I gripped the phone tight.
Gina was also a recent college grad. She was Mia's best friend.
"Thank you, Gina. Please don't let Mia go outside. Don't even let her near the windows. I'll come get her once I'm done here."
"Okay, Aunt Stella. Please be careful."
I hung up, and half the weight lifted off my chest. Mia was safe. I had nothing to worry about anymore.
I pulled up the number for Tom, the loan shark leader, and dialed.
"Tom, I got the money. More than five grand."
I heard him flicking a lighter on the other end. "What, you rob a bank or something, toilet scrubber?"
"I've got two hundred grand in cash. 10 o'clock tonight, meet me at the abandoned cement factory outside town. I'll pay off the principal and interest. The rest is for you and your boys to have a drink on me. Just
