47

It had been ten days since Bonita and Briana were interviewed by the sex trafficking task force team. Alexander had heard nothing and didn’t expect to hear anything. He knew law enforcement was busy gathering names and locations for arrest and search warrants. He also knew that the longer it took, the better the chance of a leak. If the bar owners got wind of the bust, they’d scatter like mobile homes in a hurricane.

Life for Alexander returned to quasi-normal. May spent most of her days and nights with Bat. Briana had gained strength and was eating better. She still woke occasionally with cold sweats but promised her sister she was fine and could be left alone. Bonita read everything she could get her hands on. Alexander’s music of choice – classic jazz – was growing on her.

The morning was bright with a cloudless sky over Alexander Christian’s beach house, affectionately called Casa de Alexander by the three young Hispanic girls living there. The gulf was calm with a green tint. Alexander scanned the surf through binoculars, looking for signs of a tarpon run. He hoped any movement would be aquatic, not human.

It wasn’t long before the sun was well above the large beach house to the east. A cloudless sky meant a brutal sun pounded the deck and everything on it. Alexander wiped his brow, scanned the ocean one more time for anything interesting, then walked inside.

Bonita was sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up against her chest, her eyes puffy and red.

“What’s wrong?”

She pointed to the television which was on but muted. “It’s on the news. They just raided the bars along McCarty Street. It went to a commercial so I muted it.”

“That’s great news. Why are you crying?”

“I’m scared.”

“Scared? Of what? They can’t hurt you.”

“Not them. You. What is going to happen to me?”

Alexander’s knees went limp. He practically fell onto the couch. He tried to scoot close, but she kept her knees tight against her body. His head was spinning.

“See,” she said. “You can’t, or won’t, tell me what is going to happen to us. To me.”

The local news channel aired a live broadcast from outside one of the bars that had been raided then moved on to report an overnight shooting on the south side of town.

Alexander lifted Bonita’s feet, slid next to her, and stretched her legs across his. He kissed her on the knee. “When you said ‘us’, I thought you meant you and me. What about us?”

Bonita rubbed Alexander’s hand. “Is there an us? I’m young, but I’m not so naive that I believe a guy like you is going to keep a girl like me around for very long.”

“Didn’t I tell you the night we met that what you did before we met didn’t matter?”

“You did. You don’t know how many guys said the same thing to me and asked me to leave with them.”

“Then why’d you come with me?”

Bonita glanced around the room then back at Alexander. “I told you why the night we met. My heart jumped when I saw you. I don’t know if I believe in love at first sight, but what I felt was sure close to it. I thought you might be different until you got touchy-feely with me. That’s another reason I almost didn’t come with you – I figured you were like all the rest.”

“But you came with me anyway.”

“Yep, and I’ve told you why. I’m glad I did. I haven’t been this happy in...forever.”

Alexander closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “So, what’s the problem?”

Bonita buried her head in her hands. “Alex, I...I haven’t exactly been honest with you.”

“I know.”

Bonita’s head snapped up and she stared at Alexander. “You know? What do you know?”

Before he could answer, Bat and May walked in through the French doors. “Hi,” Bat said. “I see you’ve seen the news.”

“Yeah. They haven’t said much about it,” Alexander said.

“I know the FBI kept it a secret. I bet the news media wasn’t even informed until after the raids began. I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more once the details become known. Where’s Briana?”

“I think she’s still asleep.”

“I’ll check on her,” May said, walking toward the bedroom.

“Bat, will you keep Bonita company? I need to make a phone call.”

“Sure.” Bat went to the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee, and returned to the couch. He sat on the opposite side as Bonita and watched her grab a Kleenex, wipe her eyes, and blow her nose.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s just a bit overwhelming. Those places they’re showing, that was my home – my prison – for a long time. Look,” she said, unmuting the television. “They’re talking about the raid again. That’s not a lot more than they said last time. “

“I guess raiding bars that are fronts for prostitution and freeing close to a hundred trafficked young women isn’t big news these days,” Bat said.

Bonita did not respond. She flipped through the channels, looking for coverage of the raids, and found nothing. She wondered why a story about some lady named Kardashian was more important than the breaking up of a forced prostitution ring. “I don’t get it,” she said. “It seems all the news channels would be covering the story.”

“Give it time. It won’t be long before that’s all that they’re talking about.” Bat looked at his watch. Alexander had been gone fifteen minutes, but it seemed longer. Ordinarily, Bat would have enjoyed the opportunity to exchange banter with a beautiful young woman, but Bonita was focused on the television.

Not soon enough for Bat, Alexander came out of the bedroom.

“I wanted to call Rey and tell him what was happening. He said the past week or so has been crazy and it’s about to get a lot crazier. He was told the raids would be soon. He didn’t know the exact date or time, but he said they were ready. They have shelters and have arranged transportation to Florida. The good news is they won’t be getting the girls all at once. They’ll be taken to a detention center where they’ll be processed. Someone there will assist with the immigration application and they will all be given temporary US status. As soon as they have several processed, a bus will take them to Miami. It sounds like they have everything under control.”

“That’s so good to hear,” Bonita said. “Do you know what will happen to them?”

“They’ll be legal, so they can do whatever they want,” Alexander said. “The plan is to teach them English and give them job training. Rey said they can attend the local community college for free under a special grant if they want.”

Bat rubbed his hairless chin. He still missed his beard. “Rey sure did a lot in a short period. Didn’t he work on a fishing boat or something?”

“He did. His girlfriend came into some money. The details were handled by lawyers and hired help. You can get a lot done very quickly when you say money is no object – and mean it.”

May came out of the bedroom. “Briana’s awake. She said she’d be out later.”

“I have work to do,” Bat said. “You coming?”

“No, I think I’ll hang out here with Briana. I’ll come over later.”

Alexander stood and stretched. “I think I’ll go for a swim. “Bonita, you want to come?”

“Yes, let me change clothes.”

Alexander changed into swim trunks and an older Hawaiian shirt. He grabbed two beach towels and waited for Bonita to come out of the bedroom. His heartbeat intensified when he saw her. She wore a tiny yellow bikini and an aqua blue coverup.

“I’m ready,” she said.

The two walked hand-in-hand down the street to the beach. The gulf was calm with only slight swells that broke close to shore. Alexander spread the beach towels while Bonita slipped out of the coverup. They ran into the water until it was above their knees, dove, and swam several yards. Bonita put her arms around Alexander and wrapped her legs around his waist.

“This is incredible,” she said. “The water is so warm, it’s like being in a bath.”

Alexander didn’t hear a word she said. He caressed her smooth, damp skin, then whispered in her ear. “Would you like to tell me the truth?”

Bonita tightened her grip on Alexander and rested her head on his shoulder. Her body trembled and she gasped for air between sobs. “I do. I wanted to tell you the truth from the start, but I knew you would hate me. How did you know I was lying? When did you figure it out?”

“I’m a trained investigator. There were several flags. The kicker was this.” He pulled the top of her bikini down. “You don’t get tan lines like that sitting in a bar hustling drinks and turning tricks all day. I noticed them our second morning together. It was the first time I saw you naked in the light.”

“You said there were several ways. What were the others?”

“When you left the bar with me, you told Angel not to look for you. That was a little strange, you telling him what to do, or not to do as was the case. Then the way Briana acted toward you. When we got out of the car at my place, she was afraid of you. She fought me, but she kicked like hell to keep you away. Then later, when I asked her if she knew you. She started to say ‘you were the one that’, and you interrupted her. I always wondered what it was that you did. Lastly, you just look too damn good.”

Bonita kept her legs locked around Alexander’s waist, but leaned back so she could see his face. “Uh? I look too good to be a prostitute?”

“Well, looks-wise, yes, you do. I’m no expert, but I’d imagine someone that looks like you would be a high-priced escort, not holed up in a sleazy bar in a seedy party of town. But what I meant was, you didn’t have a mark on your body. If you were getting pounded by even a few drunk men on a nightly basis, you’d show signs – particularly bruising on your knees and inner thighs. Your breasts would probably be bruised as well from guys squeezing them too hard.”

“So you knew from the beginning, almost two weeks ago, that I was lying to you?”

“I had a good idea.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was hoping I was wrong. I was also hoping if I was right, you’d eventually come clean and tell me the truth. Most of all, I was, and still am, hoping your involvement is minimal.”

“You got clues from the way Briana acted? Did you ever just ask her?”

“Nope. I wanted to hear it from you.”

Bonita wrapped her arms around Alexander’s neck. “Can we go back to the house? I’d like a shower and a drink. Then I’ll tell you everything.”

“Sure.” Alexander began sloshing his way to shore, Bonita still wrapped around him. When they got to waist-deep water, she slid off and they walked silently back to the beach house.

Alexander showered first, knowing Bonita would want to wash her hair and would take longer. He dried himself, put on shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, and went into the living room.

Bat had returned and was sitting with May and Briana, watching the television. The cable news channels were giving updates on the raids every fifteen or twenty minutes.

“Anything new?” Alexander asked when he walked past them.

“Nope. They just keep rehashing the same stuff,” Bat said. “I’m thinking about taking the girls out for lunch. I think we need to get out. You and Bonita want to come along?”

“No, but that’s a great idea.” Alexander found a large container in the kitchen and filled it with ice. He grabbed two glasses, a bottle of his best Scotch, and the tequila Bonita liked so much. “We’ll be in here,” he said, then walked into his room and closed the door behind him.

He set the container of ice on the dresser, dropped a couple of cubes into a glass, and topped it off with Scotch. After a sip, he sat on the bed and leaned against the backboard. He nursed the drink until Bonita came out of the bathroom wearing one of Alexander’s robes.

“You started without me,” she said.

“I did. Let me make you one.” Alexander hopped up and fixed her a drink.

“We’re going to do this on the bed?” she asked, taking the glass from him.

“It’s as good a place as any.”

Bonita sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, facing Alexander. She took a large gulp of her drink then a deep breath. “I’m not sure where to begin. A lot of what I have told you is true. I was smuggled into the US and was told I had to work to pay off my debt. Yes, I had sex with men – lots of them – and I did it for a long time. At first, I resisted, but I had no choice. I don’t know why, but they didn’t put me in the back room. I could see men looking at me and talking to the manager and I found out later, they were negotiating. They had to pay more for me – a lot more. So, yes, I’ve been with hundreds of men. Maybe thousands. But I never kissed one of them, and they never touched me without protection. Even so, it was the most horrific experience you can imagine. Every night...men of all shapes and sizes, and usually fat, hairy, smelly, and slobbering on me...well, you get the idea.”

“I do. Are you okay?” He would have normally reached out to comfort her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Not after what she’d just told him.

Bonita wiped her eyes and nodded. “The original bar owner was pretty decent. One day he finally told me that I’d paid off my debt. He said I could continue tricking in the bar, I could hustle drinks...or I could leave, but leaving was out of the question. I had no place to go and I was illegal. I had a couple of regular Johns that weren’t so bad and they would pay a lot to be with me. The bar got half of what they paid, but I still did well. I also got a cut of the drinks that guys bought me, which was good money too. The owner helped me get a green card. That was lie number one. I am legal. I have a bank account and an apartment.” Bonita took another drink of her tequila and fluffed her damp hair, but did not look at Alexander.

“Then the underage girls started working the bar. The owner didn’t like the idea at first, but word spread, and we were packed with guys wanting to fuck those young girls. I think I told you, the guys paid big bucks to be with them. Unfortunately, word spread too far and we were busted after maybe six months.”

Bonita’s use of the term “We” twice when referring to the bar didn’t escape Alexander’s notice, but he didn’t interrupt the story.

“After the bust, nobody came in. A few of my regulars came back after a few weeks and I was then able to make a little money. The owner was out on bond but knew he was going to prison, so he sold the bar to Angel for next to nothing. He asked me if I wanted to buy it, but I didn’t want it. At the time, five Cuban girls came with the bar. Angel auctioned off three of them since two could handle all the customers we had. I’m not sure if this was a lie or an omission, but that’s when I started pimping. I’d hang out at other bars and when guys hit on me, I’d politely tell them I wasn’t available but, if they wanted a hot chick, I could fix them up. I generated quite a bit of business. I think some of the old guys finally started coming back too, so we needed some new girls. I went to an auction with Angel and we bought two girls fresh off the boat from Cuba. Briana – I didn’t know her name at the time – was there and no one was bidding on her. She looked like shit so we offered a hundred bucks for her and got her.” Bonita took a sip of her drink and set the glass on the nightstand. “The tequila is good, but my stomach’s upset. It’s not sitting well.”

“I’m not surprised. I know this isn’t easy for you.”

She touched Alexander’s leg. “Should I finish the story, or should I just leave now?”

“Please finish. Just take a deep breath.”

“Some of the bars closed at three or four in the morning and didn’t open until early afternoon. In those bars, some of the girls would sleep in the back rooms. In the bars that were open twenty-four-seven, all the rooms were used for sex, not sleeping. The bar owners had made a deal where they would share the housing and someone would pick up and deliver the girls to the bars. The communal housing and transportation made it easy to handle the girls. Anyway, Briana and the other girls Angel bought were delivered. Angel asked me to explain to them what was expected of them. He thought it would be better if they heard it from me. They weren’t happy, but they accepted their fate and entertained their first client within the hour. Luckily, we weren’t too busy so they only had to fuck a few guys on their first night. Then there was Briana...” Bonita took a deep breath and continued. “She flat-out refused. I told Angel what she was doing and he came up, slapped her around a little, ripped her clothes off, and raped her. I stood there and watched. I fucking stood there and watched him rape her and didn’t do anything. Not a damn thing!” Bonita covered her face with her tremulous hands, took several deep breaths, and wiped her eyes.

“That’s omission number...I don’t know what. I’ve lost count. The bar got more crowded and Angel bought another girl off the boat. I think that was the last boat to make a delivery. The same thing happened. I turned that girl into a sex slave too. Meanwhile, Angel was determined to make Briana work for him. When she wouldn’t, he pimped her out to guys who got off raping girls. I think she figured out what those guys wanted and she didn’t fight them. She’d just lay there and let them have her. That just pissed Angel off more, so he was going to beat her up and get rid of her. That’s when you walked into my bar.”

Alexander, visibly shaken by what he’d heard, hadn’t touched his whiskey. “And I asked you if you wanted to come with us. You had...have...an apartment. You are legal. You have money. I didn’t know any of that, but I had a good idea that you weren’t being kept at the bar against your will. At least that’s what I thought, but I didn’t want to believe it. I kept expecting to wake up one morning and find you and Briana gone. Here it is almost two weeks later and not only are you still here, but you’re also confessing to copious felonies. Why?”

“I’ve told you. I fell for you the minute I saw you in the bar. Wait, let me back up a little. All those things I’ve done, I hated every second of it. When I watched the parade of men going in and out of the rooms, I felt so bad for the girls, but as bad as I felt, I was glad it wasn’t me.” She hesitated, reached for a tissue, then wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “I’m about as disgusting as a person can be, aren’t I?”

“Why didn’t you just leave? You had a green card. You could’ve found a job.”

“Once you know how the bars operate, you don’t just leave. I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard of a guy who knew names and places, and he tried to leave and he ended up dead. I knew if I tried to leave, I’d end up dead too...or chained up in one of the back rooms. Then you showed up, told Angel you were taking his girl, and he just sat there. I was scared to death, but I got this feeling that maybe you were my way out. I didn’t know what your plan was, but if I stayed with you, anyone looking for me might give up after a while. I knew I couldn't go back to my apartment. Then we got here, had a couple of drinks, and the way you looked at me... My God, Alex, I fell so much in love with you that I couldn’t tell you the truth. I hoped that you could fall in love with an ex-prostitute, but I knew you wouldn’t fall in love with a piece of shit, low-life pimping sex trafficker...and that is exactly what I’d become.”

Alexander leaned his head against the headboard, exhausted and spent. “Wow. I don’t dispute that you trafficked and pimped out girls, some of whom were underage, but there were extenuating circumstances. It seems you took the path that, for you, was the lesser of two evils.”

“One thing I did not lie about. That first night, I said I didn’t want to be that girl anymore. Well, that’s the girl I meant. I don’t want to be her.” Bonita took several deep breaths and looked Alexander in the eye. “What are you going to do? Are you going to tell your cop friend?”

“I probably should, but not right now. I want to wait and see if anyone from the bars throws you under the bus. If they do, you should go in and see if you can make a plea deal. Had you told me this sooner, and I wish you would have, we might have gotten you immunity for your testimony. I think we just wait and see what happens.”

“Thank you, Alex. I promise I will never lie to you again.”

“I hope you don’t. I hope you never have a reason to lie to me again. This is a lot to deal with, but I want you to know that I do love you.”

*****

FOUR WEEKS HAD PASSED SINCE the raid on the bars along McCarty Street and Bonita’s confession. Alexander sat on his deck, a single malt in hand, enjoying the first cool front of the season. The evening temperature was predicted to dip into the mid-seventies.

Bonita walked onto the deck carrying the cigar box she had brought from the bar. “You want some company?” she asked.

“Of course. Always.”

Bonita sat down beside Alexander and set the box on the table. “Can you believe it’s been a month since they raided the bars?”

“I realized that this morning.”

“That was also the day you told me you loved me. I know you do, I can tell, but you haven’t been the same since my confession.”

Alexander looked out at the gulf and watched a couple of seagulls dive for their evening meal. He shook his head and turned to Bonita. “I do love you, but I put a lot of people in prison for a lot less than what you did. I did some serious soul searching and I now think I understand why you did what you did, but that doesn’t make it right. It’s not unlike Rey Cruz doing what he did. You do what you have to do sometimes. I didn’t turn Rey in and I don’t have a problem with that. It’s been a month and I’m guessing no one implicated you, so unless I turn you in, you are going to get off scot-free.”

“Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

“It’s eating me up inside, but I can’t turn you in. I’ve laid awake at night looking at you, wondering what would happen to you in prison. I can’t do that to you. Having said that, if you ever go back to that kind of life, I won’t hesitate to bust your ass.”

“Would it be okay if I did one more illegal act?”

Alexander straightened up in his chair, bewildered. “Seriously?”

“Yup.” Bonita opened the box, pulled out a cigar, and handed it to him. “This is a Cohiba from Cuba. It was smuggled in with the drugs and girls. It’s illegal – Cuban contraband.”

Alexander, somewhat relieved, unwrapped the cigar and smelled it. “This is nice. I need to get my lighter.”

“Before you do, there is one more thing I need to tell you.”

Alexander sighed. “Go on.”

“In a little less than eight months, I’ll be giving you more contraband. This time, Colombian. I’m pregnant.”

The End