Page 2 of The Redemption of Alex Cade
I glared at him.Yeah? And whose idea wasthat?
“Seen anything interesting tonight?” Kelvin nodded towards the monitors.
“Not really. Too busy going through this.” I gestured at the spreadsheet, glad of the change of subject. Not that it wouldn’t rear its head again.
“You know we pay Ibrahim to do all that, don’t you? And very generously, too. That’s why he’s such a diligent and loyal employee.” Kelvin paused. “That, and the recordings we’ve got. He’s even uglier stark bollock naked than he is with his clothes on.” Kelvin shivered in disgust.
I couldn’t help laughing, because Kelvin was spot on. I could almost feel sorry for the poor bastard. Almost, but notquite. The accountant was very well paid, the monthly wad of cash unrecorded and undeclared. Well paid, like all our employees, whether on the legal books or not. But the main reason I didn’t feel sorry for Ibrahim was because he was a slimy, obsequious bastard, with some very unsavoury tastes. “Best to keep an eye on him, all the same.”
Neither of us said anything for a minute or two as I closed down the spreadsheet and locked the laptop in the safe. I glanced at Kelvin, who was absorbed in studying the monitors. The tension, for now, had gone, but I knew it was only temporary. Kelvin’s keenness to do business with Aksoy and his nasty, vicious, and not-so-little gang of thugs, was a growing, festering sore between us.
Kelvin leant in closer to the monitors, his eyes scanning the dance floor. He tapped a finger against one of the screens. “That one. He’s your type.”
I followed his gaze. The guy Kelvin pointed out was lithe, barely on the right side of skinny. His movements were fluid, effortless, his body moving to the music like it was a part of him. Dark hair clung to his face, drenched in sweat, his eyes closed as he lost himself in the rhythm. My stomach tightened, and my cock stirred at the sight.
“Maybe,” I admitted. “Shame about the hair.”
Kelvin laughed. “You sure you don’t have a kink? Get him a wig. There’s a blond one in the storeroom you can make him wear. That dodgy drag queen we had in left it behind. It looks like a cross between a dead poodle and a cheap mop but beggars can’t be choosers.”
I shot him a look. So I had a taste for blonds. I couldn’t see what the big deal was. “Getting a guy to dress up isn’t really my thing.”
“Not what I heard.” Kelvin gave me a dirty grin andsalacious wink. “Looks like there’s trouble,” he said, his expression and voice turning serious.
My attention snapped to the corner of the screen. A man was silently shouting, his arms flailing as others tried to hold him back. He broke free, and lunged at another man, his fist glancing off the side of the guy’s face before security swarmed in.
“Where the fuck is Ewan?” Kelvin growled, pulling his phone from his pocket.
“It’s handled,” I said, watching as the aggressor was hauled toward the exit. But Kelvin was already barking threats into the phone to our head of security.
I sighed as I got to my feet, all the tension back in my muscles. “I’ll go down and find out why this got out of control, and make sure Ewan’s clear this doesn’t happen again.”
“Security are paid to stop shit like this before it even starts.” Kelvin glared at me as he shoved his mobile back into his pocket.
“You know stuff like this happens from time to time, it’s the business we’re in. It’s how we deal with it that’s important. I’ll impress upon him the need for vigilance at all times.”
“Mr. Fucking Reasonable. All right! But you know he forgot to set the security cameras after we closed up a couple of nights back? He’s supposed to be a fucking security professional and the wanker forgot to turn a bloody camera on!” Kelvin glared at me as he threw his hands up in the air. He looked like he wanted to break something, most likely Ewan, but the heat of his anger was already cooling. “Still want his balls served up on a plate, though.”
“What with? Rice, or salad and chips?”
Kelvin glowered at me before his eyes creased and helaughed. “Okay, you sort it with him. This time. But if this happens again, or he doesn’t set the camera?—”
“It won’t, and he will. They’re a good crew who slipped up.”
“Fine. But if they screw up?—”
“They won’t.”
I glanced at the monitor one last time, my gaze drawn back to the dark-haired dancer. He was still moving, his body electric, magnetic. “I might be a while.”
Kelvin smirked. “Thought as much.”
CHAPTER TWO
ALEX
As I made my way downstairs the bass grew louder, seeming to vibrate the very air. Each step brought me closer to the source of the pulsing sound, the music growing sharper, heavier, until it was a tangible thing, wrapping around me like a second skin. The sharp stench of sex and booze saturated the humid, sticky air, and I licked my lips, letting Euphoria’s chaotic, wild energy cling to my skin like sweat.
Staff members straightened as I passed, their nods quick and deferential, their spines just a touch stiffer. Even the club-goers turned to watch me, their gazes lingering with curiosity. I paid them no heed, my focus sharp as a blade, my movements purposeful. In my perfectly tailored three-piece suit, crisp white shirt, and a silk tie knotted with meticulous precision, I stood out from the horde of semi-naked club rats.
