They Echo Me

54. Daniel

"Alright love, you ready? You need to go over the plan one more time?" I asked Emma as we approached the doors to the community center. She shook her head distractedly, but her steps faltered slightly.

Today was the day.

Bennet had miraculously been able to convince Alessandro to basically give me his apartment complex. He only charged $500, apparently agreeing with Bennet that he didn't really need the money!

I'd never personally been to the complex, but I knew a lot about it. My annoying roommate in college, Diego, had even lived there growing up.

Bennet said it wasn't as grandiose as it once was. Without Alessandro directly overseeing the upkeep and upgrades for the last 25 years, the quality of the complex had declined. Many of the apartments were subleased now, as the majority of the permanent residents had moved away or just used their apartments as their temporary homes whenever they needed to come to Los Angeles.

Still, it had a ton of potential. We could bring it back to life. And more importantly, the women would be free here. Free to come and go as they pleased, raise their children in violence-free homes, and finally make their own decisions.

They could drop their kids off at the on-site daycare as they went to their GED classes, if they wanted to. The kids could even go to public school, allowing their moms to take a much-needed break during the day, for possibly the first time in forever. There were pools and a gym and all kinds of amenities to make their lives easier.

I was genuinely excited for them, and I was excited to rejuvenate the place and hopefully even expand at some point.

Bennet and my lawyers had convinced a few people to move, promising to cover their moving expenses, security deposits, and first and last months' rent. Once they explained that a lot of construction would be going on for the next few months, many were eager to find greener pastures and took them up on the deal.

They were able to secure 20 apartments, which wasn't quite enough just yet, but 10-15 families staying in hotels for a little while was much better than 30-35 families.

I decided to go ahead and purchase the other apartment complex, too, and plans were already underway for a total remodel. Those apartments would eventually bring in some passive income, and I was excited to turn it from a dump to a luxurious, modern slice of paradise.

Bennet didn't really elaborate much on what Alessandro had requested from me, in exchange for the easy sale, and I was a little scared to ask. He promised he tell me everything once Emma and I returned home, but he didn't seem too worried about it. So I didn't worry about it either.

My main concern today was to ensure that things went smoothly. The men needed to drink the new, stronger tea while the women drank the safer tea. Then the ladies would handcuff the men at some point and run away, to the charter buses that would be arriving in about 30 minutes.

Allen had been ridiculously excited when I told him that Emma and I had decided we wanted to move back, and that I wanted to be a community leader. He went on and on about what an amazing asset I'd be to the community, and that people were talking about the way I'd spanked Emma in public.

A couple of people claimed they'd seen my dick out, hard and ready to pound my wife against someone's fence, "but it was hard to be sure."

Still, it was truly inspiring, he gushed, and he was sad to have missed it. He hoped to see more public acts of discipline between husbands and wives.

And he also hoped we'd decide to participate during the ceremony.

Which brings us here, walking into the community center, hand-in-hand, ready to do the absolute most to convince Allen and everyone else that we're completely unaware of what's about to transpire.