Santo Diablo Pt. 04

We walked down a narrow hallway with single bulbs lining the low ceiling. The walls and floor were stone and damp to the touch. At the end, the hallway split right and left. The guards, women, and men all went to the right, but Wayne led us to the left with a couple of guards. We walked another hundred feet until we came to metal stairs leading down. We must have walked down three or four stories until we came to the bottom and a hidden dock.

Inside a cave at the base of the bluff was a small dock that had three speedboats tied up. We climbed into one with Wayne and the guards. It didn't take us five minutes until we were away from the bluff and out into the ocean. It was a clear night, and the stars were on full display. Fortunately, the water was calm, and we were a mile away from the mansion before I realized it. After my adrenalin ebbed, I noticed the air had a slight chill, so I took off my suit jacket and make sure Kathryn was warm enough.

"What the hell was that, Wayne? I exclaimed. I thought the FBI must have jumped the gun and came in early. I was planning on giving Brian a piece of my mind.

"It was the local police." Wayne answered, just calming down himself. "I do not know why they would do that. We have people paid off to look the other way and not bother us. I'm sorry, I really have no explanation."

Local police? Sure, they could raid us, but something like this was above their paygrade. If it was the state police, sure, but not local.

"If you don't mind me asking, where did the others end up?" I asked, "The men who took the other hallway?"

"That runs underground for two miles to a warehouse." Wayne explained, "I would estimate in another thirty minutes the women will be loaded onto trucks and driven to a safe house. As a precaution, only the organizers know where that is. No one in attendance tonight knows their destination in case something like this happened."

Damn, I lost all of those women. And I was in a bind. I couldn't give Wayne up. Too many people saw me leave with him. If they arrested him, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out I was working with the authorities. I just had one question.

"Wayne, why take me with you and no one else?" I inquired, "There were men there with much more influence than I have."

"That's where you're wrong, Rich." Wayne explained, "You are exactly a friend I can use. You offered me seven million for Kathryn. I would have taken four. Then I threw in Omega for three more and you didn't bat an eye. You obviously have money and you're not afraid to spend it. There wasn't a man in that room that wasn't a billionaire, yet they act like I'm ripping them off if I don't give them a woman for the price of a ham sandwich."

"I also like your background." Wayne continued, "You get what you want through whatever means are necessary. I'm in transportation of goods. I can always use someone who has the logistical prowess that you do. You do business all over the world, and your reach far exceeds mine. Like I said, you are a good friend to have."

Well, there it was. Wayne wanted to use my logistical network to move women. I couldn't do that, but I could see how having someone like him in my back pocket would be useful. I thought about how I would word my answer to keep him as a friend and not open myself up to doing the very thing I was trying to stop.

"Wayne, you understand, I can't open my companies up to the scrutiny that running human cargo would bring." I carefully replied, "We did when I was with the Assassins, and it caused us nothing but headaches."

"I understand Rich." Wayne said disappointedly.

I had to salvage the situation. After a few minutes of thinking, I had an idea. "We certainly have a beautiful night. I could sit out here and spend the entire evening and totally lose track of time. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. What I wouldn't give for that bottle of wine. Oh, wait."

I reached down and grabbed a bottle sitting next to Kathryn. I had put one in the inside pocket of my suit jacket when we were about to leave. Once I was on the boat and gave Kathryn my jacket, I put it next to her against the seat. I took out my keys, complete with a handy corkscrew, and uncorked the bottle. I took a sip and passed it around.

"Now, back to business." I began, "How about if we work together? I have many contacts, and some of those contacts pay me well to get rid of their competition. I provide the expertise to eradicate these organizations. You remember the Assassins' security forces? Well, I never disbanded them. You feed me intel on who is moving what, and I pay you. I also have contacts that can ensure the authorities don't look too closely at your business, allowing you to work with impunity. For that second part, I would expect you to pay me in women. I would say two women a month. A small price to pay for the protection I can provide."

"What in the hell would you do with that many women?" Wayne asked.

"Use them, of course." I answered, "I grow tired of the women quickly, and believe me, when I'm done with them they are of no use to anyone. I don't resell them, as that would draw too much attention. Lets just say they all go back home and live happily ever after."

Wayne laughed, but Kathryn and Omega suddenly looked worried. I just told everyone the truth about the women going home, but none of them believed me. Of course they didn't. I just purchased two women from a slave auction, why would anyone believe I let them go. Kathryn and Omega would be fine, but would have to sit there scared for a little longer. Wayne thought about it for a minute. He reached into his pocket and handed me my cell phone.

"I had that with me to give you when you left, but the authorities interrupted us." He explained.

I took his contact information, and he took mine. I told him I had a pleasant evening and looked forward to the next time. We were now approaching a dock on the outskirts of the city. The guards jumped on the pier and tied us off. When we climbed out of the boat, Wayne froze. There, sitting about twenty-five yards away, was my limo, with Wayne's limo behind it.

"How did your driver know to meet you here?" Wayne asked, astonished, "There was no way for him to know where we were heading."

"You're not the only one with tricks, Wayne." I answered, smiling.

Remember, I had us wired with trackers, mics, and cameras. The FBI was well aware of what we were doing, and since I equipped our cell phones with satellite receivers, Santana never lost our signal. If Wayne didn't have my cell phone with him, my tracker would have been lost over the open water until we returned closer to cell towers. With my phone, we had a steady connection. Santana had audio and video of the entire night, including my conversation with Wayne. I didn't know he had my phone, but I worked off the assumption that everyone could hear us.

Before I left I instructed Susan, who was monitoring our feeds from the command center at IBJPN, to cut audio and video to the FBI if I gave the signal. Tonight, the signal was, 'we certainly have a beautiful night.' The FBI heard nothing after that. I explained to Brian what we were doing, but told him it remained between us. He just had to ensure the authorities gave Wayne a wide berth and let him conduct his business in peace. I just didn't want the FBI as a whole to know I was again dancing with the devil.

Stephanie told me later that the FBI scrambled when I lost signal. They were frantic, yelling at their techs to get the feeds back. Stephanie knew what we were doing and reassured them it was probably just a lost signal because of our location on the water. Susan echoed that when the FBI called our command center. Not long after, the feeds came back when I told Wayne I had a pleasant evening. That was the signal to restore the feeds.

I bid my farewell to Wayne, and we climbed into the limo. On the way back home, I explained to Kathryn and Omega who we really were and that they were now free. Kathryn broke down crying, thanking us profusely for rescuing her. I told her she had family waiting for her at our hotel.

"Are you ok, Omega?" I asked, "Please, what is your actual name?"

"My name is Omega." She answered.

"Please, what name did your mother give you when you were born?" I asked specifically.

"Deborah, but my name is Omega now." She answered, still looking confused.

"Well, Deborah, you are free." I told her, "Do you have any family we can contact?"

Deborah sat there, looking back and forth between me and the other women. She sat like that for a few minutes, then answered, "No. My mother and father gave me up with I was a baby, and I was in the foster system until I turned eighteen. Someone enslaved me shortly after they kicked me out of my foster home when I graduated."

"How long have you been a slave?" I asked.

"I think I'm twenty-two, so four years." She answered.

She wasn't sure of her age. I still had Susan listening to us on our drive to the hotel. Deborah gave me her last name, Cole, and I asked, "Susan, can you send me information on Deborah's birth and whatever history on her you can find?" When we climbed in the limo Susan cut the feeds to the FBI for the night, so everything we said was just between me and my teams.

Kathryn and Deborah looked confused and wondered who I was talking to. I explained to them I had a team monitoring us, listening in on our conversation. I pointed out the cameras we all wore and had them wave to Susan. They each did, and Susan sent a picture of her waving back to my phone, which I showed the women. They thought that was cool. After five minutes, the information started arriving. Deborah was twenty-five years old, so she was a slave for seven years.

That fact slowly sunk in and she looked sad. No one reported her missing because no one was looking for her. I had her birth certificate, foster records, and school records. After graduation, all trace of Deborah disappeared. The state processed her out of the foster system and she ceased to exist. This was a woman no one missed, and it was terribly sad. I told her we would contact some people that would help get her identity back and get her back on her feet. She just sat there and started crying.

Julie was sitting next to her and just held her while she wept. After five minutes Deborah wiped her eyes, looked up and told me, "You bought me from Wayne, so I'm yours. I don't want you to give me to another person, or let me go, I want to stay with you."

She began trying to convince me to keep her. She ran down her desire to be my servant, and that she would be a better slave than she was to Wayne. I asked her if Wayne was her only owner, and she informed me she had three previous owners. She described each one, and from her descriptions, I now had three more men I wanted to kill. They each abused her, degraded her, treated her like she was less than human.

With the previous three owners, she didn't have a name; they just called her bitch or slut, if they addressed her at all. Each of her owners had money, but none of them spent much on her. They kept her like an animal, living in basements or cages. She only lived for two things, work and sex. The first three owners used her to clean the house and tend to their kids. Much like Annie, the entire family abused Deborah. Each family sold her when she didn't live up to their standards.

I looked at her school records and it was a miracle she graduated at all. Her grades were average, but she missed far too many days. The schools just pushed her along to the next grade, not wanting to help her improve. Her foster families didn't care, cashing the checks and spending little on her. This woman had no childhood worth mentioning, and she lived her life as nothing more than a servant to other people after that.

By the time we arrived at the hotel, Deborah was practically begging me to keep her. I told her we would talk more, but now we had to reunite Kathryn with her parents. The limo pulled up to the back of the hotel. I wanted to get everyone inside unseen, and I had my people register us under aliases. People knew who I was, and I didn't want to draw that type of attention to Kathryn and Deborah if I walked through the front door. A manager met us when we stepped out and escorted us to the penthouse suite.

When we walked in, Kathryn's parents were there along with Brian and a few FBI agents. When they saw their daughter, they each ran to her, almost knocking her backwards. The family all hugged, and I had to step around them to enter the room. The entire way up Deborah was never over two steps away from me. She walked directly behind me, holding her head down the entire time. It was like I had a shadow.

Julie and Penny each took off toward one room in the suite, and I walked over to Brian with Deborah on my heels. A moment later Isabella and Ann stepped out of another room and came over toward us. Everyone looked at Deborah, but said nothing at first. We all stood there and watched Kathryn's reunion. After a few minutes they separated from each other, and Kathryn pulled her parents over and introduced me.

"This is Rich." Kathryn announced, "He's the man that saved me."

Her father reached out his hand and I shook it. "Thank you very much, Rich." He said, almost crying, "I don't know how I can repay you. We are in your debt."

"Nonsense." I replied, "It was my pleasure. Just take your daughter home and take care of her. She's been through a lot, and you'll have to give her some time to recover. She has my number if she needs anything, so call me if I can help you further."

Brian spoke up and told them he would need to get a statement from her, but would wait until the next day to do so. They had a room in the hotel and were staying the night, so he told them to meet him tomorrow morning at the FBI building in town. Kathryn's mother thanked me, gave me a hug, and they left together with the agents.

"So, Rich, I see you couldn't help yourself." Isabella said, smiling, "You had to buy another woman. I'm sure when Beth sees the money you spent she will cut your allowance for the next month. I love you care that much though."

Isabella gave me a big kiss, then said, "We saw and heard everything that happened tonight. I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing women in that position. These men are animals, and I'm glad we're helping put them away."

"I'll need a statement from your friend here, Rich." Brian announced, "Deborah, is it?"

"No, you won't." I replied, "Deborah is mine. Tell the FBI she took off when we hit the docks."

This is when I told Brian about my deal with Wayne and what I expected Brian to do, keeping Wayne off the radar. I informed him Deborah doesn't exist, and I don't want the FBI to know about her. All they need to know is I have a new employee working for me. He asked what I had in mind, and I told him he would know when I had it worked out. Either way, it would remain within the family.

We all flew home the next day, and I set Deborah up in a room at the house. I told Julie to keep an eye on her and spend time with her. I wanted Susan to give Deborah a full set of tests like the ones given when women entered the Assassins. After completion, Susan gave me the results, and what she saw confused her. Deborah tested well below normal in math and reading skills, yet she was logical and organized in her personality test. Deborah was articulate and had no problem following the instructions, yet showed below average intelligence. The one thing that left no doubt was Deborah's loyalty; she was extremely loyal.

I thought about the mission and everything that happened, and combined with Deborah's intelligence and personality tests, I had a long conversation with her. After our talk, she agreed to go through Black Widow training. I figured it was a good time to train Amanda, Stephanie, and Megan, so all four went through together.

We ran another minor mission to test our equipment and help us troubleshoot any problems. It went off without a hitch, rescuing twenty women total from two locations on the East Coast. This was the first time my mobile command center saw action. We spent 100 million on it, mostly money from the government, and it worked flawlessly. It was the size of a tractor-trailer, and when we parked it, the sides extended out and anchored to the ground. It provided command and control, coordinating all personnel and electronics, with a direct uplink to Santana via satellite.

Over the next six months the women completed their training, mostly in the evenings and weekends. I had Deborah assigned to a few missions with Penny and Susan, reconnaissance only, to complete her field training. She was our fourth Black Widow, and no one outside the family knew it. All the FBI, or anyone else paying attention saw was our new housekeeper. She tended the house, cleaning and organizing. The assassin Omega didn't exist, and that's the way I wanted it.