ANTONIO
Antonio’s boss from the car sales lot called as he drove away from the brothel. It wasn’t often that the boss asked him to do something extra, so when he did, Antonio was happy to help.
The task was simple enough: drive one of the cars from the car lot to Reno. A car broker in Nevada had an interested client. Rather than wait for a commercial vehicle transport, the broker wanted the car driven up overnight. He wouldn’t arrive in Reno until about 3:00 am, but he’d been given enough cash to nap in a cheap motel for a few hours. His boss had booked him a morning flight back to Los Angeles.
Fortified with coffee and a cooler full of energy drinks, Antonio sped through the high desert west of Death Valley.
As he cruised up Highway 395, he marveled at the number of stars visible when away from the bright city lights—the sky hovered like a blanket of black satin covered in silver glitter.
The ringing of his cell phone jarred his solitude, and he glanced at his screen before answering. “What’s up, Celi?”
“You’re not going to believe it. I’ve got Candi sitting right here in my office.”
“What? How?”
“She’s been in the hospital. Her true name is Payton, and she was beaten up by her pimp. The hospital called Victims of the Street because they needed the bed, and she was well enough to leave.”
“That’s awesome.”
“There’s more.”
His heart pounded, but he said nothing.
“She’s the sister of the little girl, Brooke, who came here and talked to me this morning.”
“Is Brooke with her?”
“No. That’s where you come in. We need to go get Brooke. Payton thinks she can find her way back to the motel on San Fernando Road.”
“Celi, she’s not there anymore, remember? The pimp moved his operation to the house in Reseda.”
“Well, come get us. We’ll call the police, and we can all go get Brooke.”
Antonio chuckled. “That’s not how it works. We need to be sure the kid is at that location. I didn’t see any sign of her when I was there this afternoon.”
“Then can you at least book an appointment for tonight?
“I would, but I’m on my way to Reno with a car.”
“Oh, no. Why tonight of all nights?”
“I’ll be back tomorrow, before noon. In the meantime, get Cand—Payton settled at the shelter. Find out if she knows anything about her pimp or anyone else dealing in little kids.”
“Do you think I should try contacting the police?”
Normally, he’d call his buddy Roy, but with his son missing, he didn’t want to bother his friend. “Not yet. Let me get back to LA and see what I can find out. If we see Brooke, we’ll call in for reinforcements.”
“Okay. Call me when your flight lands. I’ll pick you up.”