The Witch's Brew

by Brenda Cothern

  The first thing he did when he came to the club every time was to locate the security. Not because he was going to cause trouble, of course, or because he thought they couldn’t do their job. No, it was just a habit to locate anyone who policed a place so he could offer his assistance if it was needed. The four times he’d come to the club, tonight included, he’d only witnessed security escort three people out of the club. Those escorts happened before the patrons grew violent. That alone told Adam the security knew exactly what they were doing.

  “Chris, would you ask Brian to give us the feeds for our guests?” Mikael requested after Randy returned with the patrons’ drinks. He could have radioed Brian, but wanted to let his guests sweat a bit by sending Chris to deliver the message personally.

  The five clubbers were all smiles thinking they were in for some sort of treat because they were offered a cocktail and sat in a VIP room. The moment he mentioned the video feeds, their smiles faltered.

  “Please enjoy your drinks while we wait for Chris to return.” Mikael smiled politely and took a seat in one of the cushioned leather chairs.

  Rita remained at her post behind the leather couch where three of the lawbreakers sat. Adam remained next to the door, a post he naturally fell into, and Mikael smiled at him. Less than five minutes later, Chris returned. He took up a post behind the two leather chairs where the two drug dealers were seated.

  “Brian has what you requested,” Chris informed.

  “Excellent.” Mikael clapped his hands like a schoolboy who was just given a snow day.

  He stood and retrieved a remote from the shelf under the large flat screen TV. Mikael was still smiling when he resumed his seat and swiveled toward the TV.

  Adam instantly became more alert. His new boss just turned his back on the five VIPs and that made Adam shift his gaze to them. If any of them so much as lifted their asses off their seats, they would never get to his new boss before he took them down.

  “Let’s be entertained, shall we?” Mikael asked pleasantly and turned on the TV.

  The video started in the order Adam pointed out the five that currently sat behind Mikael but he didn’t focus on the video. He didn’t need to since he witnessed the activity for himself. No, he was focused on the five rapidly increasing heartbeats. A groan and a curse were the only noises that came from behind him since the TV was muted. Mikael turned off the TV after the third prostitute started to lead his client toward the restroom, but was intercepted by Bruce. All five of his guests were sweating more than they had been when they entered.

  “Here is how this is going to work.” Mikael’s friendly demeanor was gone and the deadly tone finally back in place. “You two are going to put your drugs and the money you made from selling them in my club tonight on that table there.” Mikael indicated the glass coffee table that sat in front of the couch.

  “What?” The dealer from near the bathroom exclaimed and looked like he wanted to stand.

  “Your other two options are that I call the police and send your asses to jail or I just make sure you’ll never sell anything ever again.”

  Adam didn’t react to Mikael’s tone or words that were a clear threat of death. As far as he was concerned, he’d killed people for less when he had been with Delta. Though that wasn’t something he put on his application or résumé.

  He noticed Chris and the woman didn’t react to their boss’ threat, either. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if their lack of reaction was because they condoned the idea of permanently getting rid of the fuckwits or because they knew their boss’ threat was an empty one. It didn’t sound empty, though.

  “You can’t do that!”

  “To which ‘that’ do you refer?” Mikael asked.

  Rita placed a hand on the guy’s shoulder. She squeezed and he paled. He also smartly didn’t say another word before he started digging in his pockets. Baggies and cash were thrown on the table. The prostitutes followed suit without being told.

  “You, too.” Mikael nodded to the woman wearing the pink tank top and waited.

  She pulled cash out of her back pocket and tossed it to join the growing pile on the table. Next, she leaned back and retrieved two baggies from her front pocket.

  “All of it,” Mikael growled.

  There was no way this tiny girl didn’t have more. What she threw on the table wasn’t even an eight ball even though she’d already made deals. Not to mention the cash was nowhere near what it should have been.

  “Fine,” she spat out and leaned forward to dig into her knee-high boot.

  “Knife!” Adam shouted.

  He was moving before the word even left his mouth. Adam didn’t go for the girl, but instead toward his new boss who was seated close to the girl. Chris and the woman acted just as quickly. Whether they spotted the switchblade or acted because of his yell, Adam didn’t know or care. Chris grabbed both of the girl’s wrists and the woman had her in a sleeper hold. Adam’s back was to his boss so he couldn’t see Mr. Popov’s reaction.

  Mikael patted Adam’s thigh to indicate he should step aside. It was sweet that his new security employee thought to protect him first even though he didn’t need to be protected at all.

  “Adam, if anyone else moves, kill them,” Mikael ordered calmly and was not only curious what his new employee thought about his order, but if he’d actually do it. Something made Mikael think he would.

  “Sure thing,” Adam replied even though he had no idea if his potential boss was serious.

  These were just twenty-something punks and Adam understood the threat would likely be enough to scare the hell out of them. It was also less hassle than actually killing the assholes.

  “Oh my God! You killed her!” The bathroom drug dealer screeched in fear when the woman released her hold on the girl.

  Adam couldn’t help but laugh when the woman rolled her eyes. She didn’t kill the girl, only put her to sleep. The others wouldn’t know that, though. They were too scared shitless to notice the girl still breathed. Another tap on his thigh reminded Adam that his new boss wanted him to move, so he stepped aside.

  “Chris,” Mikael spoke to his security employee.

  Mikael fought a smile when his employee flicked his wrist and the switchblade flew through the air to embed in the floor between Mikael’s feet. He bent forward and retrieved the blade.

  “Now, you four will never show your faces in my club again.” Mikael used the blade to point at them. Every one of them was as pale as a sheet of white paper. “Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Totally.”

  “Very.”

  The fourth girl just nodded like a bobble head. Again, Mikael had to fight a smile. Putting the fear of God, well the fear of him into them, was so easy with norms that it was amusing as hell.

  “Good. Chris and Rita will escort you out.” Mikael waved his hand absently toward the door.

  He didn’t need to tell either of his security employees to escort the currently sleeping woman out when she awoke. They knew this routine. Mikael stood after Chris returned to retrieve the sleeping woman. Adam was still watching the open door as if expecting another threat to come barreling in. His new employee’s attentiveness and concern made him smile.

  “I believe it goes without saying,” Mikael started. “You’re hired.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Popov.”

  “Mikael.” Adam finally turned to look at him. “My family calls me Mikael. Never boss.”

  “Okay, Mikael.” Adam nodded.

  “Be here tomorrow at eight.”

  “Okay.” Adam waited for Mikael to move toward the door so he could escort the man back to the club. When his new boss didn’t move, he asked, “Is there something else you need before I walk you back?”

  Oh, I need, Mikael thought and not for the first time he mentally cursed his ‘no fucking family’ rule, especially since this was the first time he was tempted to break it.

  “Why did you protect me instead of
neutralizing the threat?”

  “You were the target and your other security was closer to the girl in order to neutralize her,” Adam answered honestly.

  “And?” Mikael could tell the man had something to add, but was hesitant.

  Adam smirked and made a mental note of his new boss’ intuitiveness. “You would have killed her.”

  “Would or could have?” Mikael smiled and was curious of Adam’s answer.

  “One in the same as far as I can tell.”

  “My threat to kill them didn’t bother you?” Mikael inquired instead of replying to Adam’s comment.

  “Why would it? I was Delta.” Adam raised a curious brow again.

  “Would you have done it?” Again, Mikael ignored his new employee’s question.

  “Killing is sometimes more of a hassle than it’s worth,” Adam answered and knew Mikael wasn’t fooled that he didn’t give an answer one way or the other.

  “Another non-answer.” Mikael smiled and referred to the answers Adam gave him in his office earlier. “But you are correct, it can be.”

  A silence settled between them that Adam wasn’t sure he should be the one to break it. So, he waited for Mikael to speak again while his new boss scrutinized him. He didn’t fidget or do anything to display nervousness because he wasn’t nervous.

  Mikael was smaller than he by only an inch or so and Adam had a good thirty pounds of muscle on his new boss. But, their difference in size wasn’t why he wasn’t nervous. He just had no reason to be as far as the man’s behavior presented thus far.

  “See George tomorrow at eight and he will get you set up,” Mikael finally broke the silence. “I don’t need an escort back to my office.”

  “Okay.” Adam nodded and almost felt stupid for offering, but it was the right thing to do. “Good night.”

  “Good night, Adam. And welcome to the family.”

  “Thanks, Mikael.”

  Mikael watched the muscular back of his new employee leave his VIP room and tried to banish thoughts of what all those muscles would feel like under his hands. He only waited ten minutes to ensure Adam wasn’t returning before he stepped into the room’s bathroom. Mikael didn’t bother turning on the light. It was the darkness of the shadows he sought. With barely a thought, he shadow stepped and in the blink of an eye stood in the darkness of his office bathroom.

  ***

  Chapter Three

  At precisely 7:45 p.m., Adam knocked on the front door of The Witch’s Brew. An incredibly beautiful woman cracked the door open and peeked out. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back away from her face, but it was her startling green eyes that caught Adam’s attention. She would have been just his type if he were into women.

  “We open at nine,” she informed him and started to close the door.

  “I’m the new security employee.” Adam smiled.

  “Dammit.” She frowned and opened the door.

  Adam had no idea why she reacted as she had, but figured it wasn’t because of anything he had done. She was likely unhappy no one had warned her he was coming.

  “I’m supposed to see George.” Adam continued to smile and held out his hand after she closed the door behind him. “I’m Adam.”

  “Cat,” she introduced herself and shook his hand. “Follow me.” The woman only took half a dozen steps before she yelled, “George!”

  Adam was caught off guard by her bellow, but displayed no outward sign that he was surprised the gorgeous woman hollered for the man. George appeared in the almost hidden door that led to the hall Mikael showed him the night before when they dealt with the lowlifes.

  “No need to yell, Cat.” George grinned at her while he crossed the club. “Adam.” George stuck out his hand and they shook.

  “Dammit, George,” Cat cursed again and George laughed at her.

  Once more Adam was confused at the woman’s reaction. It obviously had something to do with his presence. He watched as she turned away and practically glided toward the side bar on the right.

  “C’mon.” George waved toward the hallway door. “Don’t mind Cat,” George advised. “That’s always her reaction when we hire a new person that she thinks is hot and knows she can’t have.”

  Adam glanced over his shoulder to look at the woman again. She was not only beautiful, model beautiful, and once more he admitted she could be his type if she were a guy. Blonde hair and blue or green eyes always did it for him.

  “I take it she doesn’t like Mikael’s no fraternization rule?” Adam stopped next to George where he stood in front of the security panel.

  “Oh, we can fraternize, just not fuck.” George clarified bluntly and laughed. “Mikael actually encourages us to hang out together. Holidays, birthdays, barbecues in the summer, or whenever we are off.”

  “But no fucking around,” Adam finished for George before he asked, “and Mikael trusts everyone to adhere to the rule? How would he ever know?”

  “He’d know.” George smiled even though he gave Adam a serious look. “Plus, why would we break the rule. Family doesn’t fuck family.”

  “No, I guess they don’t,” Adam agreed.

  The more he was learning about The Witch’s Brew, the more he felt like this was the home he had been searching for. If not fucking his coworkers were a rule, it was one he could follow since it was a personal rule of his own anyway.

  “We all have a security code to get back here,” George informed. “It’s the month and day of your birthday, right now.”

  “Right now?” Adam raised an acquiring brow.

  “It changes randomly to other employees’ info but to make it easier for you it is set to your birthday right now,” George replied.

  “How randomly?” Adam was already calculating how many codes he would have to remember just based on the several employees he’d witnessed working the few times he’d been here.

  George shrugged. “Mikael decides when it will change.”

  “How do we know whose information to use?”

  “Above the time cards a name will be posted. Sometimes it stays the same for weeks. Other times, he will change it every few days. There’s no rhyme or reason. No pattern. So, there’s no use trying to memorize one.”

  George opened the panel and punched in Adam’s month and day of birth. “Since you are new, I’ll write the code on the back of your timecard for whoever’s name is posted. If you forget the code, just search out the person posted and asked them their birthday,” George informed. “However, you are expected to learn them quickly.”

  “Got it.” Adam gave George a nod.

  He didn’t expect to have a problem learning names and birthdates. Adam had memorized longer numbers such as coordinates affiliated with locations when he was in the military. This should be a cakewalk compared to that.

  The door clicked shut as they entered the hall. George gave him the five cent tour. They stopped in the break room across from the VIP room that Adam had noticed the night before. On the table sat four neon yellow T-shirts that clearly displayed ‘security’ on the back when George picked one up.

  “These are black light-sensitive, so don’t be surprised when you start to light up like a glow stick.” George chuckled.

  “Makes sense so we can be seen,” Adam replied even though he didn’t need the reminder of seeing the other security employees glowing on his past visits.

  “I guessed your size.” George tossed one of the T-shirts to Adam. “You’re about my size. 3XL?”

  “Yeah.” Adam caught the T-shirt while George opened the small box that was set next to his new uniform shirts.

  “Here is your ear piece.” George held out the box. “Since you were Special Forces, I am assuming you know how to use one.”

  Adam accepted the box and opened it. There was no curly cord or anything else that would give away he would be wearing the communication device. The small earbud was more high-tech than what he’d used with Delta. If he hadn’t noticed the tiny button on one side and witnessed M
ikael use his the night before, Adam may not have known how to turn on the mic feature. He assumed he pressed the button a second time to turn off the mic.

  “Go ahead and put that in and get changed,” George instructed. “I’ll meet you out in the club to explain the zones and introduce you to the others.”

  Adam did what he was told and left his extra T-shirts and the one he wore when he arrived on the corner of the counter in the break room. He didn’t need a code to leave the hallway and enter the club which made sense. The hall only needed to be secured to enter, not exit.

  George was leaning against the bar and chatting with Cat and a dark haired guy that Adam had yet to meet. It was clear the guy was a bartender since the bar separated him from George and Cat.

  “You’ve already met Cat,” George started after Adam joined them. “This is Travis.”

  Adam gave the guy a nod in greeting. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You, too,” Travis replied with a smile before he turned to grin at Cat. “You weren’t lying, Cat.”

  Travis’ comment would’ve raised a curious brow if Adam wasn’t sure that Cat hadn’t given Travis his description prior to meeting the man. It did, however, make him wonder if the bartender was gay because of the way he sized up Adam. The guy was good-looking, but nowhere near as sexy as his new boss. Adam pushed those thoughts from his mind because he did not need the distraction on his first night at work.

  “Okay.” George grinned. “Let me explain the zones.”

  Adam followed George when he stepped away from their coworkers. George first walked to the entrance of the club before he spoke again.

  “I work the door and it is our only lettered zone. It is zone A, but it is rare that the team is ever called to the door.”

  Adam could totally understand why. George was only an inch or two shorter than his 6’5 and by Adam’s best guesstimate, the man weighed the same.

  “You’ve already been up to Mikael’s office.” George nodded to the mirrored wall above the entrance. “We don’t have a zone for him because he doesn’t need one.”