“Me either,” she said. I could almost see her shrug in response. It’s not often she wants to have any inside information. Mom only wanted to know what was needed, mostly to keep us all safer that way. “Just be careful.”
“Always am,” I said.
“Alright, I’ll be there within fifteen minutes or so,” she went on.
“Thank you, Mom,” I sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders knowing my wife wouldn’t have to be alone. It made me feel a little less of a dick for leaving at such a time.
“Of course, Zach,” she stated in her motherly voice.
“One of my men will let you in when you get there,” I stated.
After hanging up, already halfway to the building that Avidya had been dragged into not so long ago, I couldn’t help but have a gut feeling that something else was going to be thrust upon me.
Mostly, when family issues came up, I wouldn’t hesitate to get the issue resolved, but in a more drawn out way. I had once loved the thrill of seeing a man beg for forgiveness. I loved seeing how they thought that asking for a chance to keep living would work. It didn’t.
Everyone had a ticking death watch. Each and every man that worked under me would no doubt die eventually from one thing or another. Either they died to protect me, or they died at my hand from their own doings.
It didn't matter. They each died in the end.
Pulling into the parking spot beside the black Honda that my dad was known to drive. I wasn’t surprised to see his car here. It wasn’t every day he showed up here of all places. Mom loathed places such as these, which is why she didn’t know about this particular one. If only my wife was in the dark too about it.
I shouldn’t have been all that surprised that he was here taking care of the girls and my men. I had been given strict instructions to not worry about things for a few weeks. And I hadn’t. I spent all my extra time doing things behind my desk and focusing on Avidya and the secrets that surrounded her.
So why was I called in now at a time such as this? Why was Shemoli the one that made the phone call to me and not my own father?
Not wasting any time, I exited my car and made my way into the building. I gave the guard on duty a nod on my way past.
Everything looked the same as far as I could see. The brown paint on the outside looked as though it needed a new coat, which it did. Inside the building, the lights were on and appeared that most of the girls were asleep as there were no sounds of the late-night activity going on. Well, early morning.
My gut twisted with disgust at the thought of calling the woman that worked here anything but that. Maybe calling them my employees was better. The employees that didn’t get paid the normal way.
The only reason I had such a place like this was to bring in money. The women, all considered adults, were found on the streets, left without anyone to help them. My men brought them here, promising to keep them safe and a place to live with their permission. Living here in this building, they were able to have food, shelter, and a warm place to sleep at night, mostly.
But there was a price.
Each woman had to be rented to the men who came here looking for something that wasn’t offered at home. These women here in my place had to serve the men for a certain amount of money. Yes, I did let these women keep some of their share of money for items that they needed. The rest of the money was put in a bank and collecting interest for when the time came that I needed it for whatever reason I desired.
Unless they died, then that money was used for whatever needed.
I didn’t need money, but money still had to be coming in somehow. It all worked, as long as no one looked in too deep at what exactly went on here.
I helped the woman that wanted a better life to achieve that, too. I wasn’t a complete monster.
Most of the women didn’t last here for more than a couple of years, but it was much longer than what they would have had out on the streets. Most of them were drug addicts as it was. I didn’t interfere with their drug habit, but they had to score their drugs on their own. If they wanted to get clean I did help with that.
It worked well enough most of the time. I was doing them all a favor, even if they didn’t see it that way. No one really did.
Taking the elevator that had seen better days up to the floor where my office was stationed, I stood with my hands folded across my chest. I didn’t try to hide the gun that was strapped to my waist, knowing I’d be needing it soon enough.
I hated this elevator; it was old enough to break down at any time. I knew that it was kept working and would continue to do so with regular upkeep. But the fear that I could be stuck in here for who knows how long at any given moment was always right there. The rattling of the bars was always the main source of noise as it went upwards.
Stepping out as the bars went up, I noticed that the noise level was louder as the hushed voices echoed off the walls around me. I recognized my father’s and Shemoli’s voices, but there was another voice that I wasn’t able to pinpoint.
My footsteps were heavy to warn of my entrance. Normally, I would let my entrance be a surprise, loving the forbidden feeling that would instantly fill the room as I stood there watching my men. This didn’t seem to be an appropriate time to do so. Something was going on and I’d figure it out soon enough. I knew this was no ordinary call. Something was going down.
“Good, you’re here,” my dad stated as I paused in the doorway, my hands at my sides, shoulders squared. I made sure my body was at full height, not knowing who, or what, I was going to be dealing with.
I gave him a quick nod of my head as I fully entered the room, taking stock of who was present. Besides my father and Shemoli, there was also Miquel, who seemed to have the most attention as he took charge of the men before him. Or at least attempted to. No one would take charge of my men unless otherwise ordered to do so.
