Nathan Bush must drink coffee to stay up late and write, and to talk about the release of Book 3 in The Foley Chronicles: Files from the 8th District, as well as short story 1 in The Foley Chronicles: Dark Side of Foley series.

[Nathan]

Posted this on another thread and got some good responses, so I figured I'd give it a try on my own thread.

This is the first chapter of book three in my series. I know it could be a touchy subject for some, but I need a little feedback or thoughts on it. Would reading this chapter make you want to read the book?

Chapter One
Rob

I stood amidst the grave markers, silent, as tears streamed down my cheeks and ominous clouds rolled across the sky. Through blurred vision I read and reread the words etched into the marble. My baby, my little angel, Emma Kate, had been gone from us nearly five years, and the hurt was still as fresh as it had been the day she disappeared.

For four years my wife and I, as well as our family and friends, had searched diligently for her. Though all our efforts were in vain. It was now one year to the day that we had finally gotten to lay our baby to rest and the ache in my chest had not dimmed in the slightest. Then there were the days it seemed even worse.

Initially, the police suggested she was a runaway, as there was no evidence to say otherwise, and did much of nothing for the first year. She had last been seen with a man a few of her so-called friends said was an older boyfriend.

We had never heard of such a boy, and discounted the information. Until we found her diary hidden under the floorboards of her bedroom closet. Her scribblings filled page after page. She gushed continually over a boy she referred to only as Tony. The most shocking knowledge she imparted in the pages, was that he was twenty years old. At the time of her disappearance, my little girl was only fourteen.

What kind of sick, twisted mind went after a fourteen-year-old girl? What was he seeking? Why had he picked Emma? Many, many questions were left unanswered.

Also found in the secret compartment were several expensive pieces of jewelry and, to my disgust, dainty under clothes that even my wife had never seen.

The one ray of hope that was uncovered was a picture inscribed with Tony’s name. It was a small lead, but a lead non-the-less. Then the Vice detectives jumped into the case.

Another shock soon hit our family out of the blue. It was determined that our baby had been the victim of a sex trafficking operation. Several local gangs had joined forces to peddle flesh. It was a well-established, money-making business venture, to the tune of thirty billion annually. And it was not an easy one to track.

According to Vice, the gangs followed a pattern, or as it was often referred to, a circuit. They moved from city to city, collecting victims and either selling them outright to the highest bidder, or addicting them to drugs and forcing them into prostitution.

The detective in charge of our case got us in contact with an organization called Hope Abounds; a non-profit dedicated to helping victims and families of sex trafficking. Their main goal was to rescue as many women and children as possible and get them out of the sex trade. Then came the rehabilitation; mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Our contact in the organization was a woman named Debbie Woods, a licensed Christian counselor. She herself had been a sex trafficking victim, so she saw it as her calling to help all those still enslaved.

We met on several occasions to discuss Emma and our case. We talked about Emma, about our home life, our financial struggles, and our near divorce. That information, along with the jewelry and clothing was a dead giveaway for Debbie to speculate on Emma’s induction into the sex trade. It went along with everything she knew about how the sex traffickers worked.

The recruiter, as Debbie called the guys who selected the victims, usually singled out the loners, runaways, the homeless or those who could easily be manipulated. Victims of abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, those with poor social skills, or a bad home life were also easy targets. They showered them with attention and gifts when no one else would. And the recruiter usually picked someone several years their junior, to make the control easier.

In Debbie’s experience, it was nothing for a recruiter to spend several months working on a victim. The payoff was well worth it. Once there was a bond and trust, the recruiter could easily get the victim to acquiesce to any request. And if not, the threat of retaliation against the victim or the victim’s family could be employed for motivation.

My spirit got crushed as I learned more and more of what my little girl had gone through. I could not even imagine the depths of despair to which Emma had surely succumbed. The torture she must have endured. How frightened and lonely she must have felt.

Did she cry out for her daddy? Did she pray for me to come to her rescue? Only to be all alone? Left to fend for herself?

While Debbie never laid blame on the parents or families of the victims, it was easy for me to see how my role, or lack thereof, played a significant part in Emma’s captivity and eventual death.

How could I look in the mirror and not hate myself? How could I not blame the one person whose sole responsibility it was to protect and care for my little girl?

As I stood at her grave a slight rain began to fall. I didn’t care.
What was a little discomfort for me, especially when compared to the pain my Emma had endured. The drops plastered my hair to my head, the wetness flooding my eyes to mix with my salty tears.

In that moment, I made myself and Emma a promise. A promise to seek out those responsible for her pain and pay it back; ten-fold, twenty-fold, a hundred-fold. No amount of suffering by her tormentors would be, could be, too great.

I would start with Tony.


Sorry for such a long post. Any input or advice is appreciated.

*puts coffee and Krispy Kremes on table for those willing to stick around and read*

[Marie Silk]

Hi Nathan. It's very well written but probably a little too intense (subject) for me to be able to read. From the first two paragraphs, I was under the impression that a baby (infant) had died, so it took a little rearranging in my brain to realize it was about a teenager. It would make more sense, I'm sure, if I had read the blurb first before delving into the story. The anguish is communicated perfectly in this chapter. Well done!

[Nathan]

Marie wrote: "Hi Nathan. It's very well written but probably a little too intense (subject) for me to be able to read. From the first two paragraphs, I was under the impression that a baby (infant) had died, so ..."

Thanks Marie. I changed it a little after some others weighed in and I toned down the anguish/angst a bit. I don't have a blurb for it yet, or I would post it as well, just so readers aren't caught by surprise.

[Nathan]

Well, hello there again. Its been a long while since I was able to post anything here, as I've been very busy writing in The Foley Chronicles, and being with the family. I've finally published Twisted Christian, the third installment in my Files from the 8th District series, along with Dark Blue Rising, the first short story for my new series, Dark Side of Foley.

Hope everyone has been doing splendid and writing away!