“I take it there’s more to it than that,” Vin said. “Because that’s really not a bad offer if you’re living on the streets.”
Slade nodded. “The lodgings, if you can call them that, are in—and this comes from two kids we know of who managed to escape—semi-trailer trucks. The trailers have been partitioned into cages that are locked at night. Each one has a thin mattress and a blanket and that’s it. In order to work, the kids have to turn over any ID they possess when they’re first hired, and I use the word hired loosely. That happens before they find out what the living conditions are like. They’re told that the boss needs the ID for employment forms, and so he can open a bank account for them where he’ll deposit what they earn. But they’re never given the name of the bank or a PIN to with
