Bennett’s pupils dilated instantly, and the details in the lightless space became as crisp as if the sun were shining. She crept along, easily sidestepping broken glass and used condoms as she listened to the hushed transaction taking place under that dangling lamp. She scoffed under her breath. Typical deal. The gruff and street-savvy sellers wanting more cash than the buyer had stuffed in his fine leather wallet, and they were doing their best to persuade the young lad to visit an ATM. The boy’s voice trembled as he tried to argue, and just as Bennett approached, one man grabbed the teenager by the neck and pressed him up against the building.

“Good evening,” Bennett said, stepping out of the shadows. “What seems to be the problem here?”

The man holding the boy jumped and reeled around. “Where the fuck did you come from?”

“I followed that lad. I thought perhaps he might need a hand getting home safely.”

“Is that so?” The man released the teenager, and he crumpled to the ground. “And who exactly is going to save your pretty little ass?” he said, pulling something from his pocket. A second later, the steel of his switchblade gleamed in the dimness.

Bennett hid her amusement as she looked from the dealer to his partner. The one boasting the knife didn’t appear to have taken a bath in weeks. His fingernails were grimy, his hair was greasy, and his scraggly beard, undoubtedly grown in an attempt to hide the craters in his face left behind by acne, seemed to be holding bits and pieces of the man’s lunch or perhaps breakfast. Equally unkempt, the second looked like a hawk. His long nose was hooked like a beak, and it pointed to a mouth missing its fair share of teeth.

The stench of urine, beer, and rotting food hung in the alley like a putrid, moldy blanket, and seeing no need to carry the scent with her when she left, Bennett cut to the chase and spoke to the one holding the knife. “Actually, when it comes to saving my ass, I don’t need any help in that department. Let me show you.”

In the time it took to blink, Bennett was in the bearded man’s face, and in an instant, the switchblade fell to the ground. One backhand sent him sprawling, and when the other tried to attack her from behind, Bennett shoved him with all her might. His body slammed into the brick, and a second later, he fell to the ground in a heap. Bennett’s peripheral vision alerted her to someone else moving in the alley. The boy was now on his feet, but before he could make his escape, she had him in a chokehold up against the wall. “And where do you think you’re going?”

“I…uh…I…uh…”