by K. A Knight
“Morning,” she calls with a yawn.
Her mascara is running down her face, her lipstick is smudged, and I’m sure her outfit is from last night. “Busy night?” I tease, and she winks as she grabs some wipes and cleans up her face. I toss her some deodorant and lip gloss and she grins.
“Thanks, beautiful.”
“No worries, I’ll go get our sections. Wanna try and get VIP?” I ask, and she grins in the mirror.
“You know it.”
I nod and leave her to it. When I first met her, I thought we would never get along. She’s the party girl type, the one the other girls all warn you away from, but when I got to know her, I learned she has a heart of gold. She likes to drink and fuck and I don’t have an problem with that. She doesn’t have an issue that I prefer to work and obsess over one guy. It works well for us.
I move through the club, which looks better in daylight than it does at night. The cleaners are finishing getting rid of the remnants of a busy Saturday night, so I move over to the booth where we have our briefings and sit down and wait for Guy, the day manager, to come and tell us our sections. He has wandering eyes, but at least if I bat my lashes I can get the VIP room.
During the day the club is bright. The neon lights and fairy lights hang from exposed wood beams, and tables are added to the dance floor where they serve some of the best burgers in town. The bar serves cocktails and soft drinks, and the place takes on a family friendly vibe—unless you go upstairs where the music is louder, and girls dance and serve on the bar.
Crystal slides into the booth next to me, dropping her head on my shoulder with a whine. “I’m tired.”
I laugh as I poke her side. “Too much cock for you to handle?” I tease.
“Girl, you have no idea, three cocks to be exact.” I snort, looking at her, and she lifts her head, wiggling her eyebrows. “You got three holes, girl, might as well fill them.”
We both burst out laughing as a tired-looking Paul and an energised Tammy joins us in our booth, waiting for Guy. Crystal and I share looks, and she gestures about how big the cocks were, making me smile until Guy saunters up and knocks on the wood of the table like he always does, like he’s announcing his arrival.
“Alright, team, we have twenty reservations booked today and we expect walk-ins as well. We also have a VIP room booking all day with buffet and drinks, so I’ll need two servers. I’ve called in Ross and Lil to help cover the slack as well.” He looks around at us then, cupping his mug to his chest, and Crystal leans forward, flashing boob and drawing his eyes. “Jewel and…” His eyes move to me next and I smile sweetly. “Cherry Pie, you’re up on VIP.”
“Tabby Bear, Paularo, you work down and the others will work up, breaks sorted between you.” He nods and walks away then as Paul swears at being left out of VIP pickings, even while I cringe at his nickname. Fuck, I hate that he calls me that, but he has them for all the workers, so I let it slide. Crystal and I each grab a drink and head to the back rooms upstairs to get ready for the VIP party. I find the schedule and plan waiting for us on the table in the middle of the room.
“Okay, twenty guests, looks like a business meeting or conference. They ordered the three-course buffet, so we’ll need to change them as they eat. They have free drinks, so we’ll serve them, and they want four tables with white table cloths,” I read out before turning to Crystal.
“Baggsie not drink serving!” we shout at the same time, then narrow our eyes.
“Slut, virgin, nan?” I ask and she nods, stepping closer.
“Three, two, draw,” I call, and hold out my hand and groan as she grins.
“Sorry, drink monkey.” She winks.
I grumble, but help her set up the tables and hot plates for the buffet for when they arrive, before heading behind the bar, setting it up, and logging in to the till. I prefer to work the floor, you can escape guests that way and you aren’t stuck behind the bar all day. Some people will even invite you to sit and eat with them, or party if it’s a birthday party, but the bar worker never gets that. Let’s hope the tips are good.
Three hours later, I’m sweating, tired, and my feet are aching.
Who knew people could drink so much? As the day wears on, they get louder and louder. I concentrate on mixing drinks, not giving myself much time to think about Max or the phone burning a hole in my pocket. My tips are good, really good actually, due to an older man who keeps wandering over despite only ordering water or coffee. He’s good-looking, I’ll give him that, in a silver fox way. He has short, cropped grey hair with controlled stubble on his chin, piercing blue eyes, and a body that’s pulling at the suit he’s wearing, showing his muscles. When he gets too hot, he takes off the suit jacket and rolls up the white shirt sleeves, his arms bulging. As attractive as he is, Max is still better, plus, I have a strange feeling about this man.
He watches everything too closely, too in depth, his eyes flickering everywhere and anywhere. He reminds me of Max and the way he searches rooms, and despite everyone else drinking, he doesn’t. Instead, he sits back and watches, learning and noting everything. When he speaks, everyone listens, but he seems happier to sit and watch. Who is he?
He leans against the bar now, watching me as I smile and pass over the vodka and soda a man ordered before turning to him. “Hi, another water?” I ask, already moving to grab a bottle, but he shakes his head and leans both arms on the bar, staring at me.
“Your name is Scarlett?” he inquires, noting my name tag with a pointed look.
“It is,” I reply cheerfully, wondering where this is going.
“I’m Donald. It’s nice to finally meet you, Scarlett.” He offers his hand and I frown as I reach out and shake it.
“Finally?” I repeat, confused.
Another man comes up and I quickly make his drink, throwing Donald a perplexed look. He hasn’t glanced away from me the whole time. His gaze doesn’t feel sexual, more assessing. Once I’ve served, I move back over and raise my eyebrows. “You were saying?”
“Was I?” he teases, his eyes sparkling in mirth and his lips quirking up.
“You were,” I reply.
“I make it my…life’s mission, we shall say, to know everyone and everything. Especially about those in my employment,” he starts cryptically.
“I’m not in your employment,” I point out.
“Very true, but a man who seems to be drawn to you is. That worries me, I need my people clear-headed and not guided by emotions. It could make you a threat. I make it my business to know any threats to my company and you, Scarlett? You are definitely a threat.”
I frown, leaning back from the man. Even though he hasn’t said anything, I feel the dangerous edge to him and then it clicks.
“You’re talking about Max,” I surmise, since that’s the only man he can mean.
“Maximus, yes. I can see the appeal, don’t get me wrong, everyone falls off the wagon from time to time. Thinking they have found love and can leave the life. It never works out for men like us, and in the long run you’re only harming him, but I’m sensing you don’t want to harm Maximus.”
I shake my head. In the life? What does he mean? “Look, I don’t know you, but you clearly know me, so you should know that I don’t take kindly to be threatened or told what I can and can’t do. I love Max, he’s a good man and I will not stay away no matter what you say,” I state as bluntly as I can.
“No?” he asks, sipping his water. “What if you found out some truths? I could tell you who it is you say you love, tell you his past, what he’s doing right now…”
He teases me with information, and I’m starting to get annoyed, so I step towards him, staring into his eyes, showing he doesn’t scare me. “I don’t care about any of it. He will tell me when he’s ready, and your threats and hints that I won’t like what I find can fuck off. I don’t care if you’re his employer, pimp, or brother. He’s mine, so I suggest you rethink your game plan here, because I’m not backing down.”
H
e grins then. “I can see that. Maybe I underestimated you.”
“Everyone always does and it doesn’t end well for them. I see you, Donald. I see the gun you’re carrying, and I know you’re rich and powerful, but none of that matters to me. Threaten me or Max again and you will find out exactly how much you underestimated me,” I warn, deadly serious.
We stare each other down before he finally barks out a laugh, rapping his knuckles on the bar. “Oh, Maximus will have fun with you, I think.”
I frown again, once again left confused. “You-you were trying to protect him?”
He waves his hand then. “Protect my investments, his feelings are of no consequence to me.”
“Liar.” I grin, feeling at ease now that I can get a read on this man and we understand each other. “I see it in your eyes, you care for him, for all your people, whoever they are. You’re trying to protect him. Well, let me tell you something, so am I. He’s hostile, grumpy, dangerous, and oh so fucking dark, but I see that heart of gold he hides behind all that rage, and it will belong to me just as much as he already owns mine.” If baring myself to this stranger is how I protect Max, I will, because I sense this man has the power to break us.
“Good, hold on to that stubbornness, you will need it with him.” He tosses the water back then, laying the cup gently on the bar before wiping it down, and taking the traces of his hands and mouth away before pocketing the hankie. “But hurt him and all that bravado won’t save you.”
He tosses some bills on the counter, winks at me, and heads back to the meeting like he didn’t just interrogate me. What the hell just happened?
Who is Maximus Hunt and this mysterious employer he works for?
Chapter Twenty-One
Maximus
I lied to her for the first time ever. I do have a job, but only because I asked for one. I needed to get away from her and lose myself so I didn’t stumble back like a lovesick fool begging for her forgiveness. Last night was a mistake, I shouldn’t have crossed the line, and now she is imprinted on me—her taste, the feel of her body against mine, I keep replaying it again and again. Hoping I’m making the right decision by staying away, to protect her from afar. Giving her a chance at a normal life…without all this. Without me.
Looking down at my hands coated in blood, I turn on the tap in the restroom sink and scrub at them, knowing it won’t ever make my hands clean again. No, she deserves better than a man who lies to her, who hurts other people. Who can kill without blinking.
My phone buzzes and I dry off my hands, grimacing at the blood still under my nails. It’s a bastard to get out without the proper tools. Grabbing my phone, I scroll past Scarlett’s texts, not wanting to open it. Not wanting to know if she’s mad or misses me or worse…doesn’t care.
Instead, I open one from an unknown number.
Unknown: We need to talk.
Fuck, this can’t be good. Throwing the paper towels away, I pocket the phone and grab my leather jacket from the sink next to me and slip outside, ignoring people’s screams as they find the body hidden behind the rest stop. Just another hit. I slip into the borrowed Jag and speed away, ripping the beanie and the shades off my head, and tossing them into the passenger seat—a precaution in case they caught me on any cameras, though they shouldn’t have. I made sure to kill him in a dead zone, but you can never be too careful. The drive to Serenity doesn’t take long and I pull into the underground parking, leaving my keys inside knowing no one will steal it on these hallowed grounds.
A peace zone, a place where no blood can be shed for men and women like us, run by the Clergy with rules in place for protection. Break those rules and face being made a rogue, losing all protection and suppliers. It’s a fate worse than death, if you last that long.
The building itself is disguised as a private hospital. The Serenity is just this city’s safe zone, there are more spread around the world—hotels, bars, museums, hell, they even have a fucking bunker. Heading to the elevator in the underground garage, I click the button and wait, tilting my head up to show the camera it’s me. It dings open, revealing the rich red and gold interior with a two-way mirror, cameras in each corner, and of course the bullet and bomb proof core. The doors close and out pops the retina and hand scanner. I let it scan me and then it dings again, starting to rise. You can never be too careful.
It opens into the waiting room, which is filled with a sofa, chairs, a fireplace, and a bar in one corner. A reception desk is there to accommodate your needs—a room, weapons, information…everything. I head straight there, ignoring the people sitting in the room, people like me. A dash of black shoots past me, an Asian woman in a long red dress and black heels heading to the elevator, it closes behind her.
I knock on the desk and a blonde woman comes from the back, smiling sweetly at me, but I’ve seen her shoot a man and then gut another, so I keep my distance. “I was summoned, is he here?”
She nods, typing away at the computer, and the private elevator next to her desk on the left opens. It only leads to one place—him. I nod and step inside, the doors shutting automatically. There are no buttons or floors, it just rises on command, passing the levels of rooms, gyms, shooting arenas, and tailors until we hit the top floor. It opens up into the penthouse he keeps up here. I wander through the modern living room, the low, black sofas facing a roaring fire and a plasma TV, which is always on and switching between cameras and news feeds. His stainless-steel, modern kitchen is also empty, a step up from the living room and open concept as well. I don’t venture farther into the apartment, since I want to keep my head on my body, thank you very much.
Donald is a private man, hell, I bet that’s not even his real name. As the representative for the Clergy, he is powerful, rich, and not someone to mess with, and the only reason people get called here is because they have fucked up or he wants something. Neither bodes well for me. The floor-to-ceiling windows show the dreary rain outside and look out onto the balcony, and that’s where I spot him. Rounding the sofas, I pass through the open doorway, still under shelter from the overhang above.
He’s sitting on a rattan sofa with a small table in front of him, and only one chair facing him as he sips from his mug and stares out onto the city. The hospital is nestled between skyscrapers, and blaring horns and talking from below drift up to us. A water fountain sits to the right and a small rooftop garden to the left. The balcony opens into a T-shape and I know around the corner is a pool, but I head straight to him and sit in the chair, waiting.
“Money is in your bank, clean kill,” he states without looking at me, and when he finally does, I wish he hadn’t.
Piercing blue eyes stare into mine, his grey hair trimmed and perfectly styled. His strong face blank. I know what this man is capable of, he could bring down entire governments without even so much as a twitch. He wields power effortlessly and knows everything, so I don’t bother trying to deny anything he says. I simply nod.
He sits back then, eyeing me over the rim of his mug. “I went to see her, your Scarlett.”
I freeze, sitting up straighter in my chair, itching to shoot the bastard. He went to her? What did he say? If he hurt her, fuck the protections, fuck the safe zone, I will kill him and burn this place to the ground.
“Careful, Maximus, some might take that hand inching towards your gun as a threat.” He narrows his eyes and I grind my teeth but move my hand away. I’ll hear him out first. “No, to answer the question in your eyes, I did not hurt her or tell her anything, I simply went to evaluate.”
“What does that mean?” I snap, enraged. I grip the chair arms to keep from launching at him as he relaxes into his like we’re discussing nothing of importance, but I know that relaxed stance is a farce, just like everything with this man, he simply wants me to see what he’s offering and no more.
“I had to ensure she was not a threat to you or my business, Maximus. The heart blinds you to truths, I wanted to ensure your safety,” he explains.
“You mean safety
that I would keep working for you and your business,” I snarl.
Placing the mug on the table, he sighs. “Believe what you wish, Maximus, your Scarlett saw the truth instantly. She is quite intelligent.”
My nostrils flare then and he grins at me. “Not to fret, she isn’t my type, but I have to ask, are you going soft?”
I snap then, losing my temper. “Fucking soft? Do I look like I’m going soft?”
He laughs. “I had to ask, but after today, I have no worries, not even over your Scarlett. You should know, though, I did some digging. She’s planning to buy an apartment in the city and the man she is currently living with, named Jeffrey, I believe, is not a good man.”
“I know,” I snap, but then refocus on him. “Has he hurt her?” I ask, going cold at the thought.
“No, but I believe it’s only a matter of time. We could relocate her, if you wish,” he offers, and I know it will cost me, but I already have my own plan in place.
“Won’t be necessary,” I mutter and then lean back. “Was this all you needed? I’m anxious to get back.”
“Rightly so, that’s all for now, Maximus,” he says and then he turns, dismissing me. I get up and depart with no goodbye, leaving him to his peace.
His words ring through my mind. Scarlett is in danger from more than just me. I can’t let that happen, and now that the Clergy knows about her, they will keep tabs, so I need to ensure she’s safe at all times. I need to watch her, let them see she isn’t a threat, all while keeping to my plan to stay away.
I leave Serenity pissed as hell and aching to see her, but instead I make my calls, planning her future for her, one without me.
