The girl rolled her eyes. “Who are you to say what I need?”

The men she was with were older than her. Lance pegged them at about forty. They wore matching jackets with the emblem of their two-bit gang on it. Lance knew they moved drugs south from Canada. Chinese fentanyl. They sometimes moved Chinese women too, set them up in brothels and massage parlors across northern Montana.

That was what they’d do with the girl. Handjobs for lumberjacks and ranchers. Maybe some extras if it was payday.

She sure was dressed the part, with the dominatrix boots and ‘fuck me’ leather skirt.

But the looks wouldn’t last. The life in her eyes wouldn’t last. These men would hurt her in ways that would never heal.

Not her body.

Not her soul.

Six more months and the spark would be gone from her eyes. Six years, and even they wouldn’t have a use for her.

“You’re coming with me, Sam,” he said to the girl.

Her eyes flashed. She was surprised to hear her name. She wanted to know how he knew it.

“Sam?” the big guy said.

They had their own name for her. Lance knew what that was too. Candy.

“Come on,” Lance said. “It’s time to leave.”

“With you?” she said. “Mister, I don’t know who you are.”

He kept her gaze. He didn’t want to lose her.

“You know who I am, Sam,” he said.

She looked at him. He knew she knew. There was no one else he could be. No one else was coming for her. Ever. This was it. This was the cavalry.

She looked from Lance to the big guy, then to the big guy’s friend lying on the floor with his hand on his nose, a river of blood flowing from it.

“Knock his teeth out,” she said.

The big man charged like a bull. Lance ducked, letting him drive his fist straight into the brick wall. He yelped in pain. Lance grabbed his wrist and bent it back until he felt the snap.

He wanted to kill the man. The thought of it flashed through his mind. It would be so simple. A yank of the neck.

“That’s enough, Lance,” the bartender said.

Lance let the man drop to the floor. He fell hard and clutched his wrist in agony. His buddy lay next to him, so much blood coming from his face he was going pallid.

The girl just stood there, watching it all, speechless.

Lance looked at the bartender apologetically.

“I don’t want to hear it,” the bartender said.

Lance turned to the girl.

“You’re coming with me,” he said.

“Uh, uh,” she said, shaking her head.

The big guy tried to get up and Lance raised his foot and brought it down on his face. The man collapsed, unconscious.

The other guy made to move and Lance said, “You want to join him?”