Ares glances over at me. “So… you think he’s got the money?”
“Doesn’t matter what I think,” I say. “He either does and everything’s good or he doesn’t and everything’s bad. Simple as that.”
“Yeah, well, I hope it is going good. Obi’s supposed to be getting married in a few months. A bunch of us have been talking about throwing him a bachelor’s party. Now that the Kitten’s Paw’s high class and everything?—”
I snicker. “High class? It’s only been six months. Has it made that much of a turnaround?”
“I mean, it’s definitely nicer. Cleaner. The girls are much better quality. Real A-squad.” He pauses and gives me a side-eye. “You should think about coming out sometime. Like, not on business. Maybe it’ll get you out of your funk.”
I don’t respond. Lately, I’ve just not been interested in the women who float in and out of my life. They’re all beautiful, always. The dangerous air around me attracts them like flies. But after we get past the surface, I find them to be bland and weak-willed. Far too easy to break. I haven’t been challenged since… well, since Mila. I doubt I ever will be again.
And wherever the ‘right’ woman for me is, she’s not going to be shaking her tits in a club.
We pull into the empty lot and there’s a single car there. I immediately notice that it’s not Rodriguez’s. He drives a black luxury car and this one, it’s just a little light blue sedan. Maybe he got a new car. I glance at the time on my phone. He knows we’re due this morning. If he’s not here yet, then he’d better be on his way.
We park and the security guy steps out from his booth. “Morning, gentlemen.”
“Good morning,” we both respond, then Ares says, “Looking for Rodriguez.”
He snickers. “Popular guy today. His manager was looking for him too.”
Ares pauses, glancing over at me. “So, he’s not here?”
The guard shakes his head. “He was here earlier. Stayed for about an hour and then left. I think he’s supposed to be coming back. His manager said she’s here for a meeting with him.”
That’s a bad sign. “Why don’t you let us in?” Ares says. “We’ll wait for him.”
The security guy looks a little apprehensive. “I’m not really supposed to do that. I mean, you guys understand, right? It’s not like you’re employees?—”
Ares steps right up to him, his blue eyes glowing with warning. “We’ve got business with Mr. Rodriguez,” he growls. “He’d want us to wait inside for him. Understand?”
I stand by, watching as the security guy crumbles under Ares’ gaze. His hands shake as he reaches for the keys. “Okay. No problem. Just let me find the keys.”
He steps away from us, leading to the door. I give Ares a silent look of approval. My brother’s bark is still sharp. I’d hate to think about what would have happened if the guard had denied us.
He lets us in and asks, “You guys know where to go, right?”
“Yes. Thank you,” I say and I start to step away, then I pause and turn back to him. “You’ll keep your mouth shut about us when he comes in… right?”
He pauses, and I can see the wheels turning behind his eyes. To his credit, he catches on quickly. “Sure, sure. Mum’s the word.”
He leaves, and we walk through the empty club toward the employee entrance near the back. The whole place smells of stale beer with a whiff of perfume hanging in the air. I swear there’s nothing more pathetic than the smell of a closed bar.
“Last thing I need is him getting spooked by the guard,” I mutter as we walk. “If he doesn’t have our money, when he shows up?—”
“He’s not that foolish,” said Ares. “He probably went to get it.”
I glance at him as I open the employee entrance door. I am doubtful that’s the case.
As we walk through the hallway, I pick up the faint scent of floral fruit in the air. More perfume, heavier this time. It smells familiar somehow…
We get to his office. It’s empty except for a woman standing in the middle of the room with her back to us. She’s got white-gold hair fashioned in a ponytail and is wearing a soft pink blouse. That floral fruit perfume floats in a cloud around her as we approach. “Excuse us.”
She starts and looks over her shoulder. I recognize her immediately. The gorgeous thing that I literally ran into months ago. Her face has floated around in my dreams since that day. She stares at me with icy blue eyes as they widen with surprise.
“Can I help you?” she asks, her entire body stiffening.
“I’m looking for Omar.”
