Tough Guy: A Hero Club Novel

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  I couldn’t afford to let myself be distracted and miss something important. My uncle had enemies and that animosity should have died with him, but I was more than prepared to take the fight to some of them out of revenge as well as self-preservation. The local gang was the Rivs and, after a rocky start when I first opened Dalton’s two years ago, we’d come to a mutual agreement. However, I had to put about half of them in the hospital first. It almost came down to gunplay, but my reputation saved me. Leonidas, the leader of the Rivs, had a few Eurotrash cousins who owned some clubs I had worked at. Once I made a few phone calls, they told him to lay off Dalton’s.

  My entire life savings was sunk into this place and I had loyal employees who relied on me to provide them a paycheck and a safe place to work. I couldn’t let them down. Taking the back entrance out of my office, I got into the elevator and keyed it for the top floor. After letting myself into my apartment above the club, I took a quick shower. I probably should have brought Jackie up here instead of fucking her on the couch in my office, but we would have never gotten out of bed. My cock still twitched from her touch and I would be hearing her eager screams in my head for a long time.

  I threw on another pair of black jeans and a matching T-shirt. It was our club uniform, but it would be passable for a night on the town. Going back downstairs into the club area, I did a walk-through. It was getting busier and if it kept up, we were going to have a good night.

  Chance was still missing and I could only hope he was enjoying himself with any other stripper than Jackie. Sienna gave me a nod as she gave one of the Aussie soccer players a lap dance. She had ten-dollar bills sticking out of her bra and thong. Say what you want about the Australians, they weren’t afraid to tip the girls.

  Later on, that might piss off the Americans who wanted the most bang for their buck. Little did they know it took a lot more than a few dollar bills to buy the kindness of the dancers. On stage Lavender was giving it her all to George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex.”

  Highway raised an eyebrow when I walked up to him. He exaggerated an inhale.

  “You smell pretty, sunshine. Want to fuck?”

  “You’re a charmer. I’m taking the night off. I’ll see you tomorrow. Lock up and don’t take any shit.”

  “This isn’t like you.” He looked over my head at something. “But I can see why you’re doing it.”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a freshly scrubbed Jackie weaving through the crowd toward us. She wore a sundress with big purple flowers on it and sensible shoes. Her hair was back in a slick ponytail and she didn’t look anything like La Vie Bohème in her street clothes. I wondered if she was back to wearing granny panties and her white cotton bra. I couldn’t wait to find out.

  “It’s good to see you smile. You deserve some R&R,” Highway said.

  “I wasn’t asking for permission,” I retorted. “Besides I’m not completely off the clock. I want to make sure these disappearances aren’t the harbinger of something more serious.”

  “You’ve got to stop using that word-a-day dictionary calendar. I don’t know what those big words mean.”

  Like hell he didn’t. Highway often pretended he was a dumb goon because it was easier.

  “Give me a call if the shit hits the fan. I won’t be too far away.”

  “I can manage it.”

  Jackie linked her arm through mine when she was close enough. She smiled up at me and I couldn’t resist a kiss. Her leaving my office in a blanket and me leaving with her now was going to be all over the bar by tomorrow, but I didn’t give a shit. I was staking a claim and sending a message. The dancers wouldn’t think she was an outsider if they thought she was with me. They’d probably even suck up to her, hoping to get in my good graces. Ha, the joke was on them. I didn’t have any. Or it could go the other way, if they thought she was getting special treatment because we were fucking. That’s another reason I didn’t want her dancing again.

  I was determined to protect my bar and Jackie from people like Ginny and the criminals that killed my uncle. And unlike Uncle Johnny, I wasn’t going to hope that the police would handle it. I planned to bring that shit right to the door of the motherfuckers who thought they could mess with what’s mine.

  Chapter Ten

  Jackie Mitchell

  Miles drove a Ford Mustang that had seen better days, but the muscle car suited him. I rolled the windows down and enjoyed the early evening sights on the Las Vegas strip. It was a dry heat because we were in the middle of the desert, but the breeze from the moving car made it worth it to forgo the AC so I could stick my head out the window and people watch. There was a part of me hoping to see Lisa in the crowd, even though I knew how delusional that was.

  “Where are we going?”

  “We’re going to Zeke’s house first. Highway said he hung out with your sister.”

  “Why didn’t he tell me that yesterday? I could have talked to Zeke.” I ran an exasperated hand through my hair.

  Miles shrugged. “What’s done is done.”

  It was because yesterday I had been an outsider. I had always been on the sidelines all my life. This was the first time that dancing made me fit in. I was going to miss the adventure of stripping, but I was glad not to have to spend time in the VIP room. It was much more enticing to think of spending time with Miles. Like later tonight. Digging my toes into my sandals, I replayed how he took me roughly from behind. I resisted the urge to lift my hips at the phantom cock I could still feel inside me.

  “What are you thinking about?” Miles reached over to casually flip my skirt up my thighs.

  Busted. I should be thinking about my sister. But I didn’t want the naughty feelings born of freedom and decadence to go away. “I’m thinking about how much of your cock I can take down my throat.”

  Miles braked hard as we almost rear-ended the car in front of us. “You should come with a warning label.”

  I laughed and leaned my head on his shoulder. “I’ll come any way you want.”

  “Yes, you will.”

  His voice made me shiver in all the right places. “I’m having fun.”

  “Good,” he said. “Jeez, it’s true what they say about the quiet types.”

  “You wouldn’t even recognize me in New York.” I stared out the windshield. “I would never strip in a New York club. Aside from being terrified I’d run into someone I know, I couldn’t be this free so close to my responsibilities. The closest I’ve ever come was auditioning for a part in a show recently.”

  Reaching down, he linked his fingers through mine. “That’s no way to go through life, sweetheart.”

  “I know. I’m trying to move beyond it. It’s going slowly, but I’m getting there. This thing with Lisa set me back a few steps, but these past few days have made up for that.”

  “You’re sexy and talented. You’ve been waiting in the wings too long.”

  I rubbed my cheek on his arm. “Will you pull my hair when I give you a blow job?”

  “Jesus Christ,” he said shakily. “Is that why you put it back into that ponytail?”

  He reached over to give it a tug and I shamelessly moaned at him.

  “Keep it up and I’ll park and make you give me one before we go find Zeke.”

  Satisfied that I could keep a man like Miles Carvello on his toes, I eased back into my own seat. “No way. You promised me dinner and a show first.”

  He grunted. “Behave or the show you get to see will be in one of the seedier clubs with my cock inside you.”

  I blew out a shaky breath. I had a feeling if I said, “Yes, please,” we’d be derailed from our quest. It was tempting, but if it turned out Lisa was at the place we were going to, then I could devote the rest of the week to making Miles Carvello my sex slave. Or me his. I was up for either.

  He left the Strip and drove for a few miles. The city looked empty without all the bright lights and the bustle. “We’re going into a rough neighborhood. Stay close and if things go down, run to the car a
nd lock yourself in.” He parked outside an apartment complex. After we got out of the Mustang, he locked it and tossed me the keys. “I mean it.”

  “I’m not a hero,” I said. In fact, I was getting a little sleepy. I’d definitely have coffee with dinner. I didn’t want to waste a moment doing something as mundane as sleeping.

  “Good.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what we’re going to find. I don’t know if Zeke is providing your sister room and board or if it’s something more sinister. But no matter what happens, we’re going to get her through this.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.”

  Zeke’s apartment building didn’t have a security lock or, if it did, it wasn’t working. Miles opened the door for me, but made me wait for him to go down the hallway first. Glancing down at his phone, he said, “Third floor. I don’t trust that elevator. Let’s take the stairs.”

  Padding up the metal staircase behind Miles, I resisted the urge to touch him. I wanted to lay my forehead on his wide back and let him be strong for me. My mind played havoc on my emotions as I pictured Lisa in trouble behind these closed doors. Angry voices spilled out into the hallways in several different languages. The smell of cooking cabbage and burnt bacon assaulted my nostrils.

  Please let her be all right.

  Miles stopped outside a door and stood to the side of the peephole. He banged on the door and waited. It flung open and a woman carrying a small child on her hip peeked out.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “I’m looking for Zeke.”

  A shadow of fear passed over her face. “He’s not here.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He went up to Pahrump.”

  “Why?” Miles drawled out.

  “To chase a girl.”

  My breath caught in my throat. “Was it this girl?” I pushed by Miles to show the woman a picture of my sister.

  “No,” the woman said. “She was a blonde, somebody he worked with.”

  “Dee,” Miles said quietly.

  “Yeah, that’s her. Look, my brother makes bad choices. He thinks with his little head.” She set the toddler down. “Go play,” she said to the child, who scampered inside. She stepped outside into the hallway with us and closed the door. “Does he owe you money?”

  “No,” Miles said. “I’m his boss from Dalton’s.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “Are you hiring?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “I’m not like my brother. I’m always on time and I’m loyal to the job.”

  “What do you do?” he asked.

  “I cook. I clean. I can do anything.”

  “Go see Liu at the club tomorrow. If he likes you, you’re hired.”

  “Thank you,” she said, making a quick sign of the cross. “I don’t know if my brother is coming back. It depends on this woman. So you probably shouldn’t hold his job for him.”

  “Do you know why Dee left for Pahrump?” Miles asked.

  “Zeke said the girl had friends up there. He and she used to go up there a lot and stay the night. Then she decided to stay up there and not come back. Zeke got scared.”

  “Scared? Of what?” I asked.

  “Of losing her.” She looked over her shoulder at the closed door. “So he dropped everything and was determined to bring her back home to Vegas. Like I could fit another body in this apartment.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Did he say why she wanted to move to Pahrump?” I said.

  “I think it’s safer for her line of work up there.”

  “A cook?”

  She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Yes, a cook.”

  I grabbed on to Miles’s arm. He was steady and I needed that right now. “Was she being harassed at Dalton’s?”

  She snorted. “For all I know, Zeke was the one harassing her. She didn’t ask him to come with her for a reason. But he didn’t listen to me when I tried to tell him that.” She stared up at Miles. “He liked working at your club. But it wasn’t just the naked women. Zeke liked his coworkers in the kitchen too. He’d go out and party with them all the time. And he loves Las Vegas. I don’t see him moving to Pahrump permanently. He’s got too many friends here.” She sighed. “But maybe it would be better if he stayed there. When he was younger, he would hang out on the streets all night and I worried myself to death. It’s just us. Our parents are dead.”

  “When was the last time you heard from him?” I asked.

  “This afternoon. He asked for money to put a deposit down on an apartment, but I think he was spinning me a line of bullshit.” She shook her head. “I should get back in there before my kids tear the place apart. Thank you for the opportunity to interview at the club. I’m a hard worker.”

  “I can see that,” Miles said.

  “I could maybe take his job. I’ve been a waitress before. Although I’m not as young or as pretty as I used to be. Do you think that will be a problem?” She frowned.

  “No,” Miles said. “But if you feel uncomfortable, we have openings in the kitchen too.”

  “Thank you,” she said again and turned to go.

  “Wait,” I said and thrust Lisa’s picture at her again. “Have you ever seen this woman? Has your brother ever talked about Lisa or Broadway?”

  “I’m sorry.” The woman opened her door. “I haven’t. She’s not his type. You would be.”

  Craning my neck, I tried to look inside the apartment. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to see. Maybe Lisa tied up in the corner. But it looked like a normal apartment with a couple of kids racing around and the television blaring. “Me?”

  “Yeah, a little trashy, but sweet.”

  I blinked down at my phone. Lisa didn’t look trashy at all. She looked like a ballerina. “Trashy?” I ran a hand over my hair self-consciously. Then shook myself out of it. “Her name is Lisa. If Zeke calls, could you ask him if he’s seen her?” I handed her one of my business cards. “And ask him to call me.”

  She looked at Miles and nodded. “Okay.”

  “We would really appreciate it,” he said.

  She gave him a tentative smile and slipped back inside her apartment. We walked back down to the car.

  “I think she meant trashy as a compliment,” Miles said.

  “Does she look trashy?” I shoved the picture at Miles.

  “No. She looks like she has a stick up her ass.”

  “Would you have fucked her in your office?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “But if you and she had chemistry in the audition, like you and I did—”

  “We didn’t. Hell, Jackie, I barely remember her. And what I do remember is she was a difficult employee, a snob, and everyone thought she was a bitch.”

  “Everyone but that guy who kept coming back for her. Do you keep security tapes?” That should have been the first question out of my mouth when I met him, but he had set me so off kilter that I still wasn’t thinking straight.

  “Only for the week and then we write over them.”

  “Why? You should keep them in the cloud forever. In case of things like this.”

  Miles frowned as he considered it. I tossed him the keys and we got inside the car.

  “You might be right.”

  “Well, that doesn’t help me now,” I said, trying not to be too dejected. “What’s in Pahrump and how long a drive is it?”

  Miles squinted at the traffic and for a moment I didn’t think he was going to answer me. “It’s about an hour and a half. And they’ve got casinos and wineries.”

  “Any of those places offer room and board?”

  He cleared his throat. “We don’t even know if Lisa is with Zeke or Dee.”

  “It looks like they’re the last people to have seen her.” I nibbled on my fingernail. “I don’t want to be running all over Nevada on a wild goose chase, though. But if Dee was scared off, it’s possible it was the same thing that scared Lisa off.”

  “If that’s the case, I want to know who or what is thre
atening my employees,” Miles said.

  “Unless you have an address in Pahrump for Dee, we’re stuck until Zeke calls his sister. If she even gives him the message.”

  “She’ll give him the message. She wants a job at Dalton’s. She’s going to do whatever she can to get in the door.”

  Miles sounded confident, so I chose to believe him. Pulling down the visor, I looked in the mirror. “Do you think I look trashy?”

  “In a good way.”

  The way he smiled made that the biggest compliment of my life.

  “And you’re so very sweet, just like she said,” he continued. “I can’t wait to taste you again.”

  My nipples tightened against my bra. I wanted to fling the damn thing off. I knew I should have just worn the pasties. “Where do you want to go to dinner?” I asked. “My hotel does room service.”

  Miles started the car. “What hotel are you staying at?”

  “The Wynn.”

  He pulled out into traffic and my heart fluttered. I was going to get laid again. I squirmed in my seat. Best. Vacation. Ever.

  And then my phone rang.

  I gasped and fumbled for my purse. “Oh no,” I said, looking at who was calling.

  “Is it Lisa?”

  “Worse. It’s my mother.” I wanted to chuck the phone out the window. “I’ve got to take this, otherwise she’s going to be a real nuisance.”

  “Go ahead.”

  Closing my eyes, I tried to center myself. The ringing stopped.

  “Looks like she gave up,” Miles said.

  “Wait for it,” I muttered, and like clockwork the phone went off again. “Yes, Mom,” I said, answering it on the second ring. I thought I’d kept the aggravation out of my voice.

  “How’s your sister?”

  I debated how much to tell her. “I still haven’t found her.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s not answering her cell and she moved out of her apartment about three weeks ago. She also quit her job around that time.”