on them. I knew enough by then to realize one guy wouldn’t be able to take them down. I’d be silenced instantly.”
“So you joined in?”
“No, of course not. But I made them think I was fine with it. That I wouldn’t say anything. They started giving me more responsibilities. And I started helping where I could. Keeping them safe as much as possible. I sneak extra food in. When I’m on duty, I take the moms upstairs to spend time with their kids. And I’ve been trying to figure out how I could bring these people down. I’ve had no clue, but I knew it would have to be from the inside. The moment I left, people would suffer. Can’t you understand that?”
“Why do you care what I think? Just do what I tell you. We don’t need to be best friends. When this is done, we’ll never see each other again. I’m not the judge and jury for you.”
“I’m trying to make you understand that showing up here, saying you can do something about this. I’m all in. I just want to make sure there is no backlash on my family.”
Mick pulled out his small notebook and pen and slid it over to Harry. “Start writing addresses. Draw maps of the buildings. Tell me about the training you get in security. The tactics we can expect when we storm these places. Tell me about the basements. The drugs. The punishments. All of it. I’ll order some coffee. We’re not going anywhere for a while.”
“I’m supposed to be back a work in an hour,” Harry said, checking his watch.
“Tell them you’re sick. You’re not going to make it back today. Some bad eggs at the diner.”
“No,” Harry replied urgently enough to make Mick worry. “Alphonso is there today. He’s a piece of shit. Loves to hurt people. If I’m not there to keep him in line, he’s the worst of them. Sick. I have to be back. I won’t leave them alone with him.”
