One More Ace Up Your Sleeve

Crutchie, Davey, AND Les?

~Jack POV~
When we all woke up, we left for Brooklyn together. Kath, Les, Davey, and Crutchie all stayed back. Kath went to work, and the other boys is gon' sell papes. The rest of the boys is comin' with me to Brooklyn. We's gon' have a little chat with the Brooklyn newsies. One of 'em comes runnin' up to us. Scraps, I think is what theys callin' him.

"Glad ta see ya guys." He says. "Follow me." We follow him. He takes us to a dock. "This is where Spot was sellin' last time we's seen him. We's seen them Delancey brothers take him. We's tried to fight. They only wanted Spot. They wouldn't take none of the rest of us." Scraps says.

"Well that's stupid." Mush yells.

"Hey! Nothin' 'bout this is stupid!" A Brooklyn newsie yells back.

"Hey, hey. Calm down. We's will get Spot outta that crappy place. Here's the plan: we's will create a distraction. Spot's a smart kid. He'll know we's is there to bust him out. A few of us, we's gon' climb to the window. There's a latch you can only get to from the roof that'll remove the bars. We unhook it and let Spot out. Then, I will whistle and you'se will all get outta there. Spot and I and the few of you'se that is up there with us will go out the back way. We go tomorrow night." I say. They nod. "Manhattan newsies, come on. Back to the lodging house with ya." I say. Scraps and I do a spit shake and my newsies and I leave. When we get back to the lodging house, it's empty.

"CRUTCHIE? DAVEY? LES?" Specs yells, rather loudly.

"Geez Specs, not so loud!" I say. "C'mon. They'se gotta be around somewhere." We walk all around but we can't find 'em anywhere. "Okay Manhattan newsies, TO THE STREETS! Go in pairs and try to find Crutchie, Davey, and Les. If any of you'se run into them Delancey brothers or find Crutchie, Davey, and Les whistle as loud as possible." I say.

"SPLIT!" Race yells and grabs Specs' hand and they run off to look. I grab Romeo and we run out. Soon all of the newsies are off and looking. Romeo and I are running into all the alleys and buildings we know. No sign of 'em. We turn into an alley next to Crutchie's usual selling spot. I see a notepad on the ground.

"Hold up Romeo." I say. He stops and walks over to me. I pick up the notepad. "This is Katherine's." I say. We keep walking down the alley. I see something pink sticking out from behind a crate. I run over. There is Katherine, lying unconscious on the ground.

"Holy crap!" Romeo says. I pick Katherine up and hold her close. I feel hot tears racing down my face.

"Ace? Ace please talk to me." I say desperately. I kiss her lips softly. Nothing. "Let's get her to her father." I say to Romeo. He nods nervously. I wipe the tears. I'm their leader. I need to be strong. Romeo and I walk out of the alley and towards the World building. We's is halfway there when I feel Katherine shift in my arms. "Ace? Ace are you awake?" I ask. Romeo stops and looks at me.

"Crutchie, Davey, and Les... The Delanceys... refuge...Jack..." She says, her words in pieces.

"Ace? What about Crutchie, Davey, and Les? I'm right here." I say, glancing at Romeo as if to say 'get the others now.' He nods and whistles loudly before running off to get them here faster. I look back at Katherine.

"The Delanceys...got them. Taking them...the refuge. Jack they...after you. They want...in the refuge...for good...you can't go. Hit Crutchie...with his own crutch. He was t-trying to protect Les. Davey...hurt...badly." She says, her words not as far apart as she wakes up more. I nod.

"THEY HIT HIM WITH HIS OWN CRUTCH!?They'se gon' get a beatin' from me. You don't hurt my brothers and get away with it and...oh! Are you'se okay? Did them Delanceys hurt you? So help me if they touched you..."

"I'm fine. Just some bruises and scrapes." She says sheepishly.

"Where?"

"My leg." I look at her quizzically as if to say 'can I look?' She nods. I slowly peel her skirt back to take a look. My eyes widen as I see the gash that goes from her knee to her ankle. It is bleeding heavily, bruises surrounding it. It looks like it was done with a knife.

"Ace! We's gotta get you'se to ya father. This ain't just a bruise or a scrape. That's a cut. Who did this to you?"

"Morris Delancey." She answers.

"We's is goin' to ya father right now." I say, starting to walk towards the World.

"NO! Jack stop! If you take me there, my father will take you to the refuge right now!"

"But you'se is hurt. We's gotta get you somewhere safe." Suddenly, I'se got an idea. "Hold on! I know where to go!" I say. I start running to Medda's theater. I see Romeo running back, all of the newsies behind him. I signal for them to follow me and they do. On the way there, Katherine slips into unconsciousness again. I knock on the door and Medda herself answers.

"Well if it isn't Jack Kelly! How're you doing Jack?" She asks, a smile on her face.

"I'm okay Miss Medda. But I-we need your help." I say. I see her notice Katherine in my arms, the blood from her leg starting to seep through her skirts.

"Oh my goodness! Come, lay her down!" Medda says, leading us to a couch. I put Katherine on the couch and squat to her level next to her. I grab Katherine's hand. "Now, somebody tell me what happened here." Miss Medda says as she bandages Katherine's leg.

"Well, it all started when we learned from the Brooklyn newsies that their leader, Spot Conlon, had been thrown in the refuge. So this morning, we's went to Brooklyn to talk with 'em. We's made a plan to get Spot out, and we's are putting into action tomorrow night. When we's got back to the lodging house, Crutchie, Davey, and Les, who had stayed back to sell papes, were gone. So we's decided to run around the city and find 'em. Romeo and I came across Katherine out cold in an alley. She told us they got 'em. All three of 'em."

"Crutchie, Davey, AND Les?" Race asks, shocked. I nod.

"It gets worse. They beat 'em up." I say getting increasingly angry. "They hit Crutchie with his own dang crutch. All cuz he was trying to protect the kid. They hurt Davey too. Badly from what Katherine tells me." In that moment, Katherine wakes up.

"Their ultimate goal is Jack. He's the leader. They're after him. Because of my father." She says, slowly looking around. "You've got to help Crutchie, Davey, Les, and Spot, but you can't take Jack with you. If he's there with you, they'll know he directed you to do it and you follow him. Then they'll take all of you. If he's not there, they'll think you follow Spot, and therefore let you go. They only took Spot to get to Jack."

"I understand your concern, Ace. But I have to go with them. I can be put in the refuge. But I can't stand to see all these kids-my brothers-be put through that. I'm their escape. If I sacrifice myself, so they can get outta there, I'll die a happy man." I say.

"Guess you're dying a happy man then, Kelly." Somebody says. Heads turn. Morris and Oscar Delancey.

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1311 words

A/N
HI I LOVE THIS BOOK! Okay that's all for the A/N

🗞~K