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I plastered on a fake smile. “I’ve never had to rely on a man to keep safe before.”
He framed my face in his hands and kissed me hard. “Please don’t talk about other men you’ve been with,” he growled.
I bobbed my head. “You should go to work, though.”
“What will you do?”
I looked around his apartment, eyeing the giant TV. “Netflix?”
27
Bane
Fuck.All my fucking senses are on high alert. My anger has come out full-force, leaving my employees diving out of my way. Rachel was the first to pick up on my mood as I strolled into the club.
“Drink, Mr. Rivera?” she asked, already placing a glass of whisky onto the counter.
I took the glass with a curt nod, then did a lap of the club. I had six girls on the poles, each of them with a couple of gentlemen watching the show. It was mid-morning on a Saturday. Things weren’t going to heat up until later tonight, but I did have a bachelor party coming through the doors at four. Some rich daddy’s boy was tying the knot and wanted to have one last fling. The guy getting married was a member, so I had Dagger organize a twelve-hour pass for the rest of his party.
I wandered through to the private rooms, checking to see everything was in order. Mostly it was, except for one room which had been used and trashed. The leather chair had been tipped over onto its side and the seat slashed, the cupboard with the floggers, paddles, and whips in disarray. Even the drawer where the condoms and lube were held had been upended. What in the actual fuck had happened?
Palming my phone, I dialed Dagger’s number.
“Boss?”
“What the fuck happened in four?”
“Boss?” he replied.
“Get your ass down here.” I hung up, letting anger fill my veins. When Dagger finally appeared, he looked a little flustered, which was odd. The guy was made from fucking stone. I gestured to the room, and he stepped inside, looking around.
“It wasn’t like this at closing last night.”
“So when did it happen?”
He pulled out his phone, clicking into the club’s log system. All the Dolls had access cards to get into the rooms. Each time they swiped to gain entry, it got logged with a time stamp.
“This morning,” Dagger replied. “According to the system, the room was accessed by Veronica at ten o’clock.”
“Get her in my office. Now!” I bellowed. “And fucking get this room cleaned up.” I stalked off, slamming my empty glass onto the counter as I passed the bar. Jogging up the stairs, I strode into my office, clutching the top of the chair behind my desk, bowing my head and breathing in deeply.
Stalking over to the window, I looked down over my club, watching one of the girls on the pole for a moment. I didn’t know how fucking long I had to wait for Veronica to get here, so I sat down and started on some work while I waited.
Not long later, I jerked my head up when there was a soft knock on the door. “Come,” I barked, standing and buttoning up my suit jacket. Veronica walked in with her head bowed and a slight limp.
Rounding the desk, I tipped her chin up, so I could see her face properly. “What the fuck happened to you?” I demanded, keeping her face turned up toward me. Tilting it from side to side, I took in the black eye that was already forming and the cut on her lip. Her gaze dropped back to the floor as soon as I let her go.
“I got mugged last night after my shift,” she replied in a hoarse voice.
Bunching my hands into fists at my side, I stepped away from her and began to pace. “What happened?”
I fucking hated this. These women were mine to protect.
“About a block away from my place.”
“You walked here last night?”
She shrugged, rolling her shoulders forward. “I take the bus, but the stop is about a block from my apartment. That’s when it happened.”
