Page 72 of Dirty Daria

I decline the call with a text saying I can’t talk.

AL: CALL ME

Since she never “yells,” I figure it’s important this time. I sling the rifle back over my shoulder and wiggle back on the branch until my back is against the trunk and hit redial.

“Remember that guy you took out that night with Roxie? The one we didn’t know would be there?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s Turgenev’s brother.”

“What? Andrei Turgenev?”

“The one and only.”

“How the, what the, fuck me.”

“Word is, Andrei is on the warpath now.”

“I’m sure he is.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Coincidentally, I’m watching a bunch of his guys corral some unwilling ladies right now.”

“Who’s with you?”

“Me, myself, and I.”

“Shit, Daria.”

“I needed to blow off steam. I’m not going to do anything stupid.”

“Wait for me, I’m on my way.”

“I’m not going to wait.”

“Please. I can be there in ten minutes.”

“You don’t even know where I am.”

“Give me a little credit, will you?”

“How do you do that?” She’s freaky smart with technology.

“I’m in my car. See you soon.”

Part of me is relieved Al is coming. And part of me just wants to storm in and start shooting. The fact that Turgenev’s brother was hanging with a known rapist doesn’t sit well. Of course, if I needed any proof, here it is, standing around in the warehouse in front of me.

They shuffle the girls into the warehouse, then open the second van and do the same. It’s like they don’t even care if someone sees them. Broad daylight, middle of a parking lot, not a care in the world.

Alyssa pulls in silently behind my car a few minutes later. She’s dressed in all black, same as me. All my Dirty Darlings and I are similar in a lot of ways, how we like to dress is only one of them. I shimmy down the tree to talk to her.

“Nine guys, two vans of girls, maybe twenty-five total, not sure. All the guys are armed. I have no idea what’s in the warehouse.”

“You sure you want to do this?”

“Take out scumbags? Um, yeah.”