SAVAGE 2

24

"Malcolm...what is that?"

"Evidence." He responded, taking a seat.

"Evidence?" She reiterated, staring at him.

"Hank has been trafficking women and little girls." Malcolm informed her. "I'm just putting everything together."

"Do you plan on turning him in?"

"Secretly, yes." He answered her.

"Good!" Jersey exclaimed. "Because you cannot let this slide. I know turning people in isn't your thing, but it's for the best."

"I'm not worried about that." Malcolm shook his head. "I just want to get these young women and little girls home to their family. Check this shit out..." Malcolm trailed off while copying and pasting a random girl's name in the google search bar. He clicked on one of the google images to show Jersey.

As expected, a brown-skin girl appeared on the skin. She wore her volleyball attire as she posed for the picture. She looked no younger than seventeen, which only meant she was still in high school when she disappeared.

"Wait, so her parents have been looking for her since 2019?" Jersey spoke with hurt in her voice. "S-she's grown now."

"And sold to someone in Nevada," Malcolm added, showing her the receipts. Hank's ledger had the receiver's name and address.

"Malcolm, you have to turn this in now. Because this shit is not okay. I knew Hank was foul but not this foul."

Malcolm squinted his eyes in confusion.

"What do you mean you knew he was foul?"

"Umm..." She trailed off, immediately regretting the decision to speak. She had no choice but to tell Malcolm. He placed his full attention on her, wanting to know.

"Um, what?" Malcolm pressured her.

"Remember when I told you that I went to Newts?"

Malcolm nodded his head.

"I ran into Hank, and he claimed to know my mom," Jersey informed him. "He said something about having sex with her during the time she was...a prostitute at my grandmother's brothel."

Malcolm's eyes ballooned from the new information.

"That's something I wanted to keep a secret, but it's out now."

He shook his head and said, "It's not my place to judge your moms."

"She was so young and..." Jersey trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't know why my grandma allowed that to happen."

Malcolm stayed quiet, allowing her to rant.

"And...the house, the brothel I used to live in is for sale now." Jersey spilled, shaking her head. "I wish I could buy it...and demolish that whole fucking brownstone." A lone tear slipped from her tear duct, but she wiped it away, and she took a deep breath.

"I confronted him." Jersey continued, looking at Malcolm.

"You confronted him?"

She nodded her head and said, "I felt like I had to."

"What did he say?"

"He told me to leave and threatened to throw my scrawny ass out on the street."

Malcolm didn't seem happy with that comment. He jerked his head back and frowned.

"Don't do no shit like that again." He warned her. "He could've hurt you...I would've had to kill that nigga."