Anybody's Daughter (Angela Evans Series No. 2) by Pamela Samuels Young

girl’s pimp wasn’t watching. With a kid this young—surely no older than thirteen or fourteen—her pimp had to be close by. If the girl was seen talking to Loretha, she’d get a beating. Hopefully, the pimp was busy keeping an eye on somebody else in his stable.
    Confident that he wasn’t nearby, Loretha followed the girl, remaining a few strides behind.
    “You don’t have to be out here on the street selling your body,” Loretha called out. “You know that, right?”
    Loretha pulled her sweater tighter across her chest and marveled at how the girl could look so comfortable dressed in next to nothing. It was barely fifty degrees.
    “I’m from Harmony House,” Loretha continued. “I can help you get away from your pimp.”
    Though the girl wasn’t facing her, Loretha could see her body go rigid. She took a quick glance at Loretha over her shoulder.
    “I ain’t got no pimp,” the girl snapped. “So just get outta here and leave me alone. My daddy warned us about you.”
    Good , Loretha thought. That meant the girl’s pimp viewed her as a threat.
    “Don’t worry,” Loretha assured her. “Your pimp’s not around. I won’t get you in trouble. I know you can’t be seen talking to me. Just keep walking and I’ll stay back.”
    “I told you, I don’t have no pimp,” the girl spat, continuing her stroll. “I have a boyfriend.”
    It would be a waste of time to explain to the girl that boyfriends don’t sell their girlfriends to other men.
    “If you ever need a place to go, you can come to Harmony House. All you have to do is call. Anytime, day or night, and I’ll come get you.”
    The girl stopped, put a hand on her hip, but didn’t turn to face her. “I already got a place to stay.”
    The bravado didn’t fool Loretha either. She knew it was all an act.
    “That’s fine. But if you ever want to leave, I have a place for you to go. What’s your name?”
    The girl stepped off the curb and raised her hand high, trying to wave down a car that had reduced its speed. “You want a date tonight, honey?” she yelled out to the driver.
    The man rolled down his window, gazed hungrily at the girl, then spied Loretha and sped off.
    “You messin’ with my business!” the girl yelled. She finally turned around to get a good look at Loretha, but kept moving. “Get the hell away from me!”
    “What’s your name?” Loretha asked again, matching the girl’s steps stride for stride, but careful to stay a safe distance back.
    “Lady, I gotta make my quota. Leave me alone!”
    “I’m just here to let you know you have options. What’s your name?”
    The girl finally turned around. “Peaches. Why you messin’ with me?”
    “Nice to meet you, Peaches. I’m Loretha Jones. How old are you, Peaches?”
    “Nineteen.”
    The streetlight provided a solid glimpse of the cocoa-colored, plump-faced girl. There was no way she was nineteen. Up close, she looked even younger than Loretha had first thought.
    “Why you out here tryin’ to be somebody’s fairy godmother?”
    “Because I used to walk this track myself,” Loretha replied. “I know what it’s like.”
    That got the girl’s attention. She glanced back at Loretha again. This time, her expression had softened, but only for an instant.
    Loretha had indeed lived this life. Every horrible second of it. Older and wiser now, she was doing everything in her power to rescue others. One girl at a time.
    She understood that Peaches and girls like her saw no way out. But to meet someone who had managed to escape, meant that it was possible for them to find their way to freedom too.
    “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Peaches continued, “but you don’t look like you got what it takes. You must’a been out here a long time ago.”
    Loretha didn’t take offense at the girl’s intended slight. “Walking the track is hard work,” she said. “Makes you age much faster than you have to.”
    It had been years since she’d strolled this very