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  Regina bit her lower lip. Obviously, this guy called her for some reason. She shuddered to think what that reason was. “So, am I wasting my time here?” She looked at the two men. Yuri didn’t look at her, but Carl smiled.

  He made a steeple with his hands. “I’m looking to expand my stable a bit. I cater to a clientele that has very particular tastes. Very singular tastes. I’m sure that you know what they are – Sergei has explained to you the people that I manage here. All my girls are of a certain age group. They’re all clean, they’re checked every single day, and they all have a certain je ne sais quoi. The clientele I attract are some of the most wealthy and powerful men in the world. They know that I’m discreet, they know that I can provide them with what they hunger for, and they pay very good money for the privilege of accessing the girls that I procure.”

  The way he was talking, it all seemed so… sterile. She knew the reality of the situation, and that was that he was trafficking very young girls. She wondered exactly who he was talking about when he said that he was catering to some of the most wealthy and powerful people in the world.

  He continued on. “My clientele range from high-level politicians, to heads of industry, to famous actors and celebrities, to high-level athletes. You have to understand, the membership at this club starts at $50,000 per month. Only the singular gentlemen with singular tastes would be interested in this arrangement. The memberships run year-to-year, and some members take advantage of the lovely ladies on a weekly basis, and others come a few times a year. Everybody leaves satisfied, however, of that I can assure you.”

  “When you say high-level politicians, who exactly are you talking about?”

  “Heads of state. Both former and current. We’ve hosted quite a few prime ministers from overseas. When they come to visit the United States, this is a destination for them. In the United States, we typically see senators, governors, both current and former. My girls do need somebody who can guide them in the ways of the upper crust. We have a doyenne who works with the girls, works with them on their manners, ways of speaking, the words that they are supposed to use with high-level individuals. She’s very good. She lives here, as well. The girls who service my clientele, they live in the guesthouse that is on the grounds. There are about 20 girls who stay here at any given time.”

  She took a deep breath. She had a feeling that this entire thing was over her head. While she intellectually knew that this ring was catering to high profile individuals, she did not imagine that the kinds of people who would be taking part of this sick charade were individuals who were at the highest level of government. It was going be very difficult to take this ring down, to say the very least.

  A thought crossed her mind. Becky was murdered some 20 years ago. She was a part of this ring. What if she was murdered because she was going to tell somebody about what was going on? What if that’s what they did to any girls who tried to get out of line? If that was the case, who would ensure her own safety, let alone the safety of the girls who she would try to persuade to be used for her own case? Would she be endangering the lives of the girls who she would try to talk into being a part of the lawsuit that she and Avery were planning? Would she be endangering her own life?

  She felt a little nauseated, but at the same time, she was just going to have to feel her way around. She was going to have to come up with a foolproof plan, nothing half-assed here. “Okay. So, you were saying?”

  “Yes. I was saying I was looking to expand my appeal. Now, as I said, I have a very singular operation here. I would say that there is no other operation like mine in the world, but I would be lying. There are other ones, all top-secret, mainly in different countries, but there is one other one in the United States. In Florida. Obviously, I do not offer women who can be procured at any high class hotel in any big city. My girls are young, very young. But, I do get many requests from men who want to take part in my services, they want to share in the fun that a party at this home can bring, but they don’t necessarily want to take part in the usual fare. They want a woman who’s a bit older, sophisticated, and stunningly gorgeous. Sergei surreptitiously took a picture of you with a cell phone, and I knew that you would fit the bill beautifully. He also told me that you have experience. So, I would like you to be a part of my stable here.”

  Stable. Stable is a place where you keep animals. That is all these girls are to him. Animals. Chattel. Property. They’re to be used and discarded, like yesterday’s trash.

  Regina sat up higher in a chair. She took a deep breath. She was going to have to accept this position, and she was going to have to do what this guy wanted her to do. At least, until she could figure out her way around this place, until she could figure out how she was going to get at least five of the girls on her side. That was going to be an impossible task.

  She finally just shook her head. “I’m very sorry, but I’m going have to decline your invitation. I might have been a hooker in my prior life, but I’m not anymore. However, I do need money, I won’t lie. However, I guess I’m going to have to look in a different place for what I need.”

  She had a feeling that he was going to call her bluff. It was obvious that this guy wanted her, in more ways than one. She felt the kind of power over him, she could feel that she was drawing him in. She could never understand exactly what it was about men that they so thought with their pecker, but this guy obviously was at the moment.

  “Okay. Perhaps we could do this. We need a hostess for our parties. As I said, the girls I have around this compound are very young. Many of them don’t really know how to socialize on the high-level that I command. As I told you before, we have a doyenne working with them, but the men who attend these parties sometimes need a little more of an adult stimulation. I would like you to join my elite group. You would not have to actually offer sexual favors to the men who attended my parties, but I would like for you to be here at the parties. Mingle. Talk to the men, give them some kind of adult conversation that they won’t be getting from the younger girls who will be servicing them later. Would you be interested in something like that?”

  Regina felt an inward sigh of relief. “Yes. I would like to do something like that. Although, I have a feeling it won’t be paying as much as if I were to sexually satisfy your guests.”

  “You’re right about that, of course. I could certainly get top dollar for you if you were to actually give my men the services that they would desire from you. But, I do want you on my team. I can pay you $1,000 per week, and all you have to do is show up at my parties five evenings a week. You can even work your regular job.” He smiled. “Thank of this as a part-time gig. A side hustle, as it were.”

  Regina nodded her head. That sounded good to her. A side hustle. Interesting choice of words for being the maitre d’ of a pedophilia ring. “When do I start?” Regina asked.

  “Tonight would be fine.” He raised an eyebrow. “You were prepared to start right away, were you not?”

  “Yes.” Regina was mentally rubbing her hands together. “That would be fine.”

  She shook hands with the two men, and then promptly got up and left, after Carl informed her that she was to be back at his palace at 8 PM sharp. Apparently, this was a party that was going to get started late, because sometimes the parties would start early, at around 5 or 6, and would end early as well. Those earlier parties took place when Carl would have to be up early to catch a flight to Japan or Europe or Australia. This was not the case, so Carl scheduled this party to go on late into the night.

  Regina stopped by the pool area before leaving for the day. She had investigations to do for a variety of attorneys, and she had to meet with Avery to tell her about her new position.

  While she was out there, she saw a young guy sitting out by the pool already. He was sitting on a lounge chair, his eyes covered with reflective sunglasses. He had curly hair, bow-shaped lips and the same strong jawline as Carl. His body was lean, buff and tan. He smiled as she walked next to the beautiful kidney-
shaped pool and 15 person hot tub that bubbled in the corner.

  “Nice, huh?” the guy said with a smile.

  “Yeah,” Regina said. She was thinking it was a nice place, as far as the physical beauty of the spot. Undeniably. In the middle of a pool was a bar where you could swim up to and get cocktails to drink while you floated along. There was even a bartender there, at the ready, even though nobody was around to keep the guy busy. Nobody but this kid, whoever he was. As beautiful as this place was, however, she felt that it was tainted. Tainted by the degradation this place represented.

  The kid lifted his glasses, and Regina realized that he wasn’t a kid at all. Rather, he was around her age. She must have just assumed that he was a kid, because he was lounging around the pool in the middle of the day instead of, you know, working a job like the rest of the world.

  He stood up and shook her hand, a towering figure with a firm handshake. “I’m Jurgen Williams,” he said. “Carl’s son.”

  “Regina Baldwin,” she said. “I’m, uh, going to be working for your dad.” It suddenly made sense about why it was this guy was lounging around the pool on a Tuesday afternoon. He probably didn’t have a job. He probably just lived off of his daddy’s money. He looked like a rich trust fund baby who didn’t know the meaning of an honest day’s work.

  “Oh?” he said, suddenly frowning. “What are you going to be doing for him?”

  “I guess I’m going to be a hostess with the mostest for awhile. You know, walk around the parties, fluffing the old dudes before they get down and dirty with…” Regina didn’t want to say it. She saw in Jurgen’s eyes that he knew what she was unable to say. Which meant that he knew about his father’s “side hustle.” As far as Regina was concerned, that was all she needed to know about Jurgen. Anybody who would stand idly by while all this was going on was not a person who Regina wanted to know.

  “Yeah,” Jurgen said, bowing his head. “I guess I don’t really want to know. I was thinking that you were going to be working for his legitimate business. That’s actually what I do. I work for his hedge fund business.”

  “Oh? And what are you doing here, lounging around on a Tuesday afternoon?” Regina asked.

  “I have a meeting with my father in an hour. I was actually about to get into the shower before meeting with him. Then you showed up, and, well, I’m talking to you. But I have to get going. My dad gets mad when I’m even a little bit late.”

  He smiled, and Regina, in spite of herself, smiled back. “Your dad. What he does here. What do you think about that?” Regina asked, suddenly getting a kernel of an idea.

  His smile disappeared. “I compartmentalize,” he said. “I can’t even think about all of that. If I did, I would probably try to kill my old man. So, I try not to think about what goes on here.”

  Regina didn’t know if she could believe him or not. He certainly did seem to be sincere, but, at the same time, there was something that was just a little off about him.

  She looked around at the statues in the corner of the pool area, the Bougainvillea flowers that grew in hedges to make the entire area much more private, at the little tiki bar in the middle of the pool that had a bartender just waiting to take orders, and she pictured the parties she was going to be hosting. She imagined the flabby old men leering at the nubile young girls, who no doubt were disgusted by the men, but, nonetheless knew that they had to do what they had to do with these old coots. She was going to be a part of this life, starting that evening, but, with any luck, she would get out soon.

  “So yeah, what do you do? When you know about what your father does with these girls?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “What can I do? I mean, seriously, I’m sure I’m not the first guy who is disgusted by his father, and I know I won’t be the last. Father employs me, and he pays me very well.”

  So this is the guy who can be bought. Regina had little respect for people who were blackmailed into doing horrendous things. She had no respect for people who were bribed to do these things.

  “So, you have a nice life,” Regina said. I hope that you can look at yourself in the mirror every day.

  Jurgen looked askance at Regina. “If I didn’t know better, I would think that you were judging me.” He folded his arms. “You are. You are judging me.”

  Regina finally took a deep breath. It was not in her interest to let this guy know what her game was. “Who am I to be judging anybody? After all, I’m going to start working for the bastard, starting tonight.”

  Jurgen just smiled at her. “Why do I think that you have some kind of ulterior motive? If you do, your secret is safe with me.”

  Regina did not trust him, although she had a good feeling that he might be somebody that would be useful to her in the future. She was going to have to get to know the guy, maybe put him in her back pocket. He was the ultimate insider.

  Then again, if he had not been turned by now, maybe he never would be.

  Chapter 4

  That evening, Regina showed back up at the compound. A party was in full swing, and she just observed everything. She was very careful that when Carl would come out to the pool area, which was where the party was going, she would actively pretend that she was doing her hostess duties. She would start talking to the men, most of whom were over the age of 60, with flabby middles and sunken chests, but, whenever Carl was not around, she would take a seat on the edge of the pool area and just watch everybody.

  She was going to have to make friends with the girls, and see who was the weak link of the bunch. Who was the one who would be most likely to turn on this whole entire organization. The girls no doubt had different motivations for doing what they were doing. All of them were being exploited, but, at the same time, she knew that mentally, these girls had reasons for being there. Maybe some of them had issues with self-esteem, maybe some of them had family issues, maybe some had families who were in dire straits financially. She would imagine that most of the girls were runaways, so they were like she was at one time – they needed someone to take care of them, and Carl promised just that for them. Maybe some of them were looking to be part of a family, and since the girls were living dormitory-style in Carl’s guesthouse, they probably were a support system for one another. For now, however, she was just observing.

  She did notice one person who was different from all the others. He was a tall, slender man, with sandy blonde hair that was styled in a slight pompadour on top. He was not in a swimming suit, even though he was next to the pool. Rather, he was dressed in a light pink button-down that was open, a white T-shirt under that, baggy khaki pants and leather boots. He wasn’t drinking alcohol. And, like her, he seemed to just be observing the scene.

  Regina was curious about this guy. He was definitely a man who was set apart from the others. The other men were frolicking in the pool, hitting on all the girls, and, much to Regina’s disgust, all of the other men at this party disappeared with one girl after another for hours at a time. But not this guy. He was just casually sitting in his lounge chair, taking everything in.

  She caught his eye, and he lifted up his cup of water towards her and nodded his head. She just smiled, and looked away.

  The house mother who was living there and looking after the girls was named Jacqueline Price. She was about 35 years old, and, from what Regina understood from her, she had been in the business for her entire life. She had worked in underground clubs like the Ivanov club. But, she had explained to Regina that she had aged out of these clubs, and now she did this job. She saw it as grooming the younger generation. Regina thought that that was a sick way of looking at it, but she was not going to let on that she was thinking that. She figured that Jacqueline might be valuable to her, as far as being the one who could confide in her about the girls and what they might be going through.

  For now, however, Regina had to know about the mysterious man with the sandy blonde hair who appeared to be on the outside of everything.

  Jacqueline was sitting on a lounge ch
air, talking to one girl after another who had come up to her to ask her about this guy or that. She gave each girl an encouraging word before sending them on their way.

  Regina went over to her. “Hey. What’s with that guy over there?” She motioned her head over to the guy who was sitting on the lounge chair, observing everybody.

  Jacqueline shrugged her shoulders. “He’s a looky-loo. Name’s Jackson Eisel.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean that he likes to observe, not play. That’s okay, when he joined up this club, he told Carl that he was more of a voyeur and did not like to actually partake in the same things that everybody else was doing. He pays his dues just like everybody else, so Carl doesn’t mind him.”

  Regina looked over at the guy, and she had her doubts that he was a voyeur. He just didn’t seem the type. “Is he here a lot?” Regina asked.

  “Enough. Why do you ask?”

  “No reason.”

  She was going to have to keep her eye on this guy.

  Chapter 5

  Several weeks went by, and Regina was slowly getting to know the girls in the house. There was Britney, age 14, who was escaping an abusive father. Britney was from New York City, and Regina learned that she had run away from home, and somehow managed to get enough money for a bus ticket out here. She had heard that San Diego was a tropical paradise, and she always loved the beach. She had been homeless for several weeks, because she did not know how to get any kind of social services. She was at a bus station, sleeping, when Jacqueline found her and brought her here. She confided in Regina, telling her that she didn’t like what she was doing, but that she didn’t really see that there was any option for her.

  Her story was fairly typical. Girls at this place came from all over the nation. Most of them were escaping neglectful and abusive situations, just like Britney. Regina heard quite a few tales of girls who were raped by their stepfathers, or their own fathers. One girl, Celeste, told Regina that her own father got her pregnant. She got an abortion, and then she just disappeared onto the streets of Toledo, Ohio. She was found by a man by the name of Oleg Petrenko, and he brought her to San Diego to work for Carl. Regina knew that Oleg Petrenko was a member of the Ivanov clan, and the Ivanovs were working hand in glove with Carl.