Chapter 22
Dean
There’s a mood of darkness that enters the condo with Sophia.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, but it’s like she doesn’t even hear me. I step closer to her, reaching out to touch her.
“Don’t touch me,” she snaps back.
“Sophia, what’s going on?”
She stares at me, like daggers shooting out of her eyes right at me. “Maddox Securities? That’s you, right?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Right, so?”
“So, you’re the reason so many of us women were sold into slavery, Dean. You’re the reason I’ll never see my family again.” Tears flood her eyes.
“Whoa, what are you talking about?”
“Your company helped Bishop ship us on shipping containers.”
My mind goes into overdrive. Like a short-circuit. It can’t be true.
Every man has lines he never crosses. Yeah, even a man like me.
Yes, back in the past, before Bishop was evil, I did a few odd jobs for him, but I don’t remember selling women into sex slavery being on that list of things I did. “No, that’s not right. I’d never take part in anything like that.”
“But you did.”
I reach out to her, trying to touch her, comfort her in some way. She backs up from me, and her face shows her disgust in me. “Sophia, you know me. You know I’d never…” my words fail me when it dawns on me that I do remember shipping containers from Europe over to America for Bishop. It was years ago, and he never said what was in the containers, and I never asked. That’s how I did my business. People do illegal things, and honestly, I never thought it could be anything this horrible.
“I don’t know you. I could never know a man who would do such awful things.”
I reach out again. “I had no idea, trust me. We were importing wine and olive oil.”
“What kind of man doesn’t ask? Didn’t you check the goods? You ruined my life.”
“Sophia, believe me. I didn’t know,” I tell her, but it’s like she’s no longer listening to me.
She brushes past me, into the back bedroom. “I have to go.” She packs up a few of her things.
“Don’t leave, baby. Together we can find this fucker and make him pay.”
Sophia stops packing and stares at me. “That’s exactly what I plan on doing.” And then she walks out of my condo.
I want to chase after her, but she’s right. In the beginning of my career, I didn’t care if people did illegal things. I hid them and kept them safe, not thinking about the millions of lives they must ruin. And even now, I still protect these men who hurt others to make a fortune. Sophia’s right, what kind of man am I?
She leaves and I don’t chase after her, but every cell in my body screams at me to run, not walk, out this door and find her and make her understand.
I’ve never thought about the illegal activities my clients do. I head toward my office, looking for the file of Bishop’s job years ago with the shipping containers. I look over invoices, files, trying my best to figure out where the containers were dropped off. Who signed? Who picked up the contents inside?
I check my files, continuing to rake through every piece of paperwork I have on that job. I search for other jobs as well until the sun goes down and I’ve forgotten what time it is.
The names on the pages blur together, and I try to make sense of what I’m looking at. If Bishop is selling sex slaves, then what is he doing with them? Someone is buying them, right?
I grab another piece of paper, scanning the contents for anything that can help me find out what the fuck is going on.
And then I see the name scrawled at the bottom there.
Fuck.
I grab my phone, checking the time to make sure it’s not too late in the night to put in a call to Humphrey.
I call him, waiting for him to answer.
“Dean Maddox, how are you? I was expecting to see you and your wife here tonight.”
“She’s not feeling so well tonight,” I tell him. “But I was calling about that business opportunity you had discussed the other night.”
“Yes, sure. Come down to the club and we can talk things through.”
“I’ll be right there.”
The whole drive to the club I wonder if I should call Sophia, tell her what I’ve found out, let her know where I’m heading. To see where she is.
I hope she hasn’t gone to find Eddie.
I step on the gas, driving the Range Rover faster to get to Humphrey’s club. I need information.
Even if I never see Sophia again, I owe her this much.
The thought of never seeing Sophia ever again weighs heavily on my heart. In such a short amount of time, she’s become everything to me.
My world.
I think about the last time we were together intimately. The way she gazed into my eyes. The way she felt against my skin. Her body pliant for me to touch. I’ve fallen for her, and there’s no mistaking how I feel about her.
Yes, I need to do this for her. I need her to know that I would have never shipped her off to America, or anyone had I known. But not only known, had I cared enough to ask questions.
I can no longer pretend I don’t know my clients do illegal things. I guess I’ve been a little naive, thinking the worst things they can be into is drug smuggling businesses. The Four Families are a front for gambling and drugs. I never think about the logistics of what they actually do and how it affects others. I guess I’ve never really cared before.
But now I do.
Sophia has made me realize I need to pay attention.
When I pull up to Humphrey’s club, it’s already packed with people. I remember not too long ago when Sophia and I were showing up here for the very first time. It feels like forever ago. I smile at security as I step past the line of people waiting to get in.
Humphrey is by the door, smiling, greeting his guests as they walk through the door. When he sees me, his smile vanishes, and he goes into business mode. “Dean, right this way.” He ushers me into a room near the entrance. “I figured we could speak in here about things.”
I shake his hand. “Sure thing.”
He motions to a chair for me to have a seat. “I assure you my main priority is secrecy, and I would guess a man with a security company would understand this.”
I nod. “Certainly.”
“I’m in the market for a few things. I like to acquire property that’s… special .
“I’m listening.”
He smiles like this very action pleases him. He’s not the type of man who is used to being told no. “Most times these items aren’t exactly legal.”
I stare at him pointedly. “Why don’t you just give it to me straight. I’m used to cutting the corners of the law.”
He laughs a little. “Women. Sex slaves, to be exact. I acquire them for my customers who don’t have a partner. I acquire them for the men who want a little something extra.”
My eyes widen. Bingo. Bishop’s been selling the sex slaves to Humphrey all along. “Extra?”
He waves a hand. “You know, a woman who will do whatever they want.”
I nod. “Yes, I do.”
“I used to have a man who would help me gain these assets. For years he’d help, but now he’s gone off the grid, engulfed in his own little plot to take over the world.” He waves his hand again. “So, I need new assistance.”
I shrug a little. “I wouldn’t know the first place to look for women like that.”
Humphrey laughs, peeling back the lapel of his suit jacket and producing a cigar. “Smoke?” He offers the cigar to me. I shake my head and he spins it around in his hand. “I can find the women. I just need someone to protect my property while they’re in the club.”
“You need security.” It’s all making sense. Whatever deal he’s had before with these women and the men who use them nightly has changed, and he’s looking for more security to either keep the ladies in line, or to hide what the men are doing to these women better. I’m hoping it’s not the latter.
“Yes, some of the men feel their privacy could be encroached on and they’d like to do as they please with some of the women.” He pulls a cigar cutter from his pants pocket. “I just need a new operation. I feel like mine is crumbling.”
My ears perk up a bit. “Why’s that?”
He shrugs, lighting his cigar after clipping the tip. “There’s been a shift in management.”
I smile. “That’s never good.” I want to get more into what exactly he means. I know Bishop was supplying him with women, and now Bishop is on his mission to take down the Four Families, so I’m wondering who the management is.
“It’s time for a change.”
I nod, agreeing with him as he puffs away on his cigar, the cloud of smoke encompassing the room. “Who used to run things?”
He laughs. “You know him. Eddie Gallo has been working for me for years.”
I should have known.
Fuck.
“Ah, and he’s not in the business now?”
Humphrey shakes his head. “He was getting a little too rough with the merchandise.”
Acid churns in my gut at the mention of this. Just knowing what Humphrey does makes me want to punch him, but I know I can’t let my rage take hold of me. “I see.”
“Would you like a tour?” Humphrey smiles, standing from his seat, stamping the cigar out in a glass ashtray on the table. “Follow me.”
I rise from my seat, following him back out into the club.
“Well, look who’s here.” Humphrey points across the room and my heart drops.
Sophia stands in a little black dress, hanging on the arm of Eddie Gallo. My heart jumps into my throat and I try to settle the acid in my stomach. I want to kill Eddie, and knowing he likes it rough with the sex slaves makes me fear for Sophia.
“I should say hello.” I cross the room, no longer caring that I’ve left Humphrey standing there. I don’t stop walking until Sophia is standing right in front of me. “Well, hey there, darling.”
Her eyes register her shock. “Dean, um, what are you doing here?”
I laugh a little. “I could ask you the same thing.”
She laughs, like this is all so very normal. “Eddie called and wanted to meet up, so I rushed right over.”
Eddie stares at me, like I’m encroaching on his woman. It makes me growl a little.
“How very thoughtful of you,” I tell Sophia. Jealousy runs through my system at warp speeds, and I try to mask my reaction at seeing her here with him.
“Remember, we discussed me playing alone tonight and telling you all about it later,” Sophia says.
I push my hands in my pockets so I don’t punch the ever loving shit out of Eddie. “I thought about it again, and I fucking hate that idea.”
Sophia’s eyes widen. “Well, it’s not really up for discussion.”
“Oh, I think it is.”
Eddie places a hand on my arm. “The lady said she doesn’t want to talk about it.”
I glance down at where Eddie’s hand wraps around my bicep. “Mind taking your hand off me?”
Sophia laughs. “Come on, Eddie. Let’s head off to a private room.” Together they walk away, and Sophia glances over her shoulder at me.