A knock sounded on the office door of the warehouse. It was late, and my father and I were almost ready to leave for the night. Each girl was inventoried and ready for the auction the next day. It made me sick to think that all twelve of the innocent women were going to be sold, but there was nothing I could do about it. My father was a smart man, and I knew that it would take him several months to trust me enough. I didn't think he would ever let me take over completely, but I had an idea. I was going to set fire to the entire place once it was empty.

"Enter," Father called out.

"Uh, boss." Warren rubbed the back of his neck as he entered. "We picked up another one."

"Why are you telling me?" Dad questioned. "You know the procedure."

The process was to throw them into a cage and wait until my father was ready to inspect them. That wouldn't happen at midnight like it was now.

"Because it's one of Saffron's girls."

My ears perked up. One of Saffron's girls? How did she escape?

"What do you mean, one of her girls?" Dad asked.

Warren opened the door further, and in a blink, a girl was pushed into the room by his partner, Enrique. Except, it wasn't just any girl. It was my girl. My Zell. I started to stand and rush to her but stopped. I couldn't show emotion. My father knew that I had gone back a few times, but he assumed it was for sex. I told him that it was, and he left it alone. When he asked me about my run-in with Saffron the week before, he was impressed that I'd held my ground, told me I was learning quickly, and before long, I would be feared like he was.

"Where did you find her?" Dad looked over at me, questioning if I knew what was going on.

I shrugged, but fuck if I didn't want to rush to Zell and tell her everything was going to be okay, to comfort her. She was shaking, her lip was cracked and bleeding, and her dress was torn. Warren and Enrique had done more than just pick her up, and I didn't fucking like it. My blood boiled at the thoughts racing through my head, but I had to be calm, pretend I didn't care about her.

"She was running down the street, and we picked her up," Warren replied.

Running down the street? How the fuck did she escape? Why didn't she call me?

Dad stood and moved to Zell, her gaze on the floor. I wasn't sure she knew I was in the room because she hadn't looked up. "Why do you look like this?" Dad asked, fingering the broken strap of her dress.

"She—"

Dad held up his hand and silenced Enrique. "I asked the girl. I want her to tell me." But she didn't. Zell started to cry instead. "Tell me, girl. Tell me how you got out of the penthouse and ended up here."

"I ran away," she whispered on a sob.

"How?" Dad inquired. Surprisingly, his tone was almost as though he cared.

"Marcus had a heart attack or something." She sniffed, not looking up from the floor. "And instead of helping him, I left."

"So, your mother doesn't know where you are?"

"Mother?" Enrique questioned, but my father didn't answer him.

"No, sir," Zell responded.

"And why are you bleeding?"

"You know how—"

Dad held up his hand again to silence Enrique. "Let the girl tell me."

Zell lifted her gaze slightly, and it connected with mine. Her eyes widened in surprise, and I nodded for her to tell him. Worst case, he was only going to take her back to the penthouse. This was Saffron's daughter, after all.

"He"—she nudged her head toward Enrique—"hit me and made me have sex with him."

"You what?" I lunged for him.

"Don't worry.” He held up his hands as I grabbed the lapel of his coat, slamming him against the wall. "I used a condom."

"You think that makes this better?" I growled into his face. I knew my feelings for Zell were showing, but I couldn't help it. Enrique's gaze moved to my father as though he was looking for help. "Don't fucking look at him. I asked you a fucking question."

"I … What?" he stuttered.

"Tell me what you fucking did to her."

"I—I just roughed her up a bit. We do that with unruly whores."

I was seconds away from kicking his ass when my father spoke. "Leave us."

I looked over at him and furrowed my brow. "What?"

"Now!" he ordered Enrique and Warren.

"What do you want us to do with her?" Warren asked as I released my grip on Enrique.

"I'll deal with her," Dad stated. "Now, get the fuck out."

"Yes, sir," they responded at the same time.

"You're just going to let them leave?" I questioned, waving my hand in their direction.

He held up his hand and moved back to his desk, crossing his arms across his chest. The door closed, leaving me, Zell, and my father alone.

"Are you just going to let them do this to Zell?" I asked. "You know she's not one of the whores at the penthouse."

"You mean to tell me that she is only your whore?"

I stared at my father. Was this a trick? He knew I went to the penthouse to be with Zell. "You know the first time I was with her that she was a virgin," I stated. That was no longer a lie. "I've been breaking her in."

Zell started to cry harder. She had to know I was lying to protect her.

"Since she is your whore, you're going to deal with this," Dad stated.

"Okay."

"All of it."

"Okay," I repeated. This was our chance to somehow get her out of there, but I still had no place for her to go.

As if on cue, his cell phone started to ring. He picked it up. "Saffron."

Zell and I looked at each other, and I wished that she was in my arms. She was like a scared, abused cat, and I just wanted to comfort her. No matter what my father told me, I wasn't taking her back to that place. I knew doing so would impact my timeline for shutting down his trafficking, but Zell took precedence. I had cash from my cut of the drug sales, and that could get us by for a while—I hoped.

"I know. She's here," he advised Madam. "My men picked her up … I know, she told me … Yes, she told me about the guard … We're bringing her home … Yes, soon … Okay, bye." He hung up.

"I'll leave now," I told him, already knowing he wanted me to take her back to the penthouse.

"Not so fast." He set the phone back on his desk. I swallowed. "You need to deal with Enrique and Warren."

"Meaning?"

"They touched the merchandise. They know that's against the rules. What are you going to do about it?"

I drew my head back and blinked. Violence was his answer to everything. "You want me to kill them?"

"You need to set an example. Turning a blind eye won't make people fear you, Son."

"Who will take their place as grabbers?" I asked, trying to talk him out of it. Even though Enrique hit and raped Zell, I wasn't sure if I could kill anyone.

"We'll find others. Anyone will do anything for money."

I glanced at Zell again and then back at my father. "I need a gun."

Dad rose off the edge of the desk and walked to a picture behind his chair. He pulled the photo of a woman's face away from the wall and revealed a safe. He opened it and pulled out a silver handgun. "I've been waiting for this day to give you this. It was your uncle's."

I took it from him, trying not to show that my hand was trembling. I'd shot guns before, and now I realized it was my father training me without me knowing it. "Where do I do it?"

"The docks."

"Okay." I tucked the gun into the back waistband of my jeans. "Is that all?"

"Don't disappoint me."

"I won't. They fucking disrespected us." I knew that would get my father's approval. Disrespect was high on his ‘Do Not Fuck with Me’ list.

"Push them into the harbor when they're dead."

I nodded once and reached for Zell to take my hand. She did, lacing our fingers as we made it to the door.

"Oh, and, Frankie?" Dad called out. I looked over my shoulder at him. "Aim between the eyes."

I didn't have time to think of an actual plan. I knew I had to get them to the docks and then leave with Zell, and the only way that would happen would be if I drove and pretended they were just helping me take her back.

"Let's go," I ordered, pointing toward the main door.

"Yes, sir," Warren said and started to walk with us.

"What's going on?" Enrique questioned.

I stopped walking and looked at him. "Are you questioning my orders?” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my father in the doorway of his office.

Enrique looked at my father for confirmation and then back at me. "No, sir."

"Then I suggest you get your ass moving."

"Yes, sir," he agreed.

"Keys," I barked and held out the hand that wasn't holding Zell's. I didn't fucking care that I was still holding her hand. It was clear they fucked up, and they would know that much before the night ended. Warren tossed the keys to me.

Zell didn't say a word as we walked out of the warehouse and into the cold night. I looked at what she was wearing and shook my head slightly. She was dressed in practically nothing, and I was freezing in my jeans and sweater I was wearing. I’d left my coat behind because I needed to get out of there fast.

I opened the passenger door for Zell and said to the guys, "Get in the back."

They nodded and did as I ordered while I went to the driver's side and climbed in. I hadn't driven in some time, but I knew how and had my driver's license.

"You better shut your mouth," I heard Enrique hiss to Warren as I got in.

I turned in my seat to look at them. "You two know you've fucked up. Just sit back there and shut up. I need to clean up your mess."

"Our mess?" Enrique argued. "She's the one who ran away. How were we supposed to know—"

"It's not about who she is," I hissed. "You fucked with merchandise, and now my father is pissed."

"So, what are you going to do?" Warren asked.

I looked at Zell. "Take her back, and then have you two drop me off at home."

Zell's eyes widened as though she couldn't believe I was saying that—that I was betraying her by doing what my father ordered. I had to let them think that was the plan.

"But first," I continued, "my father needs me to go on a buy from his supplier. Do you have your pieces on you?" I needed to know if they had guns too.

"Yes, of course, but you need us? We've never done a drug run before," Enrique questioned. He was really starting to piss me off.

"You need to fix your mistake. Now, shut the fuck up." I started the engine and looked at Zell again. She wasn't looking at me. She was staring out the passenger side window crying. My heart ached. I wished I could tell her what I was going to do, put her at ease, and prove that everything I'd ever told her was true.

I was saving her.

I drove out of the parking lot and toward the docks. Everyone was quiet, and it gave me time to think. I knew where Zell and I needed to go, at least for the night.

"Look, Frankie," Enrique spoke. "I'm really sorry for touching her. It won't happen again."

"Okay." It definitely wasn't going to happen again.

"So, we're good?"

I chuckled and didn't respond. Instead, I pulled up to the docks. My father did a lot of business down here and not just offing people. It wasn't necessarily suspicious that we were doing a buy here. I parked and cut the engine off. Turning in my seat, I looked at the guys. "While we wait for our contact, tell me again what happened tonight."

Enrique and Warren shared a look, and then Enrique said, "I roughed her up a bit, and then, because I thought she was a whore, I wanted a freebie. It won't happen again."

"You know, you keep telling me that it won't happen again, but something tells me that Zell isn't the only one," I stated.

Enrique's eyes widened, and he held up his hands. "No, I swear."

I grabbed Zell's hand, lacing our fingers so she would look at me. She did briefly but then turned away. She didn't remove her hand. "So, you're telling me that the one night you decide to rape one of your grabs is the same night you randomly pick up Saffron's daughter?"

"Yes." Enrique nodded. "That's exactly what happened."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Tell him." Enrique nudged Warren. "Tell him this was a one-time thing."

"Actually"—I held up my hand—"let's not talk about this in front of Zell. Let's go." I turned to open my door, and when the guys hesitated, I urged them with a nod of my head. Once they were out, I whispered to Zell, "I need to do something you might not like."

"Kill them?" she asked.

"I have to, but answer me this, was Enrique the only one to touch you?"

"Yes." She nodded. "The other one tried to tell him not to."

"That's good to know."

"You're really going to kill them?"

"It's the way it has to be, princess. This is the life I was given." Though, I had plans to change it. Plans that probably weren't going to happen now that I was going to betray my father and take Zell away from here.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's not your fault, but don't watch, okay?"

She didn't say anything.

"Please, princess. Just don't watch. You've been through too much tonight."

"Okay," she said in a low voice.

I pulled my cell phone and earbuds out of my pocket and opened the music app. It was what I was supposed to do the first time I saw my father kill a man, and I hoped that Zell would be smarter than me and actually listen to the music. "Here. Listen to music and don't look up, okay?"

Zell took the phone from me. "Okay."

I got out of the van and slammed the door. Grabbing the gun from my waistband, I pulled it out and pointed it at Enrique. "Now, you know what happens when you fuck with a Russo."

Both guys held up their arms. "Frankie, come on," Enrique pleaded. "Don't do this."

"I have to."

"No, dude, you don't," he argued.

"Get on your fucking knees," I ordered.

Both guys did, even though it was Enrique I was talking to. "Please," he begged. "I swear this will never happen again."

"You're fucking right this will never happen again." I aimed for his head and pulled the trigger, not hesitating any longer. I had to do this, and not because of my father but because of Zell. No one would touch her and get away with it as long as I was in the picture. I was a Russo, and no one fucked with a Russo.

It felt like forever before Enrique's lifeless body fell over, and I turned to Warren. "I didn't touch her," he pleaded.

I lowered the gun. "I know. Toss his body into the harbor and get the fuck out of here. If I ever see your face again, I won't hesitate to kill you too." I felt as though I didn't need to worry about Warren. I was sparing his life, and honestly, if he went to my father, it wouldn't matter. I would never see Frank Russo again.

I turned and went back to the van. I could hear music playing from the headphones, but Zell's hand was covering her mouth, and I knew she hadn't fully listened just like I hadn't when I was eight. "I told you not to look."

"I heard a loud pop before I picked a song, and it made me look."

At least she didn't see me kill a man. "Don't be scared of me. I'm not going to kill you too."

"I know."

"Do you?" I urged. "You seem scared."

"Are you taking me back?"

"Of course not."

"Then what are we doing?"

I looked out the windshield to see that Warren was tossing Enrique's body into the water as I'd instructed. "We're getting out of town."

"Where are we going?"

I reached for my phone and got the address of the property in the Catskills. It was risky to go to a place that my father owned, but it was several hours away, and he didn't know that I knew about it. I was hoping we could get a few hours of sleep before we kept going.

"Hopefully, far enough away for the rest of the night."