Kaori couldn’t be more than eighteen, if that.
I reached into my inside pocket and removed my wallet. Taking out a bunch of bills, I gave them to her. Her eyes lit up, but she didn’t take the cash.
“No charity.”
“It’s not charity,” I said truthfully. “I’m not a charitable man, Kaori. But I am a fair one. You’ve spent time with Elliot, giving him information. Here’s your payment.”
She bit her lip, then slowly, she reached out her hand, her fingers trembling as they closed around the bills. She slipped them into her bra.
“Thank you.” She raised her eyes to mine. “Do I still have job?”
“Yes,” I replied. “But a different job.”
“Different how?”
I hadn’t worked it out yet, but this girl wasn’t built for what I called close-up client work, even if she could dance. She didn’t have the edge, the mental strength, the ability to defend herself. She was all soft and gooey on the inside. I wasn’t, but there was something in her eyes that drew me in, that made me want to protect her. Perhaps a role behind the scenes in an administrative capacity could work.
I helped her to her feet. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.” I nodded to Elliot. “I’ll wait here.”
He left with Kaori while I paced. Within thirty minutes, Elliot reappeared. He looked tired. Dark circles had emerged beneath his eyes, and his skin was paler than usual. He closed the door with a quiet click and leaned against it.
“Where’d you go?”
I shook my head. “It’s not important. A small problem, that’s all. It’s dealt with. So, what did you uncover?”
Elliot swept a hand down his face, then rubbed his chin which was dark with two-day-old stubble. We’d both been on the go for pretty much forty-eight hours straight, and exhaustion was beginning to show. Not to mention it was one-thirty in the morning. I could survive on four hours’ sleep, and even I was feeling the strain.
He pushed off the door and crossed to the mini bar tucked in the corner of the room. Removing a bottle of water, he twisted off the cap, took aim at the trash can, hitting the target with a perfectly timed throw. He drank deeply, then reached down and removed a second bottle, tossing it my way. I caught it one-handed.
Elliot flopped onto the couch at the foot of the bed. I took a seat beside him.
“That bad, huh?”
He twisted his head. “Man’s an asshole, Ryker. Seriously, the dude needs to be taken outside and have his balls crushed in a vise. The way he treats the women here.” He palmed his neck then leaned back. “If what Kaori told me contains even a sliver of the truth, I want to kill him.”
I didn’t need Elliot to expand. No point in spilling sordid details. We’d encountered this before, although given his pallor, maybe not quite to this extent. There were eight clubs under the Poles Apart brand now. This would be the ninth. Each one I’d taken over had its problems, initially, but my team soon stamped out any issues. I had a clear business plan, and every one of my managers followed it to the letter. You knew exactly what you were getting when visiting a Poles Apart club. Finding a woman who’d do the things your wife or girlfriend would balk at wasn’t one of them. Watch the women dance, fantasize all you like, but don’t touch. Not if you want to keep your hand.
I finished up the bottle of water, then nudged Elliot. “Let’s go.”
We exited the room and headed back into the main area of the club. Despite the late hour, the place was still packed, the bar crammed. I spotted Tanaka sitting on a stool drinking scotch. He tapped his fingertips on the bar. His drink was refilled, but no payment changed hands. Given the state of the books, I wasn’t surprised. The former owner had been far too hands-off, and his employees—some of them at least—were taking advantage.
I cocked my head at Elliot and made my way over. Tanaka lifted his newly filled glass of liquor to his lips. I got there before he could take a drink, removing the glass from his hand.
“A word, please, Mr. Tanaka.” I bowed as was the Japanese custom. I was nothing if not polite. “Let’s go to your office, shall we.” Not a question, a demand.
“Who the hell are you?” he slurred. “No one orders me about in my own club.”
I smirked. “I think you’ll