A distant banging distracted Hudson for a moment. It sounded like it was coming from the entrance area, near the cloakroom. He took a few steps across the dance floor. He couldn’t see the doors or Dino, the bouncer, from this angle, but then the banging came again.
“What’s that?” Hudson called.
“Some crazy asshole,” Dino’s voice called back. “Keeps screaming about a coat. Says he left it.”
The doors to the street had been locked, but the metal gate hadn’t been pulled down. The guy outside didn’t seem to be going away. Dino came closer to the dance floor entrance and called, “Whaddya think? Should I let him in?”
Hudson wasn’t sure why he was asking for his opinion. “I guess so, but keep an eye on him,” he said. They’d only just shut for the night and it wasn’t uncommon for someone to come running back, banging to be let in to retrieve a forgotten coat or bag.
Dino nodded as though Hudson had given him permission. Hudson wandered the few feet back to the break room door, where the argument between Ziggy and Brady wasstillgoing on. In the distance, he could hear some frantic guy yelling about his coat, but inside the club now, and Dino’s deep, firm voice telling him to calm the fuck down.
Hudson started as Art, the cleaner, came out from behind the bar across the large room, the sudden movement surprising him. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath.
Art waved, pulling his cleaning cart across the dance floor. “They out of the break room yet?” he asked. “I wanna get done and get home.”
The door behind Hudson flung open.
“Let's go,” Ziggy growled, shoving the locked cashbox and key into Hudson’s middle, so he had to grab it.
Behind him, Brady was glowering as well.
“All set?” Hudson asked.
“I just fucking said so, didn't I?” Ziggy said.
Hudson winced. Ziggy was usually much more cheerful. But then, if Hudson had just had to spend thirty minutes in a small room with Brady, he’d probably be pretty pissed at the world himself.
“Dino’s not ready,” he began, but Dino appeared at the dance floor entrance. “That guy got his coat?” Hudson called. “Takings are ready.” He held up the box to show Dino.
“He, uh, he disappeared.”
Hudson stared at him. “What do you mean, he disappeared?”
“I turned around to look through the coats and when I turned back, he was gone. Just now, I mean. Did he come through here?”
“No, I’ve been standing right here.” From the entrance area and coat check there was only one way to come—through to the dance floor. There was a connecting door and passageway from the cloakroom behind the checking counter, which led through into the break room, but with Dinointhe cloakroom looking for his coat, the guy couldn’t have gone through there. “He must have left, or maybe he’s in the bathroom,” Hudson suggested.
There was a bathroom at the entrance of the club opposite the cloakroom. It was supposed to be staff-only, but in practice tended to be used by anyone who knew it was there.
“We need to get moving,” Ziggy said abruptly. “Go throw him out.”
“Let the man take his dump in peace,” Brady protested.
“Ah, you guys, no need to argue. I’ll see him out,” Art said. “The sooner Mr. D’Amato has the money, the sooner we all get paid, the sooner we can go home.”
Dino had walked further into the dance area now to hear better.
“No,” Hudson said firmly. “God only knows who he is.” There had been so much trouble for the Morellis that Hudson wasn’t prepared to chance anything. Still, Finch D’Amato had been telling him lately to start making decisions on his own. Trust his own judgment more. So Hudson hesitated to go and interrupt him for advice, especially when Gio Carlucci would be up there in the office, too, staring at Hudson while Finch got irritated with him.
He came to a decision. “Dino, Ziggy, you guys go together and see?—”
Brady started cackling. “If Dino can’t take care of one asshole on his own, what you paying him for?”
He had a point. Hudson looked across at Dino, who took up almost the entire width of the internal double doors. Dino was glaring at Brady. “I can take care of it,” he growled, before Hudson even asked.
“Okay,” Hudson said. “But take your gun.” Dino looked surprised, but nodded. “And lock the front door again, as well as those doors through to the main club. I don’t want him slipping by.”
“Sure thing,” Dino said, and lumbered off.
