Cervena (18 page)

“We’ll call it a down payment. Make sure it’s in my account by the close of business today.”

The line went dead before I could respond. I put the phone down and clenched my fists, wanting to punch something. I should have known he wouldn’t accept a lesser amount and now I’d still be looking over my shoulder.

“Was that them?” Sasha appeared in the doorway, wearing a pair of my boxer shorts, his hair rumpled from sleep.

“Yes.”

“I wish you wouldn’t do this. There has to be another way.”

“I’ve tried to think of one but there isn’t. Either way they’ll hurt me through you, if I don’t pay or if I call the police. I don’t know how many of them there are.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I. I’m sorry I ever trusted Karel. I should have stuck with the condos and been happy with that.”

“But you love the club.”

“Yes, but I’d give it up if I had to. It’s just a business, Sasha. The most important thing about it is the guys I have working for me. If I’d never gone into it….” I stopped myself. It was stupid thinking of what-ifs. If I’d never gone into business with Karel, I wouldn’t have found a beautiful homeless boy looking for food in the backyard either.

Sasha went to take a shower. He couldn’t face food any more than I could, but we drank one coffee after another while I checked my bank account every fifteen minutes, progressively growing more tense until eventually just after one o’clock, the money was there. I made the transfer immediately and closed the laptop with a thud.

“It’s done. I just hope they’ll give me more time.”

“What do you mean?”

“I could only send them eleven million. When he called before, I told him that, and he said he’d consider it a deposit.”

“Are we safe?” Sasha’s brows drew together and I shrugged.

“I don’t know. Maybe not until I pay the rest. I don’t want you to go anywhere on your own, okay? I want you with me every night, and we’ll travel to the club together.” I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze, forcing a smile. “I don’t mean that to sound as if I only want you here so I can keep an eye on you. I want you with me every minute, Sasha. When this is over, I’d really like it if you’d move in with me properly.”

Maybe it wasn’t the right time to talk about moving our relationship forward, but I felt I needed something positive to think about, and when Sasha’s face lit up, it was clear he did too.

“You really want me to live with you?”

“Yes, I do. I know it’s only been a month, but I’m certain of what I want. I want you in my life, permanently.”

“I want that too.” He moved closer and leaned against me. “I can hardly believe how much things have changed for me. I hoped, from the first day you gave me a job, but I didn’t really think you’d ever look at me the way you’re looking at me now.”

“Makes two of us.” I pressed a firm kiss onto his lips and held him tight. Now I just had to hope everything would be all right.

Chapter Twelve

I WOULD
have preferred not to go to the club that night but I was needed there, as was Sasha. For once we took a cab from my apartment, and I asked Sasha to pack some of his belongings to bring back to my place later. As we’d already talked about living together, there seemed no point not going ahead and doing it immediately. In addition there was no way I’d let Sasha spend another night in his studio, just in case.

The evening dragged, and it took a couple of hours before I relaxed and stopped looking over my shoulder. Nothing was going to happen in front of a club full of people. I kept telling myself that as I went to my office to do the books and see how many payments I could delay while I made the first payment on the loan. I felt sick as I looked at the account and remembered the wage roll needed to be met in a week’s time. What the fuck had I done?

Yet again, I wondered if I’d made a huge mistake. But it was too late to think that way, and all I could do was hope the man I’d paid would be lenient about the remainder of the money he wanted. Not that it was likely.

I locked the office and returned to the bar. Everything was just as it had been thirty minutes earlier—Kris, Sasha, and the other guys behind the bar mixing cocktails, but having the time to stop and chat between customers. Midweek was always calmer than the weekends. Sasha handed two cocktails to a guy and picked up a bag of chili-coated peanuts from the bar top. He poured a few into the palm of his hand and tossed them into his mouth. I heaved a sigh of relief and found a stool to sit on. He was fine.

“Hey, Joel.” Sasha leaned on the bar and stretched across toward me. “Are you okay?”

“A bit tense. I’m all right. Looking forward to getting you home tonight.”

Sasha grinned. “I have a surprise for you. Something that might take your mind off things.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

“Tease.”

“You’ll like it, I promise.” His eyes sparkled as he leaned closer.

“Are you flirting with me, young man?” I teased back.

“I thought it’d be a good way to get the boss on my side.”

“The boss is always on your side, babe.” I smiled back, but it quickly faded as I realized what I’d said. “The boss.” When would I hear from him again?

Another hour passed, and all was as it should be. I accepted a beer from Sasha, and then Kris interrupted him, lightly pushing his shoulder with one hand while he stirred a purple drink with the other.

“Hey, Sasha. We need more cherry brandy. Will you get some from the store?”

“Okay.” Sasha turned away and slipped out from behind the bar. I fiddled with my beer bottle, impatient for the night to end.

“Are you okay, Joel?” Kris shouted across the bar.

“Yeah.”

“You look stressed.”

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

He nodded and turned away. If only he knew how I felt at that moment. I checked my watch for the hundredth time and sighed. Barely midnight. The club was in full swing, with the dance floor busy and Tomáš on the podium surrounded by an eager crowd. I watched for a couple of minutes while he stroked his dick through the tiny silk shorts he wore, and several men reached up to push money into the garment. One guy took the opportunity to cup Tomáš between the legs and give him a squeeze. Rather than move away, Tomáš gyrated and thrust into the man’s hand. Frowning, I watched the scene play out, but it was nothing. A few seconds later Tomáš moved out of reach, and when his song was over, the man he’d flirted with reached up to touch his hand. Tomáš beamed down at him and climbed off the podium. The man followed him through the crowd and they headed upstairs to the private rooms. I shrugged. Just another horny customer paying extra to get a bit more than a dance in front of a crowd.

I turned back to the bar, surprised Sasha hadn’t yet returned. He’d only gone to fetch liquor. It took maybe two minutes at most to go to the storeroom, locate the appropriate box, and retrieve a couple of bottles. My heart stuttered and my breathing quickened. He’d been too long. Something had happened to him. One of “the boss’s” employees had been lurking in the club, waiting for Sasha to be alone.

Panicking, I jumped from my stool and charged into the rear of the club where the storeroom was located. The door was closed and locked. Where the hell was he?

“Sasha!” I strode along the corridor to the kitchen, then went to check the offices. “Sasha!”

“What’s wrong?” Sasha emerged from the staff toilets, his face anxious. “Did something happen?”

“Jesus Christ.” I jerked him into my arms and crushed him against me. “You came back here to get cherry brandy and you were gone too long. I thought—”

“I needed to use the toilet. I’m fine.” Sasha hugged me back.

I let him go and dragged a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry. I’m being an idiot.”

“No, you’re not. I’m nervous too. But nothing’s going to happen here, right?”

“I hope not.” I walked with him to the storeroom and waited while he selected the bottles he needed. “I just know I’ll hear from him soon. He’s not going to want to wait long for the rest of the money. I think I might have fucked up.”

“What do you mean? We talked about this. You did the best you could.”

“Maybe not. I don’t know anymore, but it’s too late to change things now.” I walked with Sasha back to the bar, cursing myself for being indecisive and probably sounding as scared as I felt. Usually I was tougher than this, but I’d never been in a situation like this before either.

I spent the rest of the night propping up the bar, relieved when it was time to lock up and go home. A line of cabs waited outside Červenà, each one quickly being commandeered by clubbers. I was used to the wait and I walked a little way up the street in the hopes of catching one before it parked in the line. Sasha followed a few steps behind me and called out that there was no rush.

“I’m impatient to get home. I want to see what the surprise is.”

“What surprise?” Sasha asked innocently.

“Whatever it is you’ve got planned.”

“Who says I have anything planned?”

I moved closer to him and brought my mouth to his ear. “If I’ve been sitting there all night looking forward to something that’s not going to happen, I’ll….”

“You’ll what?”

“Spank you!”

Sasha giggled. “Who knows? Maybe I’d like it.”

The teasing relaxed me and took my mind off things, at least a little bit. Most of my attention was now focused on what would happen when we reached my condo. I imagined Sasha continuing to tease me until I was forced to punish him the way I’d threatened. I’d never spanked anybody in my life, but the oddly kinky idea made my cock twitch as I thought about stripping Sasha’s pants and underwear to his knees and making him lie across my lap. I’d slap his asscheeks, just enough to sting a little and make him yelp. Then I’d caress the firm flesh and he’d get hard, gyrating and rubbing his dick against my leg. I grimaced, trying to ignore my semi as I walked a few yards up the street, more anxious than ever to get a cab.

Several cars turned into the street, and I waved one of them into the curb, relieved. I recognized the driver as one of my regulars, and he pulled in immediately, grinning toothily through the windshield. I turned to call to Sasha. A group of four men stood a few feet away from me, and I stepped sideways, trying to see Sasha behind them.

“Sasha!” The four guys turned to look at me, then shrugged and moved to another cab. People milled around, taking the other cars, and protesting loudly when they missed one. Sasha was nowhere to be seen.

“What the fuck? He was there thirty seconds ago,” I whispered. My stomach churned and my pulse raced. He had to be there. He couldn’t have disappeared that quickly. We’d been together, right there where I stood, and then I walked away from him for mere
seconds
and he was gone. “Sasha!” I called out again.

“You all right, mate?” The man who spoke was clearly from my neck of the woods, his accent indicating the North of England.

“My partner was right here. Slim, black hair, green eyes, black jacket and jeans, an inch shorter than me. We were talking right here on this spot, and I walked over there—” I gestured vaguely. “—to get a cab, and he’s gone. Did you see anything? Did you see him?”

“Done a runner, has he?” Another English guy grinned at me and draped his arm around the one who’d spoken to me first.

“No. We were moving in together. He was coming home with me.” I looked around desperately, expecting Sasha to appear before my eyes. As I looked down, I saw his bag by the wall, abandoned. “That’s his!” I snatched up the bag and clutched it to my chest. “He was right here. You must have seen something.”

“I’m sorry.” The first guy spoke again. “We were trying to get a cab like everybody else, and this idiot was puking in the gutter. Too many cocktails.”

“Okay. Sorry.” I backed away, utter terror filling me.
Sasha, where are you?

“I saw him.” A young man with bright bottle-blond hair spoke in Czech. “My height, black hair, yes? Spiky at the front?”

“Yes! What did you see?”

“He was with you and then you walked up there, and then there was this other guy talking to him. Tall ugly man with thick lips. They got in a car together. I thought they were just getting a cab, but it wasn’t like the usual cars. I think it could have been a Mercedes. Big black saloon with dark windows.”

“Fuck!” I spat.

“Sorry, my friend. Did you get ditched?” Blondie looked at me sympathetically.

I shook my head. “Thanks.” Numbly I moved away from him and went to the cab that still waited for me. The messenger had got Sasha. Nausea made me stumble as I climbed into the backseat of the car and the driver glanced at me in the mirror.

“Too many beers tonight?”

“No. Just had a shock, that’s all.” I began to add my address, but he interrupted, telling me he knew where I wanted to go. He’d taken me there enough times. I sat rigidly in the seat, clutching Sasha’s bag as the car took me home. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it above the car’s engine and the music from the radio. I barely noticed the cab pulling up outside my building until the driver turned to speak to me. With shaking hands, I handed over some money. I had no idea what to do. When I reached my apartment I placed Sasha’s bag carefully on the couch as if it might break, then hovered by the phone, wondering who to call.

The police was my first thought, but I couldn’t forget what I’d been told about what would happen if I did that. They’d hurt Sasha, and now they had him, it would be too much of a risk. Out of my depth, I felt sick at my inability to keep my lover safe. I should have found the money. I should have persuaded the bank to lend me more.

The phone rang and I snatched it up.

“Mr. Jones?”

“Who else would it be?” I snapped.

“Now, now. Temper isn’t a good idea.”

“Where’s Sasha?” I demanded. “What have you done to him?”

“Sasha is fine, completely unharmed.”

“I want to speak to him.”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands.” The man chuckled.

“I want to know for sure he’s all right. Please.”