“Your guy here—” I waved my hand at the idiot behind him. “—was going to kick this young man out for no reason.”
“He wanted to go in the back to the club, sir. He can’t.” The bouncer glanced at Sook, obviously still searching for backup. “Look at him.”
The American flinched, but I kept my hold tight on him so he couldn’t run away again. I’d found him, and now I wasn’t going to let him go. He didn’t know it yet, but he was mine.
“For the record, my name is Finn, notyoung man, nothim. Finn.” He raised his chin and pursed those lush lips.
And it was a sweet name, too, but I didn’t say as much. My attention was on Sook and how he heaved a sigh when he stared at his employee.
“Dave, you can’t tell a person if they can go in the back room or not. You know the drill, mate. It’s an open-door policy.” He patted Dave on the back. “Who told you that you could?”
“Some of the blokes who work here. They try to keep the faces on the better end.” It was clear that measly amount of info was all he was going to give, and I could respect his loyalty to the others. These bouncers were an integral part of my business because when they weren’t working at the Mudskipper, sometimes they took on extra work as my guards. While Sook wasn’t part of the organization, since he was already affiliated with the Oaths, he did occasional extra jobs when he needed the cash.
I leaned in and put my lips against Finn’s ear. “Stay here, Lolly. I need to handle some business.” He opened his mouth, but I shook my head. “Stay,” I growled the word out, low and hungry, as I gave him a slow once-over. “I want to get to know you and find out what’s under that pretty silk.” I ran my finger over the strap on his shoulder and forced myself to step away. Crooking my finger at Dave and Sook, I gestured for them to follow me across the bar.
Now that the commotion was over, the crowd that had gathered went back to either drinking or serving customers. To get through the thick throng of bodies meant I had to shove a few people, but they were too smashed to care, moving when I forced them.
By the time I got to the bar, I was irritated and ready to break skulls. Sook must’ve realized how quickly my mood was deteriorating because he rushed to get in front of me and get the last few stragglers out of the way, and then he slapped his security card on the reader near a door that led into the staff area.
A short hallway ran past a room with monitors for the security cameras, the smoko area, and the toilets. Sook’s office was the last door on the left, and I shoved it open, stalking inside. I spun around as Sook and Dave entered, and Sook closed the door, clearing his throat as he offered me another lopsided smile.
Dave, on the other hand, looked ready to puke. His face had turned a shade of white I didn’t think possible for a human. And he had a reason to feel that way.
I smirked and walked around Sook’s desk to the storage cabinet behind and opened it, staring at my options. He had a baseball and cricket bat inside, and while I enjoyed a good beating with a cricket bat because it was heavier and did a lot more damage, I wasn’t out to kill Dave. Not really. Notyet. I grabbed the baseball bat and turned to him, pointing the end at him.
“Give me one reason I shouldn’t beat you to death.”
Dave visibly swallowed and rubbed his hands together nervously. “I’m a good worker, sir.”
I hummed in acknowledgement, even though I didn’t know if that was true or not. Everyone who got a job here knew who they were working for, and Sook did thorough background checks to make sure they weren’t known for cooperating with the cops. The jacks knew the Mudskipper was owned by me.
“Doesn’t give me a good reason.” I stepped toward him, and he winced away as I jabbed the end of the bat into his chest. “You made me look like a fucking idiot. I had to run after you. I don’t like being made a fool.”
“Sir, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize. I’ll go out there right now and tell everyone I’m the fuckhead. I’ll—”
“Enough.” I rolled my eyes, and he froze when I swung the bat playfully in front of myself. His wide eyes jumped between me and Sook, pleading. I hated cowardice. Showing weakness was the difference between whether a cop could get one of my men to turn or not, and I didn’t have much hope for Dave.
I dropped the bat on the desk, and his shoulders fell in relief. It was stupidity to think this was over—instead of using the bat, I threw my fist at him, landing a hard punch to his cheek. His face snapped to the side and he stumbled, falling into Sook, who grabbed him and pushed him back toward me to meet another punch to the jaw. This time he collapsed on the floor and groaned, grabbing the left side of his face.
My knuckles ached as I crouched in front of him. “This is a warning,Dave. If you fuck with me again, I’ll feed you to the crocs and watch as they drown you before they take you somewhere to rot. Am I clear?”
His fearful gaze rose to meet mine and he nodded, cringing in pain. “Yes, sir.”
Satisfied, I stood and passed Sook with a simple incline of my chin. He bowed his head toward me as I left his office, then strode back down the hallway and out of the staff area. The place was still pumping, with even more customers than before swarming the bar. The smell of sweat and booze filled the air, and I wrinkled my nose. I wasn’t usually a fan of coming to the Mudskipper on busy nights for this reason, but it’d been far too long since I’d gotten laid, and I was glad I did force myself out of the house now I’d found Finn. He was fucking stunning.
Smiling at the thought of him, I made my way to the bar, which was packed full of intoxicated customers ready to get even more pissed. I scanned the stools, but I couldn’t see Finn. Frowning and a bit annoyed, I walked down the bar twice, and when I still didn’t catch sight of him, my anger rose.
He’d left. My pretty little sweet Lolly had left, when I’d given him instructions not to. I strode over to the front door and grabbed the shoulder of Nicho, one of the few bouncers in the Mudskipper I’d trust with my life. Nicho was a tall man with a deep mahogany complexion and curly black hair. He was shorter than me by a bit but wider with shoulders of steel.
“Hey, mate. Have you seen that good-looking American that the newbie was going to throw out?” I asked, loud enough for him to hear.
“That pretty bloke with the red hair?” He waved his hand at the other bouncer to gesture that he should keep checking IDs as we shifted farther away. “Yeah, he ran out of here like his knickers were on fire.” Nicho grinned at his own joke, and I shoved him, making him laugh. “Why? You got a thing for him?”
I smirked. “He’s bloody adorable.”
“Can’t say he’s your type, but I don’t see you with many blokes.” He shrugged. “I didn’t know you weren’t done with him or I woulda told him to stay.”
I patted him on the arm. “It’s all right. I’ll sniff him out.”
