Anybody's Daughter (Angela Evans Series No. 2) by Pamela Samuels Young Read Free Book Online

some pedophile.”
    Angela decided not to push the issue with Dre right now, uncertain just how much of her world she should share with him. Organized gangs were now deep into the sex trafficking business, snatching girls off city streets, not from other countries. She had no facts that Brianna was indeed a victim, but it was a real possibility. She’d call her agent friend anyway.
    “I’ll call Foshay in the morning to find out if there’s a Jaden Johnson enrolled there. I’ll also check to see if his mother works at Crenshaw High.”
    “That’s fine,” Dre said. “But playing it by the book ain’t gonna get Bree back.”
    It had taken Angela a while to admit to herself that she still wanted Dre in her life despite his criminal past. She truly believed that they could both start fresh. But Dre’s statement only confirmed that the street would always be a part of him.
    “So what are you saying?”
    Dre glanced over at her.
    “I’m saying that I ain’t relyin’ on the cops, the courts, the school or nobody else to get Brianna back. You see how that cop acted. He didn’t even wanna take a missing person’s report. I have to get Bree back. This is all my fault. So I have to fix it.”
    “That’s crazy. How can you possibly think that this is your fault?”
    “My sister kept super-tight reins on Brianna. I was the one always urging Donna to back up off her.” His voice trailed off. “I was also the one who gave her that iPhone. She never would’ve been able to have a Facebook page if I hadn’t done that.”
    “You can’t think like that, Dre. If she hadn’t had the iPhone, she would’ve found another way to get on Facebook. This is not your fault.”
    Dre stared straight ahead, as if focused on something down the block.
    “I always teased Donna for being paranoid about child predators. But I guess she was right to be worried.”
    Angela could feel Dre’s desperation and it terrified her. She knew he’d do whatever it took to find his niece—legal or illegal. While that concerned her, Dre had been there for her at a time when she’d needed him most and now it was her turn to stand by him.
    He started up the engine and pulled away from the curb.
    “Aren’t you going to let Donna know we’re leaving?”
    “I don’t have time to sit around crying and praying. I gotta go find Bree. I’ll call Donna later.”
    They drove in silence all the way back to Angela’s place in Ladera Heights. Dre escorted her to the front door of her apartment.
    Angela fumbled with the key, but finally got the door open. “You want to come in for a while?”
    Dre smiled. “What? You feelin’ sorry for me now.”
    Angela smiled back. “Yep.”
    He pulled her into his arms and held her in a long embrace.
    “Right now I have to focus everything I’ve got on finding Brianna.” He finally let her go. “Can I get a rain check?”
    “Sure. Where’re you going?”
    “I don’t exactly know.”
    “Be careful, okay?”
    “No problem there,” Dre said with a melancholy smile. “Cuz what I gotta do is gonna require a whole lotta careful.”

Chapter 11
Day One: 10:50 p.m.
    B y the time Dre left Angela’s place and headed east on Slauson, it was approaching eleven o’clock. He thought about calling ahead, but decided against it.
    As his Volkswagen Jetta chugged up the winding streets of Baldwin Vista, he gave some serious thought to upgrading his ride. Fancy cars were a pretense Dre didn’t care about. But maybe it was time to up his game just a little. Especially since Angela, hopefully, was back in his life.
    He reached the top of the hill on Cloverdale Avenue and rolled to a stop in front of a huge three-story home that had a view of downtown L.A. on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. He turned off the engine, dialed a number and waited.
    “Hey, man, I need to talk.”
    “So talk.”
    “In person.”
    “Sounds serious. When?”
    “Now. I’m outside.”
    As Dre had expected, Coop welcomed him into