determined woman
staring at me. Anna makes a move to dispose of my nuisance, but I give her a
minute shake of the head and make my way to the elevator.
“Right, Miss Ingles. Either wait here or find your way down
to the ground floor. The first floor is not safe.” For a millisecond, her fear
shows through, but she nods once as she turns away from me and back to the
paperwork on the desk.
As soon as the elevator door closes, Anna jumps all over me
with questions in between a remarkably sparse explanation as to what I’m
walking into downstairs.
“Whoa, wait a second! One thing at a time, alright? Who’s
downstairs at the bar?” Her face goes pale as her eyes start to bug, and I want
to tell her not to do that again. Her contacts might pop out and then she’ll be
in trouble.
“Yatzi.” That’s all she has to say to make my skin go cold.
Apparently the old man was not appreciative of the way I spoke to him on the
phone.
“Did you call the police?” Anna bites her bottom lip. It’s
then that I realize what must have happened.
“Is anyone hurt?” She shakes her head.
“He made everyone leave but me, and then he sent me up the
elevator. I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t recognize him at first.” I pull her under
my arm in a rare show of affection for a female employee.
“I’m going to step out of the elevator, Anna, and you’re
going to take it down to the parking garage. I want you to get in your car and
drive home. Don’t come back here until I tell you it’s safe to return. Call
everyone else and tell them that their shifts for tonight are canceled. The
club will be closed.” She’s nodding along as if she hears my instructions, but
I don’t think she truly is. So when the elevator finally reaches the first
floor, I shove her off to the side so that she cannot be seen and I press the
button for the garage level.
Then I step out and wonder how many fingers I’m going to
lose for insulting a mob boss.
He’s everything a person would expect from a criminal in
appearance from the expensive suit and flashy rings all the way down to the
perfectly shaved face. He’s also in his fifties or sixties, but I’m pretty sure
he’s suffering from liver failure by the looks of his skin and his eyes. Yatzi,
that’s the only name anyone ever knows him by, is standing by my bar with a
cigar hanging from his lips and one hand in his trouser pockets.
I, being the nervous smart-ass that I am, open my mouth to
speak. “Would you like a drink?”
“Sit down, Alex.” I take that as a negative, and sit down at
the bar with one stool between me and Yatzi. I don’t want to get too close in
case he has a venomous bite or something.
There is a moment where the prey always knows he’s being
hunted. It’s that moment when the one being hunted looks at the hunter in the
eyes and hears, as well as sees, the stillness around him. He knows that if he
looks away, his life will end, but if he doesn’t look away, he risks
challenging the predator.
Right now, I’m challenging the predator with my eyes but
telling him that he is in no danger with my body language. It must be a human
instinct ground into us from the moment we’re conceived. Yatzi, being the
psychopath that he must to survive, doesn’t care whether or not I am
challenging him. I insulted him by hanging up the phone, and I’m going to pay
for that insult.
Chapter Four
Melanie
He insulted me, and I let him.
My fingers trail over the paperwork as I rest my cheek on a
hand and stare out the glass windows. That woman who came up to fetch him
during the middle of our incongruous conversation looked terrified, but I
cannot imagine why. It must have been a ruse so he could get away from me and
soon someone will come up in that elevator to escort me from the premises.
It really is beautiful up here. I no sooner think
that than see a bird streaking past the window.
As time ticks by and there is no sign of Alexander or anyone
else coming back to retrieve me, I
staring at me. Anna makes a move to dispose of my nuisance, but I give her a
minute shake of the head and make my way to the elevator.
“Right, Miss Ingles. Either wait here or find your way down
to the ground floor. The first floor is not safe.” For a millisecond, her fear
shows through, but she nods once as she turns away from me and back to the
paperwork on the desk.
As soon as the elevator door closes, Anna jumps all over me
with questions in between a remarkably sparse explanation as to what I’m
walking into downstairs.
“Whoa, wait a second! One thing at a time, alright? Who’s
downstairs at the bar?” Her face goes pale as her eyes start to bug, and I want
to tell her not to do that again. Her contacts might pop out and then she’ll be
in trouble.
“Yatzi.” That’s all she has to say to make my skin go cold.
Apparently the old man was not appreciative of the way I spoke to him on the
phone.
“Did you call the police?” Anna bites her bottom lip. It’s
then that I realize what must have happened.
“Is anyone hurt?” She shakes her head.
“He made everyone leave but me, and then he sent me up the
elevator. I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t recognize him at first.” I pull her under
my arm in a rare show of affection for a female employee.
“I’m going to step out of the elevator, Anna, and you’re
going to take it down to the parking garage. I want you to get in your car and
drive home. Don’t come back here until I tell you it’s safe to return. Call
everyone else and tell them that their shifts for tonight are canceled. The
club will be closed.” She’s nodding along as if she hears my instructions, but
I don’t think she truly is. So when the elevator finally reaches the first
floor, I shove her off to the side so that she cannot be seen and I press the
button for the garage level.
Then I step out and wonder how many fingers I’m going to
lose for insulting a mob boss.
He’s everything a person would expect from a criminal in
appearance from the expensive suit and flashy rings all the way down to the
perfectly shaved face. He’s also in his fifties or sixties, but I’m pretty sure
he’s suffering from liver failure by the looks of his skin and his eyes. Yatzi,
that’s the only name anyone ever knows him by, is standing by my bar with a
cigar hanging from his lips and one hand in his trouser pockets.
I, being the nervous smart-ass that I am, open my mouth to
speak. “Would you like a drink?”
“Sit down, Alex.” I take that as a negative, and sit down at
the bar with one stool between me and Yatzi. I don’t want to get too close in
case he has a venomous bite or something.
There is a moment where the prey always knows he’s being
hunted. It’s that moment when the one being hunted looks at the hunter in the
eyes and hears, as well as sees, the stillness around him. He knows that if he
looks away, his life will end, but if he doesn’t look away, he risks
challenging the predator.
Right now, I’m challenging the predator with my eyes but
telling him that he is in no danger with my body language. It must be a human
instinct ground into us from the moment we’re conceived. Yatzi, being the
psychopath that he must to survive, doesn’t care whether or not I am
challenging him. I insulted him by hanging up the phone, and I’m going to pay
for that insult.
Chapter Four
Melanie
He insulted me, and I let him.
My fingers trail over the paperwork as I rest my cheek on a
hand and stare out the glass windows. That woman who came up to fetch him
during the middle of our incongruous conversation looked terrified, but I
cannot imagine why. It must have been a ruse so he could get away from me and
soon someone will come up in that elevator to escort me from the premises.
It really is beautiful up here. I no sooner think
that than see a bird streaking past the window.
As time ticks by and there is no sign of Alexander or anyone
else coming back to retrieve me, I
Similar Books
