Stranger in the Night by Catherine Palmer Read Free Book Online Page B

could essentially become gang leaders ourselves and make Haven our turf.”
    “Haven’s homeboys. Does your woman know about this?”
    “Ana knows and worries. But I remind her I’ve got unseen forces on my side. You may have noticed that sign in my office—If God is for us, who can be against us? God is really the leader of Haven. No one stronger than Him. The gangs know our focus on faith, and that helps some. But they’ve learned we’ll do whatever it takes to protect our kids. We had to earn their respect, and we did.”
    Joshua was impressed. On first sight, the old building didn’t look like much. Now he understood it was hard-won property.
    “How about the 51 MOB?” he asked as he stripped off the shirt he had worn all day. “Did they ever surrender Haven?”
    “Yeah, but it took a while. Haven used to get marked with graffiti all the time. I would paint over it, knowing that targeted me for death. You don’t strip gang signs without getting killed. They’d spray my name on a wall and X it out. Essentially, that meant I was dead. They came after me a few times, but we worked it out.”
    “What about Terell?”
    “He’s an ex-offender. That gives him a lot of street cred. They know he can take care of himself. He uses his past to relate to the kids, but he doesn’t want to get mixed up in the gang thing. I’ve got the military training, so I mostly handle it.”
    “Do the Hypes respect you, too?”
    “Mo Ded doesn’t give a rip about anyone. He’s had his people loitering right outside Haven, inviting some of my best boys to jump off the porch.”
    “Join up?”
    “That’s right. Most gangs require a kid to join by beating in—walking between two lines or standing inside a circle of gang members who beat him to a pulp. But to get into the Hypes, you have to go on a mission.”
    “Military term.”
    “Worse. Mo Ded’s favorite technique—he makes a boy put a blue rag on his head, dress all in blue and walk through a Blood neighborhood. Or wear red and walk through Crips turf. If the kid survives, he’s a Hype.”
    “What age are we talking about?” Joshua asked.
    “Around here, any boy over twelve either owns or shares a gun. Mo Ded starts them out at eleven.”
    Joshua shook his head as he unfolded the white T-shirt Sam had given him. “Reminds me of child soldiers in Africa. Sudan and Rwanda.”
    “Don’t forget Paganda. As bad as he’s had it, Pastor Stephen thanks God his sons weren’t forced to fight for the rebels.”
    “The ones who were killed?”
    “They end up dead either way. At least with a massacre, the suffering is short. In these African countries or in the kind of war you and I fought against terrorists, the only way to win is to eliminate the enemy. That or be eliminated yourself. You know what I’m saying, Duff. There’s no middleground. It’s the same here in St. Louis. According to gang code, the only way to get rid of another gang is to kill all the members.”
    “That’s genocide.”
    “Welcome to my world.”
    Joshua let out a breath. “Hatred. It’s a grown man’s game. Why are these gangs recruiting kids so young?”
    “Same reason al-Qaeda straps explosives to children and sends them into marketplaces on suicide missions. Talk to your new friend at the refugee agency about child soldiers in Africa.”
    Uncomfortable at the mention of the woman, Joshua began putting on the T-shirt. He tried to work his arms through the sleeves. “Do you know Liz?”
    “Pastor Stephen told me about your encounter at Refugee Hope. He and I had a long talk this afternoon. Stephen Rudi may be Pagandan, but he understands St. Louis.”
    “Yo, Hawke. This shirt’s too small.”
    “One size fits all.” Sam studied his friend for a moment. “Still got the six-pack abs, I see. I’d better not let you get too close to Ana.”
    “When am I going to meet this fiancée of yours, anyway?” Joshua said, wincing at the tight fit around his shoulders. He rolled the