She Knows Her God

by Joy Ohagwu

  Asia held her breath when they reached the first double doors beyond the back gate they’d entered. They set a tool on it to break through that door so they could enter the mansion whose ground floor plan they’d studied—it looked more like a huge restaurant from outside. The owner remained unaware of their approach. And according to Ramirez’s team, the parties the traffickers planned later tonight made New Year’s Eve one of the least secure days at the mansion. Leaning in closer, she spotted many girls present within the mansion through body-heat and long-range cameras relaying images back.

  They weren’t sure who was who in there and had no specific guarantee that the girl they were looking for would be found inside. But Asia held onto hope. If one more girl could go home safe, then maybe she could provide them with information about where the other girl was. And at least they’d have another happy ending to this trip.

  She massaged her neck. Her entire body ached. Even though she’d tried to sleep and rest, her mind had been on a marathon. She’d gotten word to Latricia through Ramirez’s team, letting her sister know she was fine. And she’d heard back that Latricia was ecstatic.

  They reported she’d cried most of the time Asia was missing, blaming herself for it. Stumped, Asia couldn’t figure out why Latricia would think Asia going missing was her fault. But when something bad happened, everyone seemed to blame themselves. She wanted Latricia to know she wasn’t the cause for her going missing.

  So she had Ramirez’s team inform Latricia that she’d been sleeping when Asia went missing, so it was not her fault. In hopes that Latricia would forgive herself for whatever she was not responsible for, Asia sent a message again for Latricia to be at the airport for their flight back home. And Latricia responded that she could hardly wait for them to go home.

  Their blasting of the mansion doors brought Asia’s attention to the events unfolding before her. “Is there a team on standby to provide backup support in case things go sideways?” she asked the officer relaying mission updates.

  He shifted on his seat next to hers. “We’ve alerted two other teams. One is on standby close to the mission location, and the second is in a chopper hovering not so far away. We expected to encounter gunfire because this is like their main fortress.” He opened a folder and flipped through some sheets, then put it down and shook his head, his lips set in a grim line. “The mansion’s owner has been paying the state police chief to keep his operations quiet. That’s why we didn’t know about them. When we raided the chief’s office, we found the information linking him to them. Please standby.”

  Asia had already heard that last bit of information from Ramirez. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to savor again the consolation that Ramirez was a man of integrity.

  It was not a good thing to paint an entire police department corrupt.

  It was not a good thing to paint an entire country corrupt.

  And it was not a good thing to assume everyone in a community was bad. Stereotyping a community meant the person stereotyping them could not get the benefits from interacting with its upstanding members.

  As her grandma would say, humanity was fallen, and because of that, it was imperative to expect that everywhere there are good people and there are bad people.

  The police exchanged gunfire with the guards at the mansion’s back entrance, and Asia scooted closer to the screen, her body jerking a bit with each shot as she held her breath. Grateful to God, she exhaled when the team broke through and entered the main living area. God, please let them find her among the girls. Please, God.…

  Another shot erupted, and she jolted, gripping the armrests tighter. Sitting back while a team you connected with fought a battle you desperately wanted to see end well—well, it was hard! She clenched her jaw and held the armrest as fiercely as she would be holding a gun if she were with Ramirez’s team during the gunfire exchange. Orders came through jumbled and staticky as the team proceeded deeper into the mansion.

  She was clasping her chest, unsure she had breathed for several seconds by the time the team broke through the second level of security into a lower level of the mansion. Within moments, they rounded up some girls and sent them to a corner where an officer watched over them. Asia’s heart was pounding in her chest as the team did a sweep through the two lower levels while another team encountered heavy gunfire in the upper level. She counted the girls she could see—at least eight girls! It wasn’t clear enough for her to be sure if the girl she’d come for was one of them. She’d need to wait until they returned to the station for a face-to-face confirmation. But eight rescued girls already had her blinking back tears.

  Once the operation concluded, they’d rescued a reported fourteen girls. And the unit had suffered some casualties. One police officer was dead, and several others were wounded. A few had scrapes, cuts, and bruises but nothing life-threatening. When the team returned to the station, Asia rolled up her sleeves and assisted by bringing water and any medical supplies the medical team was too overwhelmed to handle, and she also helped distribute blankets to the rescued girls. The fear in their eyes nearly undid her, as did the heartbreaking fragility with which they responded to the simplest touch.

  She could understand firsthand why they felt the way they did. She’d been through captivity before. She’d felt everything they were feeling, and determination firmed in her heart. She would do whatever she could to help as many girls as she could escape that reality.

  She was safe, and she wanted them to be safe.

  She had a home, and she wanted them to be home.

  She was going home, and she wanted to help get these girls home.

  As she walked through where the girls sat on benches, chairs, and even on the floor, her heart lifted when she spotted the girl she’d been looking for.

  “Rebecca?” Asia touched her shoulder.

  “Yes.” The girl jerked away, then rubbed her arms. “Sorry, I haven’t been called that in a long time.”

  Asia’s heart sank. “What did they call you?”

  The girl’s gaze faltered, and her lip quivered. “Sweet Bunny.”

  Hot anger coursed through Asia’s veins, hot enough to burn through any pity she might’ve had for those who caused this girl such pain of losing her God-given identity. “I’m sorry.” Asia leaned over to her and whispered, “You never have to answer to that identity anymore. Ever again.”

  The girl shuddered, likely from more than the cold. “Who are you?”

  “The person your family sent to find you. My name is Asia.”

  “I knew they wouldn’t stop looking for me.” Liquid glazed her eyes, and her lips quivered harder. “Thank you.” Sobs racked her shoulders.

  Asia swallowed hard and patted her shoulder. She didn’t speak until Rebecca’s sobs subsided and she looked at Asia with teary eyes. Asia’s vision blurred as unshed tears clung to her lashes. She leaned to the girl’s ear. “Don’t worry, sweetie. God led us to you. You’re safe here.”

  “Really? Are we really safe now?” The tremble in her voice twisted Asia’s heart. Of course, she was safe. Why would she think she was still in danger?

  Asia squeezed her shoulder lightly and, remembering what she had observed earlier, pulled her hand back to make sure the girl stayed confident of her safety—both from her captors and from the team here. “Yes, Rebecca, you are safe. Please accept that you’re safe so you stop being afraid.”

  “I miss my family.” The girl’s words swept a sad wave through Asia’s heart.

  “And you will soon be reunited with them.”

  “Thank you again for coming for me. I’m grateful. I thought everyone but my family must’ve given up on finding me. You restored my hope in people.”

  Asia, stunned speechless and needing to process her own cascading emotions, choked out the next words. “Stay calm, and the officers will help you with whatever you need.” She handed Rebecca a warm cup of coffee, some bottled water, and a blanket. A few of the other girls didn’t have a blanket, so she went to g
rab some and moved over to the next girl, her heart elated and her feet soaring.

  It took some time to get through all the girls and discover all their names and process all their statements. Then they were corralled into a large private space to get some new clothes, take a shower, and clean up.

  Asia wanted to remember what it felt like to help the girls gain freedom.

  She wished to remember the gratitude reflecting from each of their faces every time she thought about giving up. Or when she thought a mission was impossible. Because this was their reward. Everything they had done, everything they had gone through, all they had suffered led to this huge reward of these girls being set free from captivity, from slavery, from sexual exploitation. Yes, some of the girls remained anxious, and some darted gazes around, fully expecting to fall into the hands of the men who had captured them. But the police team had separated the girls’ location from where they’d imprisoned the traffickers.

  Asia clenched her hands and set her jaw.

  These girls will never see those men again.

  These girls will never be in danger again.

  And these girls will never have to be used for their bodies ever again.

  By the time they finished, it was nearing midnight. With the police’s permission, Asia had made a phone call to Rebecca’s family. They’d cried tears of joy, and their collective gratitude further confirmed Asia’s dedication to this life task. Rebecca had chosen not to speak with them but instead wanted to be among the first group flown out. Rebecca had said she was separated from her best friend at the market when they were taken and she hadn’t seen her again.

  Although the dead end soured Asia’s sweet joy a bit, a new lead could open up in the future. Media persons sought to interview the rescued girls but had been prevented from doing so. Instead, Ramirez made a statement highlighting Asia’s heroic role. Then he asked everyone to respect the girls’ privacy before they gathered for group congratulations on a successful mission, consoled the team about the dead officer, and shut down for the night with the rescued girls sheltered in a police safe house and surrounded by police protection.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Take heed, watch and pray… Mark 13:33

  * * *

  Wiped out but contented, Asia arrived at her hotel. Since she had a flight to catch in the morning on New Year’s Day, she packed her belongings which had been gathered from the two previous hotels and consolidated into suitcases in the current hotel.

  Grateful for warmth and safety, she took a long shower, then stepped from the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. Steam clouded the bathroom mirror. She wiped the mist off and stared at her reflection. The rows of her braids were smudged. She took a tail comb and loosened them, stepped back in the shower and washed her hair, conditioning it with the hotel’s complimentary conditioner. Using a blow dryer, she dried her hair, then pulled out her hair straightener.

  “Time for a new look.” She used the tail comb, partitioned her hair, and sprayed some heat protector and began easing heat onto the roots to the tips in rows until she finished her entire hair. She sprayed on hair spray she’d made herself from Vitamin E, argan oil, and pink oil. Running another round of straightener in bigger chunks of her hair, she made a curve that was more like a bang at the front, then swept the rest of her hair back. She smiled at her reflection, liking the new look, and set down her tools, leaving her hair straightener to cool. She’d pack it sometime before she left the hotel room.

  The past couple of weeks had taught her new things about herself, about God, and about her possibilities. She had encountered some difficulty. But also great victories. Finding these fourteen girls—more, counting Cindy and those rescued with her—capped her year, the accomplishment verifying this was what God intended her to do. Asia saluted her reflection. “Mission accomplished. Rebecca is safe. And she’s heading home. And so I’m heading home soon, too.”

  A rap on her door had her hurrying to put some clothes on. “One moment, please.” Tightening her slacks and pulling over a large tee, she strode out.

  When she opened the door to Ramirez standing there with two police officers, she frowned. “What’s the problem?”

  He ordered the two officers into her room, and they threw her belongings inside, then zipped and grabbed her luggage. “You have to leave now. You’re in danger.”

  As they drove, Asia tried to fix her mind on her coming flight back home and not on the panic climbing her heart. Just when she’d settled in her mind that everything was done and she was fine, something had to come up. Ramirez’s face was hard as a rock, an opposite of the happy look he’d sported after the news conference a few hours ago. “What did you say the message said again?” she asked.

  Instead of repeating himself, he pulled out his phone and held out the image as she winced. It was her face with a message underneath it. “GO HOME, AND YOU DIE.”

  Asia massaged the ache throbbing at her forehead. Yes, she needed some sleep. If she wouldn’t get killed in the process. “I’ve been threatened for a lot of things but never for going home.”

  “Well, if they thought they could attack you in Mexico, not on my watch. Asia, you are one of us now. We won’t let anyone hurt you.” He tucked the phone back in his pocket and tugged at the sleeve of his jacket with more force than necessary. “They thought you were still at the station. They hit the station with an explosive and damaged part of the building.”

  Asia’s gasp echoed within the unmarked police cruiser. “Why didn’t you tell me that first?”

  “I didn’t want to scare you. But this is serious. The traffickers know you’re working with us. They know you’re partly behind these girls’ rescues, especially since they’d captured you twice before. I’m sure they want to knock themselves for your escape. And they’re determined to take you out now.” Ramirez curled a hand around his knee, turning his head slightly. “Maybe you should stay in Mexico. Just for a few weeks. Until we are sure it’s safe for you to go home. What do you say?”

  Asia didn’t speak until they reached the new hotel. She waited until they entered it and an officer was conversing with the registration desk on her behalf. She paced the welcome lounge of the new hotel—now the third or fourth hotel—she lost count. She pressed her hands on her hips and kept walking back and forth, thinking through her options.

  “Give me a minute.” She thought about her sister and her entire family. If she didn’t return home, she had no guarantee the traffickers wouldn’t go after her family. If they were going to attack her family, she’d rather be there.

  “I’m going to start calling to make arrangements in case you want to stay,” Ramirez offered.

  “Thank you, but no.” She squared her shoulders as determination wound around her heart. “I’m not staying in Mexico. And I won’t—will not—be threatened away from going home. I’m going home.”

  “Are you sure?” He searched her face. “It could be dangerous.”

  “Final decision. I won’t put you and your team in any further danger.” Asia locked her gaze on the wall clock. Was it truly three o’clock in the morning already? “Yes, Ramirez, I leave Mexico today.”

  “You’re a stubborn lady, but if I must admit it, I would do the same.” He must’ve seen the fierce determination in her eyes. “Alright then. Let me start getting your security ready and send your flight details to the team in readiness for the airport. We’ll see you there at noon.”

  As he and the officers departed, leaving two at the door watching her room, Asia settled down for the wait—with a gun Ramirez gave her, her back to the wall, and no plans for a wink of sleep. If the traffickers were out for war, that was exactly what she’d give them.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  When The Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Psalm 126:1 [KJV]

  * * *

  “Hello, Mrs. Black?” a pleasant female voice asked after Stacy Black reached for the phone and grabbed it.

 
; “This is she.” She’d just returned from her routine New Year’s Day evangelism and prayer with neighbors of New Creations. She’d done that yearly and had met new neighbors with the Good News and baked goods, which they usually thanked her for. This year, the youth had joined her in baking, and it had been fun. She wasn’t sure if they’d enjoyed it simply because it would be their last one.

  “I’m Priscilla from the state governor’s office. The governor would like to meet with you immediately. Are you available for a car to come and pick you up?”

  Stacy sank into a chair and clutched her chest. “What is it this time? First, they shut down my center that has served this area for decades. I accepted their decision. Only for you to call me on New Year’s Day and ask me to come and see the governor? Please just tell me what it is, and let’s get it over with.”

  A slight pause trailed her words. “I’m afraid I can’t discuss it over the phone because I don’t know what it’s about. But, please, ma’am, get ready. A vehicle will come and pick you up shortly.”

  Before she could get another word in, the phone clinked. “Lord Jesus, please, I think I’m getting too old for this. Please take control.” She called the youth together and explained the phone call. She asked them to let Julia know. Then she changed her clothes, wondering what one wore to meet the governor. Wearing what she felt comfortable in—a pair of jeans and a formal shirt—she reentered the main room.

  Bishop, who appeared more excited than worried, stationed himself at the window and announced as soon as a vehicle approached. “Wow. Look at this sleek black ride! It’s a limo.” He whistled low, darting his gaze inward. “I don’t think you’re in trouble, Mrs. Black. If you were, that’s a nice car to be in trouble in. Let me go with you.” When she eyed him and didn’t respond, then checked her appearance once more in a mirror, he strode to her side. “Please. If they make trouble, I can still throw a punch.”