I’m about to head over to the bar where she’s currently working with Carter when I notice the room that Reese always occupies has the curtain closed.
Fucking Reese.
One of these days that guy is going to have to grow up and stop trying to ruin his life.
Switching directions, I head in the direction of the VIP section instead of the bar.
Some might ask why I indulge him.
A deep-seated sense of guilt has me wanting to protect him. I know you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped, but at least, if he’s under my roof, I know he’s relatively safe.
I can’t stop him from doing drugs, but if he’s here, I can try to push away the devil on his shoulder.
Which is what I’m about to do now. I have a strict no-drug rule here, and Reese and his friends are the only ones who push it.
Most of the patrons of my club respect the rules because they know the alternative is being blacklisted. Nobody wants to lose access to the hottest club in town, even if the rules are strict.
Reese has always been a thorn in my side, especially on the club rules. If it’s not drugs, it’s harassing my waitresses.
I should kick him out, but instead, I’ll open the drapes and monitor him.
I’d remove the drapes, but one of the key elements of this club is the ability for the rich and famous to have fun and drink without having to worry about pictures being leaked to TMZ. No matter how exclusive we are, a beautiful reporter posing as just someone trying to gain access, could easily slip by the bouncers. So the curtains stay to protect our customers, even if removing them would be easier than having to babysit this little shit. Sins of the past causing problems in the present.
When I approach and fling back the curtain, I’m not met with Reese.
Instead, leaning over the table with a rolled-up dollar in hand, is a stunning redhead. Reese moved on fast from the one he had with him the night before. Fucking typical.
These girls never learn. They think they’re important to him, but no one is important to Reese.
Not true.
One person was important to him.
But she’s long gone.
Buried in the past.
A past I can’t seem to forget.
A past that haunts me even now.
“Get up,” I bite out, stepping beside her.
She has to crane her neck up to see me. She looks high as a kite. No way am I letting this girl OD at my club. “Where the hell is Reese?”
When she just stares at me like I have five heads, I lean down and get right in her face.
“Did you not hear me?”
“I don’t take orders from you,” she slurs, barely intelligible.
“Seeing as it’s my club, sweetheart, you actually do.”
Bored with this whole interaction and this girl’s inability to understand what the hell is going on, I reach my hand over and swipe the coke from the cocktail table. Sending it down to the ground and immediately cursing myself for creating a mess for someone else to have to clean up.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I hear from behind me. I stand tall and turn to see Reese approach.
He looks at me, eyes glassy but narrowed, and then looks toward the little white specks barely visible on the floor.
“What the fuck, dude? You just spilled over a grand of coke on the floor.”
“Probably shouldn’t have brought it into my club then. You know the damn rules, Reese.”
He steps closer, trying and failing to be menacing.
“What’s your problem?”
“My problem is you. You could be so much more than this.”
“Like you’re one to talk. You aren’t so perfect.”
Before I can stop myself, I’m grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Our faces are inches apart.
“Careful there, Drew. You’re not the only one who could afford a place like this, and karma is a bitch. Someone might take everything you have one day. Especially if they tell someone you roughed them up.”
“You’re threatening me now?” I say through gritted teeth, tightening my grip on his shirt.
“Just saying.” He shrugs.
“It doesn’t need to be like this.” My voice is rougher than normal. It’s taking everything inside me not to beat his ass for being so stupid.
“It does. You made sure of it.”
His words hit their intended mark, right in my heart. After everything, he should know better. He should be better.
I’m about to say more when a movement to my left has my gaze drifting.
There, standing like a ghost in the shadows, watching everything transpire, is Bailey. Her eyes are wide, and her chest heaves with her deep inhales as she looks down at the coke and then back at the girl rubbing at her nose, strung out and clearly high out of her mind.
I let my hands drop, and Reese stumbles back, eyes landing on Bailey. The way he looks at her is unnerving, and she physically shrinks under the weight of it. Fucking Christ. The pull to strike him across the face and pull his attention off her is so intense I have to physically refrain from carrying it out.
“Get out of here, Reese,” I bite through clenched teeth. “And don’t come back if you’re going to bring that shit into my club.”
His head shakes as if clearing the fog that settled over him. Without saying another word, he grabs the girl he’s with, and they both stumble out past the curtain and into the main part of the club. He looks back once more, and I level him with a glare that I hope conveys my thoughts. Get your ass moving. I know he’ll be back. With my luck, probably tomorrow, but I can’t think about that now. I just need him to leave tonight.
“Will you be okay?” I ask Bailey, and she bobs her head in answer. “I’ll be back in a minute. I just have to make sure they leave.”
She doesn’t answer. Just stares at me blankly.
Her eyes are still large. Still hollow.
Then she gives me a little nod. I don’t want to leave her alone. She looks a little shaken by the exchange, but I have to make sure they not only leave but have transportation. Neither of them was in their right mind, and I won’t have that on my conscience.
“I’ll be right back,” I say once more, trying to assure she’s okay before I head out. “Bailey, speak,” I command, needing her to verbalize she’s okay.
“Okay,” she says softly. “I-I’m fine. Go.”
It’s my turn to nod before I spin on my heels and head out, following Reese. They stop periodically to talk to people they know. They’re currently standing at a table with a reality TV star, deep in conversation. It appears all of them are inebriated enough they don’t notice Reese’s state. While they’re preoccupied, I go to the front, motioning for my bouncer, Rob.
“I need you to get a car here right away. Reese and his guest are not to leave here under any circumstances unless they get into the car you called. Got it? If they’re not out here in five minutes, send someone to escort them out.”
“Yes, sir,” the giant of a man says, picking up a two-way radio and getting started on his task.
“Good man,” I say, clasping him on the shoulder and making my way back to the VIP room. I don’t pay any attention to Reese, knowing Rob will handle him.
I’m almost calm when I get back to the room, but what I find when I pull back the curtain has my fists clenching.