Anybody's Daughter (Angela Evans Series No. 2) by Pamela Samuels Young Page A
Authors: Pamela Samuels Young
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block, but the memory was like a deep wound. Though healed, the resulting scar would never go away.
These days, Loretha put extra effort into not looking pretty. Her skin was no longer porcelain smooth. Her hair still fell past her shoulders, but she didn’t wear it bone straight anymore. Her locs were dyed auburn and were usually pulled back into a bun. She’d also picked up twenty pounds or so and found comfort in her bare face and loose-fitting clothes. Though her exterior appeared shabby, on the inside, she finally felt worthy. That was the kind of beauty she wanted these girls to experience.
Loretha’s smartphone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket, instantly recognizing the number. Another child who needed her help.
“I have to go, but I want you to call me. My number’s easy to remember. It’s 888-3737-888. Loretha pointed up the street. “I’m going to leave my card on the bus bench underneath that streetlight over there. I want you to pick it up and keep it with you. If you ever need help, call me and I’ll come get you.”
Loretha rushed past the girl, dropped her business card on the bench and turned down a side street toward her car. Minutes later, when her Prius reached the corner, the card was no longer on the bench.
She smiled and shook her fist in the air. “Thank you, Jesus!”
In Loretha’s world, that simple act was a victory.
Day Two Missing
----
“The average entry age of American minors into the sex trade is 12-14 years old.”
— The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children
Shared Hope International
Chapter 13
Day Two: 12:05 a.m.
D re’s next stop after leaving Coop’s place was the 7-Eleven on Slauson and Angeles Vista. He withdrew four hundred dollars from the ATM and bought six bottles of 5-hour Energy. He had no intention of sleeping until he got Brianna back.
Though he wasn’t certain that The Shepherd had anything to do with Brianna’s disappearance, based solely on the information he’d obtained from Coop, he was now headed to City Stars to find out everything he could about the dude’s operation.
Dre still couldn’t get his mind around the fact that snatching little girls off the street and forcing them into prostitution was actually an organized crime. He tried, but couldn’t fight the feeling that Brianna’s disappearance was some kind of payback for the wrong he’d done. While he could honestly say that he’d never personally sold crack to a child, he’d surely impacted the lives of hundreds of children by supplying their parents’ habit. Maybe this was God’s way of punishing him.
Exiting the Harbor Freeway on El Segundo, Dre drove about three miles before pulling into the parking lot of City Stars. The neon sign out front boasted The Best Topless Talent Around!
After being patted down by the bouncer, Dre stepped into a dark entryway and handed ten bucks to the doorman and then walked through a turnstile and into the club. The bright lights from the stage and loud rap music attacked Dre’s senses at the same time. The club looked almost the same as it had the last time he’d been there. Except back in the day, the place would’ve been clouded with cigarette smoke.
A topless girl was on stage slithering around a silver pole like a wannabe acrobat. Her enormous breasts bounced up and down in rhythm to the music. The small stage was surrounded by cocktail tables with red velvet club chairs. On the opposite wall, a bar ran the entire length of the room. It wasn’t crowded at the moment since most of the married cats had probably gone home.
Dre felt like running up on stage and yelling that he wanted his niece back. Before he could plan his first move, a girl who was almost as tall as he was sauntered up to him. She was tightly stacked with a weave down to her butt.
“Hey, handsome. I hope we can spend some time together tonight.”
She placed a hand on his forearm, then turned sideways so that her
These days, Loretha put extra effort into not looking pretty. Her skin was no longer porcelain smooth. Her hair still fell past her shoulders, but she didn’t wear it bone straight anymore. Her locs were dyed auburn and were usually pulled back into a bun. She’d also picked up twenty pounds or so and found comfort in her bare face and loose-fitting clothes. Though her exterior appeared shabby, on the inside, she finally felt worthy. That was the kind of beauty she wanted these girls to experience.
Loretha’s smartphone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket, instantly recognizing the number. Another child who needed her help.
“I have to go, but I want you to call me. My number’s easy to remember. It’s 888-3737-888. Loretha pointed up the street. “I’m going to leave my card on the bus bench underneath that streetlight over there. I want you to pick it up and keep it with you. If you ever need help, call me and I’ll come get you.”
Loretha rushed past the girl, dropped her business card on the bench and turned down a side street toward her car. Minutes later, when her Prius reached the corner, the card was no longer on the bench.
She smiled and shook her fist in the air. “Thank you, Jesus!”
In Loretha’s world, that simple act was a victory.
Day Two Missing
----
“The average entry age of American minors into the sex trade is 12-14 years old.”
— The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children
Shared Hope International
Chapter 13
Day Two: 12:05 a.m.
D re’s next stop after leaving Coop’s place was the 7-Eleven on Slauson and Angeles Vista. He withdrew four hundred dollars from the ATM and bought six bottles of 5-hour Energy. He had no intention of sleeping until he got Brianna back.
Though he wasn’t certain that The Shepherd had anything to do with Brianna’s disappearance, based solely on the information he’d obtained from Coop, he was now headed to City Stars to find out everything he could about the dude’s operation.
Dre still couldn’t get his mind around the fact that snatching little girls off the street and forcing them into prostitution was actually an organized crime. He tried, but couldn’t fight the feeling that Brianna’s disappearance was some kind of payback for the wrong he’d done. While he could honestly say that he’d never personally sold crack to a child, he’d surely impacted the lives of hundreds of children by supplying their parents’ habit. Maybe this was God’s way of punishing him.
Exiting the Harbor Freeway on El Segundo, Dre drove about three miles before pulling into the parking lot of City Stars. The neon sign out front boasted The Best Topless Talent Around!
After being patted down by the bouncer, Dre stepped into a dark entryway and handed ten bucks to the doorman and then walked through a turnstile and into the club. The bright lights from the stage and loud rap music attacked Dre’s senses at the same time. The club looked almost the same as it had the last time he’d been there. Except back in the day, the place would’ve been clouded with cigarette smoke.
A topless girl was on stage slithering around a silver pole like a wannabe acrobat. Her enormous breasts bounced up and down in rhythm to the music. The small stage was surrounded by cocktail tables with red velvet club chairs. On the opposite wall, a bar ran the entire length of the room. It wasn’t crowded at the moment since most of the married cats had probably gone home.
Dre felt like running up on stage and yelling that he wanted his niece back. Before he could plan his first move, a girl who was almost as tall as he was sauntered up to him. She was tightly stacked with a weave down to her butt.
“Hey, handsome. I hope we can spend some time together tonight.”
She placed a hand on his forearm, then turned sideways so that her
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