I gave the guy the once over. He was a tall, thin, gray-haired, and 60ish with a receding hairline and a ruddy complexion. He looked totally respectable. He was anything but. He handled some shady-as-fuck shit in Thailand and that part of the world for my father. I didn’t know all of what they got up to but we were finding out that Pop had a lot goin’ on that he’d never briefed my brother or me about. He had a small import/export business and it was mostly a front for a lot of imports and exports that weren’t exactly legit and he dabbled in some not-so-legal areas in several countries, too. The good news was that there were off-shore accounts with a lot of dough left to me and my siblings. The bad news? Besides the fact that there were more unsavory businesses and relationships to end slash unload … was the news of what my birthday gift was.
“I don’t know how knowledgeable you are about a certain private resort your father profited and partook from.” He said this cautiously.
“Unfortunately, Stan, it seems that me and my brother were not nearly as knowledgeable as we should have been.”
“How can I reach your brother, by the way? I called his home but the number forwards to your office.”
“He’s on his honeymoon. You can speak to me about anything outstanding regarding my father’s affairs. Do you need something related to Tommy directly?”
“No, I can deal with you.”
“So, that pressing reason you’re here?”
“Right.” He sipped his drink, “We’ll deal with the matter that impacts you the most first. Your, erm, birthday gift. Your father was rather involved with a certain secret exclusive club that involves entertaining men with females, or males if they prefer. Trained entertainment.” He held up air quotes at the word entertainment, “I’m not sure if you’re aware of the association.”
“Trained females?”
“Let’s call a spade a spade, Dario. I’ll stop beating around the bush.”
“Please do.” Like I’ve got all fucking night to play guessing games.
“Your father was part owner in a resort, an extremely exclusive resort. That resort has human assets on site for erm… entertainment, but occasionally pairs men or sometimes women who want trained slaves… to take off-site. Pairs them with the type of slave they desire. Your father partook. He decided to have one of those assets transferred to you before he died. He told me when he arranged it that it was to be a surprise birthday gift for you and that you’d marry her. That transaction is nearly ready. It just needs a few details from you for that order to be completed. This was a big deal for the resort to do. It was only due to Tom’s perceived value to this organization that he was able to acquire this specific asset for you. Perhaps you or your brother should speak to your father’s business partners at this club in order to determine the best way to move forward with the partnership in Tom’s absence.”
“My father arranged a slave for me for my birthday?”
“Yes.”
“My father arranged for me to be given a slave? To keep. To marry.”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t want it.” I shot up to my feet. The conversation I’d had with him about the mail order bride came over me then. No fuckin’ way. I knew that he knew people who profited from human trafficking. I knew nothing about a resort, knew he did a little business linked with that trade, but did not know he was a partner. To order a slave for me when I’d joked about wanting a mail order bride? My father had been getting increasingly irrational in the months before he died. How in a million years could he think I’d been cool with this?
“I’m afraid it’s not as simple as declining the gift.”
“I don’t fuckin’ want it.” I started to pace.
“Dare,” he said, like he knew
me well enough to call me that.
I shook my head, “I’ll need you to facilitate the sale of his shares of that business. Sell them Pop’s shares back and put the money in an offshore account. In fact, detail all of what Pop had goin’ with you so I can arrange for you to follow suit with everything else. I have a lot of shit to sort out locally and don’t have time for overseas businesses to take up my time. I---”
Stan silenced me by taking an orange envelope out of his briefcase and putting it on my coffee table.
When I paused he said, “It’s a complex situation and I think it’s one you need to handle delicately. Not accepting her, in fact not letting the partners think you were well aware of this transaction from the start… it would raise some serious red flags to your father’s partners.” He motioned to the envelope, “This is a tablet and it contains her details. You’ll have an hour to look it over once you turn it on and then all details will be wiped. You turn it on with your fingerprint. Have a look and then sleep on this and call me in the morning. I’m staying at the Renaissance Hotel down the road---”
Now it was my turn to cut him off, “How in the fuck is this programmed with my fingerprint?”
Stan let out a slow breath and looked at me with a careful intensity, “Your father prepared everything, supplied the fingerprint.”
“Fuck, Stan. I need to think.” I walked to the door.
“There is a lot at stake. Your father always spoke highly of your business savvy, Dario. I know you’re in shock but---”
“Yeah, I need to think,” I told him, “Like, now.”
He picked up his briefcase and headed toward the door, “I’ll leave you to it then. I don’t normally get this involved. I know this goes on but I don’t partake. Don’t ask; don’t tell. But your father asked me to handle this transaction personally for him and I firmly believe that if you decline and if you hastily attempt to exit this business you’ll raise some serious red flags with them. These are major players, powerful people, son. Sleep on this.”