BROOKE
As Sugar drove Dazzle’s SUV back to the ranch-style house in Reseda, Brooke’s stomach rolled and gurgled and her heart pounded. The cargo compartment held, a playpen, disposable diapers, bottles, and toys for children of various ages. There were also bags of groceries.
But what if Dazzle didn’t approve of the stuff they’d bought? Would he beat her? Worse yet, what if he found out Sugar had driven her to Victims of the Street before shopping?
It hadn’t taken much to persuade the older girl, but Sugar had warned her what she could and couldn’t say.
“Don’t talk about us—about Daddy or me, or…none of it—you got it? I mean it! You can tell them you don’t know where your sister is. Maybe they will know. I mean…I gave her a business card for this place, too. But, most importantly, tell them how to get ahold of your parents. Work with the lady on a plan to get you home. Let your parents try to find Candi.”
Brooke had been disappointed when Sugar hadn’t come inside with her.
She’d met with a woman named Araceli, but Brooke had gotten so nervous when the lady had tried to find out where she was staying and who else lived in the house, Brooke had made an excuse and run out of the building to the parking lot. She hadn’t even told the woman her last name.
When she’d jerked open the passenger door, Sugar’s eyebrows had arched in surprise. “That was fast. What happened?”
“They were asking about where I was staying and who lived there with me. I got nervous and ran out.”
“Did they call your parents?”
“We didn’t get that far.”
Sugar wilted over the steering wheel and sighed. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to bring you back here. I can’t keep protecting you from Dazzle…and the other girls. They’re already mad that you get to watch kids and don’t have to turn tricks.”
“What does that mean?”
Pushing hair out of her face, Sugar shot her an incredulous look. “Look, you gotta grow up. We’re prostitutes. We have sex with men who pay us. Dazzle is our leader. He’s called a pimp. He’s in charge of making all the arrangements.
“He’s been pretty distracted these last few days, but I can’t protect you forever. He’s going to want to turn you out soon, which means he’ll have sex with you first, and then sell you to men who will make you do all kinds of things you don’t want to do.”
As the older girl had talked, tears had started to run down Brooke’s face…not for the grim forecast of her own life, but knowing that her sister had already experienced the same dreadful acts.
As they pulled into the driveway of their house, Sugar gave her one last warning. “You can never tell Dazzle I took you to Victims of the Street. If you do, he’ll kill both of us.”