“Yeah?”
“If one more hair is harmed on my wife’s head, I chop yours off with a blunt knife, ya hear me?”
Swallowing, I say, “Loud and clear.”
“I’m on my way now.”
The line cuts off. Rudi runs down the stairs and while she checks over Victoria, Warren calls the prospect back and we set to work wrapping the body.
“Where’s Princess?” Victoria asks quietly, looking around.
“He was with me last night,” I tell her.
Leaving Warren to fill buckets with hot water, I run up the stairs and dart into my room. Lying at the bottom of my bed, Princess is out for the count. It dawns on me that he would have heard the fight and would have gone to protect his owner. Come to think of it, why didn’t I wake to the fight and screams?
Victoria is still sat on the floor with Rudi at her side when I jog back down to the bar.
“He’s asleep in my room.”
Rudi snorts. “He would have heard… actually, how didn’t that wake you up?”
I shrug.
“Did you get drunk last night?” she inquires.
“Hardly. I had two or three beers.”
She disappears into the kitchen and then returns with a small case.
“Sit,” she orders.
I drop my ass onto the nearest chair, and my body feels heavy.
“Whoa, what’s that for?” I ask when she pulls out a needle and tourniquet.
“If you weren’t drunk, I’m guessing someone caused you to crash out, and the dog. I want to check your blood.”
If she drugged me, she’s lucky she’s dead.
“You have a soft touch,” I tell her.
She smiles but it drops fast. “Luca’s won’t be. You want to hope I find something that will justify you not coming to help Victoria.”
She keeps her voice low, and I nod.
Warren shoves a mop at me, then pours half a bottle of bleach into the buckets. Victoria doesn’t move, I don’t think she can. We set to work and clean every inch of the bar, emptying the buckets every five minutes.
“Who’s blood are we cleaning?” the prospect asks.
I look up from the stains splattered across the front of the bar and tell him, “Annabel’s.”
He finally takes in everyone who is in the bar and quickly works out who killed her.
He darts into the kitchen and returns with a bunch of cloths and more bleach. All we can hear is Victoria’s whimpers and Rudi softly soothing her while we clean. I’m sweating by the time we’re done. I walk behind the bar and pour myself a shot of vodka, I throw it back and pour another. I take it over to Victoria, she numbly takes it and shoots it down in one. I take the glass from her and pour myself another.
Warren and the prospect deal with the body and I fill the bucket with fresh hot water and pour more bleach in. I swear I can still smell the blood. I mop the floor and wash down the bar twice more when I watch Leo arrive on the security camera screen.
He stops and parks right out front of the club, behind Victoria’s car, and storms inside.
