Chapter 15
ASH
I literally see red as I stare at the report before me.
Tanya is Alicia's sister?
The same girl Alicia came to Stardust to look for. The same girl that's working for me, and the very same kid who's now a drug mule. She's currently working with the other girls on the floor of Stardust, holding a drug cocktail tray for anyone who wants to buy some. The worst of it is she's wearing a skin-tight dress leaving nothing to the imagination.
I look back up at Moro who can't even look me in the face.
"What the fuck is this?" I cock my head and continue staring at him, expecting him to say something. Instead, he stays mum and stares keenly at something on the floor. Looks like whatever it is there has his undivided interest.
How the fuck am I going to stop Tanya from being groped by those men?
Yes, I had told the guys to stay on the lookout for her in case. . . alright, when any man gets handsy because they always do. Just one job I gave Moro, one simple job. Find out all about Alicia. Every single thing. In other words, leave nothing out. But what happens? He does a shitty job, leaving important information out until the last damn minute.
I watched Tanya struggle in the kitchen, so I moved her to the accounts section where she shined, more so than the head accountant himself. And here I was thinking I would send her to one of my warehouses to oversee the men there. I need someone there who can take stock of all the various supplies as well as oversee them-ammunition, drugs, and jewels from the mines, 'cause that's their landing place before they eventually get shipped out to other various places. Knowing now that she's Alicia's sister changes everything.
"Damn it, Moro, what part of get me every info about Alicia, didn't you understand?"
"I'm. . . I'm sorry, Ash, I'll do better next time."
I shake my head and dismiss him with a flick of my hand. This kind of slip-up can't happen in my line of business. It could get me killed. I've been on top of my game ever since, I don't need any more slip-ups. He's the head of intel, yet this passed him. It's not even about a woman this time, it's about my life, about watching my back.
I'm still fuming about this when a knock sounds at my door. Tanya comes in immediately without waiting for me to tell her to. She's still in the skin-tight dress and there's a smirk on her face.
"Hey, boss, I was told you wanted to see me."
I can't look at her face anymore because I don't want to see the hatred I know will be there for me, so I stare at the wallpaper behind her. "Yes, I'm taking you off the main floor and back to the kitchen."
This time I look at her face. Her reaction would have been comical had I been in a better mood. Her whole face crumples and I fear she's going to cry. "B. . . b. . . but you can't do that."
"Look, I don't want to put you at a disadvantage, and-"
"With this, how can I be at a disadvantage?" She huffs and lifts something in the air.
"Is that a-"
"Tazer? Yes." She giggles and covers her mouth. "Some lecherous man tried to get handsy and I used it on him."
I close my eyes in shock and open them immediately. "Please tell me he's not dead."
"No, but he's pretty strung up."
I stalk to the window of my office that overlooks the ground floor. I'm just in time too as I see one of the bouncers carrying out a man who seems to be in a dead faint. I turn back to Tanya. "Where did you get that taser?"
The smile she gives me is full of secrets.
"You know what - never mind."
"No, it's fine. I got it from one of the bouncers." She smiles full-on now, teeth and all.
"You mean you nicked it from him."
"Same thing, but yeah, with this. . ." She smiles and kisses the tazer. "No one's gonna mess with me."
I shake my head because this kid is crazy as well as ballsy. It's making me have a keen interest in wanting to know her past. "Tell me something. Where are you from, and where's your dad?"
It looks like I've doused her with cold water. She stands so still, it looks like she's gone into a trance. I'm about to ask if she's okay when she lets out a sigh. "I'm from Nebraska, and my dad's dead."
I don't know what to say so I keep quiet. I'm kind of like an orphan as well. Haven't seen my father since I was sixteen. I'm thirty-two now, so go figure. I need Tanya to keep talking, to tell me more about herself. I need to know more about this capricious kid. "Do you have any siblings?"
I walk to my bar and mix a gin and tonic. On second thoughts, I make it two and hand one to her. Wordlessly, she takes it. Before I even have the time to lift it to my lips, she throws it back in one gulp without even flinching. "I'm not an only child, boss. I've got a sister."
My invisible hackles rise on hearing this. I need to keep her talking because now I need to know more about Alicia. After seeing her naked body, my dreams have been dogged by my thrusting inside her so hard and making her scream my name. The same way she had called it out the day she touched herself. I feel myself growing hard and force my mind away from my wayward thoughts and back on what Tanya is saying.
". . . is miss goody two shoes. She's miss. perfect. Never had a driving ticket, never gotten drunk, and never committed a single crime. Why, she even has a scholarship to study nursing here in Los Angeles. She's practically a saint."
I file away the information about Alicia and watch as Tanya walks to my mini-bar and pours herself a straight gin. She downs it and pours another. I know I should stop her, but I need her to keep talking about her sister. I close my eyes, remembering the way her hand had moved over her pink clit as she pleasured herself. That image has been playing on repeat in my head. My cock swells and I cover the front of my pants with my hand. I can't have Tanya seeing this.
"And me, I'm just a nobody who wants-"
"What?" I gather my wits about me as I back her and walk back to my seat behind my desk. I need to cover up the tent in my pants before it gets noticed. "What do you want, kid?"
She throws her head back and laughs. "I want a good life, boss. A comfortable one filled with riches and wealth. I want to travel the world, I want to see places, and go wherever I please. And I'll get it." She looks me square in the face. "I'll get it, boss, and I know just how to."
"Pray, tell." I'm all ears now, my initial daydreams about Alicia momentarily forgotten.
"You are going to help me."
I cock my head to the side wonderingly. "Is that right?"
"Yes, boss, I know who you are and what you do, but you don't know that I can be of great help to you."
I'm amused now. This kid doesn't realize who she's playing with. I guess she sees something in my eyes because she rushes to speak. "Please don't get me wrong. I. . . I can help you get rid of your enemies."
On hearing this, I throw my head back and laugh. This slight of a girl who, yes, can steal, and is street-wise, but apart from that, I don't see her as a killing machine.
She comes closer, a certain fervor shining in her eyes. "With the kind of job you do, you need eyes and ears in the camp of your enemy." She raises a brow expectantly as if waiting for me to get it.
"Hold on! You mean by being a snitch?"
"Bull's eye!" She grins, showing teeth.
I can't help it. I stand and begin to pace. I knew there was something about this kid that hit differently. It's a brilliant idea, knowing my enemies' next move before they execute it thereby always gaining the upper hand. But it could also be dangerous. If they get wind of it, they would most certainly kill her.
No! I can't allow anything to happen to her. I can't have that on my conscience, plus if her sister ever finds out, she'll never forgive me. Scratch that, I'd never forgive myself. I turn to her with a shake of my head. "Sorry, kid. No deal!"
A resigned look settles on her face. "I knew you would say this, which is why you leave me no other choice." She waits for me to say something but I'm quiet. I'm waiting for her to drop the ace she has up her sleeves. She shrugs before continuing. "The police will be informed of your illegal activities."