There was a long silence, and I realized he wasn’t going to speak. “The suspense is killing me.”
“Sorry.” He chuckled. “My boss understood what an amazing opportunity this was and knew I’d be a fool to pass it up. He needs to get someone to replace me and asked if it would be okay if I could have Tuesday and Thursday to go in and help train my replacement. Only for a couple of weeks.”
This clearly was Toby’s roundabout way of telling me yes. But something had me curious.
“I did this out of order, hiring you. Can I ask who your current employer is?”
He released a shaky breath, and I could feel his nerves through the phone. “I work at Vick’s Tricks.”
Of all the places I thought he’d say he worked, that wasn’t one of them. Vick’s was a dark, dangerous, drug-infested club. Someone like Toby would feel suffocated there, threatened. I wanted to tell him to leave, not look back, and start here tomorrow. But I knew that wasn’t who Toby was.
“Okay, Toby. I’m okay with those stipulations. You’ll be able to work there for two days a week to train your replacement.”
His loud breath made me smile. “Oh, thank you. I was so nervous you’d say no when you heard where I worked.”
“On the contrary, Toby. I don’t think you belong in a place like that. You are perfect for Joker’s Sin.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
“Can you come in today to fill out some paperwork and talk salary, so you can start first thing Wednesday?”
“Oh…”
I didn’t know why that was such a hard question to answer, but I listened while Toby started a sentence a few times. Finally, after the fifth try, he was able to get it out.
“Is around noon okay?” I peered at the clock; it was nine now, and that gave me plenty of time to get the paperwork together.
“That’ll be perfect. See you then, and welcome aboard, Toby.”
I hung up with a smile on my face and turned to my computer. I shut the program I was using and immediately started gathering the paperwork for Toby’s employ.
Chapter Ten
Toby
I’d had such an amazing time at Joker’s Sin, I almost forgot I had to meet with Vick and tell him how it went and what I’d learned. Sunday morning, as I sat at the kitchen table drinking my coffee, my sister came in and immediately knew something was up.
“Care to tell me what has you looking so upset?” She got her own coffee and joined me.
“Atlas offered me a job, Vick wants me to meet him today to tell him if I got any information on Joker’s Sin from my dinner, and I know if I tell Vick about the job, he won’t take it well.”
Poppy watched me, drinking slowly, assessing. This was how she absorbed any type of shitty news.
“Toby, I have an idea.” She placed her mug down and reached over, taking my hand in hers. “I know Vick Keller is a bad man. I hated when you got that job, and I know leaving him is never easy. He’s not exactly an equal-opportunity man. But you know what else I know?”
I shook my head, not having a single idea where she was going with this.
“I know Atlas is a big name in Haven Hart. I know Ciro likes you as much as that man can.” She chuckled. “I know if you talked to Atlas and told him the truth, now, he might be able to help you.”
In a perfect world… “Poppy, you may be right. But if you’re wrong, I could end up in the hospital, or dead, and Atlas and all them might also. You want me to risk their lives on a chance?”
She sighed and released my hand. “I want you to be happy and safe, Toby; that’s what I want.”
“I know. I’m gonna meet with Vick, tell him everything, and deal with the aftermath.” I sounded resolute even though my whole body was vibrating in fear.
“Call me after you talk with him. If I don’t hear from you, I will call the police.” Her gaze flickered with worry, and I wished I could take it all away.
I arrived at Vick’s right as Liberio was opening the side door. No one would be in but him and Vick, so I walked over.
“Vick be seeing you now,” Liberio said, and I followed him in.
“Ahh, there’s my ace in the hole.” Vick stood from his desk, came over, and slapped my shoulder. “Liberio, get us some coffee. Sit, Toby, and tell me all about your night.” He moved back to his chair.
Like a Band-Aid, I’d just rip it off. “Well, there’s sadly not too much to say, Vick. He’s not an easy guy to figure out. I tried to be subtle so he wouldn’t think anything was up, but all he said was that his club was named after someone he knew but didn’t give me the name.” That was partially the truth, so it came out easily. “I wanted to get more information, but there was a brawl outside the club.”
“I’m disappointed, Toby.”
Liberio came in with our coffees. The second he handed me mine, Vick reached over his desk and smacked it out of my hand. The mug clattered against the wall. Luckily no coffee got on me, but I was shaking.
“Did you even try and fuck him?”
“When would I do that, Vick? There was a fight…” And then I remembered the plan I’d had at the bar. “It was because of that guy Chet or Chiv or whatever his name is. He’s always here, you know? He started a fight with Ciro, and that’s why Atlas got pulled away. I am sure I’d have more information if that high-as-a-kite idiot hadn’t started shit.”
Vick narrowed his eyes and turned to Liberio. “When Chester gets in tonight, bring him in here.” Liberio nodded and Vick’s attention was on me again. “So, you go back and try and seduce him some more.”
With a deep breath, I just spit it out. “Actually, after that brawl, I was able to stop another inside the club. Atlas liked how I handled it and offered me a job.”
I kept my eyes down, unable to see Vick’s expression, not sure I wanted to.
“And what did you tell him?” Vick hissed.
“I said I had to talk to my current employer.”
There was a beat of silence before he responded. “Did you tell him who your employer was?”
“No.”
“That’s smart.”
I finally looked up when I heard Vick laugh. He was staring at me, grinning, conniving.
“You’re gonna take the job, but you’ll tell him you need to work here Tuesdays and Thursdays to train a replacement for two weeks.” He sat back in his chair, and I breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t in hitting distance. “That gives you two weeks to get me something else.”
“Two weeks, how am I going to…? What if he doesn’t tell me anything?”
He shrugged and got up. I watched as he walked around his desk once again and leaned on it, inches from me. “I have my own plan in the works to help speed along Joker’s Sin’s demise. Between that and anything you get me, I’m confident we can shut that place down.” He leaned closer, his face directly in front of me. “If you don’t get something amazing in two weeks, I’ll pay your sweet sister a visit. When I’m done with her, she’ll need more than a wheelchair to get around.”
His words were like ice in my veins. I felt my whole body seize up. “Poppy.”
“Yes, your sweet Poppy.” He grabbed my chin in a punishing grip. “Don’t fuck with me, Toby, and don’t get all brave on me. Go to the cops or even tell Atlas any of this? You or they won’t get to her fast enough. Until our business is concluded, your sister will have a shadow. It will take one phone call and a second of time to make you sorry you ever crossed me. Got it?”
I wanted to answer, but fear had taken my words prisoner.
“I said, got it?” With his other hand he hit me so hard across the face, I saw stars and crumbled to the floor. “Words, Toby!”
“Ye…yes. I got it.”
“Good. Now get the fuck out of here, clean up, and call your new boss.” He cackled and walked out of his office with Liberio on his heels, leaving me sitting on his floor. Coffee was soaking my pants as I sat in what he spilled earlier, and my cheek throbbed.
I too
k a second to lift myself up. As quickly as my legs could take me, I rushed out of there and ran to the park. It was a gorgeous Sunday, and there were a lot of people out. Fortunately, they were in their own worlds and didn’t pay me any mind. I couldn’t go home because Poppy was there working, so I sat on a bench, staring at the fountain for far too long.
The sound of a child’s boisterous laughter jolted me from my daydream, and I realized it was late morning. There was no way I could talk to Atlas yet. Noticing my pants had dried, I made my way home. In the reflection of a window I passed, I could see my cheek bruising. I knew Poppy would notice, and I’d have to come up with some story. I couldn’t let her know she was in danger.
My life was becoming one lie after another. Everyone I cared about would be in trouble if I didn’t do what Vick wanted, and any dream of Atlas being interested in me was going right out the window. Eventually he’d figure out what I was doing there, and he’d never smile my way again.
Chapter Eleven
Atlas
About five minutes after twelve, there was a knock on my office door. “Come in.” I was glad to see that when Toby said noon-ish, he meant it. He offered a small smile, and I waved him in. “Good to see you. Have a seat, and we can get through all this boring paperwork crap.”
“Oh, sure, and thank you again for the job offer.” He sat down, and I placed papers in front of him. He didn’t seem like himself, but then again, I didn’t know him very well.
“Not to insult your soon to be ex-employer, but working for Vick can’t be all that great. A lot of shady dealings going on there.”
He didn’t say anything to that, just went straight to filling out the paperwork. I noticed he wasn’t making eye contact, and the normal flicker of sunshine I’d seen in his face when he was last here was almost nonexistent.
“Everything okay, Toby?” I asked when he handed me the first form.
“Um…yeah, just always afraid I’ll fill this stuff out wrong.” He chuckled listlessly. When he got to the contract part, I stopped him.
“This is the money and benefits part.”
“Benefits?” This time he did look up, and there was no hiding an impressive bruise on the side of his face. I could tell he’d tried to cover it up and he’d done a good job, but it was noticeable. Anger swelled inside of me—that someone would hurt a man like Toby made no sense. He was sweet, kind, helpful.
“What happened?”
He seemed confused for a brief second before realization dawned. “Oh, my face?” He waved it off. “I slipped on water in my bathroom and got up close and personal with the doorknob.”
I wasn’t sure if I believed him.…Hell, I knew I didn’t believe him. But I knew if I pressed further, he’d most likely shut down. I wasn’t his therapist, and he seemed more embarrassed than anything else. I let it go for now.
“I see. Well, then, benefits may come in handy. I offer medical insurance to all full-time employees.” I spent the next half hour going over that, and he seemed really shocked that I offered dental and vision. Hell, he was surprised there were benefits at all.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
“I take it you don’t have any insurance currently?”
“No. I mean my sister does because of…well, yeah, so she’s covered. But I don’t have any. This is really amazing. Thank you.”
He signed and I slipped the next page over. “Salary.” His eyes widened.
“That’s too much.”
What the fuck was Vick paying him? “Not really. As floor manager, you have a lot to do. It’s more than just walking around and making sure things are running smoothly. You’re the link between servers and the bar. You deal with patrons. If Ciro has an issue, he will talk to you if he can’t find me. Ledger—DJ Edge—he will need to make sure things are timed right. It’s a huge job, therefore the pay is high.”
“And you think I’m qualified to do this job?” Toby pointed to the contract, and his brows quirked, giving him a disbelieving expression.
“I’m a good judge of character, Toby. I believe we see a person’s true nature when they assume nobody is watching or when the heat gets to be too much. You had no idea I was watching you when those guys were acting up. I like to think I saw the real Toby that day.” Leaning forward, I tried to give him a reassuring smile. “Don’t doubt my offer.”
“Wow.” He chuckled. “I’m not sure what to really say here. I hope I don’t mess up.”
I took the contract after he signed. “Nah, you’ll be good. I’ll be working closely with you for the first couple of weeks, get you familiar with everything. Then when you’re ready, I’ll step away and watch you fly.”
“And how will I know I’m ready?” I hated how unsure he was. This didn’t feel like the Toby I spoke to the other day, the one who stopped a brawl with confidence, and the bruise on his cheek was feeling more and more to me like the doorknob was a fist.
“You’ll know.”
When all the paperwork was squared away, I decided to take Toby on a more extensive tour of Joker’s Sin. To be successful in his job, he needed to know everything. Ledger was doing sound checks and said he’d talk to Toby later about what he’d need from him to help things run smoothly every night. Ciro wasn’t in yet, but Max was doing inventory in the storage room down the hall, so I took him there.
“Wow, that’s a lot of alcohol.” Toby inched closer to the boxes, reading them. Max had a system—shelves like a library, orderly boxes, and everything set up alphabetically. “That’s a high-end champagne.”
“That’s mostly VIP stuff. Often, we’ll get a rich dude looking to impress a twink, or whatever. We like to help a guy out.” I shrugged, knowing it probably sounded like it wasn’t on the up-and-up, but everyone needed a wingman, and as long as the people involved were legal and consenting, I was good with that.
“Nice. Poppy, my sister, she loves wine. Always pairing wines with books for her book club.”
“Does she have a favorite?” I asked. Max lifted his head, knowing where I was going with this.
Toby was looking over the barrels as he spoke. “She’s always saying she loves crisp and citrusy…wow, is that a barrel of whiskey?” He moved closer to it, and I gave Max a signal.
“Yes, that’s a special order for a party next week.”
Max came over, bottle in hand. “Crisp and citrusy, you say?” I asked Toby, who turned when I tapped him on the shoulder.
“Huh?” He then saw I was handing him a bottle of wine.
“For your sister. Max is good at this, and it was all he had to hear.”
“It’s Outlot Sauvignon Blanc. Citrusy and crisp. It’s a favorite around here actually, and before you go saying no, it’s not that expensive.” Max rolled his eyes.
“Well, thanks.” Toby’s smile was small, but that light I enjoyed the other night was beginning to flicker. “She’s gonna love it, I’m sure.”
Toby left shortly after with a promise to return on Wednesday afternoon at two. I went back to my office and had just closed the door when Max came strolling in.
“Did someone hit him?” Max asked, his face turning red as he spoke. Max was insanely overprotective. He might be a man whore, but he didn’t oblige bullying and violence.
“He said he slipped on water and hit his face on a doorknob.” There was no hiding my disbelieving tone. “Something happened, and yes, I was worried, but it’s not like I can force him to tell me.”
“A doorknob makes a circular bruise; that was almost the whole side of his face. We’re just gonna act like it’s nothing?”
“Max.” I placed my hands on his shoulders. “We’re gonna be there for him and watch out for him. If or when he’s ready to talk, he will.”
Max closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Fine,” he ground out. “When’s he done working at Vick’s?”
“He has to stay on there until next Thursday. So four nights, over the next two weeks. Why?” I moved over to my desk and woke up my computer.
> “Vick Keller isn’t known to just let his employees go,” Max said as he sat down.
“None of them tried to leave to come here before, Max. Look around—I’m not sure even Vick Keller would want to take this place, or me, on.”
Max shook his head. “Don’t get too high and mighty, Atlas. My mom always told me it’s the car you don’t see that hits you.”
I knew Max was right. I’d lived in Haven Hart for a long time and seen a hell of a lot. Vick Keller was an asshole in a long line of assholes harbored by this town.
Chapter Twelve
Toby
The following afternoon I sat in Vick’s office, waiting for him to come in and ask if I’d learned anything. I’d tried to absorb all I could while I was at Joker’s Sin, but it wasn’t like Atlas was going to unlock the secrets of the universe to me. Honestly, I didn’t think there were any. He just ran a successful, clean business.
“Ah, Toby, whatcha got for me?” Vick demanded as he stormed into his office and plopped into his chair.
“Not much, sorry. I filled out paperwork and got a tour, that’s all.” I winced when he sat forward. I hated how he terrified me.
“Tell me about the paperwork and tour.”
“Okay…well, the salary is really high, and he’s giving me full benefits. So, I guess that’s one reason he has so much success there with his employees.” Vick nodded and waved me to go on. “He has a ton of high-end liquors, there’s a private party next week, and he had this amazing barrel of whiskey. Not bottles like lots of bars, but a barrel.” The smile I wore as I described everything faltered when I met Vick’s angry gaze.
“Yeah, fancy over there, huh? Don’t get too comfy. When it’s ashes and dust, you’ll come crawling back here to do what I fucking tell you to do.”
“Of course, Vick.”
He relaxed in his chair, watching me with a calculating expression. “Find out who the private party is.”
My Whole World Page 5