Santo Diablo Pt. 06

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise showed, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this story are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Part 6 Westward Bound and a New Chapter

After agreeing to the government's proposals, it was time to work out the details. I would move supplies in and out of various countries, depending on what the government needed. I would not receive payment directly, however. The government would wire money to the various organizations, mainly nonprofits or charities, and it would then buy whatever supplies I provided. To anyone not familiar with my relationship with the U.S. government, it would appear I was selling illegal goods and receiving money from those sales.

Dave, the U.S. congressional representative, explained that I was free to pursue the purchase and sale of women as I saw fit. This was to solidify my cover in the criminal underworld and get me access to various organizations, and whatever profits I turned were mine to keep. With my experience in the Assassins, I knew the slave trade was difficult and messy, and it was the part of the plan I looked forward to the least.

I had a few issues that needed solving. First was how to run my new slave trade on the West Coast while I lived and worked on the East Coast. I had a business to run and five women to look after. Each had a different need I fulfilled, so spending an extended time away from them was a non-starter. To understand why requires me to explain each relationship.

When I was with Beth, she was relaxed and happy. However, when I wasn't with her, she was a different person. The women told me Beth became nervous and stressed when I wasn't around. She also became very needy, seemingly unable to decide anything without asking me first. I settled into a routine of constant supervision. On multiple occasions, when I attempted to pull back and left the decisions up to her, she became indecisive and anxious.

The only exception to that was her job. She worked as my personal accountant. She kept track of each company's financials and oversaw all of my accounts for me. This included my known and secret accounts. She had a sharp financial mind, and it was when she was engaged in that I saw the Beth of old: strong and confident. Outside of that, Beth was unable or unwilling to take care of herself. The abuse she suffered from Ronald did a number on her.

Susan talked with Beth often, and she told me it wasn't just Ronald, although that took her over the top. Beth suffered abuse from a young age, and it continued throughout her life. Her mother left her to a physically abusive father. She lost the only man she loved, only to find out it was all a lie. She was abused by the club, then Ben, and Roger to a lesser extent. Ronald was just the last in a long line, and Susan surmised Beth's mind just broke. Beth needed almost constant attention and love to keep her centered. Susan didn't know if Beth's behavior was temporary or permanent, but either way, I vowed to always be there for her.

Julie was something else altogether. She craved feeling and emotion. Her sexual abuse at the hands of Bob, her mother's old boss, forced her into a state of numbness. She had to push all feelings down to survive the abuse, and she became unable to recapture normal feelings. For her to feel anything, she needed extremes, be it sex, danger, or anything else that pushed beyond normal. I acted as a brake and a safe outlet. I kept her in check and helped her achieve the highs she sought.

I often had her in restrictive bondage, or humiliating positions. When we were home, she spent time as my pet. I played with her, using the aforementioned bondage with physical punishments added in. At work she spent her time as my personal security, but I found the time to play with her in my office. She spent considerable time in restraints. My assistant Ann was fond of having her under her desk servicing her from time to time. Skydiving became a favorite hobby of Julie, and she loved the adrenaline rush she received from it.

Julie also used our missions as a release. The primary duties of a black widow put her in extremely dangerous circumstances. She fed off of that. She often told me she grew restless between missions, needing the adrenaline fix a mission gave her. It was her desire for danger that almost tore her and Penny's relationship apart. Their relationship was back on solid ground, and that was mainly due to me reigning in and keeping Julie contained.

Penny needed less attention than Beth and Julie, but still enough to warrant being physically near her. Like her mother, Susan, Penny enjoyed someone else in charge. She wanted me to take the stress away from her at home and allow her to just exist. She ran Santana's medical division. The department researched and manufactured medical equipment and devices. Her days comprised ensuring each medical department was running efficiently and approving all projects. She was also our family's personal physician, and after her psychiatry degree, worked with her mother in that regard.

With her responsibilities, she desired to leave everything at work and become my pet alongside Julie when at home. She enjoyed sex, probably more than any of us, but didn't get into the extreme bondage and humiliation that Julie did. She enjoyed some of it, but to a much lesser extent. As a black widow, Penny also took part in missions, but didn't thrive off the danger or adrenaline. She admitted she could leave the black widow part of her life behind and never look back, but didn't want to leave Julie alone, as they often worked as a team. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with wanting to monitor Julie during missions. Penny was convinced that if we left Julie to do her own devices, she would end up dead by putting herself into more and more dangerous circumstances.

Next was Isabella. She was the most independent of the women. She desired my attention, but it wasn't necessary to have it constantly. She was my right hand, someone I could trust to have my back. She was president of IBJPN, the largest division of Santana and with multiple businesses of its own. She delegated much of the work, but kept her hands in all the operations. This allowed her to take care of me while I took care of the other women. That's not to say I didn't take care of Isabella. I made sure she had everything she needed and all the attention she desired. As my wife, the only woman I was legally married to, it was just her nature to serve her husband. At that, she was outstanding.

Stephanie was the last woman to join our family, and the youngest. From me, she wanted total control. In that, she was like Beth. The difference was, Beth needed it; Stephanie just wanted it. Together, they acted like my servants. They were the closest to slaves as any of the women. Stephanie worked on overseeing our government contracts and acting as the liaison to the FBI. It was her job as my father's secretary at the FBI that gave her insight and allowed her to swim in those waters easier than any of us could.

That was at work. At home, Stephanie couldn't do anything without permission, and awaited whatever I desired from her. I had Stephanie and Beth wear maid uniforms to remind them of their position in the house. There wasn't a strict hierarchy among the women, but if there was, Beth and Stephanie were at the bottom. They both wanted me to run their lives. I ensured that happened, and in addition, they also served the other women if anyone else needed something.

To say I was a taken care of would be a vast understatement. On the flip side, however, my time was taken up by the needs of five women. I knew I didn't have the luxury of doing anything without first weighing the effect it would have on everyone else. When I traveled, it was often with all the women. Stephanie and Isabella could stay behind if needed, but I was never without Beth, Julie, and Penny. If I planned on operating a human trafficking business on the West Coast, the women would need to come with me.

That is exactly what we did. Santana had a few smaller offices on the West coast. I bought a large office building close to the mansion and expanded our operations. IBJPN also opened a West coast division, expanding our pain and medical marijuana clinics. I assigned a president to each coast, with Isabella acting as the CEO of IBJPN. I also appointed new presidents to Santana, one on each coast like IBJPN. I split their responsibilities and set up William as CEO. That left me without an official position in the company. I was still the owner and chief shareholder, however. I also remained head of the board, but otherwise stepped back from operations. I still monitored everything and tracked all financials with Beth's help.

I moved my family to California, while William, Alex, Brian, Amanda, Megan, and Nicole remained on the East Coast in New York. We left our New York house in the hands of staff for upkeep, and we lived there when business took us back to New York. I also purchased two new planes. Isabella and Stephanie would need fast travel between the coasts for their jobs, so each had a plane at their disposal. I still had my own larger plane that we used when we all traveled together. Having them travel via commercial airlines was out of the question because of security. Someone tried to first abduct Julie, then smuggle Beth out of the country. I was sure we hadn't heard the last of whoever that was.

We had one more surprise family member. Katina, the young girl that Julie rescued on a mission to Eastern Europe years back, moved in with us shortly before the move. We ensured Katina had everything she needed. The best schools, tutors, even professional dance instructors. She turned into a prodigy at ballet and was becoming known. It turned out her mother was a famous ballet dancer before the civil war hit her country. We found out this from her aunt and uncle, who became her guardian after we brought her back to the U.S.

Unfortunately, the lavish lifestyle we afforded them brought out some old vices, namely drugs and gambling. They lost more money in those two activities than we provided them. Katina didn't suffer from their behavior because Julie kept close tabs on her, spending as much time as she could and paying for most of Katina's expenses. Their situation became untenable when their bookies and loan sharks started threatening to hurt them. One person they owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to put Katina's uncle in the hospital.

Julie received a phone call from Katina's aunt that the man responsible for her husband's injuries was coming by later that day to take the women as payment. It took everything I had to calm Julie down enough to put a plan together. I asked Julie if they showed any sign of their drug use or gambling, and she told me she noticed nothing. Her focus was more on Katina than on her aunt and uncle, and they both hid their activities from Katina and the family.

I thought a direct approach was best. I walked into the front door of a small, unassuming deli in town and asked to speak to the owner. The deli was a front for a bookmaking business. I was familiar with it from my days in the Assassins, but lost track of it in the years since. The man that owned it prior had died and left the business to his son. The father was always respectful to the Assassins Motorcycle Club, but his son was an unknown. I hoped we could agree on a mutually beneficial outcome.

I arrived with Julie and Penny. I had them both dress normally, no kimonos, but I was sure they each carried their knives. I carried a 9mm, this time unregistered, just in case things got messy. I brought a black bag with the money Katina's uncle owed them. When a man walked out from the back with two of his bodyguards, he addressed us, "Good Afternoon. I'm Bjorn. May I help you with something?"

He looked me up and down. I dressed in one of my normal work suits, but he recognized it immediately as expensive. I could see the light in his eyes, already dreaming of the money he thought I planned on gambling with him. I detest gambling. To me, it's not much different from giving money away. I take risks with my businesses, but most of the time I ensure my bets are "hedged." I don't like surprises, and I always have contingency plans. Gambling doesn't allow that same forethought; it's just too much risk for me.

He was a smaller man, maybe 5'7, but looked to be in shape. He wore an expensive suit, although it was less expensive than mine. I could tell by the smug look on his face that he thought highly of himself. I answered him, "Good Afternoon. My name is Rich, and I'm here to see if we can settle a debt that is owed to you."

I planned on paying it off, with the stipulation that he not allow Katina's aunt and uncle to gamble with him again. I didn't see that as a problem, honestly. Most of the bookies that I knew would welcome the cash and wash their hands of the terrible gamblers. I explained to him who the people were, and I offered to pay the entire balance off immediately.

It surprised me when he answered, "That's very kind of you. Unfortunately, the money they owe has doubled. I know who you are, and I know you can pay me far more than they owe. I see you in the news, so there's no denying it. I'm also looking forward to getting my hands on the women if you don't pay. The mother I don't care about, but I have big plans for the daughter. She just turned eighteen, and you wouldn't imagine the money some men would pay for a night with her."

I instinctively reached out and put my hand in front of Julie, just in time. She started leaning forward and out of the corner of my eye I saw her reach behind her, no doubt unsheathing one of her knives. When she felt my hand, she stopped and looked at me. Bjorn didn't know he was a few seconds away from death, and just stood with a grin on his face.

Part of me wanted to let Julie free. Three men were no match for her, no matter their size. With Penny by her side, Bjorn could have brought six men and they still would have ended up dead. I wanted to salvage the situation, but I didn't see myself paying close to half a million dollars to this dirtbag. I took a deep breath and replied, "So, you're also into prostitution. Are you an independent operator, or do you work for an organization?"

It was wise to ask that. After the Assassins folded, various organizations moved into the vacuum that was left. Human trafficking still existed, along with drugs and gambling. I took little interest except for the drugs. IBJPN still used the old Mayan gang members to keep the streets clear around our pain and marijuana clinics, and provide security. I knew of a few large organizations that operated in the area, each carving out a territory of their own. They all knew, however, to stay clear of our businesses. If I didn't have to deal with this asshole and go to his boss, I would. I also didn't want to start a war with one of them by killing this guy. Picking fights with different groups just wasted money, and I don't like to do that.

"What does it matter to you?" He answered, getting annoyed at my questions. "I run my own business. I don't need anyone else to tell me what to do. I'm tired of you questions. You look like you need to learn some manners."

When he said this, the two women working in the Deli ran to the back and his two bodyguards started moving toward me. That's all it took for Julie and Penny to jump into action. In an instant, both women flew forward, ducked the men's futile efforts to grab them, and wrapped their arms around the men's necks from behind, choking them. As the men slowly went down, Bjorn started reaching behind him, no doubt for a gun. Unfortunately for him, I was faster, and before he could get his gun out, I had mine pointed at his head.

"That was a bad move." I said, looking at Bjorn and ignoring his two bodyguards losing consciousness. "I came here ready to settle this peacefully. You will put your hands back in front of you where I can see them."

As I waited for him to comply, the women finished securing the two men with zip ties. Julie took up a position on the left of Bjorn, and Penny on his right. I continued, "The people you threatened are part of our family. That was your first mistake. Not returning the respect I showed you was your second. I will not tolerate a third mistake, so measure your words and your actions carefully."

Bjorn stood there with a pissed off look on his face. I'm sure if, given the chance, he would kill all three of us without hesitation. I gave him one more chance and said, "Do you accept my offer of paying off the debt, not a cent more?"

Bjorn looked at me and said, "Fuck you," almost spitting at me when he said it. I knew there was no reaching this guy. I made a mistake in the past with Miguel, letting him live on two occasions, only to have it come back and bite me. My decision to let Miguel live almost cost Penny her life. I would not make that same mistake again.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I said, a slight disappointment in my voice. I motioned to the women, and within ten seconds, all three men were dispatched. The look on Bjorn's face when Julie brought her knives out was one of shock and panic. He didn't have too long to register exactly what was happening; Julie dropped him within five seconds. I carefully stepped around the pools of blood to the back, where the two women ran earlier.

When I stepped through the door, both women dropped to the floor, begging me not to hurt them. I took twenty thousand dollars out of the bag and gave ten thousand to each. They were two older women, probably in the country illegally. I told them they saw nothing, and the money was to ensure their silence. In case they grew a conscience, I took photos of what identification they had. One woman had mail in her purse that showed her home address. I told them if they talked, I would find them. That must have gotten though, because no one linked the three men to me.

I called my cleaning crew in, and within two hours the place was spotless. All anyone knew was the men disappeared, leaving the business closed. The police interviewed the women, and their story was the men left the deli not to return. The police assumed a rival pimp or gang took them out. For twenty thousand dollars, Katina and her family were safe.

We brought Katina with us to California because I didn't trust her aunt and uncle to stay clean. I gave them a lump sum $100 thousand to start a new life. Years later, I learned they moved to Las Vegas and lost every penny, ending up homeless heroin addicts. The lesson that some people can't be helped continued to be reinforced to me as I grew older. Katina didn't seem too broken up over their fate, and showed no desire to reach out to them. I figured that was all for the better.

I purchased a large house close to Wayne's old mansion. I did not want to have my women live in the same place I conducted business. Besides, I didn't want to expose Katina to the slave trade or the other illegal goods we transported. The new house was smaller than the mansion in New York, but still quite large. I heavily renovated the house, mirroring our bedroom suite and fun room. I tried to give everyone the same amenities the mansion held, so the women didn't feel they were leaving anything behind.

Lucky for us, the local university had one of the country's best dance programs for Katina. The university was excited to have her as a student, as her reputation was growing in the amateur ballet world. We had a room for Katina at home, and she also had a room at the college. She was close enough to commute, but she spent most of her time at the university. It was more convenient for her, and she made a few friends she didn't want to be away from for long.