“But I paid.”
“Don’t give a fuck, man. You’re done.”
He started protesting as Rusty dragged him towards the front door. Rusty pulled it open and shoved the guy out, and the night air swallowed his final complaints. The door closed behind him,and Memphis grumbled, “I can’t believe he pulled that dumb shit.Quiet night.Fuck me. What was he thinking?”
“He wasn’t thinking. Hell, he rarely does.”
Memphis and I continued to watch the floor, keeping an eye out for any other assholes who might decide to cut loose. Thankfully, things had settled back into a steady rhythm, and all seemed good. Memphis used the opportunity to ask, “You heard anything from Nikolai or Sergei?”
“Nothing lately. Haven’t really had the chance to go by and see ‘em. What about you?”
“I kept aiming to get by there, but time keeps getting away from me.”
“Same.” I shook my head. “I gotta say, I kind of miss the snarky fucker.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Memphis chuckled as he said, “The man talked like everything was a personal insult.”
“Attitude with an accent.”
“Exactly, and don’t get me started on his driving.”
“I remember your fondness of his driving skills. I think I remember you mentioning a few death scares.”
“Without a doubt. Hell, he almost killed me on multiple occasions.”
“He was just keeping you on your toes.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“We should swing by the casino soon. Make sure they’re not running the place into the ground.”
“No way in hell Sergei would ever let that happen.”
“You’re right about that.” His smile faded as he leaned in and asked, “You heard any mention about us expanding?”
“Another strip club across town, and possibly a tattoo shop?”
“Yeah, what do you think?”
“I’m all for it. More business means more money, but we’re stretched thin as it is. We start adding new locations, we’re gonna need more help.”
“Prospects?”
“Or start hiring outside help, and that includes security detail and everything in between.”
“Dad said the same thing.”
“He’s right. Growth is good as long as you keep a handle on it.”
We stood there for a moment, letting the conversation sink in and the reality of what expansion really meant for us. More opportunities were always good, but the added responsibility could do us in. Memphis finished off his beer before saying, “Still.. a tattoo shop could be badass.”
“You’re just looking for an excuse for more ink.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Before I could answer, the front door swung open, and Smitty strolled in like he owned the place. He strolled over to us with a big smirk on his face. “Do not fret, my brothers. The party has arrived.”
For a split second, none of us said a word.
