Even with her around I was something else. I had never been given a chance at being a real anything other than a killer, but with Key in my life, I could at least fake it, temper it down and pretend to be more man than monster wearing a muzzle and a leash.
“It’s good for everyone that she’s back, but I still want the kid in my office in the morning.”
“I’ll have him there. By the way, I went into the cooler because I know those shelves were installed right.”
I shucked my pants off as the room got steamy and flattened my hand across the bruise that Key had touched. I could feel that touch like it was branded into my skin. That was what happened when I had to earn something instead of just taking it and possessing it: the reward lingered. The payoff was so much bigger. The victory hard won and ultimately that much more satisfying.
“What was wrong with them?”
“The top braces were unscrewed from the front section. They have these rubber stoppers on them to keep them from sliding across the metal of the walk-in, and those were missing. When you set the second case on the shelf, the weight was too much and it tipped the entire rack forward. You’re really lucky you didn’t get crushed. Those bitches are heavy.”
I frowned into the mirror. “How does something like that happen?”
Chuck cleared his throat. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t happen by accident but there were too many people in and out of that cooler to tell if one person was in there longer than another.”
I frowned, not liking the implication he was laying out for me. “You think someone deliberately took the stoppers and wanted the shelves to fall?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“But how would they know I was the one that would walk into the cooler to move the champagne from the floor?”
“What if it wasn’t meant for you, boss?”
“Someone messing with the club?” I swore and let my head fall forward so that I could rub the suddenly tense muscles at the back of my neck.
“It wouldn’t be the first time, now, would it?” Chuck’s voice was laced with sarcasm. My last club had been burned to a crisp, taking several customers with it, because a madman was hell-bent on destroying the Point and had known exactly where to hit. My clubs were the heartbeat of this city and the way I gave the masses the ability to chase all their dirty dragons was the lifeblood.
“Have your security guys keep an eye out. Let them know everyone is to be on high alert as we head into opening day.”
“You got it. How did things go with having your girl home?”
“Fine, but I don’t think Bayla is a fan of the current situation. She questioned me and she knows better.”
He let out a low whistle. “That might get interesting.”
I grunted. “It will not. Bayla works for me, nothing more. Keelyn is everything, so there will be no reason for anything to get interesting.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll see ya in the a.m., boss.”
I hung up the phone and tossed it on the vanity so I could climb under the blistering spray of the shower. Since I was going to bed alone, I figured I might as well take care of the still-throbbing erection I had courtesy of that frantic make-out session in the kitchen. The only thing that was going to get interesting was all the different ways I was going to take Key when she finally came around.
He really was just a kid. Probably no older than twenty or twenty-one, but he walked into my office with enough swagger and self-assurance to choke a horse. He was chatting with Chuck about some game that had been on TV last night and didn’t seem to pick up on the tension wafting off the big man or the irritation that I was sure was leaking from me.
He caught sight of me watching him from behind my desk and his friendly grin kicked up a notch as he moved toward me like an eager puppy. This was a kid that was used to getting by in life on his looks and his affable personality, and if he had been smarter he would’ve reminded me of Race. As it was, he had no clue what he was doing in my office or why I had summoned him.
He reached out a hand as he approached, his words coming out too fast as he moved.
“Hey, it’s nice to finally meet you, man, I’m Tyler. I’m so stoked that I passed the background check and got the job. This club is so dope and the girls!” His eyes got huge as I reached for his outstretched hand. “The talent is off the charts.”
I leaned forward and pulled on his hand a little so that he had to come closer to the edge of the desk. He gasped out a shocked little noise as I started to squeeze the palm clasped in my own.
“Tyler, is it?” He nodded jerkily as I continued to squeeze. He tried to subtly pull away from me, but I just hauled him closer, making him hit the edge of the desk until he grunted in pain. He put his free hand on the glass surface and tried to tug backward, but I had him and I wasn’t letting go. “Did you leave two cases of very expensive champagne on the cooler floor yesterday during your shift?”
His eyes got even wider in his now flushed face and he was panting in earnest. He shook his head back and forth in the negative almost comically. He was panicking for real and I couldn’t blame him.
I knew if I applied just a little bit more pressure, bones would start to snap. I squeezed just a fraction tighter until I heard a distinct pop as bone dislocated.
“Funny because I have video footage of you doing exactly that because you were distracted by—what did you call it, the talent? Do you think I keep people around that don’t respect my business or my money, Tyler?”
I squeezed again and another knuckle slid out of place. The kid was straight up crying and turning purple. If it was up to me I would keep going. I would break all his fingers and kick his sloppy, snotty ass out to the curb, but Chuck was watching me carefully, so I stopped. I let go of the kid’s hand and sat back in my chair while he fell to his knees on the other side of my desk.
“I should fire you, but my associate seems to think you can learn from your mistake. What do you say, Tyler, are you ever going to be so careless with my product again?”
The kid cradled his hand against his chest and behind his watery gaze I saw a flash of something that looked oddly familiar. Hatred.
He was humiliated and furious about it.
“No. No, I won’t make that kind of mistake again, sir.”
I nodded and indicated his hand with a wave of my own. “I don’t have to tell you that a handshake is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how I handle disappointment with my employees.”
“It’s good for everyone that she’s back, but I still want the kid in my office in the morning.”
“I’ll have him there. By the way, I went into the cooler because I know those shelves were installed right.”
I shucked my pants off as the room got steamy and flattened my hand across the bruise that Key had touched. I could feel that touch like it was branded into my skin. That was what happened when I had to earn something instead of just taking it and possessing it: the reward lingered. The payoff was so much bigger. The victory hard won and ultimately that much more satisfying.
“What was wrong with them?”
“The top braces were unscrewed from the front section. They have these rubber stoppers on them to keep them from sliding across the metal of the walk-in, and those were missing. When you set the second case on the shelf, the weight was too much and it tipped the entire rack forward. You’re really lucky you didn’t get crushed. Those bitches are heavy.”
I frowned into the mirror. “How does something like that happen?”
Chuck cleared his throat. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t happen by accident but there were too many people in and out of that cooler to tell if one person was in there longer than another.”
I frowned, not liking the implication he was laying out for me. “You think someone deliberately took the stoppers and wanted the shelves to fall?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“But how would they know I was the one that would walk into the cooler to move the champagne from the floor?”
“What if it wasn’t meant for you, boss?”
“Someone messing with the club?” I swore and let my head fall forward so that I could rub the suddenly tense muscles at the back of my neck.
“It wouldn’t be the first time, now, would it?” Chuck’s voice was laced with sarcasm. My last club had been burned to a crisp, taking several customers with it, because a madman was hell-bent on destroying the Point and had known exactly where to hit. My clubs were the heartbeat of this city and the way I gave the masses the ability to chase all their dirty dragons was the lifeblood.
“Have your security guys keep an eye out. Let them know everyone is to be on high alert as we head into opening day.”
“You got it. How did things go with having your girl home?”
“Fine, but I don’t think Bayla is a fan of the current situation. She questioned me and she knows better.”
He let out a low whistle. “That might get interesting.”
I grunted. “It will not. Bayla works for me, nothing more. Keelyn is everything, so there will be no reason for anything to get interesting.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll see ya in the a.m., boss.”
I hung up the phone and tossed it on the vanity so I could climb under the blistering spray of the shower. Since I was going to bed alone, I figured I might as well take care of the still-throbbing erection I had courtesy of that frantic make-out session in the kitchen. The only thing that was going to get interesting was all the different ways I was going to take Key when she finally came around.
He really was just a kid. Probably no older than twenty or twenty-one, but he walked into my office with enough swagger and self-assurance to choke a horse. He was chatting with Chuck about some game that had been on TV last night and didn’t seem to pick up on the tension wafting off the big man or the irritation that I was sure was leaking from me.
He caught sight of me watching him from behind my desk and his friendly grin kicked up a notch as he moved toward me like an eager puppy. This was a kid that was used to getting by in life on his looks and his affable personality, and if he had been smarter he would’ve reminded me of Race. As it was, he had no clue what he was doing in my office or why I had summoned him.
He reached out a hand as he approached, his words coming out too fast as he moved.
“Hey, it’s nice to finally meet you, man, I’m Tyler. I’m so stoked that I passed the background check and got the job. This club is so dope and the girls!” His eyes got huge as I reached for his outstretched hand. “The talent is off the charts.”
I leaned forward and pulled on his hand a little so that he had to come closer to the edge of the desk. He gasped out a shocked little noise as I started to squeeze the palm clasped in my own.
“Tyler, is it?” He nodded jerkily as I continued to squeeze. He tried to subtly pull away from me, but I just hauled him closer, making him hit the edge of the desk until he grunted in pain. He put his free hand on the glass surface and tried to tug backward, but I had him and I wasn’t letting go. “Did you leave two cases of very expensive champagne on the cooler floor yesterday during your shift?”
His eyes got even wider in his now flushed face and he was panting in earnest. He shook his head back and forth in the negative almost comically. He was panicking for real and I couldn’t blame him.
I knew if I applied just a little bit more pressure, bones would start to snap. I squeezed just a fraction tighter until I heard a distinct pop as bone dislocated.
“Funny because I have video footage of you doing exactly that because you were distracted by—what did you call it, the talent? Do you think I keep people around that don’t respect my business or my money, Tyler?”
I squeezed again and another knuckle slid out of place. The kid was straight up crying and turning purple. If it was up to me I would keep going. I would break all his fingers and kick his sloppy, snotty ass out to the curb, but Chuck was watching me carefully, so I stopped. I let go of the kid’s hand and sat back in my chair while he fell to his knees on the other side of my desk.
“I should fire you, but my associate seems to think you can learn from your mistake. What do you say, Tyler, are you ever going to be so careless with my product again?”
The kid cradled his hand against his chest and behind his watery gaze I saw a flash of something that looked oddly familiar. Hatred.
He was humiliated and furious about it.
“No. No, I won’t make that kind of mistake again, sir.”
I nodded and indicated his hand with a wave of my own. “I don’t have to tell you that a handshake is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how I handle disappointment with my employees.”
