Rescue Me

By Andi Pray

Leaving the streets can be deadly.

 

Everybody needs to be rescued from something.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Author Academy Elite
• Release date: Jan 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781647469498

Book preview

Prologue

Breathe, JP willed for the girl across the room. In hale… Exhale… Good. Next breath … and the next.

Maggie Carter’s limp and exhausted body sat up with the help of the elevated hospital bed, refusing to go to sleep. She fought for every bit of oxygen. Her lungs expanded and deflated with a wheeze. JP could see the rise and fall of her chest and shoulders, the sallow, paper-thin skin taunt over her bones. He swore he could almost see through her. Starved, beaten, frightened, and hanging on to life with the help of the air tube taped to the side of her face.

The square piece of gauze over a round cut on her collar bone had more color, and not from the soaked blood it tried to stop. Someone forcibly removed a tattoo that marked her as property. A lot of pimps did it like branding cattle.

Her wide, bloodshot eyes stared at the blank wall behind him. Fear had a hold of her in so many ways. Her fingers gripped the warming blanket as the tips rubbed the fabric. JP wished he knew if she tested if the blanket was real or if the sensory of the softness gave her comfort.

JP’s team had pulled the teenager, Maggie Carter, out of a sale. JP exited his car before his partner brought it to a complete stop. They came across the exchange just as her new pimp, known for porn snuff films, carried her limp form to the backseat of the brand-new black Charger. The car shined bright in the impounded.

Her previous pimp had wrapped her up like a gift in a dark, coarse, death shroud, handed her over like a sack of potatoes, and fled. JP hated that the man got away, but he believed Maggie would lead him to the next meeting. She just needed to hold on.

An adolescent life sold. As if someone could place a price tag on life, like a disposable item at a grocery store. Not to mention the man who had bought her was old enough to be her father or even grandfather. It always surprised JP to see lives perceived as property, even after all his years on the task force for the missing and exploited children.

Maggie, the name on her missing person’s report in his hand, but not the one she had choked out to identify herself as she tried to swallow small trickles of water at the time of her rescue. She had also whispered another name JP longed to hear. Silas Blaine. The notorious pimp with mob ties had dodged every indictment thrown his way. Maggie barely escaped from him with her life. Even with her disorientation and hysteria, the mention of his name brought Silas to the forefront of JP’s fight.

JP almost jumped when he saw the movement of her dry, cracked lips. No sound escaped, but the continuous mimic of speech showed another sign of life. She was fighting. She was trying. Then her dark, hollow eyes met his. The blank stare saw past him to the horror that trapped her mind. JP saw the haunting, the fear over taking her will. He attempted to talk to her. Maggie.

His quiet tone ceased the silent conversation. With a slow blink, Maggie tried to focus and come out of the void.

Maggie, he tried again. My name is Agent Walker. Do you remember me?

JP couldn’t be sure if she realized where she was. If she could comprehend, she was free. She remained still.

Maggie, he tried once more for her attention.

Again, her focus shifted to the blank wall. Her lips started to mutter words JP could not make out. Was she seeing someone or something? What coping mechanism was she using to hang on for the next shallow take of breath?

Mouse, she whispered loud enough to barely be heard.

JP glanced to his side, followed her gaze, and looked for a furry friend on all fours. Maybe that’s who she chose to talk to. When he didn’t see anything scurrying around, he leaned forward to hear the wheezing voice better.

Mouse, she repeated before her chest rattled with her deep in hale. Her eyes shifted to his again. This time, they saw him. Mouse… I have to… be brave… like Mouse.

Mouse was a person. A name. JP had heard rumors that the elusive Mouse brought kids to hospitals or local law enforcement to get them off the streets. Some had missing reports, and others did not as if they had not existed before Mouse showed up with them.

I have to be strong, like her. Maggie fought for audible words after hours of just focusing on breathing.

Maggie, you should rest, JP suggested. As much as he needed answers, he feared losing her down the rabbit hole of her memory. He stood to help cover her better with the thin blanket when Maggie’s weak grasp wrapped around his wrist.

I have to … be strong… like Mouse. Maggie struggled with each word. She’s fighting… Silas ...

Silas? Silas Blaine? JP thought he had recognized the man who got away. The one who handed Maggie over to the man sitting in jail. JP didn’t get a good look, but he wanted to say it was Silas’ right-hand man, Johnny. Without being sure, he couldn’t make a move. Now, Silas’ name was being whispered by a girl practically on her death bed.

She has done things… caused trouble, Maggie continued. Her eyes forced wide as she stared at him. If Silas catches her … Like Mona… Have to tell … Help her.

Help how? JP asked. Her words were not connecting.

The children… the babies … Maggie’s shadowed eyes pleaded with him to understand. She protects…. Silas … use them …trap her. Don’t let … like Mona.

Maggie started to close her eyes, and JP prayed she could find the strength to give him more information. He could empathize with her fatigue, fear, and anger. The poor girl had been through hell. He held back the tears that threatened to form in seeing her pain and evidence of what she had experienced. Now she was coming back.

Her missing person report said she disappeared five years ago. To find her alive after all that time was a miracle. One he wanted to see last.

Maggie. I know you’re tired, scared, and just want to forget the bad things. I wish I could wave a magic wand, and all these past years would never have happened. But they did, and you survived. You can help others out by helping me. We can take down Silas so he can’t hurt anyone else.

Mouse is the key, she murmured as her eyelids drooped. She snapped them back open to keep the hospital room in view.

Maggie, start at the beginning. Who is Mouse?

The key… Mona made her the key.

What happened to Mona? JP asked. His voice was low and soft as he tried to be empathetic to the horrors the young girl survived, only to relive over and over in her mind.

For a moment, Maggie did not answer. She stared at her focal point on the wall. Silas, she finally answered. The name ripped out on a low whisper. She closed her eyes and squeezed out more tears.

He recognized her mourning expression and gave her the time she needed. When she spoke again, her voice came out a little louder. Mouse found me weak where Johnny left me… used up… too skinny and ugly. No one wants…. I lost my baby… Mouse was going to get me out… wait for nighttime - …Mouse is the key.

The Streets Of Terror

Mouse is the key… Maggie whispered over and over like a mantra, empowering his fight.

FBI Special Agent Jean-Paul Walker flipped through the updated file in his hand once again to realize the case was his.

Finally, after weeks of surveillance, Maggie’s testimony, and some assistance from the local PD, Silas Blaine became JP’s focused target. Even though he had studied the man for years to try to get any foothold toward taking down Silas’s human trafficking and drug smuggling rings, loopholes provided an escape, witnesses disappeared, and evidence went missing. These obstacles made creating the case a hard act to sell.

With Maggie’s help, they had enough information to narrow down where the pimp set up the heart of his empire. Maggie had said the key, their unknown hero, was Mouse.

JP explored the neighborhood, watching, listening, trying to find any sign or more information on his would-be ally. Exploited and missing children were being saved through different routes one at a time and carefully here and there. Babies with no known parents were left at a local hospital or with good Samaritan cops that this Mouse dubbed trustworthy. The latest escapee tied to Mouse’s efforts was a ten-year-old girl.

Susie. The street name given to the child to signify that her old life was no more.

She was brought into a low-income clinic where his twin friends, Dr. Quin and Dr. Ian Hunter, volunteered to learn more about the mysterious Mouse. They tended to Susie’s bruises, broken bones, and blood loss, fearing it was too late to save her. Ian said that a young child stayed with her at the hospital until police found Susie’s true identity and family. The mysterious girl never spoke a word, slept, or ate. She disappeared after getting wind that someone wanted to ask her questions. JP wondered if she would have stuck around if she knew the twins were the inquiring minds. While fixing up Susie, Ian had tried a friendly approach with a smile at the skittish hero, asking for her assistance and even calling her Munchkin, while offering to attend to her bruises and cuts. Mouse declined and focused on her friend until the ambulance took Susie away.

Ian described her features as he saw her return and scout around the clinic, watching from afar. He felt he was being tested and sized up.

A nurse acquainted with Mouse reported she didn’t talk but could communicate through sign language. The nurse wasn’t sure if it was a choice not to speak or an actual inability. Mouse wasn’t one for telling stories of her past. She didn’t trust anyone much; she had little reason.

JP and his partner, Supervisory Special Agent Mac Sutton, knew sign language. JP used it as a secret communication with his older sister as they grew up. Getting into trouble a lot at home and impressing the girls at school made use of his talent in different ways.

Mac’s knowledge of many languages from his globetrotting adventures helped in many cases, but ASL was unique enough to help them catch this big fish. They hoped to be able to gain Mouse’s trust. She could be the ticket to end this trafficking ring. So many could go home or find a new family.

No one knew for sure how many children and adults were under Silas’ control, but surveillance photos showed hired muscle walking around on rooftops, through the alleys and backstreets. They tried to remain covert in the crowds watching Silas’s ‘merchandise’ to make sure the lives that were trapped did their jobs. The inconspicuous bulges under suit jackets gave the impression they were armed. The sexually exploited - children and those whose childhood was stolen from them in exchange for the solicitation of prostitution, drug running, and street child soldiers - kept the clockwork running and the money coming.

Now was the time to through a monkey wrench in the gears and shut down the operation. Closing the file, JP took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. A silent prayer went out for wisdom in this new adventure. He needed guidance to find Mouse and earn her trust.

As JP creaked open the heavy door to his rusted orange ’74 Chevy pickup, he heard the start of one of his favorite rap songs echo through the garage. As the shout of "You can’t stop me!" rang out, JP stopped with a smile and waited for Travis’ slick black Challenger to round the corner.

Another all-nighter? You’re looking a little scraggly, he teased as Travis turned down the music and pulled up. Watch out; you’re going to lose that natural Hawaiian golden glow.

You should talk with those bags under your eyes. and what’s this? Travis returned the banter and rubbed his chin where JP had grown in a little facial hair. You’re going to need a dog collar here soon with how rough you’re getting.

You sound like my grandfather all through my high school years. This is only for the case, JP said, scratching at the new facial growth. What’s up with your sleep deprivation?

We thought we had a lead on the girls showing up in the dumpsters. It went cold. I heard you’re going to be near our area. Silas Blaine, The name came out in with annunciated syllables and envy. Wow. You’ve been chomping at the bit to take him down for a while. Dom was upset we couldn’t pin him with our case. Mac is teaming up with you, right?

Yeah. He’s using this weekend to cap off some personal time, and then he’s meeting up with me. After last month, he needs this. More information on our elusive Mouse has been added to the file I haven’t had a chance to share with him yet. This case is going to be a difficult one. Silas has yet to slip up, and out of those snuck out of his turf, only one is talking.

Is Officer Cooper helping out? Travis asked through a yawn as both hands wiped the exhaustion from his face and bloodshot brown eyes.

Yeah. Cooper and his partner, Reeves, are a connection Mouse has used to rescue a couple of babies and a kid here and there. They haven’t seen her in a while and are worried.

This case is taking up a lot of our time. I haven’t talked to my family much. Tell my cousin Cooper I say, ‘Aloha,’ and that Corey and I are looking forward to Auntie’s peach cobbler.

Now, is this a blood relation and actual cousin, or is this another close friend of the family that you call cousin because you grew up together?

It’s all the same, Bro. I have to get some sleep. Your sister has been cracking the whip. If I don’t get out of here, she’s going to drag me back in because a butterfly whispered to her.

JP gave a small laugh knowing his sister’s caffeine-fueled stretches of long hours to focus on the cases. Are you sure you want to come back so soon? Corey needs you after Amy…

Nah, Dude. It’s good. Doc says we need to get back on schedule to help put life back together.

Yeah, but with the things we see on the job, besides Quin and Ian, what do doctors know?

JP saw the shadow in his friend’s eyes. The loss was still too raw. The loss of his wife, Amy, to a home invasion, while Travis was on assignment. It always cut deep when work followed them and hurt loved ones. JP tried to lighten the mood and ease Travis’s worry. You might not draw Dom’s attention if you turned the music down a little.

"I need this to keep me awake for the trip home. Take it easy and be safe, J. Silas is a ruthless one. He has serious mob connections, like Degrassi. That man takes ‘sleeping with the fishes’ literally. Now, if I can get out of here, I can see my kid before she goes to daycare and maybe catch a few hours of sleep."

I give it thirty minutes before she calls you back in, JP teased as he waved to his friend.

Travis glared as he drove off and restarted the song. The bass thumped through the parking garage and out into the street. If the neighborhood was not awake before, they were now.

JP looked again at the case file. Surveillance photos tried to capture a glimpse of Mouse. She looked like a child and took to the rooftops jumping across as if she played hopscotch or went for the distance in the long jump. He doubted she saw much of the inside of a school, but she had her street smarts and instinct to keep her out of Silas’s reach. Word on the street said she had a target on her back. JP knew his time was thin on this one.

* * *

Luke, JP checked in with his technician watching his back. He walked down the street towards the patrol car with the two officers watching kids leaving and playing around the school area. How’s your view?

Beautiful and crystal clear, my friend, Luke announced as though he were a DJ spinning the next big hit. You’re making me miss my mobile observation unit on a sunny day and fresh air. Your body cam is up and running, but the sound is cutting out here and there. I’ll try to boost the signal. Otherwise, you’re set for your blind date.

If our guest of honor decides to show. I wish I knew how to send an invitation. JP turned his attention to a tall Samoan man in mirrored sunglasses. Officer Cooper, JP called.

Kids were excited for their last day of school and eager to start their summer break. Any one of them could run out in traffic, not paying attention while playing with their friends.

Walker? Cooper acknowledged as JP offered a bag of fast food. Sizzling salt and grease smell escaped with steamy freshness. A cardboard tray held three large lemonades in clear plastic cups that sweated in the sun as their ice melted. Oh, man. You are a lifesaver. Reeves, your tax dollars just paid for lunch.

With what I pay, why am I not getting prime select steak with all the fixings? Maybe a little surf-n-turf? she asked as she greeted JP.

Travis wanted me to mention something about your Auntie’s peach cobbler. Don’t forget to share, JP teased Cooper as he snagged a fry. That kind of dessert will make this seem like a feast for a king.

Seriously, thank you, Officer Reeves said, snagging a handful of fries. It’s been a long day around here. Silas has doubled his men, and they’re testing their boundaries.

The school? JP asked as he looked around and saw the men who were trying to blend into the crowd. He noticed their watchful eyes scanning the pedestrians that went on with their day.

Most of them are on our sex offender list. So far, that honored title is all we can stick against Silas on the record. I’m hoping you’re here to change that, Cooper said with a raised flat palm as he slowed down a group of kids running through the crosswalk. Watch out for cars, guys. You can stop a lot easier than they can.

Thanks, Cooper, one of the young boys said with a wave and giggle. He pointed a water gun at his friends that followed him.

How’s Travis holding up? Cooper asked, turning back to JP. I haven’t heard from him much since the funeral and then the bar fight. Losing Amy is tough on us all.

He’s getting back into a routine. What bar fight?

The one you don’t know about, so it didn’t happen, Cooper said as he took a large bite from his sandwich. Filling his mouth helped with keeping the story quiet.

What do you know about Mouse? JP asked, taking the hint to change the subject, and made a mental note to talk to his sister Dominique to see if she knew what was up with her teammate.

He knew when to leave topics alone between family and when to step in as family. This one he’d let Travis’ family have… for now. He camped out on the sidewalk, leaning his back against their patrol car, and took out his lunch as he watched the kids play.

I’ve known Mouse since I started this beat about eight years ago. Reeves has only been with me the past two years, so she’s only seen Mouse’s war against Silas. We’ve chased thugs, and Mouse happened to stretch out her foot to trip them up a little to give us a bit of an advantage. I first met her fighting with one of the officers she claimed was getting too handsy during a drug bust. I tried to stand up for her, but she was holding her own. Stopped her from being arrested for assaulting an officer. She used to walk the streets with the other girls. She fancied long, bright-colored showgirl dresses with a slit up the side to show peeks of her legs. Rumor has it they’re scarred, but no one knows the story. She was a favorite with a lot of the creepers that like the child-like stature, and then when one of the older girls disappeared. Mouse went berserk. She was already sneaking around, trying to get the smaller kids out, but one day she traded the heels and baby-doll pigtails for running shoes and hoodies as she declared war on Silas.

Which girl disappeared? JP inquired, ready to go through the names he could already associate with those who made it out over the last year or so.

Don’t know her real name. Out here, she was known as Mona.

The name confirmed Maggie’s story. Was? You don’t think she escaped?

Not Mona. She taught Mouse to fight for the others, to take care of them first, that everyone deserved a chance away from here with the whole world open to them. No, she’s not here anymore. She was either sold to some other pimp, or she’s dead. Mouse knows what happened, and judging by how she’s changed, I believe Silas did something horrible to Mona. Her body was never found, so we can only speculate.

Where do the babies come from?

Come on, Walker. I’m sure your mom has had that talk with you. Reeves teased, high-fiving her partner, then shrugged when JP threw a fry at the team. "Mouse doesn’t say. Of course, she doesn’t say anything, and I don’t know a whole lot of sign language. It’s possible that Silas had them stolen. There are areas around here with drug addicts that have kids. Some are so bad; they wouldn’t realize one of their dozen disappeared. He could take them from the hospitals and connect with a trafficking nurse, orderly, or black-market doctor on the inside, telling the families their baby passed for a sudden reason. Never found missing reports on the ones she brought to us with babies’ footprints taken at the time of birth. So far, these don’t match up. They could be part of the streets. Who knows who is protected out here in their activities and lifestyles and who is not?"

JP thought about what he knew of Silas. He wasn’t one to make mistakes. An accusation coming back on him that one of his clients contracted an STD from a night with one of his wards would be bad for business. That meant losing money, the client, and having to replace the sick person. He would need to keep them clean and make sure he regulated the drugs that controlled his product. That was Silas’ game in a nutshell. No, he did not slip up easily.

Were you the one that helped Luke get the rooftop shots of her jumping across? JP asked Cooper.

I did that, Reeves said. Not the best shots, I know. She’s fast. Her best friend, Star, was worried and looking for her a couple of weeks ago. Star wouldn’t say what Mouse did, but she was smiling and watching the rooftops. Mouse was being chased and giving a show. She also knows how to pop up out of the ground just when you’re not expecting it.

Wouldn’t be fun if you saw her coming, JP said, getting the picture.

Mrs. Waters, Cooper waved to a young mother pushing her daughter’s bulky wheelchair through the crosswalk while her other daughter walked beside them, helping carry books. Can I help you with Cami’s chair?

Thank you, Officer Cooper, the mother sighed with relief. David is working out of town today, and this thing weighs a ton.

One daughter helped the other get into the car.

Drunk driving accident six months ago as the schools cheerleading team was heading home from a game, Reeves explained as she watched Cooper fold the wheelchair and place it in the car’s open trunk. Turning back to traffic, she kept her eyes on other vehicles to ensure they stopped for the crossing guard.

Is this part of your patrol? After school entertainment? JP asked.

It gives the parents a sense of security. While they’ll ignore what happens down the street, they don’t want it spilling over this way either. Their fear causes judgment. No one wants to see or know that this has happened to someone’s child. No parent ever wants to think that it could happen to their own. It’s amazing that one street over is a completely different world of a crumbling hell ruled by a pimp drug lord. Some of those kids came from a neighborhood just like this one. This side of the tracks, I guess you could say. Lured away by puppies, candy, picked up off the streets by a man in a van, or older ones tricked by those they thought were their friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, and taken to a party; that one decision brings them here. Trapped by fear, humility, hopelessness, and lies. I wish I had the golden proof to stop it.

Who did you lose? JP asked, finishing his meal and standing for a stretch.

Reeves looked at him with the sad smile of someone lost in memories.

It was way too late to save them when they were found. I mean, I haven’t given up, but the brainwashing and the trauma go deep.

It’s only too late when we bury them.

If we’re lucky to do even that. I hope whoever you’re looking for will be found safe and sound.

JP gave a slight smile. They weren’t close to me. My friend lost his daughter. We don’t know if she’s still alive. The body was never found. She just disappeared when she was four. I believe she’s still out there fighting. He tells the story of her being born a preemie with her fist held tight for the fight to live. She’s still fighting. The hard part is every year that goes by makes it more difficult to bring her home.

"Yeah, but who’d you lose? Personally?" Reeves asked.

She knew. When you’ve been through the fear, waiting for that call, or hoping to find them alive after so long, you make it a mission to keep others from going through the same pain; a connection built with survivors or their families.

I’m just good at understanding other people’s feelings.

Sure. Keep your secrets. Just don’t let them eat you up inside. I think your friend is trying to get your attention.

JP watched her knowing look for a moment. The beautiful smile he missed skipped across his memory for a brief second. Long enough to keep the memory, the pain, and his reason alive.

Reeves gave a discreet nod across the street to Ian standing on the corner. Check-in. The tall doctor let JP know he was there with a stare and hands in his pockets as he leaned against the lamp post in a light grey trench coat. JP looked across the street from Ian to Mac. The older man made eye contact with JP and then checked their surroundings for their mysterious hero.

Walker, Cooper said, gathering his attention with another bite of his sandwich. Things are getting tense on the goon patrol.

JP turned to see people moving along the rooftops and pushing upstream through the crowding pedestrians. Someone was running in their direction.

Mouse

Mouse looked around the corner of the old brick building. She watched for those who had tried to control her life for as long as she could remember.

Two men wearing jackets to conceal their side holsters were looking for her through the run-of-the-mill crowd. This would not be easy. A younger boy who matched her height waited behind her. Mouse worried about his arm as it became discolored and swelled against the makeshift splint of rotted pieces of wood and soiled rags. The last man