The next morning, Joey sauntered into Colby’s bedroom, still rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“Why are you sleeping in here?” Joey mumbled incoherently.
Maggie lifted her head slightly off the pillow. “Well, I figured you wanted your own room.”
As Colby stirred next her, Maggie put her finger over her lips to tell Joey to be quiet. She slipped from under the covers, grabbed Colby’s large T-shirt, and put it over her head. Then she led Joey out into the kitchen.
“Colby and I like each other, Joey. So, we slept together last night,” Maggie explained.
Joey scrunched up her nose. “Why would ya wanna do that? I hated doin’ those things they made me do when I lived in that place where you found me.”
“Well, that’s a good question. When you do those things, have sex, with someone you really, really like, it’s a lot different. It makes you feel good instead of bad,” Maggie tried to explain.
“So Colby didn’t hurt you last night?” Joey asked. The young girl knew sex to be ugly, painful, and dirty.
“No, he didn’t hurt me. He would never hurt either of us. So, the thing is, I’m probably going to share Colby’s room with him. That will leave you a room all to yourself,” Maggie said.
“OK, that’s fine. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” Joey said sincerely.
***
Maggie’s life shifted significantly once she moved in with Colby. Although she was happier than she’d ever been, she had a nagging fear that something would go wrong and take away everything she now had. Over the first six months of living together, they had fallen deeply in love. It was almost hard for Maggie to imagine life without him. He was warm and loving to her and Joey. Maggie couldn’t believe how much her life had changed.
Since leaving Kensington, Maggie made regular visits to see the young prostitutes who had been left to fend for themselves. Some of the girls were still on the streets, selling their bodies without pimps, while others had found shelters and other forms of government help to get them back on their feet. A few of the girls had been reunited with their families and no longer lived in the rectum of the city. More often than not, the Clarkes traveled into Kensington with Maggie. It was important to the Clarkes to understand the life Maggie had lived during the long years she was away from them, but even more important was their urge to keep Maggie safe from further harm. The work Lorraine and Rob had done with other missing children and their families during Maggie’s agonizing absence had helped prepare them for the harsh world their daughter had inhabited.
It wasn’t until late fall the following year that, while visiting Shiver at Double Visions, Maggie had the urge to contact Tony and Vincent. She had kept their phone number in a safe place, and since she had no way of contacting Emma, she decided to reach out to them and find out what had become of her friend.
“Yeah?” Tony huffed into the phone when he answered.
“Tony? This is Maggie.” There was a long pause. “Maggie from Double Visions. Emma’s friend.”
“Ohhhh yeah, little Maggie. How the hell ya been? Vincent and me were just talkin’ ’bout ya da other day. We’s been wondering what happened to ya. We heard all about that big bust in that shit hole where ya live,” Tony said.
“I’m doing really well now, Tony. I moved in with my boyfriend. We live in Whitemarsh, and things are going great,” Maggie explained.
“That’s real good. Have ya seen your parents?” Tony wondered aloud.
“Yep. I live five minutes from them, so I get to see them all the time,” Maggie said.
“Well, me and Vincent are real happy for ya. How’s everythin’ else?” Tony asked, wondering what the real reason was for Maggie’s call.
“Everything is fine. I just thought maybe you’d like to meet me and Joey for lunch someday. I was actually wondering how Emma was doing. I don’t know how to reach her,” Maggie said.
“Well, Emma’s been away for a while. Not sure when she’s comin’ back to town. Who’s this Joey guy ya want us to have lunch wit’?” Tony asked.
Maggie giggled. “Joey is a girl. She was Seth’s best friend. Her mom sold her when she was little to some asshole, so now she lives with Colby and me.”
“Her own mudder sold her when she was little? She’s a fuckin’ sorry excuse for a woman,” Tony commented in an angry voice. “Listen, why don’t you and Joey meet us at the Melrose tomorra afternoon? How’s that sound? It’ll be good to see ya.”
It wasn’t normal for Tony and Vincent to meet people outside of the mob for lunch or any other meal. But for Maggie, they’d make an exception. She was a good kid, and when she lost her boy, the two men had felt badly that they couldn’t do anything to help her. A good meal at the Melrose seemed the perfect opportunity to do something nice for her. Besides, Tony was curious about the big bust that took place in Kensington. It was always good to know how things went down on other criminals…there was always something to learn about the police.
The next afternoon, Maggie and Joey got off the bus and walked a few short blocks to the Melrose Diner. The restaurant was bustling with loud chatter and high-pitched laughter. Maggie led Joey to the back of the diner, where she’d spotted Tony and Vincent. Before she reached their table, a man working at the diner approached. “Nah, you can’t go back there,” he said, trying to keep everyone away from Tony and Vincent.
“Jimmy,” Vincent yelled. “She’s OK. She came to see us.”
Jimmy nodded and stepped aside to let Maggie and Joey pass.
The two large men stood, and each took a turn giving Maggie a hug.
“Sit down, sit down,” Vincent said with enthusiasm, gesturing to the two seats across from them.
“This is Joey,” Maggie said once they were seated. “Joey, this is Tony and Vincent.”
Joey immediately felt intimidated by the two men. For starters, they were tall and wide. But what really made her nervous were the holstered guns she noticed on each of them when they hugged Maggie.
“Hi, Joey,” Tony said, “it’s nice to meet ya.”
Joey nodded but remained silent, watching both of them carefully.
Tony, Vincent, and Maggie chatted about Double Visions, and then she filled them in on her life after Kensington. They had just finished eating when Maggie rose from the table.
“I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” Maggie announced.
She stood and turned to walk toward the bathroom when suddenly she stopped and sat down again.
Tony took a long gulp of his coffee. “What? Ya changed your mind?” he teased.
But Vincent didn’t play into it; he was too busy watching Maggie. The color had drained from her face, and her hands were shaking. Maggie’s eyes bulged, and for several seconds, Vincent could tell she was holding her breath. Tony was still digging into his apple pie when Vincent nudged him under the table. He looked up at Maggie and put his fork on the pie plate.
“What’s wrong, Maggie?” Vincent asked in a dark voice.
Tears filled Maggie’s eyes, and she shook her head ever so slightly.
Joey immediately grabbed onto Maggie’s forearm, sensing her fear.
“Maggie?” Tony said. “Tell us what’s wrong.”
Maggie cleared her throat, and in a shaky voice, she whispered, “The man in the orange shirt, sitting behind us.”
Tony strained his neck until his eyes landed upon a large, lanky-looking white man. His greasy hair hung around his baggy, puffy eyes. He was hunched over his meal with his arms on the table, guarding his plate like hungry dog.
“Yeah, I see him. He looks like a fuckin’ pig,” Tony commented. “What about him?”
Maggie closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “Joey and I have to go. We have to get out of here.”
Tony and Vincent were confused. “Did that loser mess wit’ cha on the bus ride here or somethin’?” Vincent guessed.
“No,” Maggie said quietly, “that’s the man who kidnapped me. That’s John William.”