Page 25 of Great White
“You better pray you’re telling the truth.” She removes her foot, and the man on the floor gasps for air. “Get the fuck out of my club. And don’t ever come back.”
She snaps at the bouncers, and they hoist him up off the floor. “Toss him out the back.”
“I wasn’t going to say nuthin’.” Santo spits.
“Sure, you weren’t.” The look Dove gives him is nothing short of terrifying. Dove and the bouncers both exit through opposite doors, much like how they entered. I follow Dove. She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t even look back at me. Once we make it to her office, she unlocks a safe in the bottom cabinet of the desk.
“What are you doing?”
She stands up and racks a handgun.
“I’m going to take care of a problem.”
“Santo? But you let him go.”
“No. He thinks I let him go. I won’t spill blood on my own soil. Not unless I have to. I can take care of him somewhere else.”
“Can't you send someone else to do it?” I step in front of her.
“Someone else? You want to do the honors?” She cocks her head at me. Those deep, suffering hazel eyes of hers pricking me like a thorn.
“I will, if you need me to.”
Dove laughs right in my face. “Need you?Guapo, I don’t need you for anything.”
“That’s not how I meant it.” I backpedal. “I just meant I can take care of it. It’s what I’m here for.”
“No.” She shakes her head lightly. “This one I need to take care of myself. I appreciate the offer, though.” Dove attempts to push past me, but I step in front of her again.
“Stefania is having an affair with Marco Rayas?”
Dove’s eyes slide slowly and ominously up to meet mine. She nods.
“No one can know.” The statement is both a warning and a threat.
“What about the bouncers?”
“They won’t talk. They know full well what will happen if they do. They wouldn’t be employed here if we couldn’t trust them.”
“And you’re trusting me?”
Dove ponders my question. “I guess I am.”
“Then let me go with you.”
“No. Go back to work. On the floor is where I need you.”
I grab her arm before she gets too far. I don’t even know why. To stop her? Tell her something? To warn her? For an elongated second, we share a silent look.
“Everything will be fine,” Dove assures me, wriggling out of my grasp.
“Call me if you need anything.”
Dove turns to me just before she leaves the room. “Guapo, you’re cute. You’ve been here for five minutes. I’ve been doing this for five years. I don’t need a babysitter. I’ll see you later.”
I stand there just staring at the door.I damn well hope so.
I watch the clock all night long. Minutes tick by like hours. Ten o’clock, eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock, one o’clock. Still no Dove. I prowl the floor just like she does, watching for anything out of the ordinary. Keeping things in line. Shooing away stupid kids who want to snort lines on the bar, and breaking up a fight on the dance floor over a pretty girl. Run of the mill stuff.
