Vinny is getting anxious. Wants this song and dance over with. However, the improvements I’ve made so far have already increased his profit, so despite the money loss, he’s still getting a bump. Which is the only reason he hasn’t let Danny come in and just kill everyone. That might kill the thief, or not. We won’t know, and that’s what I’ve been using to keep them all at bay. We need to find the one in charge to see if it goes beyond this one club. To see if it’s just Carl the rat and this puppet master in play, or if we have more enemies we don’t know about.
Guess the neck wound’s good for something. Now I look for what’s behind me, not just what’s in front. For the slash to the throat we never expected.
Kind of like what happened to me. And by kind of, I mean exactly like that.
“Two waitstaff and one dancer called in sick.” He raises his hand before I even open my mouth. “I’ve already got someone coming in to cover the waitstaff, and the dancer won’t be missed, as I had her on a side stage. I changed things around on the schedule to allow for an extra performance from the new act to make up for it. It’ll be tight, but the girls know to make the most of it, and none of them complained about possibly vying for attention from more than one customer.”
I nod as I take another sip. Makes sense. And the new act does wonders with fire. A very talented young lady. She has promise here for sure. Her and her partner, who does sword swallowing.
I chuckle to myself at the thought of how many protested me hiring a male act, saying men come here for one thing, and a dick isn’t it. But after the man easily swallows teninches or more when he performs, the girls have some of their best nights ever.
The crowds have been slow to change, but more and more of the clientele that Vinny was hoping would come around have in the last few weeks. It’s also better if those who work for us spend their money at our own places. It’s the circle of life at its finest.
“Anything else?” I set my empty cup on the saucer as I glance at the time on my phone. We’re just getting started for the night. Never knew that me working all the time would be a thing I thrive on, but Vinny chose right. I’m more than capable of staying up night after night compared to my brothers.
Dante crosses his legs and picks at invisible lint on his pants, looking down and not at me. Something he rarely does.
“What is it?”
“A certain jewel is missing.”
I raise both eyebrows at that and tilt my head, a silent question of if he’s being serious.
A single nod is all he gives me.
“Interesting.”
“Thought you should know.”
Dante and I have done well working this closely for years. We know certain things about each other, sometimes even before the other does. And while I haven’t been avoiding the subject, talking about the girls has never come up unless an issue occurs or if we think one person would be better in a lineup than another.
Neither of us is here for anything but the job. And while we might notice the girls, rarely do we watch them.
Except when the Crown Jewel performs. I would say it’s random that I seem to come out of the office during her shifts to check on things on the floor, but I won’t tarnish Dante’s and my friendship so cheaply.
He knows it, and I know it. We won’t speak of it, but we both know where my eyes travel most nights when I do my rounds. Hell, he’s even seen them linger longer than necessary when I catch a glimpse of her flying from my office.
This is the first incident that’s ever happened with her since I took over.
All the others have been warned. The first warnings usually come from Dante. The second is from me, followed by an escort out. So far, no one has been foolish to have a second misstep.
“Let me know when it’s found.” The unspoken part of me handling the warning is understood.
“Will do.” He stands and exits quickly.
I sit in silence and run my finger along the rim of my coffee cup, thoughts of the past month taking over any attempt to focus on the current job.
We’ve done a lot in that time, and there’s more to come. So far, we’ve had very few incidents, but I’m not foolish enough to think we’ll never have them. The security team has dropped to the initial four I thought we would maintain on sight. The bartender we hired is doing well, and we even have a full waitstaff to support us, not just a few of the girls taking drink orders between their dancing shifts. No lines to get in just yet, but I feel as though the time is coming. Word of mouth is spreading about the new acts, and new faces are showing up daily. Once we get the facelift outside that I’mhoping for, I bet we’ll have to start turning people away due to overcrowding.
The ping of an incoming text has me glancing at my phone for a second before I stand and pull on my jacket. I take my time straightening my cuffs under the sleeves and fastening the top button before pocketing my phone and heading out of my office, locking the door behind me as I go.
Maybe one day I’ll trust everyone here, but till then, a locked door will give me peace of mind for my own personal office. That and the cameras we have watching every spot in this place, except for a select few like theinsideof my office, which I keep off the record for a reason.
I jog down the stairs quickly and exit the private door at the back of the bar before I head to the dressing room. I give a few nods to the people who pass, but this group learned early on that I’m not one to stop and chat. I take after Vinny in that matter. You don’t come to me—I come to you. And if I do, then you know you fucked up.
I always enjoyed watching Vinny do it, and I’m all for following in his footsteps. Danny has the same approach, sort of. He doesn’t have people come to him, but he doesn’t go to people either. He just kills them. Or has it done for him. Bobby is the talker of the group. Well, more than the rest. He uses his words and knowledge to disarm someone before they even know a confrontation was about to arise. Milly was the one who ran from people, but only to keep others safe.
Which reminds me, I need to send my nephew a gift. It might not be his birthday or any holiday that typically involves presents, but what’s the point of being an uncle if I can’t spoil him? I doubt my other brothers do, and since thekid just met us, I prefer to bribe him into picking his favorite. Me, of course.
