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In what feels like no time at all, I’m in the back of a private hire taxi, speeding towards an unknown destination and wondering if I’m crazy or just pathetically sad and desperate. Maybe a little of one and a whole heap of the other.
I’m surprised when the taxi pulls up to a residential area. The houses appear to be huge, disappearing behind tall trees and more spaced out than the parks near my house. I can tell the area is very affluent because I’ve only seen about 3 drives stretching off from the road and the houses are shrouded by imposing tall trees. A small wooden sign indicates which drive we need to take, but it takes another minute of driving along a conifer lined winding driveway to actually reach the house.He must like his privacy, I think to myself.
The house itself is impressive. I don’t know what period it’s from, because I’m useless at stuff like that, but it’s a tall, three storey, detached, brick build with a corner porch and double bay windows and an attic conversion. I love the wooden beams around the roof and the original wooden sash windows. The house is obviously large. and could be intimidating to some, but I find it has a charm and character that makes me feel oddly at ease.
I jump out of the taxi, nervously offering to pay the fare I know I can’t afford, but am told it’s taken care of. Relieved, I hurry over to the door, not wanting to be late or get too wet, though the torrential downpour from before is more of a light drizzle now, as if even the elements are too afraid to piss these rich folk off.
The door is wooden with glass frosted panes, in keeping with the rest of the house, and I suspect the house has been lovingly restored because all of the features look original and beautiful. I ring the bell and wait.
NORTH
The text from Wint saying he may have a solution to our problem does nothing to assuage my stress levels.
I’m going to have to look over the rules because this is the second member of staff we’ve lost in the past fortnight, for reasons unknown. Until now we’ve had excellent staff retention rates, with employees usually fighting over the chance to move from the main club to the holiday pop-up.
I don’t understand what’s going on, and looking through the two ex-employees files, the only similarity I can see between them is that they both worked the VIP area right before quitting.
I take a deep breath and try to focus on the task at hand. It’s my responsibility to figure out what’s going on before it gets worse. I pull up the CCTV footage from the VIP area and watch it carefully. At first, everything seems normal. The member of staff is attentive, the guests are happy, and nothing out of the ordinary catches my attention. But as I keep watching, something starts to become clear.
They both left with Don at the end of their shifts.
My heart races as I watch Don on the CCTV footage. I lean in closer to the screen, studying his every move. Don initially comes across as intimidating and fierce, but he’s actuallycharming and charismatic when he wants to be. It’s no wonder the girls went home with him. But despite our shared military backgrounds, there’s nothing sinister about him that would cause two women to quit.
Time to confront Don directly.
I send him a quick text asking him to join me in the office and less than two minutes later, he’s knocking on the door, entering and looking at me quizzically.
“Everything alright boss?”
“Yeah, I think so. Can you grab a seat a minute?”
“Sure thing.”
As he sits down across from me, I can tell he’s trying to read my expression. I keep silent for a moment. Don’s one of my best friends, business partners and brothers. We fought side by side for sixteen of my twenty-one years in the Special Air Services. Our bond is unbreakable. But that doesn’t make this conversation any easier. In fact, it makes it a fuck-ton harder.
Finally, I speak. “Don, I need to know what’s going on with our staff. Two employees have quit in the past two weeks, both of whom worked the VIP area under your supervision. And what’s more, they both left after their shifts with you.”
Don’s face falls as he realises the gravity of the situation. He leans back in his chair, letting out a deep sigh.
“Which girls?”
“You’ve left the club with more than two girls?” I counter, raising my brow.
“I try to walk everyone off the property.”
“Car park cameras show you leaving with them.”
“So you mean Holly and Eira then.”
I stare at him and say nothing, and Don sighs again.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal, North. We just had a few drinks after work, and then they invited me to come back to their place. I swear, nothing happened.”
I raise an eyebrow sceptically. “Nothing happened? Then why did they quit the next day?”
Don looks me right in the eye, his usual teasing glint gone. “Let me rephrase that. Nothing happened that wasn’t completely consensual.”
I shake my head. Of course he slept with them. He’s not supposed to – none of us are – but for a military man, Don has never been good at following the rules. “Fine. So you probably know these girls better than anyone. Did you say or do anything that might have made them uncomfortable?”
