Nickel Plated

It was weird to just get a contact out of nowhere. She was a kid, though, I could tell that from just the few minutes on the phone, and kids have a funny way of finding me. I’m pretty sure it’s just the world’s way of reminding me that I owe a debt for Dad. Whoever the girl was, she either needed help or was setting me up. I’ve run enough angles that I’m sure there are a few people who’d love to get a face-to-face. I’ll die before I go back to foster care, and I’m not ready to start dying just yet.

Nickel is a survivor. Raised by the state in abusive foster homes, he escapes at the age of ten to live his life the way his father wanted him to: not as a civilian, but as a warrior. Nickel pays his way by blackmailing pedophiles he tracks down online, selling marijuana to high school students, and working as a private investigator in between. Money talks, but for kids, Nickel works for free.

This time, it’s Arrow, a beautiful high school girl, who needs help. She believes that her sister Shelby was kidnapped, even though her parents and the police have written her off as a runaway. Nickel takes the case, scouring the internet and the posh suburban streets to find the missing girl. What he uncovers are children for sale and adults with souls black as the devil. Soon Nickel realizes that finding Shelby is one thing — but surviving is another.

Drama / Literatura Estrangeira