Chapter Seven

"Okay, so ya just sell 'em. They'll do da rest."

"Yeah, I know Spot," I said to him. "I'll see ya later. If ya see one of da boys from Manhattan, tell 'em I won't be back tonight."

"Okay, I will." He hesitated a minute. "Be careful."

"Yeah, sure. Bye," I said to him, walking down the road.

Are ya kiddin' me? I've been here for two hours and no one has come up ta me, other than buyers. I'm gonna soak Spot good for dis one.

Just then I saw this big guy with an earring in his ear start walking toward me. Guess I thought too soon.

"Hey! Who are you?" big guy asked me.

"Ya outta know who I am. Everyone does. I'm Flash."

He looked me up and down like Spot had. "Yeah, I heard of ya. Only girl newsie for miles." He took off his hat and did a small bend, that I think was supposed to be a bow. "My name is Lawrence, but everyone calls me Shifty."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Lawrence? No wonder ya changed it. Your mudder had ta have really hated ya ta give ya a name like dat."

He set his jaw and for a second I thought he was gonna hit me right then and there. But his jaw relaxed and he said, "Yeah, you're one of us. Come on, follow me." Jackpot!

We walked a couple of blocks, ducked into a couple of alleys (of course), and ended up at an old factory. Shifty knocked in a certain code and the door opened up. He motioned for me to follow him in, so I did. They shut the door as soon as I stepped in; I could feel the wind blow from it. They must be pretty damn serious.

"Ya find somebody?" asked a voice. "Or did ya come back empty handed?"

"No Boss, I got someone," Shifty said nervously. We walked a little farther into the factory and I saw a guy sitting at a desk. He must be da voice. He wasn't too big. A little bigger than Spot, but not by much. He had black hair that he slicked back and really dark brown eyes, so dark they were almost black. He completely ruined the tough guy vibe when he saw who I was and started laughing.

"Ya brought me a girl? Are ya mad, Shift? I mean, she's a girl."

Boy did I wanna tell that fella off, but I didn't wanna screw up the chance to get some information, so I bit my tongue.

"But boss, she's not just a girl, she's the girl. She's the smart mouth newsie."

"Mr. Boss Jailbird, sir, he's right. She's more den what she looks," said another guy.

The "Boss" looked at the guy with an angry look on his face. "I told you not to use my name! It's Boss to you, Padlock."

Padlock looked down. "Yes sir, Mr. Boss sir."

Who the hell does this guy think he is? Orderin' people like they ain't got no brains ta think for 'emselves. Boss? Really? No. His real name was Jailbird. I bet I could guess why.

He got a serious look on his face again. "So you're Flash? I've heard a lot about ya."

"Dat's good ta hear. Means I ain't gotta explain nothin'. So cut to da point, whadda ya want?"

"You're a walkin' mouth, but I like hows ya think. Okay, so ya ever heard of Spot Conlon or anybody in the Manhattan division?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I've heard of Spot. What about 'im?"

"Well he runs the Brooklyn division, but not for long if I can help it. If I have it my way, I'll be runnin' Brooklyn, Manhattan, and all da rest'a New York. Spot's been leader for far too long. It's my turn. And if any one tries ta step in my way and help Spot, I'll fix 'em so dey can't breathe. Dat goes for Manhattan and whoever else too."

The hell ya will, bird brain. You ain't touchin' none of my friends. Or should I say family. And you aren't touchin' Spot. There must be nobody home if ya think dat.

"Okay, so whadda ya need me for?"

"You're pretty smart, you figure it out," he said as he leaned back in his chair and chewed on his cigar. That reminded me of Racetrack. I wonder what he's doin' right now…

I thought for a minute and said carefully, "Ya want me ta bring in more recruits. And help take down Spot and da othas. But ya want it all kept a secret. Can't risk lettin' everyone in all of New York know, 'cause it could get back ta Spot."

He grinned an evil grin. "Exactly. Ya ain't as dumb as ya look lady. So whadda ya say? You in or what?"

"Yeah, I'm in."

"Great. Better drop in. Ya know, in a coupla days. Bullman, show her out."

This little lanky guy took me by the arm to the door and said,"Don't you be tellin' everybody. We'll find out if ya do." He let me out and shut the door quickly. I found my way back to the corner where I had been selling and ran back to the dock. Spot wasn't there.

He better hurry up and get back here. I got so much ta tell him.

"… and they're plannin' on takin' you and da boys down," I finished telling Spot.

"Dammit! I knew Jailbird was a no good rotten son-of-a-gun."

"I am not about ta let 'em hurt Racetrack or Jack, or da otha guys. Spot," I said, "I'm not gonna let 'em hurt you."

He looked at me. He didn't have his hat on, so his hair was in his eyes. I wanted to move it, but I didn't. He had his mouth in a hard line. His mouth. I couldn't stop looking at it. I wish he'd smile. Wait a hot minute, what am I thinkin'? No, ya can't think of Spot dat way. He's ya business partner and ya don't know him dat well. What is wrong wiff you, Flash?

"Flash, ya can't do it by yourself. I don't expect you to. If they find out you're on my side, you're as good as dead. They'll soak ya without battin' an eye."

"Spot, I'm doin' this whether ya like it or not. I don't want 'em hurtin' my family. And I don't want 'em hurtin' you. You're too-"

He nudged me and grinned. Now I couldn't stop string at him. "I'm too what?"

Snap outta it Alba Grace. Stop it. Ya barely know him. Pull yaself together!

"You're too important for me ta let anything happen to ya. I haven't known ya for long but I really-"

His lips crushed into mine, kissing me slowly and then building up speed. I was still shocked, so I wasn't really moving.

He pulled away and whispered, "Come on Flash, you can do betta den dat, can't ya?"

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer so his mouth was a half an inch away from mine.

"Hell yeah, I can do betta than dat." And then I was kissing him, starting slow and tender, and then faster, kissing him hard enough to bruise. He kissed me eagerly and quick, like he didn't have much time. His tongue grazed my lips, waiting for an invitation. I gave him one. I lightly bit his lip and sucked on it. He made a little moaning noise, so I knew I was on the right track. He pulled away and started kissing my cheek over to my ear and bit it.

She made a gasping noise and pulled me as close as she could. I moved down to her neck and sucked on her skin, leaving a couple of reddish purple marks on it. I bit it lightly and swirled my tongue around, making her grip on my shirt tighter. She let go and started exploring my back with her hands, kissing me again. I ran my fingertips along the inside of her thighs and our kissing slowed down to the slow and tender kind again. We pulled away, but didn't let go of each other.

I still got it. She gave as good as she got. She kissed me just as eagerly as da other broads. I smiled to myself. Compulsive, but nice all da same.

She was staring at me, then out of the blue she said, "What in da HELL was dat?"

"Wait… what?"

"Where in God's name did ya learn all of dat?"

I grinned. "Experience. What about you?"

"Same, but I didn't expect to find someone who had as much experience as me."

"Yeah, well when ya live in New York, ya meet people and ya do things. I bet half da guys here can kiss like dat," I told her..

She pressed her lips hard against mine again and kissed me for a minute. When she pulled away, both of us we flushed and breathing heavy.

"Damn," she said trying to control her breathing.

"You're pretty good."

She grinned real big. "You ain't so bad yaself, Conlon."

I gave her a half smile. "Hey lemme see ya hand."

She held out her hand and I took it, studying her palm where she had cut it. "Hmm, it's healin' up pretty good. Don't look so bad."

"I coulda told ya dat," she said to me with a hint of teasing in her voice. "You ain't gotta be a super genius ta figure dat out."

I let go of her hand and let it fall. It landed on my knee, but she didn't move it. "Well," I said defensively, "I was just makin' sure."

"I know, I was just teasin' ya."

It was getting pretty late, so I told her good night and lay down on the dock.

My eyes opened and I was looking at the dark sky. I rolled over and saw Flash curled up in a ball with her back to me, sleeping. She had a piece of paper in her hand, and curiosity got the better of me. I grabbed the paper gently from her hand and started reading it. It took me a minute to realize that it was a letter to her friend. I shouldn't read this. But I saw my name, and from then on, there was no turning back.

October 16th, 1900

Dear Anna Bellefskii,

This sucks. My mind has completely gone on an extended vacation. I can't think straight. Remember that Spot guy I wrote about? He kissed me today. Not just a peck, but a real kiss. He kissed me like he had something to prove. The thing about this kiss though, was that I could feel the eagerness in his mouth. I've never felt that before. I really liked it, but at the same time, I didn't. Not when all I could think about was Racetrack. I know that's wrong, but I know Race better than Spot. He actually knows me and understands me. We share a lot in common. I mean, maybe if I knew more about Spot, things would be different. But maybe I'm better off with Spot, ya know? At least I know he has mutual feelings for me. Race… well I think he thinks of me like a little sister. He is two years older than me. Hell, he probably don't feel the same way I do. I like him and Spot, but I can't have them both. Maybe I'll just stick with Spot. I'm better off that way.

Love,

Alba Grace/Flash

I sat down in a huff. "She ain't here tonight either?" I asked Jack grumpily.

"No Racetrack, she's not."

I slammed my hand down on the table making our money go everywhere and causing the other guys to jump.

Jack gave them a look and they nodded, got up, and left the room. "Alright, whattsa matta, Race? Why are you so mad?"

I glared at the floor and crossed my arms. "What makes ya think something's wrong?"

He pretended to think about it, and then answered. "'Cause you're glarin' at da floor like it just said somethin' 'bout ya mudder. Now tell me what's wrong."

I let my hard expression fall off and then sighed. "I'm worried about 'er. I don't want her getting' hurt, and I think she'd be safer here wit us."

He looked at me suspiciously. "Is dat all? Tell me da truth, Race. Is dat all dat's botherin' ya?"

I slowly shook my head no.

"Okay den, tell me da rest of it," he demanded.

I shook my head no again.

"Okay, play me for it den. If I win dis game of poker, you gotta tell me. If you win, I'll drop it. Deal?"

I smiled smugly, because I'm the best poker player around. I hardly ever lose.

"Sure Kelly, Sure. Deal."

Jack grinned and started the game. He beat me in five minutes.

"No fair, ya cheater!"

He smiled back at me. "I didn't say if I won without cheating, just if I won. So spill it, what's eatin' up your nerves."

I sighed a big dramatic sigh to show him how unhappy I was about this. "Fine," I said crossing my arms again and leaning back in my chair. "I kind of like her. Not da Susan Gahervawhitts kind of like."

He looked at me for a second and said, "ya mean more like da Jeanette Cohen kind of like, or da Marcy Macdonald kind?"

"Da Marcy Macdonald kind."

He gave a low whistle. "Damn."

Marcy Macdonald had been the only girl I thought I was in love with in my whole life when I was fifteen and a half. I thought she loved me too until she ran off and got pregnant with another man's kid. After that, I swore I'd never love anyone the way I had loved Marcy.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. I know dat sounds stupid, 'cause I haven't known her long, but I can't help it, Jack. Like ya said, she's different."

"Wait, so you're sayin' you love her?" he asked me in disbelief.

"No. I just really like her. But I don't know how ta tell her."

"Just come right out and say it to her. Get 'er alone first, so ya make sure ya have her full attention. Den before she can say anything to ya, ya grab 'er, and plant one on her."

I shook my head. "No, dat's no good. She probably don't feel da same way. Besides, if I do dat, I might get punched in da stomach, and I don't need dat. I just won't tell 'er. I'm better off doin' dat and savin' myself from another Marcy Macdonald."

He shrugged. "Okay Race. Your call."

I nodded slowly as he walked upstairs. "Yeah," I said to myself. "My call."

"Well I ain't gotta go back today, so I was thinkin' about stayin' down in Manhattan tonight," I told Spot.

"Ta see Racetrack?" he asked me.

"Nah, I wanna see 'em all. I miss 'em." Lie. I mean, I did miss them, but I really wanted to see Race."I gotta go send this letter to my friend Anna though."

"Oh… Okay den. I guess I'll see ya later then?" he said to me.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Definitely. See ya later, Spot."

"Bye." He left the dock and turned the corner. Wow… what's wrong wit him?

I took out my letter and read it over one more time. Damn. Hopefully she can give me some of her good advice.

I walked to the post place, gave them the letter, and went back outside.

"Well why dontcha just shut dat trap o' yours and leave da kid alone?" I heard as I walked out. The boy that said it was shorter than me. He looked about eleven or twelve with big grey eyes and messy wheat-colored hair. He had freckles and he was pale. He was flanked by four other buys.

"Yeah, shove off. He didn't do nothin'!" I recognized that voice. It was Snipeshooter.

"Yes he did," a big guy growled. "He looked at me. Ain't got no right to."

"He can do whatever he wants. You ain't his boss!" yelled one of the other flanks. He had a twin who was standing next to his. They looked exactly alike. They had red hair and muddy brown eyes. They were pale too, and short. They were around ten maybe? They reminded me of my cousin Kaylynn…

The last flank finally spoke. He had black hair that covered his ears and blue eyes. He was the shortest of them all. "I didn't do nothin'! You wanna go? If you're half as stupid as ya look, I'm surprised you can even speak!"

"I'm gonna soak ya kid!" He lunged at the black haired boy and punched him in the stomach. Hard. That was all I was about to let happen.

I tapped the guy on the shoulder and when he turned around I smiled and slugged him in the jaw. He stumbled back and looked at me like he couldn't believe I did that.

"I ain't above soakin' a girl." He punched me in the arm. It caught me off guard and I stumbled sideways. I ain't gonna lie, it hurt. A lot.

The black haired boy was still hunched over clutching his stomach and the others were standing there with their mouths hanging open. The ass that hit me stood there smiling like someone told him he was the king of all mankind. Cocky bastard…

I took this fortunate chance to knee him in the family jewels. He doubled over in agony, so I grabbed him by the hair and punched him in the face over and over again. He stood back up and socked me in the mouth. He had a great left hook. I could taste the blood before I felt the pain. Okay, two can play at this game.

I lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. Sitting on him, I began punching him in the nose repeatedly. I then grabbed him by the ears and slammed his head against the cobblestone road. Soon, all five of the guys were yanking me off and holding me back. "Forget ya. Ya ain't worth it," said the boy, getting up off the ground. He hobbled away, leaving a bloody trail in his wake.

"Whoa! Wait til I tell da guys what happened!" yelled Snipeshooter. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," I said wiggling my jaw.

The black haired boy ran up and hugged me. "Thank You lady. My name's Squawk."

"Yeah, because ya never shut up," one of the twins said grinning. "I'm Pip and that's Squeak," he said pointing at himself and then his brother.

"And I'm Whiplash. You can call me Whip," said the tallest of them with the wheat colored hair. He spit in his hand and held it out. I spit and we shook.

"I'm Flash. I'd love ta stay and chat, but I really gotta go. You're welcome kid. Snipe, come wit me." I was bleeding pretty bad, and I just wanted to wash it off.

"Bye fellas, see ya later," Snipe said and he began to follow me. "I didn't know you could fight like dat!"

I shrugged. "Yeah, well I learned from da best, didn't I?"

He gave me a questioning look.

"My fadder. He taught me everything I know."

Snipe was quiet so I just left it at that, as we walked to the lodging house. There was noise and voices coming from inside. The boys must have finished up early. Great. Just what I need right now.

We walked inside and I hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. I decided to go up, taking my chances. I was outside the door when I heard the end of Snipeshooter's recap to the rest of them. "…and then he got up and left, bleedin' all over da place." I rolled my eyes and walked through the door.

"Whoa! Flash! You're bleedin'," Jack said.

"Oh, really? So that's what I keep spittin' out. Gee, thanks for tellin' me." I guess blood wasn't the only thing I was spitting out. I was spitting out sarcasm too.

I walked back to the basin and pumped water. Race came in there with a towel and got the others to go away.

"Here, lemme help ya," he said wetting the towel. He gently started wiping my mouth, starting at the sides. "So ya gonna tell me why and how dis happened?" he stopped cleaning my mouth off long enough for me to tell him the whole story. When I was finished he said, "From what Snipe said, you were pretty good. But why'd ya get in da middle of it? You were bound to know you were gonna get hurt."

I shrugged. "Squawk reminded me of my little brudda. I couldn't watch him get hurt. I just couldn't."

"You have a brudda?" Race asked.

"Yeah. Well, I did, til he was taken away from me and put into a home. I've tried findin' him, but I can't. His name is Joseph, but I called him Trooper."

"Trooper? Why Trooper?"

He had stopped cleaning my face. I looked at him and shook my head. "Come on Flash. You can trust me," Race said softly.

Can I? I know I can, but I ain't sure if I should. Da only otha person I ever told was Anna and it took two years ta do dat. I had only known him for a week or two, but he had earned my trust dat quickly. Dat's odd… I'm normally very cautious wit my trust... I always put my trust into da wrong people. But Race isn't one of those wrong people. He's Race.

I looked him in the eyes. They were a nice deep brown. I never noticed that. I looked down at the floor and slowly nodded in agreement.

"Well my fadder was an alcoholic, so he drank all da time. He had ta take out his drunken anger on somethin'. Dat somethin' was mostly my ma, but he wasn't afraid ta get us when she wasn't around. Long story short, he got da name Trooper 'cause he just took it, no questions asked. Dat saved his skin a lot. I wasn't so lucky, because I didn't just let it happen without doin' somethin' about it. In a way, da abuse strengthened us, more than anyone could ever understand." I finished and looked at my arm where the boy punched me. A purple and black bruise had started to bloom on my skin.

Race grabbed my face tenderly, turned it so I was looking at him, and started cleaning my mouth again. After a long silence, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Hey thanks for tellin' me. I know dat wasn't easy."

I shrugged but instantly regretted it. Pain shot through my arm and I felt myself wince. Racetrack finished cleaning my mouth off and put the towel down. He gestured toward my arm and I nodded. He picked it up and carefully moved it so he could see the bruise. He touched it lightly, letting his fingers move across it smoothly. My heart started beating faster than normal.

Dammit Racetrack, stop it. Stop doin' dat right now.

He pulled his hand away, almost like he could hear my thoughts. I yearned to feel his fingers tracing little patterns on my arm again.

"Dat's gonna be there for a while, and so is da cut on your bottom lip. Otha den dat stuff, you should be fine."

I grinned and said, "Thanks Doc. I bet it improves my looks a little bit."

He grinned back at me and shook his head. "Nah. But ya do look more like us guys."

I smiled and walked over to the window. I wonder… I started climbing out.

"Where are ya goin'?" Race asked dumbfounded.

"Where does it look like I'm goin'? Da roof, Higgins." I jumped up off the windowsill and grabbed onto the ledge. Pulling myself up was the tricky part. My arm felt like it was being cut off when I finally got up there."

"Hey, wait for me. I'm comin' too!" I watched him grab onto the side of the roof and try to get up. He was having a fairly difficult time and I couldn't help but to laugh. I watched him with an amused expression on my face.

"Ya gonna help me, or are ya just gonna watch me struggle?"

I leaned over the edge to look at him."I think I'll watch. It proves for very interestin' entertainment."

He glared at me and I laughed. "I'm just kiddin'," I said, extending my hand. He grabbed it and I yanked him up.

"Finally. I thought for sure I was gonna fall," he said to me, gasping for air.

I smiled and shook my head. "I wouldn't let dat happen to ya. I don't wanna see ya get hurt."

"Yeah, well I'd say dat, but I've already seen ya hurt."

I shook my head again. "No. I'm not hurt. Not really. And ya didn't see it happen, so it's okay."

"Well I still don't like it. How are ya gonna sell your papes with your arm like dat?" he asked pointing at my swollen shoulder and the bruise forming on it.

I shrugged. "I'll manage. I've had worse happen ta me before. Especially livin' in da south, wit my dad an' all."

Hee nodded. "Yeah, me too. I was beat so bad one time, I was knocked out. I was bleedin' pretty bad too. They dragged me into a dark alley and left me there to die. Jack an' da boys found me and took me back ta Kloppman. I was out for three days 'fore I actually came to."

I made a face. "Dat's pretty bad," I said, sitting down on the slant. He sat down too and started messing with the shingles.

"What's da worst that dat's ever happened to you?" he asked me nonchalantly.

I thought for a second. Da worst thing? Otha than my parents dyin' and my brudda bein' taken away from me? Hmm…

"Well there was dat one time my pop drenched us in rum and set us on fire. He came home so drunk he could barely some up da stairs. My ma was out back hangin' up da wash and me and Trooper were asleep in our room. My pop came up da stairs and started pourin' rum on our sheets, da floor, and on us. He lit Trooper up, and he woke up screamin' bloody murder. I woke up, saw dat he was on fire, and jumped on him tryin' ta put 'im out. I dindt know what I was covered in til I caught fire too. My ma had heard Trooper scream and she came upstairs. Grabbin' an old coat, she started smotherin' da flames an my brudda and then on me. Da whole time dis was happenin', my pop was standin' in da corner drinkin' and laughin' maniacally. Mamma told us not ta tell anyone what happened 'cause she didn't want my fadder ta go ta jail. So we didn't. We were burned pretty badly, so we had ta tell people we fell into da fire pit in da backyard."

He looked at me with his mouth hanging open in disbelief. He made a face of disgust and shook his head. "Why would anyone do dat to their kid? I just don't understand it."

"Yeah, well me either. I have lots of scars 'cause of him," I said, lifting up my shirt exposing the scars on my stomach. "This one is from a glass bottle he threw at me," I said pointing to a long narrow cut mark. "And this one is from da time he took a potato peeler to my back." I showed him a couple of wide marks on my lower back. He touched them carefully; like he was scared it would hurt me to out any pressure on them. I shivered.

"They feel smooth," he said to me. "This one looks like it hurt. Where'd ya get it?"

I craned my neck to see which one he was talking about. "Oh, dat's from da time he hit me wit a board dat had a nail in it. When he did it, da nail stabbed me, and instead of pullin' it out, he yanked da board down, rippin' a line into my skin."

He made a noise and trailed his fingers over it. I wish he'd stop doin' dat. It really tempts me. He didn't stop right away. He traced patterns on my back and slowly eased up until he stopped completely. Ughhh.

"You an' ya brudda are lucky he didn't kill you."

"It's not like he didn't try, Race. Because he did, at least once or twice a week. Trooper and I used ta sleep in shifts just in case he tried ta get us in da middle of da night again."

He nodded and said, "Yeah, but he didn't kill ya. You survived. I don't know many guys dat woulda been able ta deal wit dat, much less any girls."

I let out a huff. "What does me bein' a girl have ta do wit anything? I hate it when people mention dat. I don't wanna be pitied just 'cause I'm a girl. It's stupid. I don't want people ta look at me as just a girl. I wanna be treated like one of da guys. Is dat so damn hard for everyone ta understand?"

Race quickly shook his head. "No no, I didn't mean it in a bad way. Just dat it'd be a hard situation for anybody ta deal wit. Even me. You're da toughest girl I've ever met, Flash. You're tough minded and tough bodied."

I smiled a little bit. "Really? Dat's good ta know, Higgins. You're da only one I've met who seems ta understand me, otha than Anna. Ta be honest, I think ya understand me betta than she does."

It was his turn to smile. "I feel like ya understand me too."

I pulled out a cigar and lit it.

"Ya know, you're da only otha person I know dat smokes dat type of cigar, otha den me. Da guys complain dat dey don't like da tastes. Or da smell."

I took other puff and blew out the smoke making an "O." I passed Race the cigar and said, "It ain't my favorite. I like Havana's betta. But ya know, a cigar is a cigar. Doesn't really matta ta me."

He nodded pulling the cigar outta his mouth and blowing out the smoke. "Dat's what I tell 'em all da time, but dey still won't shut up 'bout it." He smiled, passing it back to me. "Wanna play poker wit me an' da boys? Whoever loses has ta buy da winner a Havana. Or steal. Steal is more like it. Oh, but don't be too upset when ya lose, Fuchs. Not all of us can be experts."

I grinned, gripped the side of the roof, and swung into the window. "Oh, you are so on, Higgins!"

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