“Thank you for sharing that,” Jasmine whispered. “I can’t imagine how difficult that would have been to hold inside for so long.”

  Her grandmother took a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed the corner of her eye. It might have been the first time Jasmine had seen her grandmother shed a tear, the unbreaking totemic matriarch, a sentinel over the entire family.

  “Yes, well, enough of all that,” her grandmother declared. “We can dig up more old bones later. Why don’t we look ahead, try to fix your current situation, and maybe we can take a longer drive down memory lane once this is all over.”

  Jasmine agreed and told her grandmother about her current role at the Stryga’s Nest—how she’d become a volunteer bouncer for the establishment. She explained that she was still looking for ways to track down Deshawne and bring him to justice.

  More thinking out loud than speaking to her grandmother, Jasmine mused, “The only problem is, I need to understand myself better so I can coordinate my body and train myself in a way I could finally take him down. I’m clumsy at best, chaotic at worst. This body feels like it’s trying to bring me down from within.”

  To her surprise, her grandmother grinned—a dangerous grin that spoke of plotting and scheming.

  “What?” Jasmine asked.

  Her grandmother chuckled. “I think I might know just the place. What are your feelings on back-alley dojos?”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Home

  Jasmine discarded the jump rope and crossed to the bench to grab her towel. She mopped her forehead and brushed the soft material across her face, already feeling the eyes on her before she turned to acknowledge them.

  She had heard Eddy’s customary three honks from his car horn to announce his arrival. As she strolled past Ethon, she waved and thanked him for his service.

  “Anytime, champ,” he announced. “Bring that same gusto next time, okay?”

  “Always.” Jasmine smiled as she thought back to the progress she had made and how close she was getting to being able to take Ethon down.

  On her way out of the gym she passed three men who always came in around the time she was leaving. Judging by the amount of hair on their arms and necks and how thick their eyebrows were, she couldn’t help but wonder if they were also part Were.

  Also? Hell, I don’t know if I’m truly Were anymore.

  They eyed her as they always did, studying her head to toe and examining every inch of her body in that hungry way she’d become accustomed to over the years. She offered a placating wave and shouldered her pack. They waved and whispered to each other.

  Jasmine didn’t know if it was her supersensitive hearing or the idiots talking too loudly, but she overheard one of them. “I’d give anything to give that chica a ride.”

  Jasmine’s ears pricked up.

  Another moaned, “What does a fine woman like her mess with a skinny punk like that for? Wouldn’t she rather have a real man?”

  Jasmine knew they were talking about Eddy and bristled but continued walking. No good could come out of acknowledging the situation, and she respected Ethon too much to mess up his gym to teach these guys a lesson.

  Eddy was waiting in his usual place in his brand-new Suburban. It had been a trophy, something he recovered after their bout with the New Operation in Harvey’s Premium Cars.

  When Jasmine and Qadir had returned, battered and bruised, they had told Eddy and Ivan what had happened. Jasmine had been unable to stop herself from laughing when a couple of days later Eddy returned to the Stryga’s Nest in the Suburban.

  “When I first met you, you were staying at homeless shelters,” Jasmine had said to him. “Now you’re driving brand-new wheels like this. What gives?”

  Eddy shrugged with a cheeky grin. “You said the parking lot was unattended, so I attended it.”

  Jasmine’s eyebrows raised. She couldn’t believe the brazenness of it. “You stole a car.”

  “I did. Although I’ll never admit it.”

  Jasmine decided to move past that oxymoron. “Couldn’t have gone for something flashier? They had much more in that parking lot than a black Suburban.”

  Eddy shrugged. “More to my tastes. I’m not one for cruising around in a luxury BMW or Mercedes. Something like this that’s dutiful and does the job is all I need.”

  At the time she hadn’t known what to make of it, but now Jasmine was thankful. Eddy often gave her lifts to and from Hashut’s Iron Works, which suited her fine.

  Jasmine skirted the vehicle and hopped into the passenger side. She looked at the young skinny man next to her and smiled as she thought of the three burly wolfish types pumping iron in the gym.

  “What are you smiling about?” Eddy asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Eddy started the engine. “Oh, come on. What is it?”

  Jasmine looked out the window, barely able to make out the shapes of the people inside the gym. “You were making those boys inside jealous.”

  His eyes widened. “Those Cro-Magnon pendejos who always come in after you? Are you serious?”

  “They all wonder what they have to do to be the ones to give me a ride. You’re a lucky one.”

  Eddy shifted into drive and headed out of the parking lot. “Madre de Dios! Poor fools don’t know the bullet they dodged.”

  “Rude!” Jasmine shot back. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have these new wheels to drive around, so hush.”

  Eddy chuckled. “I’m just saying, those fools think I’m getting up on you when this ain’t no love machine. Just a Zomb—”

  Jasmine interjected, “I told you, I don’t like that word!”

  Eddy turned onto the street. “My bad. My bad.”

  It was late afternoon when Eddy pulled up to the Stryga’s Nest. The sun was beginning to dip on the horizon, casting the city in a golden glow. She walked through the front doors and into the gentle hum of patrons busy at their tables. A few glanced up and offered her a quick wave as she passed.

  Eddy drove off to attend to business that only he was privy to, as he so often did. Despite Jasmine’s numerous attempts at solving the Rubik’s Cube named Eddy, she could not find out what he did.

  She offered Ivan a cursory wave and headed to her bedroom. As she closed the door, quiet and calm fell over everything.

  Her room had changed some in the last couple of weeks. Knowing that she would be staying for a while, Jasmine had added a few homey touches to make it seem less like a prison cell and more like a bedroom.

  A couple of throw cushions lined the top of the headboard. She’d replaced the plain white sheets Ivan had provided with her own. They were the deep red of blood with white patterning. The little wooden carving of the wolf her father had gifted her sat on the nightstand.

  She’d snuck home and taken a framed photo of herself, her mother, and her grandmother, which she’d placed on the nightstand. She woke up to it every morning after her brief moment of sleep.

  She shrugged out of her gym clothes and opened the closet. As she had before, she stared longingly at the few glamorous designer dresses she had taken from her former life. There would be little opportunity to wear them, but she hadn’t wanted to leave them behind.

  A wave of longing washed through her and sparked a crazy idea. Jasmine considered it despite being due to begin bouncing for Ivan in the next hour.

  She pinched the hem of a turquoise dress and glanced down at a pair of sleek silver heels. It wouldn’t hurt for one night, would it? To get dolled up and enjoy the fruits of my former life. What’s the worst that could happen? Some idiot patrons make eyes at me, and I put them in their place? A dress doesn’t define a woman, and hey, a stiletto in one’s ass is far more painful than some boring big box sneakers.

  Jasmine shrugged into the dress, tidied her hair, and used enough of her meager makeup supplies to make herself feel comfortable and to hide the pale white skeletal face that stared back at her from the mirror.

  When she finished, she looked in her tiny pocket mirror and nodded in reassurance. The black hair still took some getting used to, but overall, not too shabby.

  She tidied up and opened the door to go downstairs into the Nest. She summoned a smile and kept it in place as her heels tapped on the wooden stairs.

  When she entered the bar, she was unsurprised when several heads turned her way. Astonishment showed on some faces, and a hungry, approving look appeared on others. The latter gave Jasmine the confidence she needed to stroll through the tables to take her place near the door.

  There were a few wolf whistles. One man winked at her. As she passed Ivan, he looked at her flatly, as if nothing had changed, and said only, “Look lovely, as usual.”

  Jasmine thanked him and sat at her table by the door. Ivan had already placed a glass of red wine beside her. She sipped it leisurely and assumed her role as a bouncer, watching over the bar, keeping an eye on new entrants and patrons getting a little drunk and above their station. The red wine had no taste, but Jasmine enjoyed completing the look. Nursing the drink gave her some semblance of her former life.

  For the next hour or two, several men and some women kept glancing her way with lustful looks. The moment she met their eyes they turned away, embarrassed at being caught.

  Jasmine wasn’t drawing the attention she used to, and she didn’t know whether to feel salty about that or not. She was thankful she didn’t have to deal with idiots and could enjoy the dress and more glamorous appearance she’d given herself. At the same time, part of her longed for some drama.

  As though her thought was a wish, the universe answered and granted it.

  A man crawled out of the shadows by the corner of the bar. He was balding and not in an elegant way. His face was pallid and looked like he had been sitting overheated and sweating in a bar that was always cool. He limped, and one of his eyes bulged more than the other. She watched him carefully, unsure if this was a life condition or if he had drunk too much.

  She prepared to expel him. She could easily handle a small man like that by grabbing the back of his collar, lifting him, and hurling him out into the streets.

  To her surprise, he approached her. As he drew closer, she tensed in her chair. “Now, sir, this establishment doesn’t—” The man practically fell into her, pawing her dress and babbling as she picked him up and turned toward the door.

  A few drinkers stared at her, and she wasn’t sure if it was due to the drama and commotion or her dress.

  She was almost at the door when the man turned to face her. He looked desperate and his eyes brimmed with tears. “I need your help. Please, Jasmine. Eddy told me you were the one to see.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Gig

  That took Jasmine aback. Her grip on the man’s collar loosened, and his feet touched the floor. She looked at him closer. Her judgment of the man spun on a dime as he went from a creepy, sweaty pervert to an anguished man in need of assistance.

  “Eddy?” Her gaze flashed to the man at the bar dropping yet another vodka shot into his orange juice.

  The man nodded eagerly. “He says you are the person to see, that you can fix problems, right?”

  Jasmine considered this. “I suppose that depends on the size of the problem.”

  “Can we talk?”

  She looked into his imploring eyes and couldn’t say no. Despite the cold deadness of her skin and inner workings, she still had a warm, soft place in her heart that couldn’t resist playing the white knight.

  She led him to a nearby table that was out of hearing of the other patrons but still allowed her to keep an eye on everything. She occasionally glanced at Eddy as she talked to the man.

  “Let’s start with the simple stuff. Who are you?”

  The man rubbed his hands together. Whatever was on his mind had him spooked. “Excuse my manners.” His voice quivered. “My name is Perry Natchios, and I’m afraid I am the unwilling bearer of horrible news.”

  “We need more of that around this place,” Jasmine scoffed.

  She expected the man to laugh, but his eyes dropped to the table. “I work as a handyman for a group of properties owned by a rental management company. I fix things, install things, make sure everything’s spick-and-span and works as it should. It’s menial work, but it’s a nice living.”

  He paused as if waiting for Jasmine to comment, but she only listened and waited for the punchline. He continued. “Suffice to say that my line of work often has me on the fringes of affairs that don’t warrant my attention.

  “I’ll be working in a cabinet or a closet or a corner and overhear things that perhaps I shouldn’t. My line of work gets me into powerful offices and spaces that normal workers generally need a keycode for. It’s almost like I’m invisible sometimes. A menial worker. No threat to the lions.”

  Jasmine’s ears pricked up at this.

  Perry noticed this shift. “Yeah, I’ve seen and heard things I should not know. Most of the time it’s internal politics like people getting screwed over for promotions, people fucking each other’s partners, the stuff that doesn’t often have a greater impact. This time…”

  “You heard something that concerns a wider circle,” Jasmine finished for him.

  Perry’s face darkened. “Spot on. Eddy said you’re a quick one.”

  Jasmine shrugged. “It doesn’t take a genius to tell the narrative of your story. Give me the details, and I’ll see what I can do to help.”

  Perry straightened, showing inner confidence that Jasmine hadn’t yet seen. Perhaps she had reassured him, and perhaps in her presence he felt safe and brave enough to come out with the information she needed.

  “It happened last night. I was crawling through the duct spaces, making some repairs to the ventilation system. Sound travels far through enormous metal tubes, but many people don’t realize this. The films where people can hear snippets of conversation by simply standing in the right place at the right time are correct.”

  He sat up straighter and drew a deep breath. “I overheard two men talking. I don’t know who they were, and I don’t know what their names are. All I know is that I didn’t like what I heard.”

  “What did you hear?” Jasmine pressed.

  “A lot about some bad people. They mentioned some group, though I didn’t quite grasp the name. Then…” He sighed.

  “What is it?” Jasmine probed, leaning forward in her chair.

  “There was mention of selling children,” Perry confided. “Of shipping them out across the city, undetectable. A smart plan to move kids from one place to the other.” He sat back as if suddenly jolted.

  “It could be anything. It could be trafficking of some kind, or it could be nothing at all. All I know is what I heard. I’ve been fighting with my conscience on what to do ever since.” He sank back in his chair as if a massive weight had slipped from his shoulders.

  “So you came to me with this information?” Jasmine asked. “You didn’t think to report this to your boss or the authorities? The first thing you thought was ‘let’s go to a newly found security guard of a dive bar on the east side.’ That was your master plan?”

  Perry sat forward, gesturing urgently. “No, no, that’s not what happened. I went to the police. I told them everything I’d heard, but the moment I mentioned the company I was in they dismissed me. They told me I was hearing things, and it couldn’t be what I thought it was, and hung up on me.”

  Jasmine frowned. “Oh.”

  “My thoughts exactly. Aren’t the police the people you’re supposed to go to with stuff like this? Aren’t they the protectors of this city?”

  Jasmine recalled her encounter with the cops at her house and their reluctance to listen to her or believe who she was. “Yeah, that’s what you’re supposed to think.”

  “Anyway. That’s not the worst part. This morning I received a knock on the door. I thought, ‘That’s funny. The mail doesn’t normally come until eleven.’ When I opened it, I found Mr. Silver standing on my doorstep.”

  “Mr. Silver?” Jasmine asked.

  “My boss’ boss.” Perry gave Jasmine a knowing glance. “I said, ‘Good morning sir, to what do I owe this pleasure?’ He didn’t beat around the bush. He got to the point. He said my employment was up for reconsideration and I should think carefully about where I tread next.

  “I didn’t know what to think at first. It was early morning, and I hadn’t had a chance to have my coffee and get myself together. It was after he had left and I shut the door that I realized the insanity of the situation. Whose boss’ boss stops by on the way to work? More than that, I knew exactly what he was talking about. It was a warning, a threat.

  “I spent the rest of the day wondering what to do. I called in sick to work. No one answered, so I left a message. I was wandering around the city when I ended up here. Me and Eddy, we go way back, and he’s someone I know I can trust. Lucky for me, that worked out well because it led me to you.”

  Jasmine digested everything she had heard. There was a conspiracy afoot and some powerful people with their fingers in places they shouldn’t be. For the police to dismiss such a claim out of hand without any due diligence was a strong sign. So was a powerful man like Mr. Silver taking the time to turn up at an employee’s door to give him a direct warning.

  She already knew that if she were to jump into this situation, it wouldn’t be easy. But it would be right, she thought.

  “What exactly do you want me to do? Expose them?”

  Perry looked around the bar, then back at Jasmine. “I mean, if you could, that would be amazing. But it’s more than that. I want you to save those kids. They’re innocents in all of this. They don’t deserve whatever’s coming their way.”

  Jasmine nodded thoughtfully. “How am I supposed to do that if you don’t know where these people are now? If they know that you know, they won’t be in the same place where you overheard them again. If they’re smart enough to turn up at your doorstep, they’re smart enough to evade. People like this know what they’re doing. It’s difficult to track them down.”