SHORT STORY — FICTION — WRITING PROMPT RESPONSE

Legacy Takedown — Part 1

Fiction Short Story — Thriller — Romance

Warnings: Language, Violence.

The following short story deals with the subject matter of slave trafficking, reader discretion is advised.

Danno entered the casino where his father had instructed him to go. Finally, he was being trusted with something big, he knew, though his father had not told him the details. He had merely said to go and retrieve the package and then bring it to him at the business hotel.

Since his father, brother and he had moved to North America, Danno had been left in the dark for much of his father’s affairs, being the youngest son. Now he was in his early thirties, wondering what the hell he was going to do with his life if his brother were to inherit the business. Danno had always wanted to be part of his father’s hotel chain, wanted to learn how his father managed to negotiate so many deals that had made him the billionaire he was today. And yet he just felt something was missing.

He had turned to security and had trained to bodyguard his father as any loyal son would. He had worked hard to show his father that, just like his brother, he was ready to take on more responsibilities with the business.

‘Good evening, Mr. Igoshima,’ a tall burly fellow said, ‘right this way.’

The American led Danno to a door at the back and into an elevator that took them down a few levels. He then led Danno into a backroom where stood two men, armed with repeaters, hovering around a computer. Danno noted the lack of security cameras down on this floor, and an uneasy feeling crept up his spine.

Danno’s escort bowed politely and left the three men alone to confer.

‘Mr. Igoshima,’ one who had a southern accent said, ‘your father told us to expect you.’

‘Yes. I’m here to pick up the package,’ asserted Danno. Though he still had no clue what the package was.

‘Your father will find that she matches all the specifications indicated by him, except for a few details,’ said the other man. He winced. ‘But I assure you, your father will be more than pleased with her.’

Her? Danno wondered. ‘May I see her?’

‘Certainly, Mr. Igoshima.’

The Americans led Danno through another door to a small room where sat a woman, wrists bound behind her, ankles bound, and mouth gagged.

Danno froze, his heart rising to his throat. He balled his hands into fists.

‘What is this?’ he hissed. ‘This is the package?’

The American men winced further. ‘We apologise that she is not as young as the others we provided for him,’ began one of them. Danno clenched his jaw, feeling disgusted at the realisation before him. ‘But I promise she will not disappoint.’

Danno slowly walked to the woman. She looked no more than a few years older than him, perhaps mid-thirties, with dark wavy hair falling below her shoulders; her face was stricken with sweat.

Danno gently removed the gag from her mouth. ‘What is your name?’

‘Aliana,’ she replied.

Danno swallowed, knowing instinctively what he had to do. After years of trying to prove to his father that he was just as worthy as his brother, he now understood what this life meant if he walked down that same road.

‘Aliana,’ breathed Danno, ‘close your eyes for me. Can you do that?’

She nodded and closed her eyes.

Danno whirled on the two men, whipping his gun up, and shot them in quick succession in the chest. They fell dead before they knew what was happening.

Danno spun around to face Aliana. ‘I’m going to get you out of here.’ He quickly unbound her hands and legs. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘No,’ replied Aliana, looking alarmed.

‘Good.’ Danno took her by the hand.

‘Are you not going to bring me to your father?’ asked Aliana. She had a slight accent, Danno reckoned from Mexico. It was lovely.

Danno motioned the two dead men with his gun. ‘I can’t.’ Confusion reflected in Aliana’s eyes. ‘I had no idea what my father was up to. I can’t bring you to him knowing what he does.’

‘There are other girls–I heard them talking about them–all sorts of nationalities, all immigrants.’

Danno felt sick to his stomach. He brought his gun hand up to his mouth, cursing. That’s when he realised this was a test and his father would come after him if he set Aliana free. What would he do with his son who had so readily betrayed him after vying for his approval all his life?

Danno’s hand tightened around Aliana’s as he led her out of the room and through the other chamber. He shot the security guard by the elevator.

Once inside, he turned to Aliana. ‘I’m bringing you to a safehouse.’

‘Won’t your father know about it?’ objected Aliana.

‘No, not that one. That one’s mine.’ His eyes drifted from Aliana’s face to her body and back, meeting her gaze. ‘A beautiful woman like you doesn’t deserve to be taken captive and treated like property.’

A small smile curled on the side of her mouth and Danno’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Didn’t peg the son of a human trafficker for a hero.’

‘Well, I don’t think of myself as a criminal and…’ Danno paused. ‘I’m sorry this has happened to you. I promise I’ll keep you safe. You’ll need to stay at the safehouse until I figure out what to do, what I can do.’ He cursed again. ‘My father is going to be furious. He’s going to kill me…literally.’

‘You really had no idea?’

Danno shook his head. He led Aliana through the casino, making it look like she was his property, acting as his brother had with every date he had. Now he knew how both his father and brother always found such young women to prance around with. He also suspected many of the staff workers, who coincidentally were all female, also of various nationalities, had also been captured and trafficked.

Danno hurried to his car and drove as quickly as he could to the safehouse. Once inside, he finally let out a shaking breath and put his gun down on the bed, hands trembling.

‘You are in shock,’ Aliana remarked.

‘And you’re not?’ demanded Danno, anger and concern swirling inside of him.

‘I’m made of tough stuff.’

Danno walked to her, his hands instinctively going to her arms. ‘Did they hurt you? Touch you? Make you do anything you didn’t want?’

‘They knocked me out good but it’s nothing I can’t handle,’ replied Aliana.

‘You say that as though you weren’t just taken and sold to a billionaire to serve him as his slave!’

Aliana downcast her eyes. ‘You are not at all what I was expecting.’

‘What were you expecting?’ asked Danno, curious.

‘I was expecting to be taken to your father and commanded to do what he wanted of me, maybe be roughed about a bit by the one taking me to him.’

She said it like it was fact and Danno’s kindness was a novelty, which only made his heart go out to her even more. He didn’t know what it was about this woman, perhaps it was the adrenaline of discovering a shockingly disgusting truth that had always been hidden from him, but he could not quell the feeling that this woman was special.

Danno walked over to the computer at the desk and began to frantically type away. Aliana walked over to where he stood above the keyboard, cocking her brow.

‘They mentioned other girls, younger ones, you say?’ began Danno. ‘I need to know how many, for how long, why I never knew before now.’

Aliana let out a small laugh. Danno paused, lifting his head to her quickly. She smiled. ‘Is it not obvious why they never told you before?’ She motioned to him with her hand, then herself, and then the computer. ‘You don’t have the stomach for it.’

‘Nor do I have the heart to see innocent women being taken advantage of and treated so cruelly,’ admitted Danno.

‘They must have known that.’

‘Perhaps.’ Danno returned his attention to the computer. ‘There.’ He pointed at what he’d found.’ ‘Records of other women, young girls, some of them barely adults.’ His stomach rose and he had to clamp down the nauseating feeling again. He swallowed hard. ‘This has been going on for years, decades. Since I was a boy.’ He closed his eyes. ‘And my brother is part of it.’

‘At least you’re not,’ Aliana said gently.

‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now that I know.’ Danno felt overwhelmed with emotion. ‘I want to help them all. I just don’t know how.’ He stared at the screen where it indicated that so many of the girls had been escorted to his father by the young Igoshima heir.

Aliana pointed at the screen. ‘Is that you or your brother?’ she demanded. ‘Because from where I’m standing, it could be you.’ She took a step back from him. Danno’s heart sank at the realisation that he had not earned her trust or what he must look like to her. ‘You pretending with me, or something?’

‘No, I swear.’ Danno walked over to her, pleading. ‘I promise, I had no idea about any of this. Please believe me, Aliana.’ He couldn’t explain why it was important to him for her to believe him, but he just needed her to know he was not that kind of man. ‘I am not that kind of man.’

Aliana glanced at the gun on the bed. ‘Trusting of you to leave that lying around. Bring me here, tell me I can’t leave because it’s too dangerous. Perhaps you want me to yourself.’

‘Not like that,’ Danno blurted. He closed his eyes, turning his head and cursing himself for his candour. ‘That’s not…I realise how that sounds.’

‘So you wouldn’t want to take advantage of me?’ Aliana crossed her arms.

‘I promise. I just want to understand… I don’t want to be like him anymore. All my life I thought I did. With what I just found out, I feel disgusted, sickened,’ Danno disdained. ‘I just want to save all of them. I just don’t know how.’

‘Take me to your father, then.’

‘What?’

‘Take me to your father,’ Aliana repeated. ‘I can help you help them. I’m older, more resourceful.’

‘But my father will force you to-’ Just the thought threatened to make Danno spill the contents of his stomach out.

‘I can take care of myself,’ Aliana assured him. ‘But you want to find the other girls, yes? Free them? There are some half my age on there. Take me to your father. I can be…your woman on the inside.’

Danno walked over to her, suddenly feeling protective. ‘If either of them lay one hand on you,’ he breathed gruffly. He stopped. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know where this is coming from.’

Aliana suppressed a laugh. ‘You’re sweet, you know that? Too sweet for your own good.’ Her eyes met his. ‘I think if we help each other, we can save the other girls.’ She paused. ‘Do you want to stop your father’s criminal activities?’

‘Yes!’ Danno asserted without needing to think about it. ‘I thought I wanted his business but…’

‘Perhaps you can have it and change it, but first let’s find those girls and save them.’

Danno took a moment to think.

‘Are you certain?’ he asked. ‘There’s no going back once I bring you to him.’ Realisation came to him and his heart dropped. ‘I killed those men. What am I supposed to tell him?’

‘Tell him they were roughing me up, they were going to spoil me for him. That as his loyal son, you couldn’t let them do that.’

Danno had to admit, it was a viable plan. The fact that there had been no security cameras played in his favour too. ‘You’re definitely something, you know that?’ he said, admiring her determination.

Aliana smiled, looking like there was a confident woman hiding beneath the torn blouse and tousled hair.

‘All right.’ Danno didn’t like the plan–he hated it–but it was the best they had, and it was what would keep him alive for now, though probably wasn’t the safest for Aliana. Even so, the resolve on her face and in her voice gave him the courage to face whatever was to come next.

Aliana nodded and they headed out of the safehouse. Danno drove to the hotel and when they reached the penthouse, he told his father the fabricated story as Aliana had suggested he do. He had bound her wrists again, loosely, and now unbound them in front of his father.

‘She’s too old,’ his father complained. ‘I can’t believe they thought this would please me.’

‘Can the young ones cook?’ asked Aliana. ‘Clean?’

‘You will speak only when spoken to,’ Danno’s father threatened.

‘Mr. Igoshima,’ Aliana purred, taking a step towards him and playing with her hair. Something about it made Danno tense up. ‘I’m certain that my skills and experience could serve you where one so young could not.’ She trailed a finger along Mr. Igoshima Senior’s arm, her eyes never leaving his.

Danno’s father’s lips pursed thoughtfully before curling into a smile that tightened the grip Danno felt in his stomach.

‘Perhaps I can test this one and see if she proves herself useful,’ he conceded. He turned to Danno. ‘Well done, my son. You may leave us.’

Danno’s heart palpitated for a moment. He slowly backed away and gave his father a bow. ‘Yes, father.’

Danno stole one last glance at Aliana, his heart quickly sinking, and left them.

To be continued…

Continue to Part 2.

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This story was written for a Writing Prompt (Word-A-Day-Prompts for February 2023, with word “Chain”) by Christine Graves from her Enticing the Muse publication for the Amusing Responses publication.

Find more short stories similar to this one here.

“Legacy Takedown” is written by Celinka Serre — Copyright Binky Ink 2023.