Always Be a Wolf

by Mima

  “We weren’t close after she moved,” Chase considered as he reached for his own glass of wine, hoping it would take the edge off the conversation. “She thought something was going on with me and her sister Kelsey and it pissed her off. She barely even spoke to me anymore.”

  “But why would she care?” Jolene gently coaxed. “She is gay. It’s not like she wanted you herself.”

  “Kelsey was young, she wasn’t even 18 and was already a trainwreck,” Chase smirked when he thought about it and shook his head. “Not that I was much better at that time but I did the right thing. I tried to be Kelsey’s friend and keep it that way but it didn’t seem to matter because both women weren’t happy. Kelsey was mad that I wouldn’t hook up. Maggie was mad at me….I don’t even know why. I guess she assumed I was taking advantage of Kelsey.”

  “Yes, I was surprised when you moved to Calgary and you weren’t spending time with Maggie,” Jolene said and twisted her lips. “It was as if you were a stranger to her, you know?”

  “That’s how I felt,” Chase replied and noted that Diego was listening carefully. “Even when I left Calgary, she wished me luck, said goodbye and that was it. But still, I can’t believe that she was trying to help the RCMP.”

  “She admitted it,” Diego repeated the same fact he had told Chase the previous night. “I was pretty forceful on the subject but the truth, it came out.”

  The waitress interrupted their conversation to take their orders. After she left, Diego finally spoke.

  “I’m wondering if somewhere down the line, she could come in handy,” He twisted his lips while lifting a glass of wine. “I mean, we can always feed her lies as well as the truth.”

  ‘Nah nah, we keep away from her,” Jolene shook her head. “I say, Chase, you get a new phone number. If I were you, I would keep her and that Kelsey good and far away. Both of them are trouble. We don’t need the girl who talks too much or a police girl anywhere near us. Keep them both far, far away.”

  Chase nodded and felt his phone vibrate. Glancing at it quickly, he saw another text from Sylvana. Since their original hookup at work, she had gone out of her way to avoid him until earlier that day, when she suggested that they talk. He ignored the text. As the truth came out, the more certain he was that it was best to keep a safe distance from his coworkers. It was necessary to separate work from play.

  “Is there anything else I need to know?” Chase was hesitant to continue with this topic because he felt as though all these new facts continued to accumulate.

  Diego and Jolene exchanged looks and he immediately knew the answer.

  “We talk to you about this now because when we open new place, you will take on more responsibility,” Jolene confessed sheepishly. “Rather than going place to place, having our little parties, we will now be working at a regular location and therefore, we will be moving more product. We must be ready for anything.”

  Chase remained quiet and looked away. Although there was a part of him that felt as though he were sinking in quicksand with no way out, another part of him felt his loyalty to Jolene and Diego strengthen. They were his family now. His sister and mother had no contact with him since Leland’s death and his remaining children appeared less and less interested in their Skype conversations. To them, Albert was their daddy.

  His attention shifted back to Jolene then Diego’s as they quietly watched him. Rubbing his eyes, Chase exhaled loudly and shrugged. “Just tell me what I gotta do.”

  Sensing their relief, Chase felt himself relax, knowing that they had his back.

  Hernandez had a way to slinking in and out of town without either a hello or goodbye, returning the following Monday, he sent direct orders to Diego to drop Chase off at his hotel. Assuming he was back to babysitting duty, Chase didn’t hide his disappointment when Maria wasn’t in the hotel suite but was back in Mexico.

  “Ah, I love that!” Jorge’s face lit up and he pointed toward Chase upon seeing his disappointed reaction. “I love that my daughter means this much to you. It means you will treat her as your own and that is my wish. She will always be safe with you.”

  Without skipping a beat, he pointed toward the nearby couch. “Please, sit down, Chase.”

  Following his instructions, Chase felt compelled to react to Jorge’s comments. He sought his approval in the same way he did with Diego and Jolene. In fact, he needed it.

  “You’re right, Maria will always be safe when she’s with me,” Chase remained stoic as he watched Jorge sit across from him, his dark eyes carefully watching him. “I lost a child. There’s no way I would ever let anyone go through the same thing.”

  “I know,” Jorge replied, his eyes narrowed in on Chase, as if analyzing every line on his face, he slowly continued. “I’m counting on it.”

  A chill ran through Chase’s body and he felt his heart pick up the pace, pounding like a mad bull in his chest, he suddenly felt a cruel possibility pass through his head and he quickly pushed it away. It was much too cruel to even consider. It would suggest that Jorge Hernandez was more dangerous than he originally thought. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t think about it. Instead, he glanced at the floor and took a deep breath.

  “Today, we have something to take care of,” His comment was sharp and quickly pulled Chase back into the conversation. “We must have a conversation with someone. We’re having a bit of difficulty with the former owner of our new club. Everything else is in place and the sale went through but he isn’t getting some of his shit out of the venue. I told him originally to have it completely cleaned before we took over and the place is a fucking dump. We need to go pay him a visit and reaffirm this information.”

  Chase had a feeling that he was the one who would be taking care of things. Was this a test? He felt as though Hernandez was still questioning his loyalty.

  “Ok,” Chase replied without any hesitation. “Tell me what you need.”

  “I need you to let him know that we aren’t fucking around,” Jorge tilted his head and twisted his eyes up, in doing so, he projected a less charming side but instead, a dark, penetrating look that was like that of an animal about to attack. “I need you to remind him that we are in charge here, not him.”

  “I know you can, Chase,” he continued. “I know you have it in you. Just remember that this guy is a fucking lowlife. He isn’t a classy businessman, he’s some bum that happened to take over his father’s nightclub and almost sunk it into the ground cause he was too busy snorting coke in his office to look after his business and now, it’s gone. It’s time for him to take his shit and get the fuck out.”

  Jorge wasn’t exaggerating. The former owner met them at the bar and not only was he kind of sketchy looking, dressed like a 80s rock star wannabe, he wore sunglasses inside as they walked through and Hernandez pointed out all the issues he had with his new club, including rat traps in the corners, boxes or crap piled everywhere and old equipment that was no longer functional, which appeared to be dragged into the middle of the floor for no other reason other than to aggravate. The place was filthy with garbage thrown everywhere, including half-eaten food, which was probably where the rat traps came in. Needless to say, the smell was reprehensible; the stench of piss and rotting rat carcasses filled the air.

  “This is a fucking mess. I want it cleaned, I want an exterminator in here and I want it done this week. No more fucking around,” Hernandez spoke directly, glancing at his legs. “And if this place isn’t in mint condition this time next week, you may have some mobility issues.”

  “What are you fucking threatening me again?” The rock star wannabe started to laugh, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. “You don’t get it, you fucking wetback, you already forced this club out of my hands, you didn’t even give me a fair price and now you think I’m going to clean it for you? If you want it clean, get your errand boy to fucking clean it.”

  His last comment directed at Chas
e, who didn’t even see it coming; a storm of rage gathered as he walked over and ripped off his sunglasses and threw them on the floor. Underneath, the man’s blue eyes were suddenly wide open and full of fear, the same fear he had attempted to hide when using tough talk moments earlier, the fear that only made Chase feel stronger.

  “I want to look in your fucking eyes and hear you say all that one more time,” His last words dragged out, the brave no longer spoke but shrunk under Chase’s powerful gaze. It was then that he reached forward, grabbing hold of the man’s cheap leather jacket and pulled him forward. The man smelled of coffee, cigarettes and rank breath.

  “We want this place clean, so fucking clean that you can eat off the floor and we want it done by next week or I’m going to find you, and I’m going to beat you so bad that you will wish you were dead and they’re going to find you outside in the trash, with all this other shit,” He saw the man attempt to squirm away and grasped him even harder. “You racist, redneck piece of shit. Don’t you ever disrespect either of us again. When we tell you to do something, you better fucking do it.”

  Chase suddenly pushed him to the floor as he cried out in pain, holding his arm.

  “Oh,” Jorge piped up as Chase stepped back. “And don’t get any crazy ideas cause I also know where your family lives and works.” He shoved both hands in his pockets then turned his attention toward Chase with a sinister smile on his face. “His mother in the North end, she seems like a lovely woman but you know, sometimes these nursing homes, they make mistakes.”

  Without going into more detail, Hernandez turned and started toward the door. Chase looked back at the former owner on the floor, attempting to slowly get up, his eyes full of fear.

  “Leave her out of it, I got this,” His voice was suddenly accommodating and as much as Chase hated to admit it, there was something in that moment that he enjoyed. It was the power. And it was at that moment, he knew he was in the most trouble of all because there was no greater high than he felt as he looked into the eyes of a man who was fearing for his life. Nothing else had ever made him feel this way; not love, not lust, no pleasure was as intense as how he felt that moment. He was now the wolf.

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  One week later, the new venue was immaculate. Garbage was removed and the entire place sparkled, leaving Hernandez satisfied with the results. A cleaning woman was finishing up when the two men arrived, an older, Chinese woman personally took them for a tour through the building to prove that everything was exactly how they wanted it. At one point Hernandez squatted down to the floor and rose his eyebrows, a huge grin crossed his face as he looked at Chase and pointed down.

  “I can literally see my reflection,” He slowly stood up while the cleaning lady beamed at his compliment and Chase merely nodded, showing little expression.

  “He told me to get your approval and give you the keys before I leave,” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the spare set and Jorge took them with a smile on his face then shrugged.

  “It don’t matter. We got someone coming over to change the locks shortly.” He gestured toward the exit. “But thank you.”

  After complimenting the Chinese woman again and walking her to the door, Hernandez dropped his Hollywood smile and made his way back toward Chase, raising his eyebrows. “Looks like you did good. Your threat worked well. Now we gotta get Diego’s cleaning lady in here to check it a little closer. One can never be too careful”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. He offered a piece of Chase who shook his head no, saying he didn’t chew gum.

  “You shouldn’t,” Jorge insisted as he shoved two pieces in his mouth. “I’m trying to quit smoking and so I picked up another disgusting habit. I made a promise to Maria to stop.”

  “She’s a smart lady,” Chase commented as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “You should listen to her.”

  “The only woman I would ever listen to,” Jorge commented casually as he walked toward the window and gazed out then walked back, looking around the former nightclub. “I wonder how many people met here, fell in love or…or lust, had kids, married, divorced, hated one another and came back to start it all over again.”

  “That’s kind of depressing, isn’t it?” Chase shrugged. “I dunno, I always thought people saw bars as more of an escape from their real lives. A way to forget about their problems for a while, to dance, to have fun.”

  “Maybe,” Jorge forcefully chewed his gum. “But when you think about it, is any of it real? Life, it’s a series of experiences and the only ones that mean anything are the ones that we decide should. You are right, people see it as an escape, just like Jolene and Diego’s business. It’s like a secret, naughty fantasy they want to experience and feel it’s ok because others want to do the same. It’s like they share the same secret and secrets, they are very powerful.”

  Chase considered the secret that had been silently sitting in a corner since Luke Prince’s murder. The police had all but given up on the case, deciding that there were no leads to who murdered the murder. Perhaps, they cast a blind eye as well. Cops were human too and no one wanted to see a child die. Chase felt there was compelling evidence that Jolene was the shooter and other times, he suspected it was Hernandez or someone he hired that did the deed. Maybe it didn’t matter and in the end, perhaps he would never know the truth.

  “I’m going to get Jolene and Diego over here,” Jorge commented as he continued to chomp on his gum and he point around the room. “We have to wait for the locksmith anyway and by the way, the four of us will have a set of keys; you, me, Jolene and Diego.”

  “Me?” Caught off guard by this remark, Chase turned toward Jorge, who was texting. “I’m going to have a set of keys too?”

  “Of course you are,” Jorge replied as he finished the text and looked up. “You’re as much a part of this as the rest of us and you’ve earned it. We want you to help oversee the bar, didn’t they tell you? I mean, unless you’d rather be stuck in the office with Diego all day.” He laughed. “And let’s face it, no one wants to be stuck anywhere with Diego all day.”

  “But me?” Chase felt skeptical. “Can I run a bar? I mean I don’t know.”

  “There’s nothing to know,” Jorge shrugged. “Benjamin will work with you to set up the books but generally, he will be overseeing them. Jolene and Diego will still be your bosses, telling you what is going on and basically, you make sure no one burns this place down and that you scare the staff enough that you can keep them under your thumb. At least, that would be my recommendation. Order stuff, sign papers when it arrives, its pretty basic. Jolene will be here awhile to show you what to do. Diego will drop by to scare your staff because, let’s face it, he looks pretty menacing.”

  Laughing at his own joke, Jorge glanced at his phone. “Oh, they’re on their way. Perfect.” Sliding the phone in his pocket, he continued to chomp on his gum. “Hey, you’ll be given a raise too. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of responsibility. You have to keep your eyes open and be alert. If the police ever show up, you know nothing and call our lawyer. But we will get into that more later.”

  As much as a part of him wanted to protest, fearing he wouldn’t be capable of doing the job, another part of Chase wanted it. He wanted to be the boss. He wanted Jolene, Diego, and Jorge to know they could count on him. He wanted to make them proud.

  “Wow, I’m really grateful,” Chase struggled with his words and still wasn’t sure if he picked the right ones as he watched Jorge remove the gum from his mouth, place it in a nearby garbage can and take out another two pieces. “I’m just a bit…shocked…”

  “I thought you knew we were going to get your more involved,” Jorge said as he shoved fresh gum in his mouth. “This is part of it and we’ve only just begun.”

  It was as if time sped up after that conversation, as if the hours and days flew by as they prepared for the opening of
the new venue which would simply be called JD Exclusive Club. Heavily advertised, the first few weeks were booked solid. One of the many intriguing points to potential and former customers was that it was difficult to get in; you had to have the money and sign a very detailed agreement before being considered. In fact, the exclusivity was stronger than ever before and gave the company a right to say no, if they felt someone wasn’t a good fit. They did so with the claim that they wanted their customers to feel safe and comfortable.

  Of course, in reality, their main concern was not allowing people of a suspicious nature in the door. They were especially careful now that they were bringing in more drugs; what Diego referred to as ‘mountains of cocaine’. Everything would be done with ease and carefulness. It seemed pretty solid but there was still some worries of the police getting involved but as Diego would often point out, there were always risks.

  Life moved forward. The grand opening happened and was a special invite to former customers, a way of encouraging future patronage with free food and drinks, the ability to socialize and see the new venue and everything it had to offer. It received rave reviews on their Facebook page and website, indicating that they were professional, creating a luxurious and safe environment for those who wanted to explore their sensual side in a less conventional way; although Chase would later learn that many of the more over the top reviews were actually bought, overall people appeared pretty excited about their new venue and this was proven by the increase in bookings and events. Life, as Diego would say, was beautiful.

  And as much as Chase loved the club, he missed the office. He missed seeing his coworkers regularly, the same people he was with for a year, the meetings in the boardroom and the constant ranting of Diego about everything from the coffee to his frustrations with ‘the Italian’ but endings were a normal part of life and for Chase, there had been many, but there were some that were harder than others.