He counted to ten and then headed off to explore the city. Anthony had to console himself that at least he managed to keep the pervert away from those two boys, and also to put him on notice that people are watching. It would have to be enough for now. But if luck would favor him with another meeting in future, he wouldn’t be so nice.
Six blocks over, Peter Knudson entered his office and sat down at his desk. Do-gooders. They are always so self-righteous and interfering, he thought. Who is that man to judge me? Every man has his dark side, his inner diatribe continued. The difference, however, is that I embrace mine while men like the one standing on the dock deny theirs. So be it. Deny yourself while I indulge and squeeze every ounce of enjoyment from my predilections. Let those do-gooders sit in self-righteous judgment while living miserable lives of self-denial while evil old fucks like me smile, licking our fingers of each and every drop of sweetness taken from innocence.
Grinning to himself, Peter pulled out his cellular and fired off a message to Paul.
She is not the one I asked you to secure. Since you’ve already offered her employment, I’ll give her a probationary period. But as you’ve failed in the initial task, you’ve forfeited full payment for the job. Return home.
He then reached over, picked up his desk phone and hit the intercom button. “Daniel, call Aleks Gruber and tell him I require him at my office in one hour. I have a job for him.”
“Yes, sir.” Daniel hung up, wondering what in the world his boss was up to now. Aleks Gruber was not someone anyone would want to be associated with unless involved in criminal activity. The man was the type any sane person avoided on the street by walking in a wide circle around him and praying not to meet up with him in a dark alley. Daniel knew he had spent some time in prison. Gruber was covered in prison tats and sported a Mohawk. Visible on the shaved sides of his head were swastikas and other neo-Nazi insignia. Daniel knew, also, that Gruber was the man Peter Knudson sent to lure and secure many of his working girls. His face showing distaste at the task, he pulled out the number on file for the thug and dialed. He answered on the second ring. Daniel relayed the message.
Looking up, he caught Greta’s eye. Greta handled all the bureaucratic paperwork on the working girls. She had a tougher shell than Daniel, but she wasn’t without compassion or sense. She knew that Knudson skirted the law, and she also knew how he treated the women in his employ, herself included, but not to the same degree since Peter needed her expertise to handle all the legalities for his business. She shook her head in the negative, acknowledging Daniel’s wordless message warning that the thug was coming in soon.
Greta had been in Knudson’s employ almost from the beginning. She knew more about their boss than anyone, and once intimated that his sexual preferences ran to the sickest side of human behavior—young boys. She even hinted that he’d victimized his own nephew, Paul. No one ever filed charges against him, however, so there was no proof that this was true, but Daniel somehow didn’t doubt it. His boss gave him the creeps. Sometimes, Knudson invaded his personal space in a manner that made him very uncomfortable and having him that close set off every alarm bell inside of him. Instinct. He was a firm believer in trusting it.
He also noted on each occasion when Paul had come to the office, which amounted to only four times in the three years Daniel had worked here, that the good-looking man seemed reticent, as if entering the building was completely distasteful to him. But it was the hint of fear in his eyes that struck Daniel and tore at his heart. He thought Paul was the most beautiful man he’d ever seen, and although he knew Paul was not gay, he still longed to hold him, shower him with love. Greta spoiled him, and she seemed the only one Paul was ever happy to see on those few occasions he’d come in. He was polite to Daniel, but Daniel didn’t get the big hugs Greta received from the gorgeous nephew. He treated her flirtatiously, and yet also with the same kind of affection a son would show to his mother.
Greta said she’d known Paul since he was twelve. By then, the damage to the boy had been done. It stunned Daniel that the woman could continue to work for Knudson if she knew this was the kind of man he really was. He’d asked her once why she hadn’t quit and found employment elsewhere. She responded that she’d put in too much time, invested too much into the business to give it up because of that monster. She said she was the only real buffer the girls had against Knudson. This was true as Daniel knew Greta had helped more than one working girl get her passport back and escape their boss’s clutches when things got really bad. On those occasions, Knudson railed at Greta, threatening violence for which she would calmly respond with a practiced line. “I know everything about you, Peter. I have documentation of all your nefarious dealings filed away, and if you make a single move to harm me, or send anyone to harm me, those documents will be released to authorities. You’ll spend your life in a jail cell.”
The mere threat of prison, of being locked away always forced the monster back inside his cage. As he noted earlier, Greta possessed a tough shell. He could take a page from her book and add it to his own by working on growing a thicker skin, but Daniel just wasn’t the type. He felt everyone’s pain. Too much heart. It made him a very loyal friend, even a loyal employee despite the fact he didn’t like his employer. In this business, there had to be some good guys to help counter the bad ones like Knudson. When Yeline found herself on the receiving end of their boss’s wrath, Daniel and Greta stepped in to help. He understood why Greta stayed, even if he still thought they both would be better off elsewhere.
So they continued with work, waiting for Gruber to arrive. Whatever Peter Knudson wanted with the man, it would not be good. Daniel worried for Yeline, who still continued to refuse unsavory clients, albeit less often now. He and Greta did all they could to conceal this from Knudson, hoping to get the girl out of the country soon and working in a new career field, one that didn’t involve prostitution. But having Gruber called in could mean bad things for the Ukrainian woman. The clock on the wall ticked by at an excruciatingly slow pace as both Daniel and Greta contemplated what was going on and whether they would need to act quickly to save one more Red Light District casualty.
Chapter Seventeen
PAUL’S MOBILE VIBRATED in his pocket as he sat enjoying lunch with Elsa, Sarah, and young Anno. He was laughing at a terribly bad joke told by Anno as he pulled it out.
“A Roman walks into a bar and holds up two fingers. How many beers did he order?” He looked from his sister to Sarah, and then at Paul.
“It’s a trick question. Two, of course!” His sister said this as she waited, knowing it was probably the wrong answer.
“Wait, is he in Germany or Rome,” asked Paul, laughing.
“What difference does that make,” asked Anno, irritated that they weren’t taking him seriously and answering the question.
“Well, if he’s in Germany, it would depend on which two fingers he was holding up. Are any of them the thumb or no?” Paul struggled not to laugh.
“Oh, that’s right,” said Sarah. “I remember someone told me that the thumb counts as number one, and then the rest of the fingers are two, three, four, and five, but if a person holds up the second and third finger, it would be three, not two. That’s how native Germans peg American tourists at bars!” She clapped her hands together looking at Anno. “So, which two fingers is the Roman holding up?”
Anno rolled his eyes and put his hands over his face. “Not you, too, Sarah. You guys really know how to spoil a joke.” He sighed.
“Aw, come on. What’s the answer already!” His sister kicked him under the table.
“Five. Five beers. You know, you hold up two fingers in the shape of a V and it makes a Roman numeral five.” Anno held up his fingers to demonstrate.
Sarah and Paul started laughing. Elsa shook her head while wagging her fingers at her little brother. “You’re a real comedian, Johann.”
“You suck, Elsa.” Anno tried to stay mad, but seeing everyone laughing around him made that imp
ossible, and a smile broke out across his face as he succumbed to the moment.
Paul finally looked down at his phone and saw he had a message from his uncle. He opened it.
She is not the one I asked you to secure. Since you’ve already offered her employment, I’ll give her a probationary period. But as you’ve failed in the initial task, you’ve forfeited full payment for the job. Return home.
Paul saw red. Rotten bastard. Damned if I’ll let him have Nadia now. He decided he would call Nadia after lunch and explain that the offer had been rescinded. It was a lie of sorts, but it would protect her from Uncle Peter, and what would surely be his wrath if she went to Holland. Return home, indeed. He would not be ordered around like a child. Peter did not have that kind of hold over him anymore, and he knew it. He would stay and continue to enjoy himself on his uncle’s dime another day or two. After all, he still planned to pursue Sarah. He did have the first half of the money, so he wasn’t worried about funds. The hotel was on his uncle’s credit card, so the bastard is stuck with that bill. He also had his airline ticket and could simply change the return date by calling Lufthansa. Fuck you, old man. No new dominatrix for you, and you will absolutely not get your hands on this boy.
“Is something wrong, Paul,” Sarah asked, concern in her voice. Elsa also appeared worried by the expression on his face. Paul quickly replaced his frown with a smile. He began to lay the groundwork for his lie.
“No, no. Well, it’s just that my uncle has texted me that he no longer needs to fill that position in his business, and I’m left with the unpleasant task of breaking it to Nadia.” He looked both upset and worried.
Elsa reached out and put her hand on his arm. “No worries, Paul. Nadia is fine right here where she is. I’ll help you tell her if you like.” And with that, Paul knew that this, at least, would be all right. Nadia hadn’t yet quit her job or made any irreversible changes or decisions. However, there would certainly be hell to pay when he arrived back home. He knew it just as surely as he knew the sun would rise. It might get ugly—very, very ugly. Still, Paul had no clue how bad the situation had become, and as he sat in Oma’s enjoying the company around him, his uncle was busy making plans of his own.
Paul regretfully excused himself after their lunch was over. Paying the tab as promised, he set out to see Nadia and deliver the news in person. “It’s the least I can do after having lifted her hopes about the job,” he told Elsa. “I appreciate you offering to come with me, but you should stay with Sarah and Anno. Have fun. Show Sarah some sights.” He turned and shook Anno’s hand.
“Very nice to meet you, young Anno. I leave the women in your capable hands. Look out for them.”
Anno’s chest puffed out a bit at this. He decided Paul wasn’t so bad after all.
Paul turned focusing on Sarah, taking her hands in his, and kissing her on both cheeks, lingering just a little longer than necessary. “Sarah, it has been such a pleasure meeting you again. Perhaps I can entice you to share dinner with me before I leave? Tomorrow?”
Sarah blushed. After spending a few hours in his company, she concluded he was a nice man, and not some crazy, stalker pervert. “That would be nice.”
“Where are you staying? I can pick you up at six.”
“The Holiday Inn Express, the one on Stressemannstraße.” He continued to hold her hands while she answered him. His gaze said he was checking her out. Sarah considered the possibility of Paul sexually, but she had some doubts, a nagging hesitation. Damnit. A perfectly gorgeous man is asking me on a date, and I’m thinking about someone else. She wanted to kick herself.
“Very good. I’ll pick you up there.” He lifted her hands, kissing her fingers before releasing them and stepping back. He waved at everyone as he headed off to hail a taxi.
“Well, well, Sarah. Conquering hearts, are you?” Elsa dug her elbow into Sarah’s side in a teasing manner.
“What? It’s just dinner,” she answered.
“Are you really going out with him? He’s just trying to get you into bed, Sarah.” Anno looked so forlorn, and so serious that Sarah smothered the laugh that threatened to bubble up.
She reached out and hugged him. “You’re so sweet to worry about me. Don’t, though. I won’t let him have his way with me, I promise.” And she meant it. In that moment, she knew she wouldn’t do anything with Paul other than eat dinner tomorrow night.
“Seriously, Sarah. You’re too good for him.” He changed his mind about Paul again as he hugged her back. Elsa put her arm around both of them. Sarah smiled, feeling a sense of family for the first time in a long time. She was falling in love on her crazy jaunt around Europe, it just wasn’t the kind of love she expected. Turns out, it was better. It was the kind of love for friends who were beginning to mean the world to her. Okay, maybe you don’t have girl-on-girl sex with your friend, usually, but hey, what are friends for, right?
She turned to look at Elsa. “I got a text from him this morning.”
“Who? No! Him? Barcelona? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? What did he say?” Anno stepped around to Sarah’s right side while Elsa linked arms with her on the left. Together, they walked to Elsa’s car, chatting away about Anthony’s surprise message.
“You have to help me figure out what to do. Should I ignore it or write him back? If I write him back, what do I say?” They climbed into the car.
“Hmmn. Well, first of all, he has some explaining to do.” Elsa started the car and pulled out into traffic.
“And who is this guy?” Anno sat forward in the backseat and gave Sarah the eye.
“Sarah loves him.” Elsa supplied the information.
Sarah’s eyes popped. “I do not love him, Elsa! I just like him a lot.” Elsa smirked, and Anno blew out a frustrated breath.
“How many guys do you have? Honestly, how are we going to work out as a couple if you have guys all over the place?” Anno’s eyes were serious, but there was a tell-tale tug at the corner of his lips.
“I’m so sorry, Anno. I promise, no more guys. Just this one, and he left me, so I suspect you have absolutely no competition, and I’ll patiently wait for you to grow up and take me on a real date.” Her speech was solemn, but her eyes danced with mirth.
“That’s better. And you won’t have to wait long. My birthday is coming up next month.”
“But you’ll only be fifteen, little brother! I’d say waiting another three years is quite a stretch.” Elsa pointed out the obvious.
“Don’t ruin this for me, El. If she says she’ll wait, then I’m holding her to it.” Anno put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Sarah burst out laughing.
“So, he wrote you after leaving you? What did he say?” Anno grew serious with this question.
“He said he misses her. Can you believe it? After he just up and left without a goodbye.” Elsa explained.
“Well, we men are kind of stupid sometimes, Sarah. We do dumb shit, especially around beautiful girls.” His expression was pure honesty.
“Oh, sweetie. Thank you. You know, I don’t really have any experience in this department. It’s kind of all new to me, so I’m not really sure what I should do. I do like him, but I wasn’t looking for a relationship, of any kind, when I set out on this adventure. Yet here I am faced with one and finding and making great friends with you and Elsa.” Sarah turned in her seat so she could more easily address them both.
Elsa reached over and covered Sarah’s hand with her own. “And we are friends, Sarah. You feel like family already.”
“So, what should I do?” Sarah looked at her.
“We’ll put our heads together and figure it out. No worries. You know, it will all really depend on what you want to happen. So, take a little time to decide whether or not you want to see Herr Barcelona again. If so, it shouldn’t be too hard since it seems he wants to see you too. If not, then simply don’t answer him back. He’ll get the hint.” Elsa pulled off the main road onto the side street near her building and began looking for a pa
rking place.
“In the meantime,” she said, “we’ll park the car, and take the tube downtown for a little sight-seeing, okay?”
“Okay!” It was a good plan, and Sarah was in good company with her new friends. As they parked and exited the Peugeot, she asked herself, do I really want to see Anthony again? Will he just leave again, or will it maybe pan out to something more, something stronger? And then she thought, of course I want to see him. I miss him too.
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