Heart of Light (2 page)

She wasn’t yet sixteen when she first met her. She was sweet and had just lost her mama. Jolene had told Rosa all about how Mr. Falconi was a friend of her mama’s and was granted custody of her until she turned eighteen. She seemed so excited to be able to live in the glamorous hotel on Michigan Avenue that Falconi used as a front for his less than legitimate businesses, mainly gambling and forced prostitution. Rosa had her doubts from the beginning, the girl’s sparkling blue eyes reminding her of a ghost from years ago. Then poor Jolene turned eighteen and her life changed forever. She was forbidden from ever leaving the hotel again, locked in
his
suite. And it had been nearly ten years.

She had helped a few other girls escape in the past, but never the boss’ girl. They said it couldn’t be done, but Jolene was sweet and the other girls wanted her to be free. Now, she almost was. Once that bus left the station outside of Chicago with Jolene safely on board, she would finally be free…something she hadn’t experienced in over a decade.

Rosa saw a tall black man walking, determined, toward the car, thankful to see her husband clutching the bus ticket in his hand. He opened the door, his breathing labored from the adrenaline coursing through his body.

“Everything go okay?” she asked.

“I suppose, if your idea of okay is half of your boss’ men stopping everyone inside that place.”

Rosa’s eyes flashed toward the brightly lit building. “How did they figure out we’d be here? We chose this station for a reason, just in case they caught on. I was certain they’d check the one downtown first.”

“I don’t know, but they’re questioning the ticket agents about whether anyone has seen her. They have her photo, for crying out loud! This could be bad.”

“I don’t have any other choice,” a sweet voice rang out from the back of the car. “I can’t go back there,” Jolene sobbed. “Never again. I would rather die than have to…”

“Hush, Jolene, baby,” Rosa said, keeping her eyes straight ahead. “We’ll get you on that bus and out of here.”

Patrick glanced at his wife. “Rosa, it’s only a matter of time until they put the pieces together and realize we were behind all of it.” His voice was full of concern…and fear. “Are you sure this is a smart idea?”

“Yes,” she hissed. “It’s the least I can do.” A tear fell from her eye just thinking about what all those girls were forced to endure. “How would you feel if that was our daughter? Wouldn’t you want someone to help her?”

Patrick hung his head in defeat. “I certainly would.”

“Okay, then. Let’s do this. You got the wig on, baby girl?” Rosa asked.

“Yes. I’m ready,” Jolene responded, thankful that Rosa had thought of everything. She had packed some clothes from the lost and found at the hotel that fit Jolene perfectly. She had also grabbed an auburn-colored wig from her sister’s hair salon that looked more natural on her than the blonde hair she was forced to have to make
him
happy. That’s what he liked on her. Blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Okay, Jolene, baby, you know I love you. And I’m going to miss our chats, but you need to get far away from this city. I don’t ever want to see you again, you hear?” she choked out through her tears.

Jolene nodded, trying to stay strong. She was so thankful for everything that Rosa had done for her. She never thought she would be free, and here she was, seconds away from never having to bend to another man’s will for the rest of her life.

“Thank you, Rosa.” She climbed out from under the blanket.

Rosa glanced back and the two women shared a look…a look that said everything Jolene wanted to, but didn’t have nearly enough time to utter.

“Go, baby girl. Live your life and don’t ever come back to this awful place.”

Jolene wiped the tears from her cheeks and crawled out of the car.

Patrick accompanied her the short distance to the bus, turning to face her just outside of the door. He scanned the area for any suspicious activity, knowing that not only her life was at risk if they were caught.

“Here you go.” He handed her a ticket. “Stay safe. And, as much as you may want to,
do not
let us know where you end up. There’s an e-mail address on the back of the ticket. If you want to let us know that you made it somewhere and are safe, that’s how you do it. Other than that, do not contact anyone directly. Do you understand?”

Nodding her head, she bit her lower lip, wishing she would be able to talk to one of the only friends that she felt she had, but she knew she couldn’t. Once she arrived somewhere, she had to stay hidden. It was the only way.

She looked down at the ticket, wondering where she was headed. Miami, Florida. At least she was going somewhere with no snow. Flipping the ticket over, she made out the e-mail address.

“Last call for Miami!” a man sounded on the intercom.

“Get going now,” Patrick said. “Remember, don’t take the bus to the end of the line. Get off somewhere before the final destination. It will increase your chances of never being found.” He held out his hand for Jolene to grab on to so he could help her up the stairs.

She stared at it, slowly stepping back, a look of trepidation in her brilliant blue eyes.

Patrick shook his head and watched as she boarded the bus, wondering why every one of the girls he had helped escape cowered in fear of being touched. He could only imagine what they had suffered through to cause that reaction.

Less than a minute later, the doors closed and the bus turned out of the station with Jolene on it, heading south and away from all the horror and misery of the last decade of her life.

~~~~~~~~~~

S
ENATOR
D
AVID
M
URPHY
DISCREETLY
left Falconi’s luxurious Landmark Hotel on Michigan Avenue, making his way down the dark side alley where his driver was to pick him up. No one could know that he spent tax dollars going to the hotel, not when he had an apartment in the city that the taxpayers already provided him. People would get suspicious as to why he spent so much of his time there. He was a happily married man, after all. A scandal like this would ruin his career, especially when his entire campaign platform was based on re-instilling family values and the sanctity of marriage.

Some would say he could be called a hypocrite, but he was a man… A man with needs that had gone grossly unsatisfied most of his life.

When running for state office, his advisor recommended he start a family. He hated having to date and play the sweet, caring individual. That wasn’t who he truly was. But voters loved a family man, so that’s what he became, although he couldn’t remember the last time he played catch with his son, or had a pretend tea party with his daughter. And his wife… Well, they hadn’t been intimate in years. She wasn’t nearly as adventurous as he needed.

He was thankful to have met Anthony Falconi early on in his political career at a fundraiser for an organization fighting against human trafficking. Falconi was a deeply religious man and contributed a substantial amount to his campaign. One night after his victory party for winning the race for state office, David enjoyed quite a few drinks with Falconi. Rather drunk, Falconi invited him up to his penthouse. That was the first time he saw Jolene. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Once she turned eighteen a decade ago, he had been returning to Falconi’s Chicago Landmark Hotel as much as possible for her, even after he won election to the U.S. Senate and was supposed to be in the nation’s capital, expected to participate in mundane tasks such as solving the country’s budget issues.

On that warm Chicago night in June, David made his way back to his government car, thinking about the immense pleasure he felt every time he had Jolene tied up and could do with her what he wanted…what he needed. He was startled when he heard the service door open and close loudly, followed by an echoing “Hush.”

He slowly turned around, not wanting anyone to be alerted to his presence.

“Come on, Jolene, baby. Free and clear, honey girl.”

His eyes grew wide. What was going on? Someone was helping his Jolene get out of the hotel? The girls never left. They weren’t allowed. He knew all too well what kind of operation Falconi was running and he supported it one-hundred percent, as well as the various charities that Falconi had established to prevent the very thing he was involved in. Senator Murphy didn’t blame him for it. Falconi was a businessman, plain and simple. He saw a marketable need and he catered to the very distinct tastes of wealthy men. But Jolene… She was his. Senator Murphy felt a connection to her that he never had with any other girl, and it wasn’t just because he had mortgaged his house in order to pay Falconi to be her first.
Money well spent
, he thought to himself.

His heart raced when he saw the head of housekeeping hide the tall, leggy blonde in the back seat of a station wagon. He clenched his teeth and fists, his blood spiking in rage and anguish at the thought of never being in the presence of Jolene again. Never listening to her sweet voice beg for mercy when she had misbehaved. Never getting his dick hard from the look of fear she had in her eyes. He needed Jolene in his life. She couldn’t get away.

“Where to, senator?” his driver inquired.

Shaking his head, he snapped out of his thoughts, desperation taking over. “Follow that car. The run-down station wagon.”

“Yes, sir.”

The government Town Car turned off the alley onto Michigan Avenue, driving the streets of the city that David had called home for years. The Chicago skyline transitioned from magnificent hotels to smaller apartment buildings, most of them decrepit and in need of serious repairs. For the duration of the long drive, he made sure to keep the station wagon in his sight. His vision was a little blurry from all the scotch he drank earlier in the evening, but he had a mission. Follow Jolene. The thought of losing her sobered him up quite a bit.
 

After driving for a little over an hour, the car eventually pulled into a bus terminal.

“Stay close, but don’t make it obvious,” David instructed.

“Yes, sir.”

He watched for several moments while the station wagon remained in a secluded area of the parking lot, an older black man getting out and running toward the station.

Almost immediately, he noticed a few of Falconi’s men pull into the station, as well. They looked frantic as they held up a photo, approaching nearly everyone. David’s mind turned calculating, thinking they must have realized that Jolene was missing and were looking for her, too. If Falconi’s men knew that she was in a station wagon in that very parking lot, they wouldn’t be questioning transients about whether they had seen the girl. This presented a golden opportunity for him. Instead of calling Falconi and having him forever in his debt, he had a new course of action. Follow her, and get what he always wanted… Jolene all to himself. He was giddy with excitement over the thought as he observed the black man walk Jolene, wearing an atrocious wig, to a bus.

As the bus drove out of the station, he looked at his driver. “I hope you’re ready for a road trip. Follow that bus.”

“Yes, senator.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A
NTHONY
F
ALCONI
WAS
STARTLED
awake with a pounding headache in the middle of the night.

“Jo-Jo Bear! Bring me some aspirin!” he yelled out, wondering what kind of party he had with her the night before that would cause the room service tray to be dumped all over the floor. And if it was a party, how come he had no memory of it? The last thing he remembered was having a drink with that sleazy Senator Murphy after he had finished with Jolene and escorted her back to the suite. Once he had said his good-byes to the senator, he settled down in his suite for a late night snack, courtesy of one of the room service attendants.

“Jolene?! What did I just say?!” he shouted, his temper beginning to flare. He listened and didn’t hear anything other than the whirring of the air conditioner in the suite.

Groaning, he raised himself off the couch, going in search of Jolene. “What the…?” His eyes scanned the guest bedroom, looking for any trace of the blonde-haired angel that should be in that room.

He ran to the door of the suite, his heart dropping when he found his two security agents were nowhere to be found.
 

“JOLENE!!!!” he thundered, not caring that he may be waking up some high-paying clients at that moment. It didn’t matter. Jolene was gone. And someone was going to have to pay for that.

J
OLENE
DESPISED
THE
BUS
. It was cramped and uncomfortable, but the alternative was worse. She could be back with
him
. She could be forced to put on a smile and make a wealthy lawyer happy. Or a CEO. Or a congressman. Or the governor. Or that scumbag Senator Murphy. Or any of the hundreds of other men she had been forced to “entertain”, as
he
liked to call it. Her stomach churned at the thought.

As the bus rocked her back and forth while it sped down the interstate, Jolene thought about everything she had endured over the past decade of her life. It seemed like yesterday that
he
appeared on her doorstep saying that the woman who raised her had just died in a horrible car accident and that her father couldn’t take care of her because of his drinking problem. He had kind eyes and a brilliant smile. She cried for hours, mourning the loss of the only mother she’d ever had, regardless that she didn’t give birth to her.

After the tears had finally dried, he produced a document signed by her father naming him as her guardian until she turned eighteen. She remembered caressing the legal paper, her heart breaking even more from seeing her father’s signature, wondering how he could just give her up so easily.

“
I’m your family now
,” he assured her. “
And I’ll always look out for you
.”

She had no one left, except for the man surrounded by bodyguards standing in her living room. She took his outstretched hand and left the one-level ranch house that she had called home for the last fifteen years of her life.