He slammed his hand against the dashboard again. “Gotta kill three EastTown thugs or Marcus Dillinger. Tonight.”
“The baseball player?” Lexy stared at him. “You can’t kill him.”
Dwayne made a fist and then relaxed it. “Marcus is an easy kill.” Dwayne laughed, but the sound seemed dark. Almost evil.
Lexy’s heart raced faster than before. Dwayne couldn’t be for real. He couldn’t kill Marcus Dillinger. The guy was a hero. MVP of the Dodgers. The opening of his youth center was tonight. Killing Marcus? Lexy wanted to scream. Marcus was the hottest player on the Dodgers. From everything she’d seen on TV he seemed like a great guy. Why would the committee want Marcus dead? None of it made sense.
Dwayne picked up his phone and made a quick call. The voice on the other end sounded like the same guy. “Yo. I made up my mind. I got Dillinger. Tonight.”
Dwayne took off his baseball cap and rubbed his head. He looked over his shoulder behind them. “Police missed us.”
This time, Lexy wanted to say.
He tossed the bag of cash at her. “See what your man did for you, baby? This is only the beginning.” He peered at her as he pulled the car back onto the street. “Now put it down. You don’t touch my money unless I tell you.”
He drove down the street and turned right toward the freeway. With every mile he seemed to relax a little more. “Gonna be a bloody night, baby. Gonna make you proud.”
“You should get the EastTown guys. That’d be better.”
He glared at her again. “Maybe I’ll start with you.”
“I’m just saying you can’t kill a professional—”
“Shut up!” He cussed at her again. “You take orders from me. You got that?”
Lexy felt her anger rise up, but then it fell away. She was here by her own choice.
They drove ten miles south before Dwayne pulled off the freeway and headed north again, toward home. Toward the streets just a few miles from Dodger Stadium.
Lexy felt tears in her eyes. The feeling wasn’t something she was used to. Gang girls didn’t cry. Too much going on. Still, Lexy wished they could take a week off from stealing and killing and claiming territory. The whole thing was exhausting. And now Dwayne was going to kill the city’s favorite baseball player. She should’ve demanded he pull over so she could get out, demanded to be done with this life, but she couldn’t. It was the only life she knew. Besides, she had everything she’d ever wanted.
She was Dwayne Davis’s girl.
3
COACH OLLIE WAYNE WALKED into the bathroom where his wife, Rhonda, was finishing up her eye shadow. Ollie came to her and kissed her neck. “You look beautiful. Prettiest coach’s wife ever.”
She cast him a teasing look. “Coach’s wife?”
Ollie loved her spunk. He gave his own forehead a light smack. “What? Did I say coach’s wife?” He did a humble bow. “Forgive me. I meant you’re the prettiest woman in all the world. Wife or not. Forget about just us coaches.”
“Thank you.” She gave him a flirty grin and returned to the mirror. “Will Tyler be there today?”
“Yes. Tyler and his girlfriend. A few other friends of Marcus and the volunteers from the neighborhood.”
Rhonda smiled. “I’m proud of Marcus. What he’s done, it’s really something.”
“He and Tyler have worked on it around the clock.” Ollie sat on the edge of the tub. “He requested that the media not be there tonight. Doesn’t want it to be a circus.”
“See! That’s what I love about him.” Rhonda was putting on her lipstick. “This isn’t about getting another headline.”
“The exact opposite.” Ollie stood. “I’ll bring the car up.”
“Okay.” She grinned at him and returned to the eye shadow. “Five minutes tops.”
Ollie chuckled as he left the bathroom and walked downstairs to the garage. They lived in Silver Lake, in the shadow of Dodger Stadium, an area recently voted the number one most hipster neighborhood in the country. Of course, that wasn’t why Ollie and Rhonda and their family lived there. They’d moved to Silver Lake fifteen years ago when Ollie was hired by the Dodgers. He’d been the head pitching coach for the last decade. They didn’t plan on going anywhere.
Besides, the neighborhood suited them. Organic food and farmer’s markets and the new Whole Foods down the street. People were friendly and the coffee was the best in all of Los Angeles. Ollie and Rhonda loved being with their neighbors and sharing their faith whenever possible.
Ollie climbed in the family’s Suburban and pulled it up the driveway and around to the front of the house. As he waited, Ollie thought about the goodness of God. He and Rhonda were about to celebrate twenty years of marriage. Their three kids were healthy and finding their way through life with a faith that was increasingly their own. Shane was eighteen, a senior shortstop at nearby La Mirada Academy, and at eleven, Tucker was finishing up fifth grade and excited about middle school next year.
The only one Ollie worried about was Sierra. Their pretty brunette was sixteen, a sophomore at La Mirada. All her life Sierra had been close to Rhonda. The two of them shopped and shared coffee dates and spent Saturday mornings hiking around Silver Lake. But this year things had changed. Sierra had started to hang out with a rougher crowd, and before Christmas break a school monitor caught her in the parking lot with a group of shady kids, ditching class.
More prayer, Ollie told himself. They wouldn’t lose Sierra without doing everything in their power to keep her from straying. She was inside now, up in her bedroom studying for a biology test. Ollie almost wished she was coming with them to the youth center instead. Serving someone else might help Sierra remember who she was and the family she belonged to.
Part of the problem was his niece, Shelly. She was nineteen, a fashion design major at USC. Shelly didn’t share the same faith as the rest of the family, but Sierra looked up to her. The two would go for coffee or shopping every few weeks. Shelly figured herself too smart to need Jesus, too gifted and financially secure to need redemption. That attitude was rubbing off on Sierra.
Her father—Ollie’s brother—was a neurosurgeon. He’d lost control of Shelly long ago. Even before her freshman year at USC, when she moved in with a grad student she was dating at the time, she’d told her parents she didn’t share their beliefs or their values.
And now Shelly was dating Marcus Dillinger.
Rhonda came hurrying out and jumped in the passenger side. “Let’s do this.” She smiled at him as she set her purse on the floor.
“We’re picking up Shelly?” Ollie assumed as much.
“Yes.” Rhonda gave a careful nod. “Your niece wouldn’t miss this.”
“Amazing. She’s found this sudden desire to help others.”
Rhonda gave Ollie a polite smile. “She would pick up trash in the gutter if it meant being close to Marcus.”
“I know.” Ollie sighed. “What does Marcus see in her?”
This time Rhonda cast Ollie a wary glance. “Really?”
Ollie thought about his niece for a long moment. Tanned, bleach blond, with a body that bore the proof of her twice-daily yoga. She had confidence, a career ahead of her, and money. She was the kind of girl Ollie was used to seeing on the arms of his ballplayers.
But Marcus Dillinger?
His star pitcher had changed so much in the past year. Ever since Tyler Ames arrived, the two of them had shared a quest to change life in the inner city. He had watched Marcus’s faith in God grow every week in every area except one: Marcus’s decision to date Shelly.
Ollie could only pray that in the next six weeks before spring training, Marcus would see the light about Shelly. Sooner than later. Before things got more serious. He’d seen some very good men brought down by the wrong women.
Marcus was a great guy, but he wasn’t bulletproof.
4
MARCUS PULLED HIS HUMMER off the freeway and turned right toward the brand new Chairos Youth Center. The afternoon sun was even warmer than expected. Marcus had the windows down and now he turned the radio off and breathed. Just breathed.
God, you did this. You gave me a dream to change things on the streets and now, well . . . here we are. It’s all You, Lord.
My son, you will do even greater things in My name. I have chosen you for such a time as this.
The words came like the softest whisper, so real and clear Marcus jerked around to make sure no one was in the backseat. Chills ran down his arms and legs. Was it his imagination or was that really God? Talking to him right here in his SUV?
He felt the adrenaline begin to subside. God was with him. There was no question about that. The whispered words echoed in his head. Marcus wanted to do great things for God. It was the reason he was excited to get up in the morning. This new adventure of faith.
But the idea that he might’ve been chosen for such a time as this? That thought had never occurred to him until now.
Marcus took a deep breath and focused on the streets ahead. Tyler Ames liked to say he’d spent his life chasing sunsets across the country for baseball. Always heading into the sunset but never really finding it. The elusive happy ending.
Now Tyler agreed with Marcus. The happy ending wasn’t in baseball. It was right here—helping other people.
Marcus was five minutes from the center. All he could think about was that early morning when he ran the stairs at Dodger Stadium after Baldy Williams died of a drug overdose.
That morning everything had felt meaningless. The pitching, the fame, the money. All of it. What did a life in pro baseball matter if it could all end in a cold hotel room with a needle in your arm?
So he’d made God a deal. He would believe in Him, if only God would give Marcus’s life meaning. Days later Marcus heard from a woman he had once rented a room from, a woman who was calling looking for help for Tyler Ames.
The same Tyler Ames that Marcus had grown up with.
Marcus remembered picking up Tyler at the airport and bringing him back to the stadium. Tyler needed shoulder surgery, and Marcus wanted to pay for it. But Tyler struggled to accept the gift. This isn’t your problem to fix, he had told Marcus.
But Marcus had only smiled, his heart full. “No. It isn’t my problem, Ames. It’s my miracle.”
And so it was. The answer Marcus had asked for, the meaning he had wanted, started with finding Tyler Ames again and helping him with that surgery. Since then the two of them had worked together to convert an old warehouse into a youth center. A center they believed would make a difference for lost kids in the inner city.
The World Series win and the MVP trophy sitting back home on his bookshelf meant nothing compared to this day. The grand opening of the youth center. A crew of contractors had worked practically around the clock to meet today’s deadline.
Marcus pulled his Hummer into the back parking lot. Inside he met up with Officers Joe West and Charlie Kent, along with the mayor. One of the parent volunteers made the introductions, and Marcus thanked them for being part of the celebration. “A year from now,” he told the officers, “I hope we can celebrate a drop in crime around here. Kids staying in school. Drug dealers leaving the area. Gangs broken up.”
The officers exchanged a look and the older of the two, Officer Kent, stepped forward. “We’d love that.” He looked back at his fellow officer and at the mayor. “But, Marcus . . . we’re not there yet.”
Marcus recognized a heaviness in the man’s words. “Did something happen?”
“If you have a minute, we’d like to talk to you in private before things get started.”
“Sure.” Marcus followed them into a small room. Every part of the building was freshly painted. Three new basketball courts had been built at the front of the center.
When they sat down, Officer Kent took the lead. “You live in Silver Lake, not far from Coach Ollie Wayne’s family, right?”
“Yes.” Marcus felt his heart drop to his knees. He had no idea where this was going.
“You obviously know things are bad in this part of town.” He hesitated. “I’m not sure you understand just how bad.”
Marcus felt himself begin to relax. This was a warning speech. He could handle that. He leaned back in the chair and listened while Officer Kent explained the statistics here in the projects.
“Few of these kids survive. Half of them don’t make it to their twenty-first birthday. The gang activity here is at an all-time high.”
He told Marcus about the WestKnights and the EastTown Boyz—rival gangs that would kill for status and recognition. “We’ve got kids turning tricks, dealing drugs, and killing rival gang members because that’s what their dads and granddads have done for years.”
The weight of the situation settled in around Marcus’s shoulders. “We need to change that.”
“Yes, well, first you need to know something. We’ve gotten reports of some gang activity planned for tonight. Probably right here on this block.” The officer went on to explain that the leader of the WestKnights had been shot and killed last week. “A new leader has to be chosen by committee.”
“Committee? They’re organized?” Marcus had no idea.
“Definitely. They set up challenges for guys trying to lead.”
The other officer nodded. “The challenges usually involve killing. Rival gang members, or innocent people walking by or sitting on their front porch.”
Anger began to build in Marcus. He had been raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, in Simi Valley, where gang activity was rare. It was impossible to live in Southern California and be ignorant of the gangs in their midst. But Marcus hated that things in this very neighborhood were so bad. He looked from one officer to the other and then to the mayor. “What can we do about it?”
“Not a lot. We arrest them, of course, but they don’t care. There’re six young boys ready to join the gang for every one that gets killed or locked up.”
Marcus didn’t want to feel defeated. “What about educating the kids, helping them find a different way to live?”
“That’s possible. It takes money and time. A lot of commitment. There will be setbacks.” The mayor straightened his tie. “It’s very dangerous trying to make a difference down here. Tough to find volunteers.”
Marcus thought about Tyler and Sami and Mary Catherine. The Wayne family and his girlfriend, Shelly. They were committed to the youth center. “Maybe no one’s ever really tried.”
The three men nodded, but none of them looked encouraged. Officer Kent studied Marcus. “We’re just saying be careful. It’s not easy coming into an area like this and trying to change things.”
Marcus thought for a moment. “What about the Scared Straight program?”
“We used to have it.” The other officer nodded. “It didn’t work as well as people thought. The recidivism rate was actually higher than for kids not involved in the program.”
Images filled Marcus’s mind, scenes from the TV show Beyond Scared Straight. “I thought it always worked.”
“That’s just for TV.” Officer Kent’s expression remained serious. “These kids might not like the idea of prison, but they don’t know anything different. In most cases they have a parent there.”
A heaviness hung over the small room. Marcus thanked the men for their time and warning. “No matter the danger, I’m supposed to be here. I believe that. We already have local volunteers willing to staff the center around the clock. So that kids will always have a place to get away from the crime and gang activity.”
“Yes.” Officer Kent smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’d love to see a change.” He looked at the other men. “We all would.”
Marcus stood first. “My friends will be here soon.” He shook each of their hands. “Will you stick ar
ound?”
“Absolutely.” Officer Kent rose to his feet and the others joined him. “We plan to keep a few patrol cars circling the center. Gangs like to take over a place like this. If that happens, every bit of money and work has been wasted.”
“That’s why the patrol cars. So that won’t happen this time, right?” Marcus waited. He wanted more than hope here. He wanted a promise.
“You have our word.” The mayor nodded. “This center will be for kids looking for a way out.”
“Great.” Marcus led the way to the door. He couldn’t get out of this meeting fast enough. Yes, of course, he knew the streets were tough. They were dangerous to anyone in this part of town. But if someone didn’t offer these kids hope, then nothing would ever change.
So maybe that’s what the whispered response meant while he was driving in. Maybe this was exactly what God had chosen him to do—to give kids hope where currently they had none. If things had never been worse, like the officers said, then the rest of the whisper made sense, too.
He had been chosen for such a time as this.
JAG AND ASPYN stood in the corner of the room, invisible to human eyes. The news was troubling but not surprising. They had been told from the beginning that this mission would be dangerous. And so it would be. The officers had no idea how serious the gang activity would be that night.
But Jag and Aspyn knew.
They knew about Dwayne Davis and his plan to kill Marcus Dillinger. They knew about the trap Lexy was in and the desperation that filled every home along the streets of this neighborhood. That’s why they were here.
It was time to decide where they would take their stands.
“I’ll be a police officer.” Jag spoke first.
“Good.” Aspyn looked serious, her mind working. “I’ll be a volunteer. A local parent.”
Jag liked the idea.
“We need to break up the gang activity tonight. EastTown plans to kill Dwayne. They know he’s pushing to be the leader of the WestKnights.”