It was three in the afternoon when one of the guys from the loading dock appeared in the office door.  Adam Sellars sat his coffee cup down heavily on the metal desk and grunted.

"What is it?"

The dock worker waved a yellow slip in the air.

"That shipment from Canada is here.  The one you told me to look for.  Two shipping crates.  What you want me to do with them?"

An unsettling, creepy smile curled Sellars lips underneath a greasy mustache.  

"Take the merchandise to the number 44 unit and tell Burns to start the processing.  I want to collect on this sale tonight.  I'll be over in a minute to inspect the inventory.  Gotta meet with this Greene guy about some storage."

Sellars looked at the name scribbled on his calendar.  Danny Greene, New York.  He narrowed his eyes slightly and thought for a minute as the dock worker disappeared.

"Maybe this guy would be interested in taking on a new stream of income."

Danny had spent the day meeting with his some of the top members of his crew.  Something that he did nearly everyday without fail.  He loved doing it, and it was what lined his pockets on a regular basis.  But there was no real thrill in it.  Actually it got a little mundane.  His crew was great, and they needed very little supervision.  Just an occasional pat on the back or kick in the ass.

As the last person presented their report and left his office, Big_Al popped his head into Danny's office.

Don't forget about that meeting tonight, boss.  You sure you don't want me to go along?  Word on the street this guy is pretty shady.

Nah, I got it Al.  Go home and enjoy yourself tonight.  I'll have some muscle with me.

Danny immediately perked up.  He lived for these adventures.  Since getting his own crew he had little time to get out and expand his connections.  Tonight could be a big night for The Celtic Club.

Danny finished up some paperwork when some of his muscle came to the door.

You ready boss?

Yep, I'm on my way out right now.

Danny followed the 3 large bodyguards and got into the back of one of his many cars.  The ride to the docks only took about 20 minutes, which was long enough to get his mind right for the meeting with the man he only knew as Sellars.

Once there, the largest of the bodyguards opened Danny's door and walked with him to the door of Sellars office.  Danny was a bit nervous, but he had been in this situation many times before.  If he wasn't nervous there would be something wrong with him.

Charlotte, the not-so-classy secretary to Adam Sellars, sauntered into his office as he was getting ready to walk over to unit 44.  

"Mister Greene is here.  Brought some big guys with him.  Do I need to call some of the boys?"

Adam scowled at the woman and shook his head.

"No, you dumb broad, that's the guy I was telling you about- the crew leader from Brooklyn.  He has an appointment, remember?  Jesus.  Now go out there and flash those sweet tits and be nice.  I'll be out in a minute.  And don't offer them coffee, you haven't made a fresh pot in a week.  That shit's probably growing colonies by now."

Charlotte waggled back out into the waiting room.  Adam stood and fiddled with his tie- not really fixing it, but pretending to anyway.  Finally, he stepped out into the "lobby" of the disheveled office.

"Well, Mr. Greene, it's nice to meet you.  I hear you are in the market for some secured storage.  You've come to the right place."

Sellars glanced at the muscle men, and stuck out his hand to shake Dannny's.

"Your men are welcome to come along.  I thought I'd give you a tour of the facilities while we talked."

Rayln had warned Danny about Sellars.  She told him that everything about the man seemed kind of fishy.  Still, he expected a little more out of the so called "important" man.   Danny's first impression was that of a  shyster that moves from town to town.  A man that would make a dollar in one location, but have to move immediately because he had screwed the wrong person out of something.  And he didn't really present himself well.  Danny, who worked as a longshoreman for years in Cleveland before the move to New York, knew what it was to work and get sweaty.  However, he also knew how to clean himself up and look presentable when meeting new associates.  Mr Sellars obviously had never learned that lesson.

Danny did, however, get a chuckle out of Charlotte.  Cleavage always did get Danny's attention.  It had gotten him in trouble more than once as a young man in Cleveland, but he had grown up a lot since the move to the big apple.

Danny turned to his men and gave a signal.  They knew by his look that Danny didn't completely trust the man, so a couple of them stayed or the tour while the rest went back to wait at the car.

After you, my friend.

Danny motioned for Mr. Sellars to take the lead and show him around the facilities.

Sellars led the man out of the office and between rows of large storage units.  He gave Danny the basic run-down of the storage units, how much they were per month, and the nature of the "arrangement" with local law enforcement that kept the units under the radar.  After a bit of a walk, they came to Unit 44.  Sellars kicked the door hard and stepped back.  A few moments later, the door opened and Sellars led him inside.

"You seem like a smart man, Mr. Greene, and I know you mob types- worked with plenty of you before.  I thought you might be interested in a little business opportunity I've got going on.  Now, you and I, we're men.  We know and appreciate a good piece of ass when we see one, right?  And we both know that a perky set of tits and legs for days can turn a pretty decent profit.  Well, I happen to be a purveyor of just such a thing.  Marty- let's see what we've got."

A brawny, ugly man nodded.

"Yeah, boss.  We just finished cleaning 'em up."

Sellars grinned that creepy smile again and watched as Marty opened a door and reached through, yanking a girl out of it.  She was followed by another, and another, and another.  There were blondes, brunettes, and redheads- all nicely shaped.  Marty lined them up- there must have been 50 girls all together.  Sellars walked over and started walking slowly down the line, as if he were a general inspecting his troops.  The girls all stood still, their heads down.  Marty lit a cigarette.

"They're all still pretty loopy from the drugs.  It'll wear off in an hour or two."

Sellars motioned to Danny.

"Come take a gander- see what you like.  You want to get a prostitution ring going, this would be a fine crop to start with."

Danny was quite surprised at what he saw.  He had been a part of a lot of no good, rotten things in his days.  He had even treated some women bad.  But something about this deal just didn't seem right.  He continued to walk up and down the line of women. All of them were beautiful, but each one had the look of a zombie, their very soul ripped from their body, the drugs sapping them of their awareness.

Danny walked the line again, almost stalling for time, trying to figure out what to say to the dirt bag Sellars.  Every deal has the potential to be profitable with the right exit strategy.  This one just wasn't coming to Danny.  He walked over to Mr. Sellars and looked him straight in the eyes.

i just don't know Mr. Sellars.  Are you sure there is money in this for birth of us? Will there be more girls coming?  What does the local authorities think of this type of activity?  Have you greased any palms lately?

DannyGreene didn't even care what the answers to the questions were.  He was biding time.  He wasn't even sure why.  He just had that feeling in his gut that something wasn't right, and he needed time to think.

Can I get in touch with a couple of associates before giving you an answer.  Maybe get them over here to see what I'm looking at?

---------

Fiona Greene had no idea what day it was; even whether it was day or night.  Everything had run together over however many days she had been locked in that horrific box.  There were 25 girls in the crate, including herself.  When the door had finally opened, they were led into a large, empty room, stripped, and hosed down.  Each of them were given a dress; obviously second hand and had been worn many times.  They were bare footed, and told to keep their mouths shut.  No one could really protest- the sedation drugs took care of that, and they had been given far too many of those along the journey.  All of them were weak, malnourished, and some of them were terribly sick.  

When the big, ugly man came through the door and instructed them to come out, they all got to their feet and followed one after the other.  Fiona's vision was blurry, and her head felt as if she'd been spun around over and over again.  She could hear men talking, but they sounded distant to her; until one of the men came walking up the line.  He smelled of cigarettes and hair pomade, and would reach out and grope some of the girls as he walked by.  Fiona, had she been herself, would have spit on him; but she could barely move more than to stand there.  Another man came close behind.  He wore nicer shoes, and didn't walk as heavily.  The second man spoke.  To Fiona, it was a nice sound to hear- for it sounded a lot like her brother, Danny.  That was something she could escape to- days long ago before Danny left for the States- when she and he would play at their Gran's farm in County Cork.

"Well, I suppose so, Mr. Greene, but I wouldn't wait too long.  Honies like this don't last long, and I've got clients already waiting to size up the merchandise.  Come on, Danny- I can call you Danny, right?  Just look at this- you could have the cream of the crop."

Fiona thought she was hearing things.  Danny?  Greene?  It couldn't be.  With every ounce of strength left in her, she slowly raised her head.  The second man- the one with the nice shoes- wore a clean suit and an expensive looking tie, and was surrounded by some of the biggest men she'd ever seen.  But he....could it really be Danny?  Was she just seeing things from the drugs?

"D...Danny..?"

Her voice came out softer than she had tried for.  Marty looked up and strode over quickly, grabbing Fiona by the hair and yanking her head back.

"Who the fuck told you to open your mouth, bitch?  Keep it shut, or you're done.  Sluts like you are a dime a dozen."

DannyGreene stood with his arms crossed deep in thought. He always stood that that way while thinking. Arms crossed, right hand massaging his temples. He turned to look at the girls one more time. His eyes going down the line one way, then back the other. This facility had so much potential, but the girls..

Just as he started to turn his back to the girls, something caught Danny's attention out of the corner of his eye. A man that he had not noticed had abruptly walked over to one of the girls and grabbed her by the hair. With a nod of the head, one of Danny's bodyguards tackled the man to the ground while the other immediately had a gun to Sellars' head.

What the hell kind of operation do you run here? Where I come from we do not treat women this way.

Danny nodded his head again as he began to walk toward the girl who had her hair pulled. Bam! The butt of the bodyguards revolver knocked Sellars out instantly.

As Danny got closer he could hear a faint voice that he did not hear earlier.

D-Danny? T-That you?

The voice sounded familiar, but it couldn't be. It had been so long.....and what was the odds? His pace quickened as he got closer and her face came into focus....

Sis?!......Is that you?!

"Jesus Christ-"

Fiona still wasn't sure if she was seeing things or not, but that voice- unmistakably her big brother.  She staggered out of the line-up and threw her arms around him.  She hardly knew what to say at all, but words came faster than her brain could keep up.

"I didn't know- they said they could help me get to New York and find a job...and I thought maybe then I could find you.  I didn't know they were...they just...they just took me and...and I didn't know..."

She squeezed her eyes shut tight and shook her head, trying to pull herself out of the haze of the drugs.  She felt warmth on her cheeks and her knees shaking.

"Is it really you, Danny?"

Off to the side, the other two of Sellar's men were standing looking bewildered- a mix of confusion and uncertainty on their face.  One reached for his gun, but another of Danny's men kicked it out of his hand and just shook his head, holding up his own gun.  The two men raised their hands in surrender.  

That hug had been years in the making.  Danny had come to this country, made a name for himself in Cleveland, and then settled in Brooklyn.  And now, a part of his family that he had worked so hard for, was right here in his arms.  

After hat seemed like an eternity, Danny put his hands on Fiona's face and looked into her eyes.

It doesn't matter what happened to get here.  What's important is that you are here.  Let's get you back to my HQ and get you cleaned up.

The two began to walk back to the car when Fiona stopped and turned.

The girls, what will happen to them?

Danny paused and looked down the line of women.  He knew they were now his responsibility.

Bruno, get some men here.  Take the girls, get them cleaned up.  We have enough interests around this city to put them to work.  Somewhat legitimate work.

He then turned to the bigger of the bodyguards.

Nicky, you haven't had a day off in quite awhile.  Get the guys from the car and take these 2 pieces of shit fishin'.  When you are done there go back to the office and round up any stragglers.  Make them an offer they can't refuse.  This facility is now property of The Celtic Club.

And one last thing.....what you do with Charlotte is up to you.  Just let her know that Mr. Sellars is no longer in charge.

As the car speeds away toward the HQ, Danny leaned over and put Fiona in a headlock, just like when they were young.

Good to see ya kid.....good to see ya.