Il Paradiso
Chapter Three - at Hazard
"We are overflowing!" Sofia sighed. With the new girls taken from the railway yard, the Haven was beyond full capacity. Each girl would have to double up and even convert the common-use rooms to makeshift bedrooms.
"I know Sofia, but I have a plan, well the beginning of a plan." Nicholas tried to assure her with a rakish smile. The doctor and his small team of nurses were working at a hectic, frantic pace attempting to assess each girl's medical needs, triage the least damaged and focus on the most injured, of which there were too many.
"Let's get them settled and tended to and I'll explain what I want to do." Sofia nodded and set off to arrange sleeping accommodation. Meanwhile, Nicolas settled the promised funds on Inspector Costa and attempted to explain what he would do.
"Nicky, you have a tiger by the tail here. The Albanians that escaped will be licking their wounds and will soon realise that their entire stable is in one place- right here!" Costa was deadly serious.
"Marco, that is foremost on my mind. Can you double your police patrols for the next few days, and I'll gather the troops?" He smiled and Marco returned it, "I intend to move the whole house out of Florence." Nicky glanced over his shoulder, as the young Luigi joined them looking thoroughly shaken. His experience tonight had surprised him, but Nicky saw something else and decided to exploit it.
"Well done, Luigi, you did well. I'm sorry you had to see all that!" Nicky clapped him on the shoulder.
"The young girl has Maril tearing; she is in immense pain and Dr D' Alegre will have to attempt to put in stitches as we can't get her to a hospital. She is so young and should never have to go through that." He shrugged.
"Listen, you want her someplace safe? Then work with me to organise a mass exodus from the Haven." Nicolas prompted him, Costa nodded at his subordinate.
"Luigi, I believe you have some vacation time coming. Take them now." Marco took him by the shoulders and then slapped him playfully on the cheek.
"Grazi" Luigi nodded and then looked at Nicholas.
"Okay. As your Inspector has correctly pointed out, we have a big problem. We seem to have the entire stable of girls, trafficked by the Albanians, in one convenient place and I fear that they will soon work this out and make every effort to take the girls back." Nicholas leaned against the wall, near the large wooden doors. He looked around at the ordered chaos in the house and beckoned the pair outside.
As the door closed, he continued in a hushed tone, "I want to get a fleet of cars and take them to a private train charter and make the journey to my London Haven hostel. It'll be dangerous but there are too many girls to fly them out. What do you think?" Nicholas asked, momentarily unsure of himself. His military training had him thinking in terms of logistics and security.
Stunned, Marco looked first at Luigi and then back to Nicholas, "This is not the army, we don't have access to military trucks and ACPs to escort trafficked whores to the station!" Marco was a generous man, but he had gone out on a limb for Nicholas too many times and feared the worst, "If the gang use funs, it'll be a bloodbath on my streets!"
Nicholas knew what he feared, as Albanians were known to be violent, and if desperate to get their stable back, it could be messy, "Marco, I want to avoid that too but scattering the girls into smaller groups is unworkable. It would require too many men to guard them all, and smaller targets are more vulnerable. It must be all or none." Nicholas touched the Inspector on his shoulder reassuringly.
"I know but you can't stay here either. This place has become a target now. There are over thirty girls here, and the gang will descend very soon. You had better put that British Army brain working and come up with something soon. I'll square things at the station and Luigi starts his vacation time now. I will organise double patrols round the clock, and I'll see if any of my men want to help you out." Marco smiled at them both and left.
Going back into the Haven, a maelstrom of bodies filled the usually empty hallways. The incumbent residents helped where they could, talking in various languages to soothe the minds of the frightened girls. Irina, who had only just gotten settled in, threw herself into helping with the girls, whom she had been made to share grimy accommodations only weeks before under the ever-watchful and violent eyes of the Albanians. Dr Alegre was a whirlwind of instructions, giving medications and looking at abrasions and cuts.
By the following day, the new residents of the Haven had been placed with girls who could either speak their language or could steady their frayed nerves and settle their ever-present fears of exploitation.
Even Sofia sought the refuge of her pelisse bed in her office to snatch a few hours.
Nicholas and Luigi ensured all that wanted food were fed, including the staff. Carlo took the opportunity in the quieter times to talk to them both. Luigi wanted to know about the young girl, he rescued.
"Her name is Mari, only 18 but she'll recover. The last man who attacked her did some damage to her anus, but as I said, she'll be fine given time."
"The man was shot by the Albanians, so he got what he deserved," Luigi said without emotion.
"As a physician, I cannot condone a waste of life, but I hope the devil makes him pay for his crimes." The doctor replied and went back to his duties.
Nicholas watched the exchange with some interest. The doctor was a useful asset to his work here and had already secured him a position in one of his private clinics in London for his work in Florence. He would be joining them on their escape. Luigi possessed the vigour of a young man and being military-trained, he wanted him on board with the planned exodus. He needed him to care about the girls and this young girl Mari might be the one that tips his allegiance to him, rather than this Inspector.
"Luigi, go to Mari. Tell her she is safe, and you'll make sure that nothing will happen to her." Nicholas urged. Luigi smiled gratefully, as she set off to catch up with the doctor. As Nicholas watched him go, his eye caught one of the older residents of the Haven, who crossed the hallway with a large pile of bedclothes, Nicholas followed her into the laundry room.
"Patron? Can I do anything for you?" The girl was slender, about twenty-four, with a blonde pixie haircut and elfin features. Her simple scrubs outfit couldn't disguise the fact that she was braless as her small breasts quivered as she walked and stacked the linen. Nicholas hated himself for noticing her physical attributes, but she was quite lovely. Silently admonishing himself, he looked into her eyes,
"Anouska? It is Anouska, isn't it?" He stammered. Even in his middle age, beauty still stole his speech, and this girl was beautiful.
"Si Patron? What is it?" Anoushka smiled, showing perfect straight white teeth.
"I need you to get the upper floor girls together in the library, the ones who've been here the longest and yourself of course. In 20 minutes per favor." Nicholas added the few words of Italian that he knew. Despite his best efforts, languages did not come easily.
Whilst the girls assembled in the dimly lit, library-filled old tomes, stacked in piles rather than the shelves. Nicholas entered the room, carrying his leather briefcase and rolls of large paper maps. The girls assembled around him and fishing the laptop out; opened it on the large table, attached the projector and finally switched it on. He looked up, two girls took the rolls of paper maps, with sweet engaging smiles and opened them out, covering the dark wood. He looked up to see the six young women that surrounded him. They were a collection of strong, attractive young women, who now stood testament to the work that Sofia and he had begun. Months ago, they came to the Haven emaciated, beaten, and abused. Some of the girls, so conditioned by their captors, sought to return to them until they realised that they were free now. Since then, they had used their inherent skills to become translators and that's why Nicholas needed them now. They had spirit and learned quickly.
"Ladies, thank you for coming. As you can see our house is filled to overflowing. 'Il Parasido' was no longer big enough to shelter us all. So, I have asked you here to consider a dangerous mission for the sake of all who reside here." He looked around at each of them. The brave Anoushka spoke first,
"Sir Nicky, you saved my life and all the lives here. What is that you want of us?" Her small voice had the steel of her courage.
"First, let me remind you that your new lives await you in London, Paris, and Rome. You have careers, apartments, and your freedom. So, you have much to lose if this enterprise goes badly." His tone was serious and as he looked around the table, he saw the flicker of uncertainty, "I will not think less of you, should you choose to refuse me. You have suffered quite enough, from those men."
Anoushka glanced from side to side and answered, "Sir Nicky, I will help you. What is that you want from me?" She smiled, and Nicholas returned her smile, cheered by her strength.
Three other girls also volunteered, which would give Nicholas the bait he needed.
"I need to know my enemy. So, I want to reconnoitre the city. First, I want you to be seen on the street again. You will be my bait, so I can identify the gang members that I will be facing. Secondly, I want to take one of the men to question, so one of you will have to let him get close enough, to think he has got you and then, I will be there to take him."
The danger was very clear if one of the girls were to be taken, the Albanians would rape her repeatedly to 'break' her again. The girls' eyes widened, as they were fully aware of the fate that would await them. Nicholas could only assure them that this would not happen.
"I won't let anything happen to you. I will have Luigi with me. I ask much of you, I know. Please take some time to think about it." Nicholas looked down at the street map and took a pen. He tried to remember the streets where the girls 'worked', as that would be the best place to acquire a gang member.
