Nights In Paradise

Tiffany walks in to the room with that disgustingly seductive walk that she thinks is going to distract me.

I stand and stalk over to her and for the first time I see a flicker of fear in her cold blue eyes.  She better be scared.

I grasp her chin and pull her face up, not caring in the least if I hurt her.  Hell, I welcome it!

“Why was Aspen put on the schedule tonight?” I ask, my voice a velvet purr.

She shrugs and tries to pull away from me.  “I thought she was ready.”

“You thought.  I don’t pay you to think.  And since you’re a fucking idiot, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t!”

She yanks at her chin and grunts.  “I’m not an idiot.  You’ve got no right to call me that!”

I step away and pace back and forth in my office.  “What would you call someone who thinks that it’s okay to help a member of another family kidnap an employee of the bar?”

She pales and licks her botoxed lips.  “I don’t know what you mean?” she asks, neatly trying to dodge my question.  I pause and stand in front of her, watching her like a spider watches its next meal.

“I think you know exactly what I mean.  And you fucked up big time, sister!  You thought I wouldn’t find out that you and Harlon let Carmine kidnap Aspen out of this club!” I roar, my patience at an end.  I want fucking answers now!

She shakes her head and shrinks back, tears pooling in her cold eyes.  “NO!  I would never!  I didn’t know anything like that was going to happen!”

I pace up to her, my anger rolling off of me in waves that threaten to swamp my good sense.

“You better be able to answer my questions.  Because it’s about the only thing that’s keeping you alive right now.”

She nods slowly and her face pales even further.

“Now.  What the hell did you two idiots do?”

Hours later, I stalk out of the room.  I still don’t know what happened to Aspen.  But Tiffany finally seems to realize that she’s got a major problem.

“Where’s Harlon?” I ask Johnny when I find him standing outside the door.

“We haven’t been able to find him.”

“When did he get out of this club?”

“When I checked, I think he actually walked out the door as soon as he saw you show up.”

“Fucker realized the jig was up and took off like a fucking coward,” I mutter under my breath.  “Find him.  Go to his house and anywhere else you know of that he might be hiding.  His mother’s here in town.  Check with her.  I want that asshole found.”  My cold eyes bore into Johnny where he stands, fidgeting.  “And then I want you personally to make sure that he never bothers anyone from this club again.  Understand?”

He nods and his eyes light up.  I don’t think Harlon is one of his favorite people.  I think he’ll take great pleasure in making him pay.

A grim smile curves my lips.  Until I remember my princess and that I haven’t seen her for hours now.

Dread tugs at me and I feel a sliver of fear trying to force its way into my head.  I shove it out though.  I’ll fall apart after I find her.

Until then…focus.  Focus on the pain and fear I’m about to unleash on Carmine and his whole fucking family.

Because you don’t fuck with what’s mine unless you want to die.