18!I Need To Protect Her!

MATTHEW

I walked into one of the exotic clubs in the city with my shades on. The music was loud, the lights low, and the scent of perfume and expensive whiskey filled the air. I didn’t come here for fun. I came here for information.

The bartender gave me a flirty smile, I ignored her, but still walked towards the bar. 

“A shot of tequila, please,” I said to her, and rested on the bar table.

“Thought you were not going to make it,” I turned, and faced my friend Daniel. 

“Almost didn't,” we acted like we didn't know each other. 

“Want to tell me the reason?” He asked, and I scoffed.

“A lot of reasons. It's getting harder trying to hide this from Monica,” I said, and he faced me.

“Really, is that really your reason?” He asked, “have seen you create a lie with your eyes closed,” he said, and I laughed.

The bartender brought the tequila, and I drowned it down my throat.

I slammed the empty shot glass back on the counter, letting the heat of the tequila burn down my throat. It didn’t do much. The weight I carried tonight wasn’t something alcohol could fix.

Daniel leaned against the bar beside me, his eyes scanning the crowd like always. “So, what’s really going on?” he asked again, quieter this time.

I looked straight ahead, not meeting his eyes. “Zara,” I said simply.

He sighed, and sipped from his glass of his usual drink. Bourbon. “What about Zara?” He asked.

“She is driving me crazy, man,” I said to him. “She doesn't want my help.”

“But she needs it even if she doesn't know it,” I continued.

“Says you, the guy who abandoned her after her mother's death. And only showed up five years ago,” he said like he was scolding me.

“You know why that happened,” I said to him, with a screw you attitude on my face.

That got his attention. “So what if she doesn't want your help?” He asked. “You are going to give it anyway,” he said, and I nodded.

“Another shot please!” I yelled, and the bartender nodded at me.

“Of course I am, it's not like I have a choice. I need to protect her, and my daughter,” I said, and he held my arm in shock.

“You know for certain, she's your daughter?” He asked, and I sighed.

“Not for certain, but she has to be my daughter, right. I mean the timing is right,” I said, and he sighed.

“I really feel for you man, I really do.”

The second shot of tequila went down just as fast as the first. Still didn’t help.

Daniel gave me a look. “You’re going to drink all night and expect answers to fall in your lap?”

I gave a half-smile. “Wouldn’t be the worst idea.”

He leaned closer. “What’s the plan now, Matthew?”

I stared at my hands, then towards the end of the club. “You see that guy over there,” I directed with my face, and Daniel nodded.

“That's Kenji Alvarez, he is one of Howard Dewitt's old associates. Shady, not so clever, but he can be dangerous when he feels cornered.”

“I thought we were going after Dewitt yet?” He asked.

“We are not showing our hands yet, but we have to gather weapons, besides he paid a visit to Zara today. Said something.”

Daniel let out a low whistle. “Ballsy. That man doesn’t know when to stop.”

“He’s playing a game,” I muttered. “And I don’t like being a piece on his board.”

Daniel looked at me. “I know you care about her, but if you both are going to survive this, you have to be in this together,” he said, and I nodded.

“I know, and I will speak to her. But first we need to have a talk with Kenji,” I began to move towards the end of the club.

“Shouldn't we call Evans?” He asked, and I looked at him shocked.

“No, we are not pulling him out. He has to be on protection details at all times,” I said to him.

“Okay, but just so you know I'm putting my ass on the line, especially with Maria,” he said, and I nodded.

Maria is his girlfriend, and one of Zara's best friends. Zara needed a driver, and security in one person so Daniel introduced Evan, a friend of ours to Maria who now works for Zara.

It is part of my ways of keeping tabs on her without her knowing.

“I understand, and I appreciate it,” I said to him. “But if it comes down to it, knowing how badass Maria is as a divorce attorney, I will pay your alimony fees,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Daniel chuckled. “You better. Maria told me if I get even a scratch tonight, she’s changing the locks.”

I smirked as we moved through the crowd. The music pounded harder the closer we got to the VIP section. Kenji sat in a dark booth, two women at his side, a half-empty bottle of vodka in front of him.

“Play it cool,” I told Daniel. “Let me do the talking.”

Kenji spotted us before we reached him. He leaned back, that usual cocky grin on his face.

“Well, well. Look who’s here,” he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. “Didn't expect to see you here again, billionaire Matthews.”

“It’s Matthew,” I corrected him, stepping closer to his table. “Mind if we join you?”

He shrugged. “It’s a free country.”

The women beside him shifted uncomfortably. They could feel the tension. One of them grabbed her purse and walked off. The other followed a few seconds later.

Daniel sat beside me, arms folded. Kenji poured himself another drink.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“I want to know what Dewitt has been up to these last few days,” I said, and he scoffed.

“That's a bad idea man,” he said, standing up. But Daniel stood up, faced him, and he landed back on the chair immediately.

I chuckled, Daniel has that effect on people. 

Kenji looked at me for a long moment, “it's a bad idea to rat Dewitt out, man,” he said with his hands changing.

“Tell us what you know,” Daniel said. He thought about it for a while and spoke.

“Okay, there is something I can share,” he said.

“It better be worth it, Kenji,” I whispered to him.

“He is backing one of the candidates for the current election,” he said, and I scoffed.

“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked. “People support campaigns all the time.”

“But this candidate Dewitt is bankrolling has access to a lot of land,” he said. “You know about the rumors that one of the cemeteries is being turned into an industrial estate,” he said, and my heart dropped.

“No,” I whispered. Daniel looked at me.

“What does it mean, Matthew?” He asked.

“He isn't just trying to force Zara out. He wants to destabilize her first.”

“Which Candidate?” I asked, Kenji.