Bow River

"Wow," Amelia whispered.

"My little boy is all grown up," Mum added, smiling broadly.

"I'm not sure I can tell you everything I've been up to but if things are as bad as you say, I have friends who would be willing to come sort this out."

Olivia walked out and my jaw dropped. She looked gorgeous but also like a complete slut. I don't use that word easily, but I understood immediately what was required of her. Noticing my face, she walked over to me on her five-inch heels, pressing her firm body into mine. I was a little awkward hugging her, as despite looking how she did, there was no missing how beautiful she was, and I had to remember she was my sister. But having not spent any time around her, it was difficult to look at her and think 'Olivia = Sister'.

Explaining what I wanted to do, I asked Mum to make sure the front door was locked tightly and they were not to answer for anyone. Amelia had the night off, ready to tell her not to go back to work. I wasn't having my eighteen-year-old sister being put in harm's way, but I needed to know the situation on the ground.

Driving my sister back into town, I pulled into a side street before pulling up the kerb and parking up. "What are you doing tonight?" Looking awkward, I took her hand and squeezed it. "Olivia, always be honest with me. That's all I ask."

"I'm working the bar for an hour, then they want me to dance. Or strip, for want of a better word. Men will pay money for to offer private dances."

"Do they touch you in there?" She looked away but she nodded her head. "But not sex?"

"Not sex, as in they're not allowed to fuck me," she whispered, "But if they pay enough, I'm supposed to please them in other ways."

"I'll make sure this all ends sooner rather than later. What will happen if you stop going to work?"

She looked at me and I saw the fear in her eyes. And the tear that dripped down her cheek. "They'll gang rape me and Amelia and put Mum to work at a hotel, barely making fifty bucks from each customer," she whispered.

"Fuck," I murmured, "Who threatened you?"

"His name is Billy. He's Mr Johnson's right-hand man, but anything Billy tells us is what Mr Johnson tells him to say."

"Will Billy be there tonight?"

Shaking her head, I did sigh with relief. "No, he only comes on a Friday and Saturday night."

"Is he one of the five?"

The question broke her as she leaned against me, sobbing into my chest. Caressing the back of her head, I'd kept a lid on my emotions during most of my time in the army and then working for GSI. But hearing my little sister sobbing against me, just beginning to understand what she'd had to endure, it wasn't the tears that I felt sliding down my cheeks that worried me. It was the rage I felt building inside me. And I knew, once I blew my top, a lot of people could possibly die.

"Head inside. I'll be in later," I said softly.

"Okay. What will you be doing?"

She was teasing me as she'd told me what she was doing. "Just checking things out," I replied, "But I also..." I gripped the steering wheel tighter. She noticed and ran her soft hand down my forearm to my hand. "I'm sorry, Olivia. I had no idea what was going on."

"Not your fault. Mum has explained everything. Did you try and contact us after you left?"

"Of course, but phones and email didn't work, and whenever I contacted someone else, they told me what Dad had told them. He kept his word about disowning me completely while making sure I had no way to contact you otherwise."

Kissing her cheek, I suggested she get inside. Making sure no-one recognised me, I drove around town before parking up back at home, checking Mum and Amelia were safe inside, before I walked back to town. The place wasn't exactly heaving but it had changed since I was last there. Back in the day, the place would fill up with miners on a weekend, most living closer to the mines in accommodation during the week. As for farmers, most would only visit during a weekend, so I knew Friday and Saturday could prove interesting.

Heading towards the pub where my sister worked, two goons were again on the door. This time, I was stopped and questioned. I didn't give them attitude but made sure they quickly understood I wouldn't be intimidated. I walked inside with a warning to behave ringing in my ears, but while they had size, I'd already sized them up. They didn't concern me.

Olivia recognised me as I took a seat at the bar. She was already up above the bar, dancing against a pole. I'd been in enough strip bars over the years while on the job. But part of me couldn't help but glance up at her, bra already disappeared to reveal what I knew was a pair of very perk C-cup breasts. Her eyes met mine for a moment, thankful that she kept her face blank, while I immediately looked away.

The only women in the bar were behind the bar or dancing on stage. The girls serving me were friendly, but I'd spent enough time in shitholes around the globe and recognised when women were living and working in fear. The young woman who'd been in earlier wasn't there. Calling one of the girls over after I'd had a couple of drinks, I asked how much a private dance was and how long it would last. I didn't want my sister up there all night, and certainly didn't want to see her disappear with another man.

"Fifty bucks for half an hour," the girl replied, "Hundred bucks for an hour. Which one do you want?"

"Her," I replied, pointing at my sister, "What's her name?"

"Stage name is Honey. You want her?"

"Yes."

"Come with me."

Following her thought a door into a room that looked like some sort of bordello, my sister arrived a couple of minutes later. She looked a little surprised but also relieved that it was me, taken by the hand and led into a small room. There was a leather chair at one of the room, a pole opposite the chair, a few framed pictures of naked women on the wall, and a fridge next to the chair, drinks inside complimentary.

Olivia closed and locked the door, walking me over to the chair. "There are camera's everywhere but no audio in here," she whispered, "And I have to dance for you. I can't just sit here and talk."

"But you can talk while dancing?"

"You've paid for an hour, Mason. They'll expect... Can you handle me giving you a lap dance while I'm naked?"

"I'm sure I can handle it."

Watching my sister work the pole was far more arousing than I thought it would be. She must have done a little dancing as she had talent. When she ended up nearly naked, only wearing thigh highs and heels, she slowly approached me, resting a knee to either side of my body, as I couldn't help placing my hands at her hips.

"I know you're my brother, but I can't think of you as that," she whispered, a shy smile on her face, "And now I'm naked on your lap."

As she gyrated on my lap, I told her my story, from the day I left the farm to the current day. She asked a few questions as I talked, but what she learned is that I was more than capable of helping my family and perhaps the whole town, but I was going to call in the cavalry at the same time. It was going to take a little time, but I assured her that her time as a dancer would soon be at an end.

"And my little sister isn't having her virginity sold to the highest bigger," I added.

"Far as I'm concerned, I'm still one too," Olivia whispered, leaning down so her lips were by my ear, "Maybe you'd like to make love to your little sister?"

Chuckling, I ran my fingers down her back to her tight little arse. "You are my little sister, Olivia. Not sure that's a good idea."

"I've always loved the idea of you, Mason, but now that you're here... I was attracted immediately. As I said, I don't look at you and see my brother, I see a very attractive older man."

Her eyes met mine and I think we both smiled, caressing her cheek as she relaxed on my lap. That's when she felt my erection. Sister or not, she was an attractive and very naked young woman on my lap. When she blushed, I hugged her to my body. Surveillance be damned. "If they asked, just say you loved feeling my erection," I whispered.

"Oh, I do love feeling it already," she whispered back.

Our hour eventually ended. I couldn't help appreciating her naked body. She was a beautiful young woman, noticing her blushing again when I watched her get dressed. Taking my hand, she led me back to the bar, whispering she still had a few hours before her shift was over. I assured her I wouldn't leave until she was finished.

She spent the next few hours alternating between the bar and the stage. When her shift finished, she disappeared for a couple of minutes, passed a note by one of the other girls that I was to meet her in a side street out the back to pick her up.

It was early morning by the time I parked up outside the house. Heading inside, my sister headed straight to the bathroom for a shower, not surprised to see Mum was still up, waiting for us to arrive home. I kissed her cheek, escorting her to her bedroom door, suggesting she get herself some sleep. As my sister showered, I made us each a cup of tea. Sitting on the couch, I was quickly joined by my sister, now wrapped up in a fluffy dressing gown. Curling her legs underneath her, she snuggled into me while sipping at our drinks.

"What will you do later today?"

"I'll be up early as I plan on doing some reconnaissance. Is Amelia working tonight?"

"We both are."

"Okay, I'll check on Amelia tonight. Will you be okay?"

"I've learned to deal with it all, Mason. It's fine."

Heading to bed, I stripped off and was lying back, answering messages on my phone, when my door opened. Lying in the dark, I wasn't surprised to feel the sheets lift up and a warm body to join mine. Olivia knew I was awake as I felt her arm rest over my chest. "Do you mind?" she whispered.

"You naked?" I whispered. Feeling her nod, I added, "Well, I am too."

"I love you, Mason," she whispered back.

Giving her a gentle squeeze, I heard her sigh, then a few seconds of silence, before she started to cry. I had a good idea why, and she was crying for more than one reason. Turning onto our sides, I hugged her as I held onto her tightly. When she leaned back, I could just about see her eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered, "I should have tried harder."

"Not your fault, but I always dreamed of you coming home to rescue us. Now it's come true."

Waking the next morning with her spooned back against me, she would have felt my erection, but she was still fast asleep when I slid out of bed. Sliding on a pair of tracksuit pants, I walked out into the kitchen, Mum sat at the table, nursing a mug of coffee. She looked me up and down as I was shirtless, definitely looking far different to the young man who'd left nearly twenty years earlier. It wouldn't have just been the tattoos and the definition from all the hard work I'd put into my body. There were also quite a few scars with stories behind them.

"Olivia slept in your bed," she stated.

"Yeah, I think she needed a little comfort, Mum."

"It's fine, Mark." I met her eyes and she smiled. "You'll always be Mark to me. Your surname is Mason."

"Okay, Mum."

"Good boy," she stated as I sat next to her with my own mug of coffee. Taking her hand, she leaned over, resting her head against my shoulder. "Thank you for coming home."

"I'll do what I can to help. I'll be heading out soon to check things out. Tonight, I'll go with Amelia."

"I understand Olivia and Amelia, how they already feel about you. Hard to see you as their brother. You've only ever been a picture, an idea, a name. They love the idea of who you were but, now that you're here, I can understand their attraction at the same time."

"I'm not going to..."

She gripped my hand tightly. "I'm not saying you will, but if something were to happen, let it happen."

My head turned so quickly; Mum couldn't hold back the giggle. "You serious?"

"They need a good man in their life, and as I said, they never met you, but they've always loved you. I would ask what you'll do after this, but I guess..."

"Want to come live in France?"

"What?"

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I explained bits and pieces of my life, but mostly about where I lived when I wasn't hard at work. She was impressed, and when I said I could organise new identities for us all, she had to ask about what exactly I did. I assured her I didn't do anything too illegal, but I hadn't been in the army for over a decade.

With no sign of Amelia or Olivia getting up, I quickly showered and changed, Olivia still fast asleep in bed. Running my fingers through my hair, she woke up just enough so I could kiss her goodbye on the cheek. "Love you," she whispered.

Mum didn't ask what I was doing, at least in detail. Taking everything that I figured I'd need, the first place to visit was the old farm. Parking up by the gate, it was chained up tight. Looking through my binoculars, the farmstead appeared to be deserted, in dire need of a lick of paint. But I saw a couple of new greenhouses in the distance, and I had a good idea what they could be growing in there. If not growing, then they were busy doing something else. Seen more than one example which would hold some sort of drug lab.

Next on the agenda was the mine. It was a two-hour drive from the old farm, many of the roads being dirt instead of bitumen. Access to the mine was restricted but there were roads around it where I could get a good look at the operation. I didn't anticipate seeing anything other than a busy mining operation, stopping some distance away from any sort of security, getting out of my car and overlooking it with my binoculars. Nothing out of the ordinary but I'd seen enough over the years to know what I was looking at was more than likely deceiving.

Returning to Bow River the long way, I stopped at the farm of one of my father's old friends. Approaching the farmstead slowly, the fact he and his wife appeared, looking rather nervous, told me all I needed to know. Stepping out of my ute, sunnies on, beard, black shirt and denim jeans with my boots, I knew he didn't recognise me at all until I took off my sunnies.

"Mark?" he asked, "Mark Mason?"

"Good to see you, Mister Taylor."

He walked towards me, offering his hand to shake. His wife joined us, shaking my hand too. "What brings you here? We haven't seen you in years."

"I'm here to help."

Both nodded in understanding, gesturing to follow them inside. Sat at the table in their kitchen, his wife made us coffee, waiting for her to join us before I started interrogating them about what the situation was. Hearing they'd agreed terms wasn't a surprise. They were paying all sorts of fees, losing most of their profits because of it. No-one could help them.

The only other thing they could confirm is that every other farm in the region was in the same predicament. My father wasn't the only one to be murdered, the family forced to sell off their farm afterwards. Once they'd told me all they could, I thanked them and told them I would look into trying to help everyone.

"Bow River isn't what it used to be," he said, walking alongside me back to my vehicle, "I used to go to the pub every week. Now? I only go if I'm dying of thirst. Know what I mean?"

"Level with me, sir. I can either take my family and go, or I can do something about this. But if I take option two, it's going to be violent and messy."

"They need stopping, Mason. Part of me wouldn't blame you for just getting your family to safety. If I could do the same thing..."

Shaking his hand, I didn't promise him anything but assured him I'd do what I could to help out those people who needed it. Arriving back home a couple of hours later, I had to drive up the main road again on the way. During the day, it simply appeared to be the sleepy country town I'd always known it as. But appearances are deceiving. The mining operation was already playing on my mind. And the old fam was definitely a front for something as well.

"What do you think?" Mum asked after I'd parked up and walked inside. I was sat at the kitchen table, Mum dressed and making us both a coffee.

"Well, I could have driven up onto the old farm, but this was simply reconnaissance for now. Couple of new looking greenhouses. The mining operation seemed legit from a distance. Could be a front for something though. Also stopped by the Taylor farm and had a conversation with him."

Mum was silent as she brought two mugs over to the table. Only when she was sat down did she say anything. "We were one of the first they visited as we had one of the largest farms in the area. The threats and intimidation started immediately. We just never believed they'd go to the lengths they did. And we knew we couldn't fight back as they were buying up everything around here first and spreading their influence. When they killed your father, everyone else immediately fell into line. Thing is, they were forced to sell but remain on the farm working."

"I think they're using our old farm for other reasons."

"Drugs. Everyone knows but no-one will say anything. The cops are bought and paid for. The local government is heavily influenced. Corruption everywhere. Go figure."

"I'll take Amelia to work tonight. When do the girls now work?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "They're pretty much working every day. I'm surprised there hasn't been a knock at the door about you being here. I know that all the girls they employ are watched."

"I'll be careful but I'd rather they not know who I am for the moment." Sipping at my coffee, I finally added, "I'll need to call in some friends. I can't do this alone."

"What are you planning?"

"Two options. Option one is take you three and we get the hell out of here. But that leaves everyone else I remember living with this. Option two is take the fight to these people. I have experience in dealing these sorts of issues."

"When can they get here?"

"All I need to do is make a call and they'll come."

Amelia walked out of her bedroom dressed for work. What she wore wasn't as slutty as her sister, but Amelia wasn't stripping yet. If anything, the uniform and how she styled herself was to make her look younger. She smiled shyly at me as I stood up. Hugging me tightly, she told me she was ready. Driving her towards the pub she worked at, I parked up around the back again.

"Are you sure that you're only working bar?" I asked her.

Leaning over, she kissed my cheek. "Come inside in about ten minutes or so."

She got out and walked into the rear entrance of the pub. I drove home, parked up the car and headed inside. Olivia had already left, leaving Mum home alone. I changed so I looked like a local but took my French passport and identification. I had a feeling people would start asking questions. Changing into a t-shirt and shorts, I didn't head out strapped but still carried protection. I hadn't seen anyone walked around armed. This was Australia and no-one walked around armed. Well, except the cops, and I hadn't seen their presence at all.

There were a couple of goons at the door to Amelia's pub. There'd never been bouncers or doormen when I'd last been in Bow River. Suggested things had seriously changed, as most country pubs were filled with locals who just wanted a quiet beer. Unlike Olivia's pub, these two decided to try and throw their weight around.

"Who are you? Not seen you here before?" Tweedledee asked.

"You're not a local. What brings you here?" Tweedledum asked.

"I'm touring Australia and heard many good things about Bow River," I replied, putting on a slight accent. Whenever I was in France, I only spoke French and managed a decent accent. I don't think either of them were particularly convinced. To add a little flavour, I added, "I'm Legion."

"Foreign Legion?"

"Yes. Ten years, spent most of those in similar conditions to this in Africa."