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I can’t sit still at my desk waiting for Jake, the nervous energy that I now feel makes my body want to move.
I decide to stretch my legs and walk the rim. It is something I do nearly every night anyway. I walk the perimeter of the club, using the back secret doors and passages, checking the fire exits and storage rooms.
This nightly habit helps me settle in for the evening, and I like to ensure things are where they need to be and no fire exits are blocked in case of emergency. Which happens a lot when you run a club with the amount of liquor deliveries we receive.
Checking on one of the exterior doors, I notice it has been tampered with as the lock is off the door having been hacked away. Perhaps this is what Jake was looking into and was the cause of his calls to me tonight.
I turn to head back to my office, my head down in thought about Molly when I get hit from behind and stumble. I turn to look at the attacker, but he’s dressed in black with a ski mask covering his face, so I don’t get his identification.
Another blow is delivered to my head and then another two to my ribs before I come to my senses and throw one in return, connecting with his cheek, but it doesn’t stop him. He steps closer to me about to throw another punch, when I hear voices - it's Jake and his team running toward me. It is then I remember that I had cameras installed in this section of the club after the last time I was attacked, and Jake must have seen it from the security control room.
I turn to grab the attacker again, but he has already fled. Stumbling, I try to chase him, but my ribs are burning, and I fall to the floor just as the team gets to me. Jake leans down next to me, while the others chase the masked bandit who left running moments ago.
“Fuck, are you all right?” Jake asks, looking over my face and checking for any broken bones. I wince in pain when he touches my ribs; not broken but definitely bruised.
“I’m okay, I’m fine,” I say through clenched teeth, pushing off the floor and standing up.
“You’re going to have a nice shiner on your eye,” he states, helping me to stand.
Dusting myself off, I cringe, my head is thumping, and my rib cage is sore. Jake is already talking on his earpiece, calling for more security, trying to catch the guy who jumped me. As we pick up the mess and look at the doorway, we try to contain the area. Police have been called for fingerprinting; that was who Jake was talking to on the phone when I arrived. The team run back to us empty handed, but with a description of a getaway car he sped away in.
A car lying in wait, meaning this was premeditated, planned and not a solo act.
I make my way to my office, slowly and gingerly, clutching my hand to my ribs to try and ease the pain I feel just from taking a few steps. This is the second attack on me. No one else has been targeted, and it appears it is premeditated. It was the same approach as last time, but this time he really wanted to do damage. Making it to my office, I wince in pain as I take a seat, and Melanie brings me an ice bucket full of ice and a towel. I fold the ice in the towel and put it to my head and then place my punching hand directly in the ice, it is now sore from the hit I planted on the attacker in self-defense.
What started out as an amazing night with Molly has now turned to evil and I am livid. How can I be attacked in my own fucking club? Twice! Jake walks in along with some members of his security team. He knows I am not happy.
“I called you earlier because I noticed the lock on that door was broken. I was on the phone to the police to request a fingerprint unit when you arrived. We had already cleared that hallway and didn’t find anyone, so they were either hiding really well or tracking you directly.”
With that I pause, because if they are tracking me, then they would know where I have been, and I have been with Molly. At her house. Now, I am really worried. I look at Jake. Both of us are thinking the same thing. This has to be John. There is no one else who would be out to hurt me, and the timing makes sense. This means John and whomever he is working with are aware that we know who they are and what they do. That in itself is concerning, but what is even more concerning is how they know.
“Sweep the place for bugs. Start here in my office and private bar and once we close, I want the entire place swept - nowhere gets missed, and I mean nowhere,” I instruct Jake, who nods to one of his team members who then walks out of the office, putting my request into action immediately.
“We need to increase security, both here at the club and with you personally, you can’t go anywhere without a shadow now. I will organize the same for Shaun, Scarlett, and Marco - just to be on the safe side,” Jake states.
My driver has been doubling as my security lately because I hate having a security shadow. Especially now that I have Molly because I really don’t want to scare her. I also don't want her to think this is a normal part of my life because it’s not. But I nod and another one of Jake's team heads out, to organize a shadow team who will follow my every move from tonight onwards.
It is just the two of us now. Jake stands, grabbing the whiskey I keep at my private bar, then he pours us two glasses which we both throw down.
“Is Jai ready to start making arrests yet?” I ask Jake, thinking that now might be the right time to step away from this mess, given that I don’t want anyone else to get attacked because we are helping the Feds in bringing down this crime syndicate.
“Jai is MIA at the moment, deep undercover so we just need to wait until he resurfaces.” Jake places the glasses on the bar, his jaw clenching, knowing that it is all getting a little too close to home for us both.
We have a quiet minute, trying to gather our thoughts before the phones start. Jake's first, with the arrival of the local police unit, then mine, it is Scarlett, who no doubt heard details of tonight via Shaun, who heard from one of the security team here.
I speak to Scarlett briefly, mainly trying to get her to calm down as she is frantic with concern, and I can hear Shaun begging her to relax in the background.
I spend the rest of the night talking to my team, alternating with placing ice on my body where it is needed and watching Jake sweep the office for bugs, but none are found. My body is sore and weary, but not too damaged, and as the sun begins to rise, I leave the club, with my new security shadow in tow and make my way home. Sleep and Molly are now the only two things on my mind and if I can have them together, my life would be complete.
***
18
MOLLY
I spent the morning visiting gran before I came home to start a spring clean, and as the sun sets, I have nearly finished my tasks. Gran is improving every day and I have my fingers crossed that she will be home soon. The house is always clean and tidy, but I have spent the entire afternoon and now early evening scrubbing tiles and washing the walls. They’re not dirty, but a spring clean never hurt anyone.
I like a tidy house, and I know that it will make gran feel relaxed when she comes home. I ensure I spend extra time disinfecting the kitchen table, and I blush slightly at the memory of what happened on it last night.
