For it is the GOD Who commanded light to shine out of darkness, Who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of JESUS CHRIST. 2 Corinthians 4:6
Asia watched intently on the screen as Ramirez’s tactical team breached the back entrance of the mansion where one of the girls she’d come to Mexico to search for was being kept, likely serving in slavery. Her heart broke, not knowing what condition she’d be in if they were able to locate her. Would they really help her bring one of the girls home? Her throat closed. Expectation and anxiety throbbed through her as she gripped the handles of her chair, focused on the images, and absorbed the tension in the air.
In the week since her rescue, she’d assisted in sending the girl who was rescued from the ship—Cindy, her name was—back to the United States. The immigration paperwork had taken some time, as had verification of her identity. After that, they’d easily arranged the flight. Her family tearily called and thanked Asia and expressed their gratitude for her helping to rescue their daughter. Her emotions were in knots. She hadn’t set out to rescue this girl, but it had happened in the process of seeking others.
And now the investigative team searching for Julia had received crucial information hidden in the clothing they’d shipped to them. She hadn’t asked for details yet as she’d focused on this raid. Today, New Year’s Eve, she couldn’t imagine a better way to end the year than trying to rescue another girl from captivity. Ramirez’s team had waited until dark before advancing. Officers in tactical gear moved on the screen as shadowy figures while the shoulder camera on one trembled with their stomping.
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 grab 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.