Santo Diablo Pt. 10

Julie and Penny were smiling as they stood inside the door to the dining room. Everyone else was silent, listening to everything we were saying. The only one that wasn't smiling was Sarah.

"No, please, you misunderstand me," Sarah exclaimed, looking distressed. "I don't want to leave. When you accepted me, I was overjoyed. I am thrilled to be your slave, or caretaker, or whatever else you wish to call it. I want to serve you, and I want that more than anything else."

"OK, let me say this." I answered. "Let's all take tonight to think about everything. That will give you time to spend with your daughters, and to let the fact Crimson is no longer a threat sink in. We will talk about this further in the morning. I will accept whatever you decide to do, Sarah. You can stay, or you can return home with your daughters. The choice is yours."

"Thank you, Rich." Sarah replied, calmer. Her daughters all stood up and hugged her before returning to their seats. Everyone sat around the table, the conversations changing topics every few minutes. Sarah's daughters had a hundred questions regarding Sarah's time with me and the mansion. My wives answered questions about me, all of them not shying away from telling embarrassing stories at my expense.

I just sat and listened. It was great to see Sarah and her daughters smiling and laughing. I watched Sarah. She occasionally made eye contact with me, smiling as she did, but not before looking worried. I was watching to see how Sarah truly felt, trying to pick up on clues as to her true feelings. I could tell she was doing the same with me. It was the worry in her eyes that convinced me she was telling the truth. She genuinely wanted to stay and wanted me to fill the void left by her late husband. How could I say no?

After a bit more small talk, I excused myself. I told Sarah and her daughters to enjoy themselves, and for Deborah to provide the women with whatever they needed. I spent a quiet night at home, getting debriefed a few times from my security team on the final clean-up of Russell's men. Early in the morning, I was back at Seaside with Katia.

When she wheeled me into the dining room, Sarah and her daughters were all seated around the table, eating and talking. When she saw me, Sarah stood up quickly.

"No, please," I commented as Katia situated me at the head of the table. "Relax and enjoy your breakfast. Today I want to talk with all of you about Crimson and your experiences, if it's not too much."

"No, not at all," Sarah replied.

"I'm sure you can provide a few more details, but I would like to hear from Riley, Ellie, and Violet," I answered. "Your daughters may have some information that could be useful to me once I communicate with Crimson. Do you three feel up to answering some questions?"

Riley, Sarah's youngest, spoke up first. "Absolutely," she replied, sipping on her coffee. "I think I can speak for my sisters when I say we are all grateful for you getting us out from under those men. I would be more than happy to tell you whatever you want to know."

Sarah's other daughters seemed a little hesitant, but not Riley. She was the closest to her mother in looks, both sharing fair skin and blonde hair. Except for the age difference, they could have passed as twins. She was also confident and direct, like her mother. Sarah mentioned Riley was the rebel, going her own way. She was confident and independent, yet if Sarah was correct, just as submissive as her mother. I have six wives that fit that description to varying degrees.

After we finished breakfast, I sat with the women on the observation deck that overlooked the ocean over a hundred feet below. The deck extended out from the cliff side and was large enough to entertain thirty people comfortably. It was open to the weather, covered by an overhang that I could retract if desired. We placed white chairs and couches around a central wet bar, and I told the women to help themselves to anything they wanted. The weather was gorgeous, with a cool breeze blowing off the water.

After grabbing a drink each, they sat, and we talked. The women explained how the men blackmailed and coerced them into submitting to the club. They also went over how the club had them manipulate their mother, apologizing multiple times to Sarah. Sarah told them they didn't need to apologize, as the women had no choice. I could see they were in pain for what the club did to Sarah.

"Did you really have all the men killed that abused us?" Riley asked after a few hours of retelling their stories.

"Not all of them," I answered. "Russell, his brother Reed, and their father, yes. In my experience, leaving a family member standing invites retaliation. Russell's bodyguards were also... 'retired,' as we like to put it. The other men that were involved we left standing. Too many missing people bring too much attention. Your extractions, however, went off easily. To anyone else involved, it appears as if you just vanished. I left a few people behind to monitor the situation, and from what they've gathered, no one knows exactly what happened."

"What about Russell's wife and daughter?" Violet asked. "Won't people notice them missing?"

"Not immediately," I replied. "In a few days, word will get out that the FBI has them in custody. As I mentioned, they will initially think that Russell is cooperating with the FBI. The arrests the FBI is making will back this up. I'll also put out word in my circles that I killed Russell, his brother, and their father for crossing me."

"Won't this confuse everyone?" Ellie inquired. "You said people will believe Russell is working with the FBI, but you made it look like he fled the country. Now you're telling people you killed him. Why do all of that?"

"As you said, to confuse them." I answered. "I want Crimson off balance when I contact them. They will have assets searching for Russell and his family. If I can split their attention, Crimson can't focus all of their resources on me. Hell, they'll probably think I'm bluffing and underestimate me like Russell. They will initially dismiss me as someone trying to take advantage of the situation, which is what I want. By the time they realize I'm the one pulling the strings, it will be too late."

"Did you really tattoo Russell's wife and daughter?" Sarah asked. "I had to keep from laughing when I saw the look on his face."

"No, that was just ink," I replied. "I needed them scared, so we didn't tell them anything and kept them separated. When you saw them walk in, it was the first time they'd seen each other since they arrived at Seaside. They were gagged so they couldn't say anything to Russell."

"After my father escorted them out, he explained what would happen. The women had a choice: go into the Witness Protection Program or get turned back over to me. They both jumped at the chance for witness protection. Before they leave the state, Brian, my father, will bring them back one last time. I want to impress upon them I control their future. Stay away from anyone connected to Crimson and their old life, or I will get involved again."

"Doesn't the Secret Service handle witness protection?" Sarah asked. "You have connections with them as well?"

"Through my connections with the government, I could get the Secret Service to do me a favor." I answered. "In this case, however, I'm handling it. It will be my men that will monitor them, posing as government agents. I'll set the women up comfortably and find each of them a job. Of course, they'll work for one of my businesses, but they won't know that. As far as they're concerned, I'm not in the picture. If they follow my instructions, they will have nothing to worry about. Although they benefitted from Russell's connection with Crimson, they didn't have any direct connection with the club, or your abuse. I don't kill people unless I have good reason."

That's what I liked to tell myself, anyway. Somewhere along the line, killing in the name of something became acceptable. I say "something," because over the course of my life, what qualified as "something" has changed. At first, it was to defend myself and my family. Then it was to eliminate potential threats to us. I added people that double-crossed me, and finally, people that stood in my way. I always viewed myself as a fair man, and although some of my deeds were evil, I held on to the belief that the good outweighed the bad. To this day, I don't know which side of that fence I ended up on.

"I expect your brother and his wife to arrive shortly." I announced, after looking at an incoming message on my phone. "My chauffer picked them up ten minutes ago, and it's about a thirty-minute drive from the airport."

"Oh, that was fast." Sarah replied. "I need to straighten myself up, so if you don't mind."

"Absolutely." I answered. "I'll have Deborah let you all know when they arrive."

The women walked back into the house, and Katia wheeled me into my office before asking me, "How do you think this will go?"

"That's a good question," I answered. "I'm sure Sarah loves her brother, and Lyndsey was her best friend. While that may be true, they didn't believe Sarah when she said that Crimson had control of her daughters. That drove Sarah back into Crimson, so you can say they're a part of where Sarah found herself. I'm curious to see how it all plays out."

"Is that why you invited them to Seaside?" Katia asked. "Did you just want to see the show?"

"Well, honestly, that's part of it." I admitted. "However, I need to give them a choice."

"A choice?" Katia asked. "Do you have plans for them? What am I saying? Of course you do. I doubt there isn't anything in our lives where you're not ten steps ahead of everyone else."

"I don't know about that." I said, smiling. "However, I always have back-up plans, and then plans to back-up the back-ups."

Katia laughed and shook her head. She positioned me behind my desk, then took a seat on the couch. Fifteen minutes later, I received word that our guests had arrived. I told Deborah to take them to the living room, and Katia wheeled me in. They both stood up from the couch when we entered.

"No, please, sit," I told them as Katia placed me facing them. Once they sat back down, I continued. "Thank you for coming. I had my wife, Julie, explain to you on the phone what happened to your sister and your nieces."

"Yes, thank you for contacting us," Dave broke in. "We feel horrible. Sarah told us what was happening, but we didn't believe her. Please understand, with our mother suffering a mental breakdown, and our nieces telling us nothing was wrong, we just believed Sarah's past finally caught up with her. I guess it was just easier to believe my sister was suffering from the same mental instability that plagued my mother after her abuse."

"Why didn't you try to help your sister if you believed she was having a mental breakdown?" I asked. I still couldn't wrap my head around Sarah's family just turning their backs on her.

"We did," Lyndsey answered. "Well, at first. We tried to convince Sarah to get some help, maybe see a therapist. However, she was insistent that she didn't need a therapist. We continued trying to convince us that the girls were in trouble. We chalked it up to paranoia and stopped trying to convince Sarah to get help when she woudn't back down. Now we know why. You must think we're terrible."

"It doesn't matter what I think," I replied. "It's Sarah and her daughters that you need to convince."

As if on cue, they came around the corner. Dave and Lyndsey stood. For a few moments, no one said a word. Sarah, Riley, Violet, and Ellie stood next to me while Dave and Lyndsey stood facing us.

Dave was the first one to talk. "We both feel horrible about both what happened to the four of you, and that we didn't do anything to help. We're here now, and we will do anything to help, any way we can."

Violet was the first woman to move. She walked over and gave her aunt Lyndsey a hug. Violet most resembled her aunt, both showing their Samoan heritage. The women stood over six feet tall, and Dave appeared like a child next to the two women. After a few moments, Ellie walked over and hugged her aunt. She stood a little shorter, but still towered over her uncle. Ellie was smaller in frame than Violet and Lyndsey, but had a similar dark skin color.

That left Riley and Sarah. I expected Riley to walk over and hug her aunt and uncle, but she stayed in place. After Violet and Ellie stepped back from Dave and Lyndsey, everyone's attention turned to Sarah.

Sensing the tension, Dave spoke up. "Sarah, I'm sure you hate me, and for good reason. You must have felt abandoned by us, and even though we had our reasons, it doesn't excuse us for not doing anything more to help you. We are truly sorry."

"No, Dave, I don't hate you." Sarah answered after a few moments. "Honestly, I don't know how I feel." She hesitated, trying to get her thoughts together before continuing. "Yes, I do. I feel hurt. You were supposed to protect me, and when I needed protecting, you weren't there. Mom died because she was left alone. As the man of the family, you should have been there for her. I thought that, given what happened to Mom, and finding out they sucked her back into Crimson, you wouldn't hesitate when I told you the girls were in trouble. I was wrong. You failed Mom, and you failed me."

That was harsh. I could see why Sarah believed that, but to be fair, there wasn't much Dave could have done from Hawaii. He didn't strike me as a man that could take charge and get results. If he had gone up against Russell and Crimson, he probably would have ended up dead. I was sure Sarah knew this, but her nerves and feelings were raw. This was a family issue, so I kept my mouth shut.

"I don't have any excuses, Sarah," Dave answered. I watched Lyndsey. She wasn't happy at the accusation thrown at her husband, but to her credit, she remained silent. She recognized that Sarah and Dave needed to work this out as brother and sister.

"I know I failed you," Dave continued. "I swear, I won't let you down again."

"Well, that's something you don't need to worry about," Sarah remarked. "I have Rich now. I walked into his office a few days ago, and it only took him that much time to fix the problem. Russell, his brother Reed, and Roger are all taken care of. Neither they nor Crimson will cause us any further problems. My daughters and I spent years under their thumb, and Rich fixed it in less than a week. That's what I needed, not a promise."

I knew then which way Sarah was coming down. I wasn't sure, until now, if she would stay with me or decide to travel back to Hawaii with Dave and Lyndsey. Sarah smiled and put her hand on my shoulder when she looked down at me. Turning her attention back to Dave, she announced, "I'll be staying here with Rich. He's offered me a job as his personal caretaker. More than that, however, I feel safe with him. That's something I need now more than anything else."

Dave looked at me as if trying to figure out what angle I was working with his sister. "Is that all you're looking to get from my sister, Mr. Burkhart?" Dave asked, probably trying to salvage some respect from his sister by attempting to protect her now. "I am very familiar with my sister's submissive side and her attraction to dominant men. Are you taking advantage of that?"

I smiled, then answered. "Please, everyone, take a seat. I'll have Deborah bring some drinks. What we all need to do now is relax." I motioned to Deborah, but she had heard me and was already halfway out of the room. "Dave, to answer your question, yes. Sarah came to me and offered herself as payment for saving her daughters. I offered her the job of my personal caretaker. As you can see, I need help to get around, and my wives cannot always be there for me."

"Did you say wives, as in multiple?" Dave asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, I have six." I answered. "Well, I am legally married to one, but I consider all of them my wives. It's a long story, best left for another time. I gave Sarah the option of working for me, going back with you, or doing whatever else she wanted. It appears she has decided. Until just a few moments ago, I didn't know what she would do."

"I'll be staying with Mom." Riley broke in and announced. This was the first words she had spoken since walking into the room. All attention turned to her before she continued. "Mom told us all about Rich. She also told us what she's been doing, and what Rich wants from her. I also know that he needs a second caretaker."

That was a surprise. I'm sure she saw the shock and confusion on my face. "Oh, I'm sorry if I'm overstepping Mr. Burkhart." Riley stammered. "What I mean to say is, I would like to take that position if you still want someone additional, and wouldn't mind having me work for you."

"It's OK, Riley," I answered, trying to put her at ease. "We can talk about that more in depth a little later. Depending on what Violet and Ellie decide, I may have opportunities for them as well."

Sarah must have told her daughters everything we'd done over the past few days, because I could see an expression of uneasiness come across their faces. "Don't worry ladies, what I have in mind has little to do with me personally. Where your mother's job is very personal, the jobs I will offer you are strictly professional. We can talk about those later, if you don't decide to go back with your aunt and uncle."

Everyone sat quietly for a minute, unsure of what to do now. "I think you all have some catching up to do." I announced, motioning Katia over. "I'll leave you all to talk in private. Dave, Lyndsey, I have a room available to you two for as long as you would like it. Deborah will have your bags taken there. Let her or one of my staff know if you need me, or anything else."

Katia wheeled me back to my office and closed the door. Once I was behind my desk, Katia sat in a chair in front of me. "That was interesting." She commented, "I didn't expect Sarah's daughter to jump in with her mother."

"Neither did I." I replied. "I don't know if that's a great idea. While Sarah has dealt with and overcome abuse in her past, for Riley, it's new."

"Not necessarily." Penny said as she walked through the office door. I didn't even hear the door open, but I shouldn't be surprised; she is a trained assassin. "I talked with the women, as you requested. They are well adjusted, considering what they went through. They've had a couple of years under Crimson, and while there will be some trauma to overcome, I don't see any of them suffering a breakdown."

I thought to myself how nice it was to have a psychiatrist as a wife. Well, most of the time, except when she analyzed me. "I also confirmed what Sarah told you; Riley has used drugs extensively. At first, Russell used her addiction to keep her under control, but weaned her off over the time she spent with him. I can see no lingering evidence of drug use, but I'll do some bloodwork and give her a screening. All of them should get a full evaluation, and I also think counseling would be a good idea."

"You do what you think is necessary." I thought about it for a moment before adding, "Do you really think, after going through what she did with her mother, that Riley won't see me as just another man using them?"

"Maybe." Penny admitted. "However, given what she's been through, it may not be a big deal to see her mother engaged in sex with you. I assume you will include Riley in that as well?"

"I don't know." Riley was a younger version of her mother, and just as beautiful. What man wouldn't want that?

"Yes, you do," Katia joked, laughing. "You're just trying to figure out how to do it. I can see the wheels turning."

"You're right," I admitted, smiling. "What I don't want is to cause her or Sarah to have a mental breakdown. I need to know that they're stable enough to be my caretakers together. Even if I decided not to use them for sex here, we will inevitably be in situations where that will be necessary to maintain my reputation. I can see that Sarah likes me, so sex with her isn't a problem. I don't see that breaking her. It's sex with her while Riley is present, or sex with Riley while Sarah is present, that I'm worried about."