Page 7 of Logan

The other man, who I realized was younger than I first thought, scooted a little closer so I was able to get a better look at his face.There was dirt smudged on his cheeks, and he looked thin, but there was still light in his eyes. Life hadn’t broken him yet.

“I go by Jordy around here. A lot of people know me, and I know a lot of people. Maybe I can help.”

Taking the picture out of my pocket for what felt like the hundredth time that day, I handed it over.

“His name is?—”

“Clay.”

The unexpected sound of that familiar name made me jump. “Yes. How do you…”

Before I could finish the question, Jordy shrugged and quickly handed back the photo. “I met him years ago, though he didn’t look like that even back then. But the birthmark on his neck is easy to remember.” He paused for a minute, regarding me with a suspicious eye, before deciding to finish his explanation. “He and I were… kept in the same place for a while.”

Shit.

He’d been a victim of those damn traffickers, too. Taking a closer look at Jordy, I realized he was exactly their type. Slight stature, young looking, and blue eyes. His hair had been buzzed short so there was only about two inches left, but if it were longer, it would probably be bright blond and curly.

My immediate impulse was to sweep the young man away and take him to safety, but I couldn’t even find the person I was looking for.

How was I supposed to take care of a second person as well?

“Why are you looking for him?”

Jordy’s question snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. I needed to focus. Find Clay first. Then maybe I could worry about saving other lost souls.

“His brother is looking for him, and I’m helping in the search. I have some experience with the traffickers who took him.” Jordy’s eyes grew wide, and I quickly rushed to correct myself. “Not that kind of experience. I’m trying to stop them, or at least save as many victims as I can.

Jordy fell silent, obviously struggling with his thoughts.

I waited as patiently as I could, giving him the time he needed to think. He was the only lead I had found so far, and I couldn’t afford to scare him away by being too pushy.

“All right,” Jordy eventually declared when he’d come to some sort of decision. “Guess it can’t hurt. Not like things can get much worse for guys like us. Can I borrow your phone?”

I handed it over without hesitation, and watched as he punched in a number.

Clay’s lucky enough that he doesn’t usually need to work the street directly. He’s got a ‘middleman’ that anonymously sets up work for him. That’s the number, but I don’t know if they’ll let you talk to Clay or not.”

“A middleman, hmm?” I quickly saved the number in my contacts to make sure I didn’t lose it. “Don’t worry. I have plenty of experience dealing with ‘middlemen’. I’ll find some way to get through to Clay.”

A plan was starting to form in my mind. It would be distasteful, but it would probably be my best bet to speak with Clay without his ‘middleman’ interfering.

“Hey, does Clay use an alias when he works?”

“Yeah, of course,” Jordy shrugged. “We all do. Clay goes by Blue Steele. His middleman tried to convince him to go by Angel, based on his looks, but he shot that down real quick. I don’t blame him. I would, too.”

I gave Jordy a questioning look, and he just shrugged again. It seemed to be his go-to move whenever he was uncomfortable.

“The, um, people who took us. They called us theirlittle angels. Don’t think I’ll be able to step inside a church again without getting flashbacks, which sucks. The family I came from was really religious. They’d be horrified to see me now.”

“Don’t use the word Angel. Got it. And, hey. I wouldn’t be so sure about your family. They’ve probably been missing you and would just be happy to have you home.”

This time, instead of shrugging, Jordy laughed. It was a sad, broken sound, that made me wish he would go back to shrugging.

“Kids like Clay and I weren’t just taken because of our looks. It was because we were easy victims who likely wouldn’t be missed. Clay’s lucky in that sense. Someone misses him, but not all of us are so lucky.”

What could I even say to that?

I didn’t know Jordy or his situation. I couldn’t guarantee that his family actually missed him, even though I was certain the traffickers had probably lied to him or at least exaggerated things in order to maintain control over the kids they took.

---