Lydecker took his men away, and it was just Onyx, Victor and I in the club. It was a good thing those two were here. They were by far my most loyal people, and there was only one thing about me that I didn't trust them with. When I was asked about my childhood, I just told them that I was twelve when I was born, and they took the hint. My life happened after then. Before that, it was better left forgotten. They understood wanting to forget their early years.
Victor had helped me take this place from Frankie. We'd conspired together, and carried out the plan with precision. He was surprised at my knowledge of tactics and strategy, but I was a street kid, and they all had some. I was just better than the rest. I had helped Vic get out of a bad spot, and we'd become close friends in the meantime. There were times I had to get away for a few days, and he watched over everything for me. If I ever lost him, it'd be like having my left hand removed.
I helped Onyx get away from an abusive pimp about six months after I took over The Treasure Chest. I knew her, and she was really a wonderful person. She was fun and smart as well as beautiful. I knew she should be dancing rather than fucking on the streets. I saw her pimp beating her one night and just saw red. Actually, he was going to stab her, and so I beat the shit out of him and his two men. I held him down while Onyx bitch-slapped the motherfucker until he was real bloody. Then I made a small cut on his genitals and told him I would finish the job the next time I saw him. I haven't seen him since.
Both of them knew who was the one person they could depend on. They knew I had never lied to them, never let them down. In this world, that was a hard thing to find. In return, I had their undying loyalty. Onyx was the head of my girls, and she kept them in line when they got bitchy. Victor watched over the bar and the bouncers and was my announcer. With them I had a formidable team that wouldn't take shit from anyone. We set the rules, and people loved the results.
"How did it go?" I asked Onyx the minute the three of us were alone.
She gave me her best "oh, please" look. "Them boys obviously don't see many women," she said, a little disgusted. "I am now covered in the drool of three of them."
"You sure it's only drool?" I teased. The timing was bad, but I couldn't help it.
She grinned. I could see why they would be lusting after her. She was six feet tall without heels; an ebony goddess come to life. When she danced, she had her hair crimped and wore this hot little jungle costume, making her look like a wild creature of the African jungle. I'd seen her bring strong men to their knees more than once.
"One of them might be coming in tonight," she said. Might be? Damn. Lydecker trained the norms better than I remembered. "Two others most definitely will be," she continued with a grin. That's my girl.
"What did they say?"
Now she looked concerned. "Miss Topaz, is Ben a serial killer?" Damn.
"It's nothing any of us need to worry about," I replied. Victor looked at me hard, his eyes narrowing.
"Topaz, you knew about that?" he asked me, furious. "My God, you let someone like that in here?"
"Do not get an attitude," I snapped. I softened a little. "Vic…I know Ben is not like what they're saying. I've known him for a long time. He wouldn't hurt anyone here; you just have to trust me on that."
They both looked doubtful. Damn it, this was not what I needed. "Ben's not a serial killer," I said firmly. "They want us to think that so we'll be scared of him. He's a solider that went AWOL. He was part of a Special Forces unit, and that's why they want him back so much." Now they looked a little more relieved. Well, it was the truth. "He's killed before, but it was a military thing. Nothing to do with any of us."
Most of the people thought I was close to thirty but I looked real young for my age. If I had told anyone that I was really twenty and not thirty they would have laughed. There was no way I could have gotten to where I was in just a few years. So, it stood to reason they thought Ben was more my supposed age, and then my story was more plausible then. I wasn't lying at all to Vic or Onyx. I just left out the fact that Ben went AWOL when he was nine.
"They said he was a nutcase," Onyx commented. "But you know how men are. They wouldn't know how to tell the truth with a book of directions and a woman reading it to them."
"Hey!" Vic protested, mock offended.
"Vic, honey," I answered for her. "Even though you got male equipment, you still one of the sisters."
We all laughed. It was a little inside joke between the three of us. Honestly, he was the only male I'd ever trusted in my life. Maybe it was because he was really one of the sisters. I didn't really care about the whys anymore. I just knew it was real.
But it was time to get the club ready for tonight.