by Bill Ward
“The bloody fool shouldn’t have come back. Where are you?”
“Somewhere near Hassocks. Do you think someone tipped off the police? How did they manage to find us?”
“Dimitry is the most wanted man in Brighton. Anyone could have spotted him and called the police. What are you going to do now?”
“I couldn’t come and stay with you by any chance? Only they have my car and will have traced me as owner by now so I can’t risk going home. I need to ditch this car damn quick and I could take a taxi back to your place.”
There were a few seconds of quiet while Stefan considered the request. “Okay,” he agreed. “Nothing connects me to either of you and Dimitry will never say anything.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you in about an hour.”
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Mara answered the door. “Hi Danny, Stefan’s expecting you,” she said smiling. “Just go straight up.”
Powell hurried up the stairs and found Stefan in his lounge. He half expected Afina to appear from her bedroom.
“Thanks Stefan,” Powell said by way of greeting.
“This is a complete fuck up,” Stefan replied, rising from his chair. “First Victor and now Dimitry.”
“My investors aren’t best pleased. They are questioning whether I was right to invest in you guys, given what’s now happened to Dimitry.”
“I’m sorry, Danny. Dimitry was foolish coming back here so soon. Don’t worry about your investors, I’m sure I can still supply the girls you want.”
“That’s good to hear because my investors aren’t the sort of people I want to disappoint, if you know what I mean?”
“I understand exactly, Danny. I have similar men back home who do not tolerate failure. So we will not fail!”
“I think it would be helpful if I could understand more about how your business operates, Stefan. If Victor and Afina are plotting to take over your business then I think you may need my help as much as I need yours.”
“Victor and Afina! You think they are responsible for the police arresting Dimitry?”
“It makes sense. With Dimitry out of the way, Victor and Afina can more easily go into competition with you.”
Stefan was thoughtful for a few moments. “Victor and Dimitry are old friends, it doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe Afina has turned Victor’s head. He wouldn’t be the first man to be so captivated by a woman he turns on his friends.”
“True but I never understand why it happens. Another woman to fuck is easy to find but a good friend…”
“Let’s have a coffee and you can tell me a bit more about your girls, then I can phone my investors and assure them everything is still under control and their money isn’t at risk.”
“I’ll send Mara out for some. What do you like?”
“A large Latte please.”
Twenty minutes later they were sat at the small table drinking their coffees and Powell was happy he was making progress. “I remember Afina mentioned she had a threesum with a girl called Lia, where did she end up?”
“She was just one of the girls I bring to Brighton and then sell on to someone else.”
“My investors have operations all over the country. If our first collaboration goes well, I can see them wanting many more girls.”
“That would be great, Danny. Finding the girls is never a problem. Finding a customer who can afford to pay our rates is more difficult.”
“So as an example, where did Lia end up?”
“She went to a regular customer in Leeds. He has a couple of brothels and about a dozen girls.”
“Do you deliver the girls or do they pick them up?”
“We deliver, it’s part of the service. They only pay when we actually deliver the girls.”
“Who do you use to deliver the girls?”
“Victor did most of the deliveries. I have a couple of girls here now and haven’t found a replacement for Victor. I was hoping he would turn up sometime soon.”
“Where do they need to go?”
“There is one for London and one for Leeds. Danny, you wouldn’t be able to help would you?”
“Of course I can. I want to get out of Brighton for a bit anyway. How did Victor transport them?
“We give them something to make them easy to move and then you can just drive them.”
“What do you give them?”
“We put some Rohypnol in a drink and they are like putty in your hands for twelve hours.”
“Give me the details of where they need to go and I can take them this afternoon, if you want?” Powell thought it ironic he had used the same drug to make Victor easy to transport from his bar to the secure hospital unit.
“That would be brilliant Danny and I know Mike in Leeds will be happy to look after you for a couple of days. Maybe you would like to be the first to try the new girls?” Stefan slapped Powell on the back. “How about if I give you a couple of thousand for delivering each girl?”
“It’s not really necessary, Stefan. We are partners and we help each other.”
“I insist you take four thousand, partner or not. I am very happy to have met you, Danny. We will work well together.”
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Powell drove the two girls straight to his home where he had earlier warned Afina to expect the two arrivals. The girls needed helping from his car into the house as they were suffering the effects of the drugs they had been given by Stefan. Afina and her mother had prepared beds and it was only a few minutes before both girls were asleep.
When Powell agreed to deliver the girls, he had phoned Afina and told her to keep the girls safe for twelve hours, which was all the time he needed to drive to Leeds and locate Lia. He felt confident he would be able to pose as a customer and be with Lia at the same time Brian liaised with the police to organise a raid on the property. It was his intention that Brian should also feed the police details of the London brothel and Stefan’s location, so a coordinated swoop could be made on all three addresses at the same time.
Confident the two girls were in good hands, Powell called Brian to give him the rough outline for his plan so he could prepare the police to take action. The police had at least six hours to prepare, which Powell reckoned should be enough time. Then he headed for the motorway and Leeds. He fed the post code given him by Stefan, into the Sat Nav system and settled back to listen to music.
The drive went quite well despite roadworks on the M1 and four hours later he was on the outskirts of Leeds. He didn’t know the city but the post code had already informed him the house he wanted was in the Headingley suburb, which he did know was a famous cricket ground. He had spent some time on the internet before he left home, locating the brothel and the phone number. He had Mike’s personal number from Stefan but had been right in his assumption it wasn’t the advertised number for getting a girl.
He parked up on the side of the road and called the number. A man answered and Powell asked if he could arrange to see Lia for later that evening. He was prepared to say she had been recommended by a friend but the man at the end of the phone showed no surprise at his requesting Lia. He was booked in for ten, which would give the police a couple of hours to organise final details.
Powell called Brian and gave him the details, then he drove past the house, which turned out to be a very innocuous terraced house in a rather run down area. A few streets later Powell parked close to a pub advertising food as he hadn’t eaten for hours.
Powell ordered his food and then called Afina to check on the girls. It had been approximately six hours since they were given the drugs and both of them were now awake but disorientated. Afina and her mother were comforting them and giving them coffee and some food. They were both over the moon at having been rescued.
Powell explained to Afina what he had arranged and told her to expect a call later to update her on events. Hopefully, Powell would be giving her the good news Lia was safe and Stefan in police custody. Then he called Brian to chec
k everything was organised as expected. The raid on the three properties was confirmed for ten thirty.
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Powell arrived at the property and knocked at the door to be greeted by a middle aged woman.
“Come this way,” she instructed with a smile, in a strong Yorkshire accent and led the way into a room off the hallway, which turned out to be a bedroom. “Have you been before?” she asked.
“No, it’s my first time.”
“I’ll send the girls in and you can choose which you like.”
“I specifically booked Lia,” Powell said hurriedly, suddenly concerned he had made a long trip for nothing.
“Okay, I’ll send Lia in once we’ve done the prices. It’s fifty pounds for half an hour and one hundred pounds for an hour. You get a covered blow job and sex. Oral without is an extra twenty, as is kissing and anal is fifty. If you want something else then ask and I’ll quote you a price. Everything is available.” She reeled off the prices like an everyday shopping list.
“I’ll have an hour please with oral without and kissing, so one hundred and forty?” He didn’t plan to have anything so wasn’t entirely sure why he didn’t just take the minimum but he thought there might be some value in looking like a worthwhile customer. He started counting the money from his wallet and passed over the notes.
“Lia will be right in,” the woman said after counting the money and hurried away.
Powell was left alone, wondering if he would recognise Lia from Afina’s description. After about five minutes a girl walked in wearing just underwear. She smiled but not with her eyes. She seemed dazed and in something of a trance, which Powell attributed to her probably being on drugs.
“Thanks for asking for me,” Lia said. “Have I seen you before?”
“No but you were highly recommended.”
“I was?” Lia seemed surprised. “Who by?”
“Afina.”
“Afina?” Lia looked confused. “Afina is a girl’s name.”
Powell was concerned she didn’t immediately recognise Afina’s name. Was this really Lia? “I’m a regular of Afina in Brighton. She said she once had a threesum with you and told me if I was ever up this way to ask for you.”
The mention of Brighton had the desired effect.
“Afina. I know Afina. I liked her. She was kind to me.”
Powell had to be certain. “What’s the name of the man Afina works for? I don’t like him.”
“Stefan,” Lia answered immediately. “I don’t like him either.” She undid her bra and looked inquisitively at Powell. “Aren’t you going to get undressed?”
“I’m a bit odd,” Powell explained. “I just like to look at you and talk a bit.”
“But you paid for kissing and oral without?”
“I always pay for extras. I find it makes the girls friendlier.”
“Well I’m feeling very friendly.” She removed her knickers and started to rub her breasts provocatively. “Why don’t you get comfortable on the bed and then you can talk as dirty as you like to me?”
Powell decided to do as suggested and lay on the bed with the pillow propped up behind his head. He couldn’t help but notice that Lia had a very attractive body but he reminded himself to concentrate, within about twenty minutes he expected the police to arrive. “Take your time,” he said, once he was comfortable. He felt it was safest to proceed as if he had weird sexual tastes rather than tell her the truth. She wasn’t reliable in her drugged state.
Lia moved her hips suggestively and her hand moved from her now erect nipples to between her legs.
“That’s nice,” Powell encouraged but in truth his mind was miles away, thinking back on his life and wondering how the hell he came to be lying on this bed, instead of home with a family like most normal people.
“Don’t you want to touch yourself?” Lia asked.
“I’m fine, thanks. I like looking at you.” He checked his watch. Only ten minutes to go.
Lia started to simulate that she was actually enjoying playing with herself by breathing quicker and making pleasurable sounds.
In Powell’s opinion, she would not make a great actress and he felt sorry for putting her through this charade. “Let’s sit and talk a bit,” he suggested.
Lia seemed relieved to be able to stop pretending she had an imminent climax approaching and slumped on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You don’t like me, do you?”
“I like you very much, Lia.”
“Please tell the hostess you enjoyed being with me,” she pleaded.
“Relax, in a few minutes this hell for you will be over and you won’t have to worry anymore about pleasing hostesses or strange men.”
Lia seemed not to have heard what he said. “Only if you don’t say I was good he will beat me.”
“Lia, listen to me.” Powell moved from his prone position to sit next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder. “Put your clothes back on because we are going to be leaving here very soon.”
“Have you bought me?” Lia asked.
“No Lia, I haven’t bought you. I’m a friend. Afina sent me to get you out of here. I helped her escape from Stefan and she remembered she had promised to help you so she sent me up here to help you escape.”
For the first time Powell saw the hint of something different in Lia’s eyes, it was hope.
“You’re going to get me out of here?” she asked. “Really?”
“In five minutes the police will be knocking on the door and you will be free. They will need to take a statement from you about everything that has happened to you and then you will be able to go home.”
“To Romania?” Lia asked. Her eyes were positively ablaze now with hope and excitement.
“Yes to Romania.”
Powell heard the front door being broken down and the footsteps of multiple people rushing into the house. “It’s the police,” he explained to a frightened Lia. “Quickly, put your underwear on.”
The door to the room was opened and two police officers stood in the doorway surveying the inside.
“I’m Powell and this is Lia. Please get a female officer in here and find her some clothes.”
He turned to Lia and could see a huge smile on her face. He took his phone from his pocket and called Afina.
After Powell had given Afina the good news about Lia and heard the two girls at home had gone back to bed but were both in good spirits, he then called Brian and learned Stefan had been taken into custody. The London raid had also gone well. The only person to evade the police was Mike, who hadn’t been at the Leeds address when the place was raided.
It was a good result and Brian passed on the thanks of the very grateful police. Dimitry’s arrest was the star event of the night’s work but putting an end to trafficking actually was high on the police agenda so there were currently many happy senior police officers around the country, who owed Powell a debt of gratitude.
Powell had booked two rooms at the Hilton in the city centre and at one thirty in the morning he drove Lia back to the hotel. She had provided a statement to the police and was going to return next morning to help further with their questions.
The hotel rooms were adjacent on the third floor. As they stood outside the rooms he handed Lia her key. “Have a good night. I’ve ordered us alarm calls for nine and then we can go down to breakfast before visiting the police station again.” He’d already told her that he would drive her down to Brighton to meet with Afina before flying back to Romania.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Lia said.
“Thank Afina, not me. It was her who made this happen.”
Lia hesitated in front of her door. She started to insert the key card then stopped. “Can I stay with you tonight,” she asked. “I don’t want to be alone and I feel safe with you.”
Powell was taken aback by the request. He thought she would be happy to finally have some time to herself but he could also understand she still felt scared and th
e weed she had been smoking each night would heighten her fears, although would be out of her system by the morning and she would be able to start rebuilding her life.
“Okay,” Powell agreed. “I have two large beds anyway so I guess we can have one each.”
“Thank you,” Lia said, throwing her arms around him.
Powell went to bed feeling it had been a good day’s work. He was pretty confident Bella would be proud of her father.
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
On the advice of her solicitor, Mara had said little throughout the interview. She admitted she was Stefan’s cousin but knew very little of his business dealings. She simply worked as an escort to earn a good living. If Stefan was trafficking girls, she knew nothing about it as he kept his business to himself. She had little sympathy for Stefan and none for Dimitry but she wouldn’t testify against either of them, as her family back home would never sanction such an act of perceived treachery, which would inevitably lead to retribution. She knew her Uncle was not the type of man you disappoint, the stories about his brutality were legendary.
The police had offered immunity from prosecution if she would be a witness but she made it clear she would not be willing in any circumstances to testify. They could lock her up if necessary but she had joked there was more chance of England winning the world cup than her giving evidence. The policeman had understood that meant zero chance.
The police then tried threatening her with being arrested as an accomplice to trafficking but she reckoned it was just hot air to try and convince her to give them the statement they so desperately wanted, so she sat still and pleaded ignorance. She did ask the policeman if he wanted a list of her customers. She wouldn’t be able to remember them all but she did know the names of a few senior police officers and a number of members of the judiciary, including at least two barristers and a judge. The policeman conducting the interview pointed out it was not her customers who were being charged with any crime but he had heard enough.
