TRAFFICKED: A Mex Anderson Novel

by Peg Brantley

  —Girls Like Us, by Rachel Lloyd

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE

  JAYLA

  I think about that image I had more than six months ago at my school bus stop. A crumpled piece of paper caught by the wind, shredding bits every time it hit the pavement. I remember identifying with it then. I wondered if my life was like that clump of paper, tossed around, wearing away at my soul, finally exposing my bones and leaving me to die. Because at that time, if felt like normal life was scraping away at me. Changing me.

  Normal life.

  What’s normal for me today isn’t what was normal six or seven months ago. I fully expect my definition of normal to be different a year from now. What’s normal for one person might not even be in the same world as the next person.

  It all depends on the links.

  A friend of mine has an uncle with cerebral palsy. Normal for him would be foreign to me. I haven’t spent much time in his world. I haven’t moved throughout his days and nights. And yet, having met him, he has a pretty good grasp on my normal. See what I mean?

  The links.

  I met with a couple of psychologists. Both of them were astounded at my ability to grasp reality. To grasp what’s happened to me and not be a quivering mass of neurosis and fear.

  What is with these people?

  It is what it is. I was a winner and a survivor going in, and I’m a winner and a survivor coming out. But one with a much greater understanding of people. I have a greater understanding of strength I didn’t know I possessed because I hadn’t had to access it before.

  Has my future changed? Damn straight it has. Not only will I be going to college, I’ll be volunteering to help trafficked girls, and boys as well. I’ll be fighting to increase the penalties for both original sellers like Chris, traffickers like Daddy, and the buyers. I’ll be fighting to make sure that resources are put in place so that girls like LaTisha have a sanctuary. A choice. And to make sure they know about it.

  The third psychologist brought me to my core. Although I’m strong, I might be able to use help here and there. During our session she showed me it was okay to feel vulnerable. What I think of as weakness isn’t always weak. Sometimes it’s courage in disguise.

  I’ve got a way to go.

  I’m a fighter. I’m smart. Rather than having bits of me scraped thin like that paper, my skin has thickened to an impenetrable toughness. I designed that thickness with faith in myself. And by design, my heart is still accessible. I hope I never have to change that.

  And Mama is proud.

  It has been more than six months since a 16-year-old girl from Aurora disappeared. [See Chapter Forty]

  LaShaya Stine left her house at 2:30 a.m. on July 15 to meet someone, but she never returned…. Aurora police chief Nick Metz said police received information that is cause for greater concern…—Aurora teen LaShaya Stine still missing after more than six months, by Anica Padilla for Fox 31 Denver and Colorado’s Own CW2, January 16, 2017

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX

  Mex took a deep breath and exhaled. Did it again. Earlier he’d dug out the bottle of pills from his bag and set them on the countertop in his kitchen. If he needed them they were there.

  He looked out of the floor-to-ceiling windows and watched as five deer grazed by the stream that ran across the back of his Aspen Falls home. They looked peaceful, without a care. Any sudden movement and they’d be off. Not so peaceful after all. Peace was fleeting.

  Mex remembered watching a mountain lion take down a deer a few months ago. The mountain lion gained life at the expense of another.

  People were worse. They didn’t need to prey on others to survive but they did so anyway.

  Cade walked in behind him, tossed a sweater on his lap, and gave him a hug. “C’mon, Cowboy. Let’s go sit outside and talk for a bit. I’ve got news. You get the fire going and I’ll round us up something to sip on.”

  “You round yourself up whatever you want. I want a glass of the Macallan.”

  “Done.”

  The doorbell rang.

  “Mex? Do you mind?” Cade called from the wet bar.

  “Make up your mind woman,” Mex gave her a wink. “First you have me lighting your fire and then you completely douse the mood by making me a butler.”

  “You’re all things to me, Cowboy.”

  Mex opened the door. Darius stood there with Sedona.

  His smile toward Darius slipped to a frown when he saw his sister. “Damn,” Mex said. “The evening was going so well.”

  He considered closing the door in their faces and getting back to whatever news Cade had to share. Instead, he left the door wide open and walked away.

  “Pour a couple more, Cade,” Mex said as he walked through the house to the back deck. He didn’t bother to tell her who was at the door. She’d see soon enough.

  The fire pit blazing, afghans stacked at the ready, the four of them sat gazing at the flames.

  “Thank her,” Darius spoke into silence broken only by the crackling of the wood on the fire.

  “Thank who?” Mex asked.

  “Mex, damn it. You don’t have to forgive her. I don’t know if I could. But she’s trying. She can never put things right. But she’s trying.”

  “You said that already.”

  “Without her help, we might never have been able to save Alexis,” Darius said.

  The fire waned a bit and Cade added a new log. “He’s right, you know.”

  Mex shifted back into the darkness, away from the warmth of the fire.

  Sedona stood. “I should go. Kenneth and his children have been without me long enough. I’m sorry. I should never have come here.”

  Cade, standing by the fire pit shook her head. “You sit back down. Darius is right. You deserve thanks for everything you put in place to save that young girl.”

  Sedona didn’t move.

  “Sit, damn it,” Mex said. He waited.

  Slowly, Sedona lowered herself.

  Mex sniffed and took a long swallow of his scotch. “I’ll never forget what you did to my family. I can’t imagine ever forgiving you. Not only for what you did but for never saying a word to me. Never admitting the role you played. I don’t give a rat’s ass that you were strung out. That you were in love. I don’t care. You killed my family.”

  Tears streamed down Sedona’s face.

  “But Cade and Darius are right,” Mex choked out the words. “Without you, Alexis Halston might well have been lost forever. So thank you.” He looked directly into his sister’s eyes. “I hope you and this Maxwell guy can find happiness together. That’s all I’ve got to say. You can go now.”

  Sedona stood and Cade ushered her out, arms around the beautiful woman’s shoulders.

  Mex and Darius sat in silence, staring at the fire.

  “You got a start on that new book of yours?” Mex asked.

  “I do.”

  More silence. More staring.

  “I should go,” Darius said.

  “Because you need to take Sedona home?”

  “Yep,” Darius nodded. “That okay with you?”

  “Yep.”

  When Cade returned she put another log on the fire then snuggled next to him. They sat in silence, enjoying the warmth, the flames, and being near each other.

  “So, do you want to hear my news?”

  “I don’t know. I’m still working on the fact I said thank you to Sedona. Don’t know if I can take any more.”

  “I think you can handle this.”

  Mex worked to pop his neck. Release the tension. “So shoot, woman.”

  “First, remember that little boy named Davie from Golden? The one whose parents didn’t want us involved, but who Jayla was in contact with?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He hasn’t been found and his parents are now asking for our help.”

  “Okay. Tell them we’ll do what we can.”

  “We’re meeting with them tomorrow. They’re driving here and should arrive in time for
lunch.”

  “And?”

  “I’ve received an offer on my Louisiana house.”

  Mex sucked in a breath, feeling everything that had been flat in him two minutes earlier swell. He waited.

  “Don’t you want to know if I accepted it?”

  He waited. He knew the answer was coming.

  Then she kissed him.

  * * *

  Author Notes

  I’m plugging this in here because I don’t want you to miss it.

  I’ve never researched any topic more heartbreaking, more soul-numbing, than human trafficking. While I can “wrap up” a story, it’s important to understand that for many girls, boys, and young women out in the real world, there is no wrap-up. There’s only today, tomorrow, the day after and the day after that.

  Can you make a difference?

  If your conscience is engaged, if you feel any kind of tug, follow it.

  In the next pages you’ll see a resource list. If you are in need, seek them out. If you can avail yourself as a volunteer, seek them out. If you have funds to support a particular resource, check them out and then let your dollars make a difference.

  It takes all of us, using whatever means we have available, to shine a spotlight on both the problem and the solution.

  I believe in you.

  <<<<>>>>

  RESOURCES

  Colorado Network to End Human Trafficking 1-866-455-5075

  www.combathumantrafficking.org

  A statewide referral network for victim service referrals from service providers and law enforcement; survivor support and case management referral; tips regarding potential trafficking situations

  Child Sex Trafficking in America: A Guide for Parents and Guardians is available at www.missingkids.com/CSSTT

  International Human Trafficking Institute www.theihti.org

  Provides ways to join the discussion, get involved, and take action on a global level.

  National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 www.cybertipline.com

  National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888 TTY: 711 help@humantraffickinghotline.org

  www.humantraffickinghotline.org

  A nationwide hotline to provide support and services to victims and survivors of human trafficking. 24-hour access to report tips, seek services, ask for help. Multi-lingual.

  Truckers Against Trafficking 1-888-3737-888 www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org

  Educates, equips, empowers and mobilizes members of the trucking and travel plaza industry to combat domestic sex trafficking.

  The following is provided by Dr. Susanne E. Jalbert.

  Colorado’s Effort to Stop Human Trafficking

  Acronyms and Contacts

  Revised January 2017

  Colorado and National Actors and Acronyms

  ACOVA - A Community Organization for Victim Assistance

  ADAD - Colorado Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division

  Blue Sky Bridge - http://blueskybridge.org/ contact: Amber McDonald

  Bridges Child Placement Agency - www.bridgescpa.com/

  CANPO - is now the Colorado Nonprofit Association

  CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates

  CBI - Colorado Bureau of Investigation

  CC - Community Corrections

  CCADV - Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence

  CCASA - Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault

  CCIC - Colorado Crime Information Center (at CBI)

  CCVC - Colorado Crime Victim Compensation (software program)

  CDAC - Colorado District Attorney's Council

  COB - Colorado Outward Bound

  CoNEHT – www.ColoradoNEHT@gmail.com Colorado Network to End Human Trafficking with state hotline at 1 866 455 5075 / federal hotline at 1888 363 7888

  Colorado Division of the FBI – contact Ann Darr

  Colorado Human Trafficking Task Force – Janet Drake, Assistant Attorney General of Colorado is the lead prosecutor in HT cases and member of the Task Force.

  Colorado Legal Services - www.coloradolegalservices.org/

  Colorado Project to Comprehensively Combat Human Trafficking- http://www.combathumantrafficking.org/overview/team

  COVA - Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance - www.coloradocrimevictims.org/ www.coloradocrimevictims.org/human_trafficking.html

  http://newcova.civicore.com/index.cfm?section=resourceDirectory&action=searchResults

  CSP - Colorado State Patrol

  CV - Curriculum vitae (résumé)

  CVAA - Colorado Victim Assistance Academy

  DA - District Attorney

  DCCV - Denver Center for Crime Victims

  DCJ - Division of Criminal Justice

  DOC - Department of Corrections

  DOJ also USDOJ - Department of Justice

  DOSS also CDHS - Department of Social Services

  DPS - Department of Public Safety

  DV - Domestic Violence

  DVI - Domestic Violence Initiative (for Women with Disabilities)

  Empowerment Program - www.empowermentprogram.org/

  EVAW - Ending Violence Against Women Project

  FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation

  Fracre - www.fracresourcedirectory.com

  Free a Child - www.facebook.com/freeachild

  Focus on Family - www.focusonthefamily.com/

  GRASP - http://www.graspyouth.org/staff/ Contact Michele McDaniel

  HB - House Bill

  I-Empathize – http://iempathize.org/

  Innocence Lost Task Force – http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/cac/innocencelost contact Sgt. Dan Steele

  JBC - Joint Budget Committee (of the Legislature)

  JD - Judicial District

  JJDP - Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

  John School Diversion Program - http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/03/21/prostitutes-clients-under-scrutiny-in-colorado/

  Laboratory to Fight Trafficking - http://www.combathumantrafficking.org/

  MADD - Mother's Against Drunk Driving

  MHC - Mental Health Center

  Mile High Ministries – contact attorney Rene Wright

  NCASA - National Coalition Against Sexual Assault

  NCJRS - National Criminal Justice Reference Service

  NCVC - National Center for Victims of Crime

  NOVA - National Organization for Victim Assistance

  NVAA - National Victim Assistance Academy

  NVCAP - National Victim Constitutional Amendment Passage

  OVC - Office for Victims of Crime (Washington, DC)

  OJJDP - Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

  PD - Police Department

  POMC - Parent's of Murdered Children

  POST - Police Officer Standardized Training

  PRAX(US) - http://www.praxus.org/

  (Project) PAVE - Promoting Alternatives to Violence through Education

  RAAP - Rape Assistance and Awareness Program

  Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) - http://www.rmian.org/

  SA - Sexual Assault

  SB - Senate Bill

  SAIC - Sexual Assault Interagency Council

  SANE - Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners

  Shared Hope sharedhope.org/ Shared Hope International based in Washington DC is dedicated to bringing an end to sex trafficking through our three-prong approach.

  SO - Sheriff's Office

  Summit 2 End It - http://www.init2endit.com/home.

  The Lab combathumantrafficking.org /The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking is a leading 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in Denver creating an informed social change movement to end human trafficking.

  Templeton, J. E. - adr.coalliance.org/codr/fez/eserv/codr:993/RUETD00618.pdf – 2011 Thesis with excellent references

  USAID – http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/democracy_and_governance/technical_areas/trafficking/

  http://transition.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/wid/gen
der_stories_archives.html#trafficking

  VW - Victim Witness

  VALE - Victim Assistance Law Enforcement (State and Local)

  VOCA - Victim of Crime Act

  VOI - Victim Outreach Information

  VRW - Victim Rights Week

  Women of Global Action – Attorney Patricia Medige

  Please send your suggestions to the following email address:

  coloradovcac@gmail.com

  Other National and International Resources

  Not intended to be comprehensive

  Borodkin, Rep. Alice – Former CO House of Representatives, Chair of Inter Agency

  Task Force on Human Trafficking created through House Bill 1143 (See:

  http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=31342446&locale=en_US&trk=tyah)

  California’s ETR Associates: http://www.etr.org/home (Resource for Dr. Pamela M.

  Anderson’s research)

  California’s UC-San Francisco program at San Francisco General Hospital – See

  protocols at: www.medschool2.ucsf.edu/files/sfgh/.../SFGH2012orientationbklt-staff.pdf

  Center for Women Policy Studies - http://www.sitelevel.com/query?query=Anti-trafficking&GO.x=0&GO.y=0&crid=4384cb6f559cb004 (list 60 AT resources)

  Chicago Alliance against Sexual Exploitation – http://caase.org