My mother had been missing for three days.

She’d left her cell phone, her credit cards, and everything else that my father could use to track her—if he wanted to. The doorman had told us that she’d gotten into a taxi alone, and that was the last time he'd seen her.

I honestly didn't blame her, but I wanted to know why and make sure she was okay. I wouldn't have told my father anything if she would have told me her plan—I would have helped her pack a bag—but she never told me she wanted to leave. And Mom was never alone, except that day our housekeeper had called in sick, giving my mother a way out. It was as though she'd vanished.

Exactly what I had planned to do once high school was over.

Once my father learned that she’d gotten into a cab on her own, he’d shrugged, and that was that. That was fucking that. He didn't call the cops, he didn't cry or panic, and he sure as shit didn't care. He didn't even seem worried that she might turn him in or anything. How he and my mother had sex to make me eighteen years ago was a mystery to me. Not once did I remember seeing them hug or kiss; I never heard them say I love you to each other. He was all business and other women, and my mother was just—there.

The morning after my birthday, my father came into my room and told me to be ready in ten minutes because we were going to the warehouse instead of looking for my mother. I couldn't believe it, but then again, I could.

The limo pulled up to a big steel building. There were no signs or anything to indicate what was inside the door. But I knew what was inside.

"This is where you keep the whores?" I asked.

The back door of the limo opened, and Dad slid out, buttoning his suit jacket. "Until they're sold."

"And how long does that take?" I followed him out of the car.

Dad grinned and opened the door to the building. "Depends on how appealing the woman is, but at least once a month, we have an auction to sell them."

"Right, that makes sense."

He slapped me on the back as I walked inside. "I'm glad you're really taking to this. It makes me happy."

"I'm happy you're teaching me more about the family business."

The metal door closed behind us with a slight bang, and I looked around at the large, open space. It was your typical warehouse, but instead of machines or storage, there were several areas enclosed by chain-link fences with quite a few women inside of them. It was exactly how I pictured it, except I thought the women would be naked or dressed in only their bra and panties. Instead, they were dressed in street clothes, business clothes, clubbing clothes.

"How do you get them all?" I asked, looking at the cages.

"There are various ways, Son. It's just kidnapping." He said the last sentence as though kidnapping were an everyday thing for him. I suppose it was.

"Like what?"

He lifted a shoulder. "I have several men that I employ as grabbers. Some work for taxi and ride-sharing services. Or there's the traditional way of grabbing a woman walking alone and throwing her into a van."

"Is that what I will be doing?" Please say no.

He shook his head. "No, I have plenty of those men on the payroll. You'll be overseeing the intake of the women and then the sale of them."

"Okay."

I needed a way in as soon as possible, so I could get Zell out. I wasn't actually sure what I would do with her once she was out of the penthouse, but I had to help her. She had such a long life ahead of her, and the thought of her laying on her back while some sick fuck fucked her made my blood boil, especially given she was still a virgin and innocent.

With my hands clasped behind my back, I walked along the cages as if I were assessing the merchandise. I wanted my father to think I was really interested, and I gave an occasional nod as though I approved. I didn't. The women looked scared, dirty, hungry, and I fucking hated it. I was only eighteen, but unlike my father, I had morals.

"Like what you see?" Dad asked.

I bobbed my head in approval. "You have some pretty ones."

"Auction is in three days. Then you'll learn how much each one is worth."

"I can't wait."

The three days went faster than I expected, and it was auction day all too soon. When I woke up that day, my stomach churned. How was I going to sit back and watch women get sold off as though they were property? I thought about where they were going to go, how they would be held captive like Zell but ordered to have sex whenever the fucker wanted, locked in a basement to be a plaything, working the streets in another country. The list of dismal possibilities was endless. And it fucking sucked. I was okay with selling drugs, but now I was going to have to sell innocent women.

I fucking hated my father.

The limo drove toward the warehouse, and with each mile we got closer, the more my stomach did somersaults.

"Father," I called out to cut the silence in the car.

"Yeah?" he asked, not looking up from his cell phone.

"How was Uncle Dom killed?"

Dad paused for a moment and then finally looked at me. "Why?"

I lifted a shoulder a little. "I'm just worried. You said he ran the whores and was shot. Am I in danger?"

"No," he stated matter-of-factly. "Since that night, I've taken measures to ensure no one fucks with us again."

"What do you mean?"

"Some wannabe pimp thought he could come into our house and take back a whore. He shot and killed Dom, but I killed that asshole when he tried to leave. Word got around, and since then, everyone knows I'm the King."

"Because they fear you?"

"Exactly. People know I don't take shit from anyone. I don't give second chances, and the fear I've instilled is the evil beast in me. No one wants to fuck with a beast."

"And you didn't have that when Uncle Dom died?"

"Not to the extent that it is now."

I nodded my head a little and looked out the window, trying to come up with more questions that wouldn't send red flags up, but he spoke first.

“Today, you're just going to observe. Take notes on how much each woman goes for and why. It will help you price them when it's you running them."

"Will that be next time?"

Dad chuckled. "No, it won't be for a while. There's a lot to learn before I hand it over to you."

"Oh," I exhaled, and then I just asked the burning question. "Will I also supply the whores for the penthouse?"

The limo pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse. "Not right away. Those girls have been there for years."

I swallowed because I hated the question that popped into my head. "Don't the clients want new"—I shrugged—"pussy?"

"The problem with new pussy is that it's hard to trust. The clients who go to the penthouse want—and need—discretion."

"But don't they get old?"

Dad chuckled as the car came to a stop. "Yes, of course, but we switch them out when it's time."

"And that's not soon?"

"That is something we would need to speak with Saffron about."

Madam. That fucking bitch. "Saffron? Was that the boss lady?"

"I'm the boss," he stated as the back door of the limo opened.

"Until I take over." I grinned and followed him out of the car.

He smiled wide, and I swear it was the first time I'd seen him genuinely smile. "Yes, until you take over."

I needed to learn everything fast, or I needed a plan to get Zell out of there. "I'm thinking of going back."

Dad bobbed his head in approval and opened the warehouse door. "You enjoyed your time, did you?"

I walked inside. "I did."

"You're welcome to go back at any time. They're at your disposal."

I nodded and sighed a little in understanding. If I wasn't able to come up with a plan to get Zell out of there soon, then at least I could visit her and make sure she was okay.