Dirty Assets Read online

  I wonder if I am going solo for the rest of the night when Alex waltzes over to me with an annoyed look on his face. I notice the bitch who was supposedly training me, suddenly ran off towards the lockers. I cross my arms prepared to do battle with Alex as he takes his position in front of me.

  “I guess you’re the little troublemaker, aren’t you?” he suggests as he now mimics me and cross his arms.

  “I am only trying to do the job that the nice brother hired me to do,” I tell him with probably a little too much attitude.

  Alex releases his arms and tilts his head towards me as he moves an inch closer than I would prefer. I turn my head and thankfully, notice Frank as he approaches us behind the bar.

  “Is there a problem here, Alex?” Frank asks as he manages to put himself between me and Alex.

  “There actually is a big problem, Frank. Your new girl has been here a few hours and already Angie got so upset that I had to send her home.” Alex is talking to Frank, but I notice his eyes are glued to me.

  Frank turns to look at me and then turns his attention back to Alex.

  “Angie is the worst waitress that we have. She is probably the worst waitress in the city. Why would you have her training Adele?” Frank’s voice is slightly strained and I can tell he is pissed.

  Alex final takes his eyes from me and looks back at Frank as he starts to rub the short stubble on his chin.

  “As you have pointed out, we are short staffed. I don’t have extra babysitters for her to stick with. Angie handles fewer tables so I thought it was the best option.” He advises Frank and gives him a quick smile, which even I can tell is phonier than a six-dollar bill.

  Frank closes his eyes and turns his attention back to me.

  “Your shift is going to end early tonight, Adele. Can you come to my office when you’re done at one?” Frank advises and he turns to walk away from Alex and me.

  “Her shift is done at one? We’re fucking open until three and you're letting her leave two hours early, Frank? What the hell?” Alex is practically yelling as everyone around looks up and starts staring at us. Frank never stops walking and Alex turns back to me and shakes his head in disgust as he walks away from me too.

  Alex

  I don’t know who I wanted to hit more Frank or Adele. I have never hit a woman before, but for some reason, this girl brings out something in me that I am not used to. I should have just hit Frank, but considering I have seen him shoot people for lesser things, I decided against that option. I decide to go with my third option and I head to my locker to grab a joint and proceed to the alley. I start to smoke the damn thing in my truck, but since Thomas is already smoking one, there is no need for me to do it alone.

  “Bad night, Alex?” Thomas asks as he inhales.

  “I really want to hurt someone, Thomas. I need to do something careless, but I can’t. I need to do something that makes me feel and take this annoying ass feeling away.”

  “You're standing behind your own club smoking a joint. I think you can consider that careless. Especially, if Frank comes out here looking for you.” Thomas advises as he takes another hit.

  “That’s the thing, Thomas. This is no longer my club. I used to make the damn rules and Frank was the fucking law. Now he’s in charge and making the fucking rules.” I look over at Thomas and take a hit of my own.

  “The club may technically be his, Alex, but your name is on it too. You’re the one running the bar. You’re the one bringing in the money. He really is only making the books look legit.” Thomas says as he walks towards the wall of the building.

  I shake my head as I take another hit and look at Thomas. “I oversee the bar, but he brings in that bitch and hires her. On top of that, he’s deciding what hours she works. I schedule my own fucking people and he has decided that he makes her schedule. Would you believe that despite the fact we’re open until three, he tells her that she is done at one?” I shake my head at the thought.

  “Do you think he’s fucking her?” Thomas asks and I look at him.

  “Nah... he is so far up Lola’s ass, I don’t think his dick would rise without her snapping her fingers.” I start to laugh at my own comments. I am not sure if I really thought I was that funny or if this weed is really starting to loosen me up a bit. I look over at Thomas and he chuckles too, so maybe I did say something funny. Thomas tilts his head and is about to say something when the back door to the alley is pushed open and out walks the devil himself, Frank. Thomas immediately drops what’s left of his weed and I am to the point that Frank can basically kiss my ass. He looks at me and shakes his head in disgust.

  “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do this shit while the club is open. What if I was a customer coming out and caught you?” Frank asks and I roll my eyes at him, taking another hit.

  “Customers don’t use the alley door. Why aren’t you inside rubbing Adele’s feet or something?” I bark as I toss the last of my weed.

  “I asked you to be nice to her, Alex. She is Alexis’ friend and that practically makes her our family,” Frank advises and I tilt my head looking at him. Is he fucking joking? She is not my family, I have enough family.

  I almost forget Thomas is still out here with us until he jumps into the conversation.

  “Are you fucking her, Frank?” he asks and Frank ‘s head nearly snaps off his neck when he turns it towards Thomas.

  “Are you serious? No, I am not fucking her. I am happily married with two kids if you recall,” Frank proudly states and I roll my eyes as I turn away to head back into the club.

  Frank grabs my arm to stop me and I turn back towards him.

  “I am asking you as your brother, Alex. Please don’t fuck with this girl. You already tried screwing her over by sticking her with Angie. She needs this job, Alex. Don’t mess it up for her.”

  I shake his hand off me and look at Thomas. He gives me the ‘what the fuck look’ that I am feeling and I walk back into the club.

  People are all over the place. All the tables are filled and there isn’t an empty stool at the bar. The music is pumping and there is even a crowd on the dance floor. I look at the clock and notice It’s twelve thirty, which means during the busiest time of the night I am going to be short two waitresses. Angie was so pissed off she said she couldn’t finish the night and Frank advised Adele that she could go home early tonight. I am going to have no other choice, but to help to wait on the tables. I don’t mind helping since it shows everyone that we are a team and I am a team player. I take pride in taking care of my people. I don’t ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do. If I expect them to wait on customers and give them service with a fucking smile, it’s exactly what I will do. Besides, unhappy employees will easily make unhappy customers and that is the last thing I want.

  I take another look at the clock and already it’s twelve forty-five. I suddenly hear laughing and I turn to find that Adele is talking to some guy at one of her tables, which should have been Angie’s table. She laughs again and for some reason the sound of it makes my cock twitch in my pants. I stop working and stare at the two of them getting too comfortable for my liking and I wonder if I need to go over to remind her that she is supposed to be working.

  Five minutes later, Adele finally drags her ass from that table and brings his order up to the bar. She looks over at me as she hands the bartender the order.

  “Was there a problem at that table?” I ask as I walk over to her.

  “No.”

  “It doesn’t take five minutes to take an order, Adele. There also aren’t comics printed on the menu.” I spit as I walk back over to my side of the bar as she narrows her eyes at me and I start to see hate in them.

  I know I am being a jerk to her. I didn’t need to make any sarcastic comments about her being friendly to customers. She was doing her job and she probably was doing it quite well. I just didn’t like seeing her being so friendly with the guy and I don’t understand why.

  Adele

  Alex is a rude cock
y bastard. I was waiting on his fucking customer and he gives me an attitude for it. I know he doesn’t like and doesn’t want me here, but damn can I at least work in peace? I walk away from the bar and I notice the others are watching me. I almost wonder if they can see the smoke coming from my ears I am so pissed off. I am happy that it’s time for me to call it a night. If I had to spend any more time here with Alex, I might get fired or arrested for assault.

  I head up the stairs to Frank's office and glance back towards the bar. Alex is glaring at me as I head up and I am tempted to flip him off, but being the adult that I am, I keep all my fingers in their proper place. I knock on Frank’s closed office door and he calls for me to come in. When I open the door, he is at his desk and there is another guy in the office with him. I shake my head when I look at him because he is hot. He stands up holding out his hand and I reach out to shake it. He is at least six feet and like all the other men that work at Deluca’s, he has an olive complexion, dark hair, and dark eyes. He gives me a small smile and I notice he has a dimple. He is wearing black trousers but has a black t-shirt so I notice the tattoos that cover both of his arms. I notice Frank rise from his desk and walk over to me and the mystery guy that has finally released my hand.

  “Adele, this is Nick. He is going to be taking you home. He’ll help you get your car fixed tomorrow after taking you to the bank.” Frank advises and I look over at him with a questioning look.

  “What do you mean he is taking me home? I thought he’d be dropping me off at a hotel?” I ask.

  “That was the original plan. I don’t want you to freak out, but Nick works for Lola’s family. I had to bring her into the loop...”

  “Wait… You had to bring her into the loop? You promised that what I told you would stay between you, Alexis and me!” I cut off Frank and reach for my bag to give him back his check.

  “Adele, calm down. I didn’t tell Lola everything, I told her enough to know you needed help. She didn’t ask questions, but she is letting you stay at her old place.”

  “What are you talking about?” I ask.

  “You won’t need to go to a hotel. You can stay at Lola’s old house, which is fully furnished until you are up on your feet. It’s a lot better than staying at a hotel and it’s free,” he suggests.

  I shake my head and look from Frank to this guy Nick, and I don’t know what I should do. They are all being nice and it feels like they are being too nice. He gives me money and now his wife is letting me live in her fully furnished house for free? My feelings and doubt must be displayed on my face because I hear Frank sigh and I look up at him.

  “Adele, there are no strings attached here. Did Alexis ever tell you that I used to be a cop?” he asks and I nod my head. I had no idea he was a cop, but I don’t understand how he went from being a cop to a club owner.

  “No,” I respond.

  “I guess there is a part of me that still want to help and protect the innocent.” He pulls a key from his pocket and hands it to me.

  “Here is the key to the house. Nick will drop you off tonight and will pick you up tomorrow morning.” Frank says and I do nothing else but grab my backpack and head to the door with Nick.

  As we walk through the bar, I only pray that Alex doesn’t notice us. We finally make it to the door and Nick walks around me to open it for me and I walk past him and stop once we’re outside. He places his hand on my back and leads me to his black Suburban. He doesn’t say anything as he drives me to Lola’s old place. The silence in the car is almost deafening. I feel that I need to end it and quickly.

  “So, you work for Lola’s family?” I ask and turn towards him waiting for his answer.

  “Yes.”

  “What exactly does her family do?” I ask hoping to get a longer response than the one-word answer.

  “Her father is a judge,” he calmly states.

  “You work for him?” I ask and I realize I won’t be getting an answer when he looks over at me and turns on the radio, which is quite rude.

  We finally pull into a driveway and it’s a very nice neighborhood. I guess when your father is a judge, you have family money. I open my door and walk to the door with Nick following close behind me. Once inside, I am quite impressed by what I see. The furniture is quite nice. The couch is a gray leather and there are wood tables and even a large screen tv. I don’t understand why Lola would just leave everything here? The place isn’t even dusty, so someone had to have been staying here.

  “Are you sure this place is for me? It still looks lived in.” I ask and Nick walks past me to check the house for possible issues.

  “The family sometimes comes for visits and they stay here. What time will you be ready tomorrow morning?” he asks and I realize once again our conversation is now over.

  “I can be ready by nine. The bank should be open by then.”

  “Where is your car?” He asks and I advise him it’s in the mall parking lot.

  He shakes his head and asks if I can be ready by eight. I snap my teeth together and nod my head letting him know I will be ready. Nick leaves and I lock the door and begin my inspection of the home that I will be calling mine, at least for the time being. I glance towards the dining area which is attached to the living room. There is a box sitting on the table. I walk over and notice that my name is on a card lying on top of it. I open the card and there is a note from Frank.

  Adele,

  On your application, I noticed you didn’t give a phone number either. Since you’re in between places, I figured you didn’t have a cell phone either. Please take this business phone in case we need to call you in. Please feel free to use it for emergencies. My phone number is already programmed in and I also programmed Nick’s number.

  Frank

  I open the box and as mentioned, there is a new Apple iPhone in the box. I shake my head as my eyes start to tear. I grab my backpack and look for the bedroom. As expected, it is more than I deserve. I take off my clothes and head for the bathroom and notice there is a huge bathtub. There is even bubble bath sitting on the edge and I make good use of it all before heading to bed.

  The next morning Nick is knocking at the door at exactly eight. I assumed he would be prompt, so I am glad I was ready and waiting for him. I notice that Nick is not a morning person as we head to the bank to deposit my check. When we enter the bank, Nick walks right over to one of the ladies who is sitting at a desk. She greets him and he advises that I need to open a bank account. She asks how much I will be opening the account with and I had her my check for five thousand dollars. Nick reaches into his suit jacket and passes her another check and I raise an eyebrow at him as he does.

  “She will actually be opening the account for fifteen thousand dollars,” he tells the banker and she reaches for the check and continues to type.

  “I’m sorry.” I reach for the check and hand it back to Nick. “I will only be opening the account for five thousand dollars,” I smile at her and look over at Nick, who I notice is now agitated.

  He slides the check back over to the banker advising that I will be opening the account for fifteen thousand dollars. She notices the tension and advises that she will go grab the paperwork off the printer while we decide.

  “What the hell are you doing? I am not taking any more money. I am opening the account with five thousand dollars!” I practically yell at Nick handing him back the second check.

  “This is your money. You’ll take it.” He growls as he slides the check back towards the other one.

  “What do you mean that is my money?” I ask, once again reaching for the check and Nick reaches past me and slams his hand over the check so I can’t move it.

  “I had your car pulled into a shop. It is a bunch of crap and it’s not worth fixing. I had one of my buddies buy it for scrap. This check is what he paid for it.” He tilts his head but manages to keep a straight face.

  “Are you fucking with me? You decided my car wasn’t worth fixing? You made this decision on your own. Then y
ou tell me that someone bought my worthless car for ten thousand dollars?” I ask, now pissed off.

  “Yes,” He gives this simple one-word answer as the banker comes waltzing back to her desk. She eyes both of us obviously wondering if it’s safe to sit down. She asks if we have decided what I will be opening my new account with and we both say fifteen thousand dollars in unison.

  Once my account is open, Nick drives me back to the house. The car once again is silent and I would prefer it to stay that way. I am so angry that I don’t even want to hear his voice or even look at him. We finally get back to Lola’s family’s house and I jump out of the truck. I run towards the house and open the door and notice he has followed me in.

  “What the hell do you want? You did your duty. You can leave,” I tell him as I hold the door open for him.

  “There is one other thing, Adele.” He advises as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key and I close my eyes.

  “What is that the key to? You’re not moving in with me, are you? Oh, wait. Is that a key to my new car that you took upon yourself to buy for me?” I ask and I can hear the contempt in my voice.

  “No one bought you a car, but there is a car in the garage that you can use. We leave it here for family visits since it’s easier than always taking a cab,” he says and I start to laugh. I don’t know whether I should thank God or get the hell away from these people. Nick walks over and drops the key on the coffee table and walks out.