On the night of the big bust, Armando drove Maggie to Double Visions for her shift. Everything was set. She walked into the bar and found Colby.
“Let’s go,” Maggie said.
They left through the back door of the bar and raced back to Kensington. Colby dropped Maggie off near her apartment. She slipped into her building quickly and took the steps two at a time. Juju was waiting for her by the door. Maggie rushed into the apartment.
“You ready?” Maggie asked.
Juju held out her hands for Maggie’s inspection. She wore large, ugly rings on each of her fingers.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Maggie stated, her excitement building.
The two girls took back streets and alleys to get to Rock’s house. They sat low in the grass behind the shed. Maggie looked at the watch Colby had lent to her.
“We’ve got twenty minutes,” Maggie whispered.
The girls sat in silence. Their adrenaline was flowing. Maggie prayed that things would happen just as they had planned. At exactly 11:00 p.m., Maggie and Juju rose. They walked to the back door of Rock’s house quickly, and Maggie fidgeted while Juju picked the lock. Once inside the house, they could hear the noise of the television coming from the living room. Maggie and Juju locked eyes. With a nod of their heads, the two girls stormed into the living room where Thelma was sprawled on the sofa, cigarette in hand, gazing at the television.
Thelma looked up, startled by the sudden activity around her.
“Who you motherfuckers think ya are, comin’ into my house uninvited,” Thelma growled.
“We’re the bitches that came to watch you suffer!” Juju snarled.
Before Thelma could haul her body from the sofa, Juju landed the first kick into the woman’s chest. Thelma fell back against the cushions, and Juju proceeded to slam punches into her face. As Maggie ran for the stairs to find Joey, she heard the sound of Thelma’s nose breaking. A smile broke across Maggie’s face.
Within five minutes, the girls were running out of the back door with Joey. Juju had left Thelma unconscious on the sofa. She wanted to beat Thelma until she was dead, but something Maggie said made her stop.
“That’s enough. We have to get out of here. She’ll get what’s coming to her in prison,” Maggie reminded her in a giddy voice.
The three of them ran as fast as their legs could move. They cut through a block of backyards and down a dark alley to an isolated street. They fled toward a parked car with its engine running.
“There they are,” Maggie said, gasping for breath and pointing down the street.
When they got to waiting car, Juliet jumped out. She immediately took Joey by the hand, but the child resisted. Maggie knelt down next to Joey.
“Juliet and Ron are going to take care of you for a couple of days. Just until I can come and get you. But we have to hurry,” Maggie said.
Joey’s eyes filled with tears. “How do I know you’ll come for me?”
“Because I told you I will. Now go with the Freys. They’re going to keep you safe,” Maggie commanded. Then she gave Joey a quick hug, stood, and planted a kiss on Juliet’s cheek. “Guard her with your life,” Maggie said.
“We will,” Juliet responded.
A minute later, the Freys were driving toward their mansion in New Jersey. Joey was in the backseat of the car. She was shaking from all that had just happened and worried that something awful would happen to Maggie and Juju and she’d never see them again.