She was about to cash in for the fourth consecutive time tonight. She was good, but she was never this good. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel it.

It took her awhile to place the feeling of unease: she was being watched. She had noticed on their way through Brooklyn, but Racetrack's antics had distracted her. Now she could feel it again. Someone was standing just out of her line of vision. Someone too close for comfort.

She knew exactly who it was. "What do you want?" She asked, not bothering to turn around, still watching the race.

"Heard Race and some friends were hustling my boys out of hard earned cash. Came to see the source of the problem. Should have known you'd be involved," Spot Conlon approached the fence on her right.

"Not my fault they let themselves get duped. Even Race gets lucky sometimes."

"And you don't have anything to do with his winning streak?"

Fawkes shrugged, "I'm a good influence on him. He's gonna need a source of income now more than ever, what with the strike on."

"Yeah, I heard what you and the boys did up there today," Spot nodded. "You went toe to toe with a giant of a kid with shoulders on him like an ox. How tall would you say he was? Seven feet?"

"Six feet's more likely," Fawkes replied, disinterested.

"You don't seem keen about your victory," he noted.

"That was just one. Tomorrow there'll be more. This fight is far from over."

"You're not backing down?"

"It's not in my blood."

"Six feet, huh?"

"I don't really care about the height of boys in the scheme of my life," Fawkes told him.

"I'm just surprised is all," Spot shrugged at her icy tone. "Given your friends' propensity to improving the truth."

Fawkes shrugged, "They're newsies. It's what they do for a living."

"And how did you fall in with newsies? Jack's crew in particular?"

"Does it matter?" She asked.

"Hey Fox!"

Fawkes looked over to find Jack waving her over. It looked like Kid Blink and another newsie were with him.

"Do they know what you are?" Spot nodded in the direction of the boys.

"You mean who I am?" She corrected. "Jack does. Me and Jack have known each other a long time."

"You like it there? With him?" Spot wanted to know.

Fawkes cast a sidelong glance at the Brooky, not sure what he was getting at, "I ain't seen him in awhile, so yeah, it's nice being around him again."

"You ever think of trying somewhere different?"

"I already been to Brooklyn. Don't look on going back."

"There's some pretty good food in Brooklyn," Spot tried.

"Same trick won't work twice."

"You know you gotta cross through Brooklyn to get back to your turf."

"I'm aware," was her cool response.

"Keeping that in mind: have dinner with me tonight and I'll forget this whole thing."

"Is that a threat?" She wanted to know.

"That depends on how you take it," Spot shrugged nonchalantly.

"Not gonna happen."

"Your funeral."

Getting out was going to be tricky, but not impossible. But she didn't want to call his bluff and get herself into real trouble. Being cocky would only incite more.

"Fox! What's the hold up!?" Racetrack was coming over.

"Think about it," Spot told her.

She told him a little less politely what she thought of his offer.

He shrugged, "I thought you might want Brooklyn on your side for the strike. After today's incident, you kids are in for a world of hurt."

"So it's like that?" She said.

"It's like that," he nodded.

"There's a reason I left Brooklyn," she told him. "I don't like being leaned on. I'll face fifty seven-foot men tomorrow, single-handed if I have to, just to get my point across." And with that she went to meet Race and the other boys.

"Who was that?" Race wanted to know, looking around her. "Looked like Spot."

"Did he want his hat back?" Mush grinned at the tweed cap in her hands.

"Maybe he heard about what you pulled off today," Kid Blink nodded.

"Did he want a rematch?" Racetrack asked.

"He didn't happen to say if he was gonna join up," Jack spoke quietly and Fawkes averted her eyes. Jack knew how things worked well enough to know that tomorrow wasn't going to be as easy as today.

"What's going on?" She wanted to know, nodding in the direction of the newcomers and shrugging off their questions about Spot.

Apparently, after their incident earlier in the day, the newsies had regrouped in a safe location. That was when they realized that Crutchy was missing. The gimp.

One of the boys claimed to have seen him caught between the bulls and the Delancey brothers. The brothers got to him first.

"What's the plan?" She asked.

"You know where he is?" Jack asked her.

Fawkes nodded. The one place they sent underage kids was Snyder's House of Refuge.

"You're coming with me to get him back."

Fawkes nodded again.

"Wait, why does Fox get to go?" Racetrack cut in.

"Because you're looking at the only two people to walk out of the Refuge on their own terms. I'd say we're the best options, unless you're volunteering," Fawkes replied.

Racetrack backed off.

She understood his concern. She had similar feelings of unease. She didn't like to hear the name of the place. She sure as hell didn't want to go there, but as far as qualified candidates went, there were too few in the running.

Picking a fight with Snyder wouldn't be wise, but she knew better than to discuss it with Jack. Once he'd made up his mind to do something, there was no turning back. This was something Jack had to do. It showed dedication and loyalty to his crew. That, and nobody should have to go to that place. Ever.

Fawkes felt a little bit like a fake. She'd never actually escaped from the Refuge. Her freedom had been obtained far beyond its walls. She did know the layout and how things worked well enough to be as good of an expert as there might be in such a situation.