Page 65 of Merciless Obsession

“Just call me Josh.”

“Josh. Where is Sasha right now?”

“Sasha!” Ms. Henry yelled, causing me to jump. “Come here!” She pulled her phone out and tapped the screen.

Josh shook his head and pulled a seat out between me and Ms. Henry and sat. A few seconds later Sasha came walking into the kitchen.

I tried to keep my face neutral but the girl hardly looked fourteen. She was wearing a crop top, her belly button pierced, the leggings she wore hugged her wide hips. She had a face full of makeup and hair that went down just above her ass. Her nails were long and colorful. Sasha was average height, but shapely for her age.

“Yeah?” She blew a bubble and popped it before chomping on her gum.

“Come sit down,” her mom said.

“What the hell are you wearing? I done told you about them little ass shirts and having all that shit on your face,” her dad chastised.

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Nothing is wrong with my outfit, Dad.”

“I think she looks cute.”

“You letting her dress like that is the reason somebody tried to snatch her ass up!” His eyes bulged and his voice elevated.

Ms. Henry waved Josh off and faced me. “She’s here, now what do you need from her?”

I cleared my throat and waited for Sasha to finish texting on her phone before I spoke. “Sasha, can you tell me what happened the other day when the guy tried to take you?”

She flipped her hair over her shoulders and pushed out an annoyed breath. “How many times do I have to tell this story?”

“As many times as it takes to find out who tried to take you!” her dad interjected.

“Fine.” Again she rolled her eyes and blew another bubble. “I was on my way home from the big sister program for girls at the community center. I noticed a car tailing me and the sun was starting to set so I planned on cutting through the park. A small SUV came right up on me and there was a woman in the passenger seat. She was asking for directions. I went to tell her where she was looking for when the back door opened and a man attempted to pull me in. I always walk with my mace in my hand so I just started spraying and took off running.”

“And you normally take the same route home?”

“Yep.” She popped the p and picked her phone up. Her long nails tapped the screen.

My eyes went between her parents. I ran the story over, it wasn’t anything spectacular. I wasn’t sure if this was the normal way they took the girls but it was efficient enough to get the girl target before someone could blink.

“Anything else you can remember?”

Sasha shrugged. “Nope. I guess I left later than normal but that was because Ms. Rubin was helping me study for a test, but that’s it.”

“Ms. Rubin?” That name sounded familiar.

“Yeah she runs the community center and is in charge of the big sister program. My big sister didn’t come today so Ms. Rubin was helping me.”

I thought about the information for a second. The community center had been around since I was a kid. It was a great place for kids to go and stay busy without getting in trouble. They offered different sports and programs for kids and after school tutoring too.

“The big sister program is basically like a mentoring thing, right? Older kids volunteer to help preteen girls and boys.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes on her phone.

“Sasha was failing math and science so we thought it would help her. She was also hanging out with the wrong crowd,” her dad explained.

“Hey!” Sasha complained when he snatched the phone out of her hand.

“You can stay off this damn phone for two seconds to answer questions.”

“I told her all I know!” She shot me an annoyed look. “Anything else?”