Chapter Three

 

“I’m having a day, Angie,” I grunted bitterly while pummeling a red boxing bag with my gloved fist.  “Not one single fucking thing is going my way in the slightest little bit.”

The bored woman let out a giant yawn and made no attempt to reply or strike the fitness apparatus directly in front of her.  Instead she stretched and sat down on a bench a few feet away from me.

“I don’t understand why I needed to be awake so early today.  It’s a Sunday, Lee.  We’re supposed to sleep in after partying all night on Saturday.”

“Actually, I think Sundays are for church.”

That earned me a trademark Angela O’Reilly cackle of laughter, causing me to cringe and make a mental note to not be so damn amusing.

“You’re funny, kid,” she said after finally catching her breath.  “But really, you gotta quit making me get up at such an insane hour.  You’re killing me.”

“It’s one in the afternoon, sleeping beauty.  I was out til two in the morning and up at eight.  Why don’t you try it once?  Early bird gets the worm and all that shit.  I made ten grand before you got your ass out of bed.”

“Really?  I’m proud of you, Lee.  I always knew you could run an empire.”

It was true.  I had a lot on my plate, what with being responsible for three nightclubs, four bars, six dry-cleaning and coin laundry operations, two restaurants, a few illegal underground gambling establishments, a highly profitable loan shark and protection side hustle, and more than a handful of real estate rental properties.  If it could make me money, I wanted in on the action.

“Thanks, but all is not well on the home front.  I sense trouble brewing,” I admitted, punching the boxing bag with an extra amount of built-up tension.

“What’s up?”

There isn’t a single person on Earth that knows all my secrets, but Angie is privy to most of what goes on in my daily life.  She’s excellent when dishing out advice, whether it’s wanted or not.

“I had an issue last night at Sinner’s Paradise with one of my bartenders dealing drugs.  You know I don’t tolerate that shit.  I had to fire him and things got kind of…tense.”

My friend raised an eyebrow and cocked her head curiously, now fully invested in the conversation.

“Weren’t you going there on a mission to fuck Antonio in order to get a certain other someone out of your system?”

“Yeah.  It didn’t work out so well.  I ended up getting rescued by that certain someone, and the whole night was an enormous failure.”

Angie knew I had strict rules when it came to our little chats.  Samuel had an annoying tendency to sneak up on me and I didn’t want him hearing something he shouldn’t.  While my blatant lust for him was pretty much out in the open when we were alone, I had no desire for any of my other employees to catch on.  It was best not to display weakness, or they’d attack like a shark going after a wounded dolphin.

“Do sharks eat dolphins?” I asked absentmindedly, well aware of the fact that discretion didn’t matter at the current moment. Samuel was training in the boxing ring and couldn’t hear our conversation anyway.  Even though I convinced him to quit his underground MMA fights, he insisted on the need for extra income.  I let him take part in sanctioned boxing matches once a month.  Obviously, I bet insane amounts of money on my prize fighter and he hasn’t lost a single time.

Angie snapped her fingers and said, “Focus, bitch.  All this lack of dick is going straight to your brain.  Concentrate on one thing at a time, will you? What happened with Antonio?”

“Sorry.  So I got Antonio’s attention, he took the bait, and then led me down a dark hallway where I was about to get a quick fuck when things took a very ugly turn.”

I paused in my recap of the evening so I could whack the punching bag three more times.  Bam Bam Bam.  I pretended it was Antonio’s face.

“That cocksucker had the nerve to ask me for five hundred bucks because he gets paid to do the wild thing.”

“Okay, Tone Loc.  I thought it was fifty dollars to make you holler?”

“Inflation is a bitch, Ang.  As it turns out, his cock was literally the thickness of a fucking pencil.  It was almost inhuman.  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Shut up!  He’s so muscular and attractive.  Was it really that teeny tiny or are you just being a drama queen and exaggerating?”

“I dried up instantly.  His finger was far more orgasm-inducing than that little dick ever would have been.”

“At least you got finger banged, which is better than nothing.  Although at age thirty-four, more should be happening than that.  It’s a fucking New York City nightclub and not a junior high dance.  I expect better stories from you, Lee.”

“Thanks.  Anyway, he hit me up for money after the finger action, which wasn’t that great to begin with.  So I handed over two bills and a condom before I saw the size of his wang and gagged a little bit.  I was just about to ask for a refund, when he pushed me against the wall before I had a chance to grab the cash back.”

“Wait a minute!  You were really gonna pay him?  What the hell?”

“Are you not listening?  The money exchange was pre- show and tell.  Everything was happening too fast and I was in shock, okay?  Don’t judge me.  So before Antonio could play ‘hide the tiny straw-sized pecker,’ Samuel busts in like a tornado, beat the hell out of the guy, and dragged me off to the car like a teenager caught out past curfew.”

So fucking juvenile.  It should not be this difficult to get laid.

As if reading my mind, Angie let out a deep sigh and confessed, “We need to get you over this dry spell.  I’m thinking we’ll find you someone at my party tonight.  Before you try to protest and tell me that you’re too busy with work, it’s a Sunday, or some other lame excuse, I don’t care.  This is a legendary Angela O’Reilly rager and everyone who’s anyone will be there.”

“Did I know about this?” I asked, intending to check my phone’s calendar and see why there was no party scheduled. 

“No.  I just planned it ten seconds ago.  But I know you need to let loose.  You’re getting sloppy.  For example, take the raven haired stud muffin that’s been checking you out for the past ten minutes.  You haven’t even noticed him standing mere feet away, let alone the fact that he’s about to approach us…”

I whipped around just in time to come face-to-face with an Italian Stallion that rivaled Antonio any day of the week.

“Easy, tiger,” he advised, grabbing my upper arms to steady me and holding on way too tight for my liking.  “I couldn’t help but admire your boxing technique.  Could I show you how to make a few improvements in your stance?  I’d be happy to offer my services.”

I ripped my arms out of his death grip with the intent of punching him in the face.  Yes, it’s fully possible to go from lust to rage in no time at all when a stranger thinks it’s okay to touch me before given permission.  I also did not appreciate his criticism of my fighting form.

Before I could so much as lean back to put the utmost amount of force into the left hook about to make contact with the man’s nose, someone else delivered the strike for me.

That’s right. Samuel suddenly jumped between us and landed a sharp blow to the head, sending the fool sprawling on the mat.  But the guy didn’t stay down.  Instead he got right back on his feet and began threatening my bodyguard.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with, dumb fuck.  You and the bitch are about to pay for what you’ve done.  Mark my words…no one fucks with me or my family.  No one!”

He stepped back, giving Samuel a wide berth so as not to get punched again, and stormed out of the building without another word.  I snapped my fingers and pointed to the door, signaling that the arrogant bastard should be quietly followed to find out his identity and discover just who exactly his family might be.

“How the fuck did he get in here?” I screamed, face turning red with anger.  “No one comes to my gym and tries to start something with me or one of my people.  I want answers and I want them now!”

Two men cautiously approached and I honestly didn’t want to deal with either of them at the present time, because I knew they weren’t delivering good news.  One was my drug dealer and the other was my accountant.

“Into my office, now,” I ordered, motioning them down the hall toward a private room in the back. 

“I’m going to leave,” Angie mumbled sheepishly.  “Call me later and I’ll see you tonight.”

She went in one direction and I went in the other, closely followed by Samuel.

“He shouldn’t have gotten that close, Leandra.  I told you to make this a private club and not a public gym.  When are you going to start listening to me?”

“It draws unwanted attention when people are turned away from a public establishment.  That’s the last thing we want right now.”

“But it’s perfectly acceptable to have some unknown jackass slip past security and grab you like that?  Why wasn’t anyone paying attention?” Samuel raged.  “Where the hell was Hawk?  How about Seamus?  I can’t even train one fucking day of the week now because these morons can’t be trusted to do their damn job!”

“We’ll discuss this later,” I demanded, knowing perfectly well he was right.  Seamus had been standing near the ring watching Samuel, and I had no clue where Hawk had disappeared to.  Yes, it was the same ‘Hawk’ that I threatened to shank with my switchblade.  He’d proven himself a worthy fighter and we added him to the team.  Perhaps that was turning out to be an error in judgment on my part.

Samuel opened my office door and stood to the side while I took care of some unpleasant business.  I knew it wouldn’t help his mood to watch me conduct the routine drug transaction.  The first time he saw the package of white powder land on my desk, I had to spend half an hour reassuring him of its purpose.  I’d like to say things had gotten easier over time, but that wasn’t the case.

“Let’s get this over with,” I stated casually, reaching into the drawer and pulling out an envelope full of cash.  I threw it on the desk and stared at a very twitchy Russian that just delivered a month’s worth of cocaine.  The revolting pig had shifty eyes, a disgusting mustache that always seemed to have some remnant of his lunch still hanging around, and a long nose that reminded me of a witch.

“You might want to add more to the pile, Leandra,” my dealer suggested while smirking and waiting for my response.

I took a single hundred dollar bill out of his envelope and tucked it back into my sports bra.  He frowned, clearly torn between the urge to ogle my breasts and the disappointment at having less money to spend on cheap whores.

“Keep talking like that and I’ll take the drugs and leave you empty-handed with two broken kneecaps.  You’re not raising the price one fucking cent, asshole.”  It was an empty threat.  We all knew I could afford it and had no desire to shop elsewhere.  Drugs were not hard to find in this city, but I didn’t want the ass ache of having to search for a new source.  Quantity wasn’t an issue; it’s the quality that I was concerned with.  It’s not like I planned to sample the merchandise, so I was forced to trust that it was up to the usual standards.

Aside from experimenting with marijuana in college a few times, and not being impressed in the slightest, I hadn’t touched drugs and had no plan to start now.  The cocaine was strictly for my brother, Ian.  He refused to give up the habit no matter how many times I begged, pleaded, or threatened him.  As a concerned older sister, I figured the only control I had was to make sure he wasn’t going around sketchy back alleys and accidentally snorting tainted product that would wind up killing him.  Yes, I was the sole drug supplier for my wayward asshole brother.  What choice did I have?  He refused to go to rehab and I wasn’t about to cut him out of my life.  The guy wasn’t as tough as me.  He’d be dead in a week.

The slimy Russian weasel raised both hands in surrender before Samuel could start breaking bones.

“No, ma’am.  That’s not what I meant at all.  I only meant that I have some information you might find valuable.  I know you treat your informants very well and I’m always looking to make some extra cash.”

I narrowed my eyes and removed the money from my tits.

“I’m listening…”

“Word on the street is that there might be some unhappy employees running their mouths about the way you’re handling the business.  It would seem that not all of the traitors were removed after you took over for your father eight months ago.  Another mutiny might be in the works.  Just thought you should know.  I wouldn’t want a nice lady such as yourself out on her ass.  I happen to like the business relationship we currently have.”

Instead of putting back the hundred dollar bill, I took four more out.

“While I appreciate you sharing such valuable information, you’re not telling me anything I didn’t already know.  For future reference, I’m not a nice lady at all.  Get the fuck out of my office before I slit your throat.”

He swiftly grabbed the envelope and ran so fast that I thought he might trip over his own two feet.  Idiot.

Once the door was safely closed and locked, I turned to my accountant.  Bennie was a small and timid man.  There was no way he should have been working for me at all.  The guy was only here because I paid handsomely and supplied him with free rent and unlimited access to all my restaurants. Bennie had a soft spot for fine dining. 

“I’m afraid to tell you that he’s right,” my devoted employee admitted with a solemn expression.  “That’s the reason I’m here today.  I’ve been hearing rumors too.  But I guess you already know about that.  I just wanted to make sure in case you didn’t know.  I needed to know that you know.  I like to be cautious and always double check things.”

I met Bennie in my junior year of college.  He was also majoring in business and economics, but his grades were far superior to mine.  I couldn’t help but notice he got bullied by all the frat boys.  Since my family was in the business of protection, I made Bennie an offer he couldn’t refuse:  tutor me and share his vast knowledge, and I would make sure his college experience was far more pleasant than he ever could have hoped for.  He quickly took me up on the offer and it wasn’t long before I was getting straight A’s, Bennie was invited to some keggers, and we all lived happily ever after.  Naturally I had him come and work for me as soon as we graduated.

“Tell me what you know, Bennie.  Let’s compare notes.”

I was bluffing.  I thought I culled the herd and removed all the traitorous bastards.  The fact that I had no clue what was going on behind my back was beginning to give me a migraine.

“I’ve noticed that some of the books are just a little bit off, Miss Donahue.”

It didn’t matter that I’d known Bennie for nearly a decade.  He insisted on addressing me so formally because I was his employer.  The explanation he gave me involved the excuse that his mother taught him proper manners, but I believed that Bennie fell somewhere on the Autism spectrum.  Maybe it was Aspergers, but I think he was just a little bit different than your average person.  It didn’t bother me in the slightest.  Benny was loyal to a fault and it was a win-win situation for both of us.  He earned enough money to live on his own and get away from his overbearing mother, and I got a genius that recognized business trends faster than I ever could have.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, knowing full well I was in charge of all the money going out and coming in.  The second you farmed that job out to someone else, you got robbed blind.  My daddy didn’t raise a fool.

“All the money taken in is accounted for, but judging by the natural upswing in the economy and taking other businesses into account for comparison purposes, you’re being shorted.”

“In English, Bennie.”

“Your collectors are turning in the money, but they’re not turning in all of it.  For the past four months, the coin laundry operations have shown a five percent decline.  I think someone is skimming off the top.”

“Are you sure?”

“I took the opportunity to masquerade as a homeless man and sit outside for a week to gauge traffic flow.  It would appear that more customers are generating less profit. That’s not feasible.  So…um…I might have eavesdropped when Hawk made his last pick up.  I saw him put a large stack of bills into his pocket instead of the collection bag.  Seamus laughed and made a snide remark about you never missing what you didn’t have in the first place.”

“Did they see you?” Samuel asked, fists balling up at his sides, ready for action.

“No, sir.  I was very careful to wear a large hat, wig, and an eye patch.  I also didn’t shower for a week,” he admitted with pride in a job well done.  “Of course that was yesterday, and then I went home and took a long bath so I could clean up and not smell atrocious when I shared the information with you today, Miss Donahue.  I hope you aren’t mad because I went behind your back.  I would never do anything to hurt you, but I was certain you wouldn’t give me permission to carry out the dangerous mission if I asked ahead of time.  I watch a lot of cop shows and I know sometimes things go bad on a stake-out.”

I hung my head in my hands and took several deep and cleansing breaths.

“Bennie, I am very grateful and appreciative of your loyalty.  You’ll find an extra couple grand in your pay this week.  Here’s what’s going to happen.  Are you paying full attention to me?”

The man’s eyes widened and he nodded his head.

“You will never, ever, do anything so foolhardy again.  You are nearly impossible to replace.  From now on, you come to me first with anything suspicious and I’ll investigate it myself.  Also, you will never speak of this conversation to anyone.  Let me take care of the problem, and rest assured it will be handled.  You are dismissed.”

Bennie scurried from the room with his head down and I turned my attention to Samuel.

“Don’t confront them yet.  I need more proof before you go and do anything crazy.  Hawk was obviously a bad choice for an employee, but Seamus has worked for my father for years.  He’s never been disrespectful to me in the slightest.”

“What did you just say, Leandra?  He’s worked for your father for years.  Not you.  He sees you as some broad taking a position that’s not rightfully hers.  He needs to go.”

I’d like to take a position right across this desk and let Samuel fuck some answers into my head.  It’s hard enough to do this job when all the employees fall in line and cooperate.  When you consider the fact that I don’t know who to trust and who’s ready to slit my throat and piss on the dead body, it’s enough to drive someone insane.

“Let me consider my options,” I stated while rubbing my temple.  I felt a killer headache coming on and I was desperate to relieve the mountain of stress piling up as the weight of the world fell onto my shoulders.  “We don’t have enough people on our side to go off half-cocked and fire everyone based on rumors and hearsay.  There’s strength in numbers and I just don’t have the amount of soldiers that this situation requires.  I’m going to shower and try to clear my head.”

While heading to the spacious adjoining private bathroom in my office, I looked forward to relieving some built-up tension.  There was nothing that a nice hot shower wouldn’t fix.  Especially when I intended on bringing a friend with me…