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During the club’s opening that night, I stood near the entrance doors with Felix and Bubba.
“There’s a lower headcount than usual,” Bubba said with sorrow lacing his voice.
“I know that,” I barked, not meaning to take my frustrations out on my bouncer, but I was reaching explosive levels and on a path of destruction, leaving in my wake anyone unlucky enough to cross me.
I pulled Felix aside. “These unexpected inspections and continual shutdowns of the club are chasing away customers. We used to have a steady stream, and now, it’s like a tiny drip at best.”
Felix looked sympathetic, but before he could say something to make me feel better, Carol approached us.
Her expression was somber. “Five members called while you were opening the club to cancel their memberships.”
“What?” I felt lightheaded. I blinked, trying to focus on Carol, but she was a blur. I hoped I wasn’t having a panic attack. “Did you press them for an answer as to why?”
“I did,” Carol nodded. “They said it was fear of discovery by others in the community as the main reason.”
That was a huge blow to hear, especially because I took pride in my ability to be discreet about the club. What happened behind closed doors stayed within the walls, up until all this shit had started happening.
“All of them said that?” I was stunned.
Carol confirmed with another nod.
“The numbers are down even more than they were last week, and it looks like we might not even make a profit this month at all. We could possibly be in the hole by ten percent.”
Carol painted a grim financial picture. I was left feeling exposed and bleak. I was clinging to the outcome of the liquor license investigation set for tomorrow. With alcohol sales back, I hoped to undo some of the damage. One thing was certain, I couldn’t afford to lose any additional customers.
17
Felix
Garret was helping out in the bar, so I sat down at a table, perched in the corner that offered ample views to watch what was going on around the club. I enjoyed watching him too, of course. I was lost in my element, blending in like a wallflower while I attempted to observe everything going on around me.
My goal was to determine whether all the customers and members seemed happy and satisfied, so I could report my findings back to Garret. He hadn’t asked me to do it, but I wanted to help him in any way I could. He was so stressed out and needed a lending hand anywhere he could get one. He couldn’t stay on top of everything and I wanted to help out by spotting little things that he might miss.
For the most part, everyone seemed to be having a good time, and spirits seemed high. Of course, I was only viewing it from a surface level. It wasn’t like I could walk around to every member and survey whether they were having an enjoyable time, let alone if they would be honest with me in the first place.
After a while of nothing interesting to note, and nothing exciting happening, in particular, I stood up from my chair and walked to the bathroom down the hall.
When I resurfaced a couple minutes later, I didn’t see Garret behind the bar or mingling with any of the members like he had been doing when I’d left. I didn’t want to panic yet, so I walked through the room and decided to check our private room to see if he had entered it to take a breather or something.
It wasn’t uncommon for Garret to disappear into the private room, but most of the time, he had me with him. I arrived at the door and hesitated to open it, afraid of what I might find on the other side.
Much to my relief, after swinging the door open, I discovered it empty. It would have been a nightmare for me to find him swinging from the ceiling with someone else or something even more horrifying than my mind could conjure, but I still had to find Garret.
I decided to check his office. If he wasn’t there, I might allow some worry to filter into my brain.
I walked up the stairs and found Carol working at her desk. The door was cracked open. “Hey Carol,” I whispered and motioned to Garret’s office behind her. The door was open. “Is he in there?”
“Garret?” Carol asked. She shook her head. “I haven’t seen him come up here in a while.”
I frowned. “Okay, thanks.”
“Do you need me to look for him?”
I managed to give her a reassuring smile. “No, that’s okay. I can find him. I’m sure he’s just in the bathroom or something.”
I waved my hand dismissively, but my heart was drumming nervously in my chest.
