Queen of Clubs Redone Pt. 01

Hey all, I know I haven't posted in awhile and I apologize for that. I've been doing a lot of outlining and world building, especially with Aratheon and working on a huge Drug Cartel War featuring this story, Queen of Clubs along with several I haven't posted yet, including one that I'm posting along with this one, Queen of Spades. I'll be working with three other writers, Wolf Hunt, Scarlet Rose, and Lion Heart who will be working on different stories that tie into Queen of Clubs along with Aratheon stories as well. Now with this story, I decided to give a little more background and rework the story as I create it into a huge series. Here's the first part of Queen of Clubs.

Chapter 1: Jonathan Hall

The tall, blonde-haired man, Rhys Parker, strolls down the sidewalk in Bangkok, shopping for girls like he's looking at clothes. The piece of shit is wearing typical cargo shorts and a buttoned-up blue polo-like every other tourist. I stay far enough back as I watch him talk to these working girls as if he's haggling for cattle.

"Hey, daddy, how about a night with me? I can give you what you want. I top and bottom," a little Asian ladyboy says as she walks to me, eyeing me up and down, liking what she sees.

"Not interested." the words fall out of my mouth like stones. I don't give her another second of my attention. Fucking tranny.

My phone goes off and I quickly answer it after I see Sarah's name. "Now's not a good time, Sarah."

"I found something big, Adam. A trail that will definitely lead me to the people responsible for manufacturing the drug that our sister overdosed on. I just wanted to let you know," she says.

"What lead? Where are you?" I ask.

"I'm in Cancun, I told you that. I'm about to meet one of the higher-ups. They think I'm interested in buying a huge supply. Hopefully, this will bring me right to their doorstep," she says.

"Be careful. It could be a trap. Call me as soon as you finish with this meeting," I say.

"Gotta go. Miss you. Talk to you later." She hangs up before I can get another word in.

My gaze falls back to the piece of shit sex trafficker who has a particular taste for these ladyboys. He finally finds one who'll meet his specific tastes and bring her back to his hotel. I know exactly what room he's in and manage to snag a universal card off a cleaning lady as I follow them to his room.

I arrive at his room and quietly slide the card through the reader. Of course, he didn't latch his door. Fucking dumbass. I step inside so softly even a pin drop would've been louder, to find him sucking the tranny's cock. She sees me as I have my gun pointed at them. I quickly put my finger to my lips. Her eyes go wide and she quickly covers her mouth to stop from screaming.

I push the tip of my silencer of my gun to the guy's head. "Hey piece of shit, remember me? Fucking sex trafficker."

He freezes what he's doing and I pull him back. I look up at the tranny and nod to the door. She doesn't hesitate in getting her things and rushing out.

"Don't kill me. I'll tell you whatever you want,' he pleads. I only laugh as I grab his phone from his pocket. "Unlock it."

He reluctantly does as I demand. I take the phone from him and scroll down his messages and contacts to find what I need. I pull the trigger and his lifeless body drops to the floor. I clean the blood off me and walk out casually, taking the nearest elevator to the back entrance. Before anyone is notified of the body, I'm long gone. 

Chapter 2: Jonathan Hall

It's been weeks since Sarah last contacted me. I have to assume the worst and the worst is that she's dead. Just the thought shatters my heart and makes my blood boil. I still can hope she's still alive and that she's only been taken. But with the lack of communication, I can only assume the worst.

I finish up my business in Bangkok and head home for a hard discussion with my family. Upon arriving at our little farm out in the middle of Michigan, it's hard to believe the old, disheveled barn is still standing. It's no longer the same color of red as the paint peels and cracks. A lot of the wood appears rotten. The thing needs to be torn down, even so, there are a lot of memories inside that barn. My siblings and I have got into a lot of trouble in there. Some memories make me laugh, while others make my shattered heart splinter even further. I'd give anything to have those days back, even with the bad memories. At least Ashley would still be alive and Sarah wouldn't be in this mess. Things were a lot simpler back then.

I park my car on the lumpy gravel and walk in. As I asked, my entire family is here, or at least what's left of it. Our dad's long dead and our younger sister Ashley followed him into the grave not long after. And now, Sarah's missing, if not dead, as well. I don't know if my mother can take any more grief. But she and the rest deserve to know.

"Adam's here," my older brother Joel says. He now stands half a foot shorter than me. I remember a time when that was reversed. He shares my brown hair and hazel eyes but has gotten quite the beer belly. He doesn't miss a beat and pulls me into a hug with a big smile. He's always smiling. "How's it going, little bro?"

"I wish it was better," I say as I look him in the eye. His stare tightens wearily. The news blares in the background.

"Can you believe this crap about biological men pla... Adam! It's good to see you," my older sister Christina says as she walks in, pulls me out of Joel's gaze, and into her arms. She's gotten a lot curvier since our childhood. Not chubby, but... Womanly? She's the only one out of us who has my father's blue eyes and his blonde hair. We always joked about how she was his favorite. "I've missed you so much. You need to call more often. I never hear from you!"

Brock and Eddy stand up from the sofa behind her. They, too, share our mother's hazel eyes and brown hair. But Brock's a head taller than all of us, whereas Eddie's the shortest one here. Brock gives me a big bear hug before Eddy punches my shoulder with his ever-present grin. "Missed ya big bro."

"Yeah," Brock says. "We need to have our famous family football games like the good ole days."

"I would love that," I say with a half-hearted smile.

My mother comes charging in, flinging Eddy and Brock aside as she pulls me down to her height for a hug. "Oh, how is my dear Adam doing? How's work? Did everything go well in Bangkok? You didn't eat any of their food, did you? I heard Sally's boy went over there and was sick for days."

"You had some fun, at least, right?" Eddy says, making his eyebrows dance as he elbows me. "They definitely don't call it Bangkok for nothing."

"Eww, gross!" Christina says, swatting the back of Eddy's head.

"Now, now. Come on everyone, there's no need for that. Once Sarah gets here, the whole gang will be here and then we can eat," she says as her words sink into my stomach like a rotten egg.

"So, Adam, why did you call us all here? You said it was important," Christina asks.

I let out a long sigh. "Sarah's not coming."

They all stare at me blankly before our mother speaks up. "Did she get buried at work? She always gets caught up in it. A workaholic, that girl is. She never takes a break. She needs a good holiday at home. I'm disappointed she didn't take some time off to come back."

I take in a deep breath. I have no idea how to say it. I should just spit it out. "I don't know how to tell you all, so I'm just going to say it. Sarah's missing."

They just stare at me in disbelief. A blank stare. "She... She contacted me two weeks ago about a lead into the drug manufacturers that created the same drug Ashley overdosed on. She said she was going to investigate it and get back to me right away. However, I haven't heard from her since. I've tried to contact her directly and indirectly and I haven't heard anything."

A silence sinks into the air as the expressions of my family change from confusion, to stunned and finally worry and desperation. I can tell my mother's fighting back a world of emotions. Panic most of all as her lower lip trembles along with her hands. "Wha... What are you saying?

"She can't... She can't be dead," Christina says as her hands slowly make their way up to her mouth. Her eyes threatened to well up.

"I don't know, but I plan on finding out. I've already booked a flight down there and I have to leave for the airport soon.

"You're not going to stay?" my mother asks.

"No. I have to act fast if we have any hope of finding her. The more time that goes by, the less likely we'll find her at all, let alone..." I stop what I'm about to say as I see horror creep over their faces.

The damn breaks in my mother's eyes. "I can't lose another person I love. Not again. I can't bear it. First your father and then Ashley. I can't lose Sarah too."

"I'll do everything I can to find her. I promise."

My mother cups her hand against my face. "Just be safe, I don't want to lose you too."

Chapter 3: Raquel Zorita

"How are we looking, Juan?" I ask the short pudgy man in a white chef's shirt with one of those fancy white chef's hats. As he takes a moment from "instructing" one of his cooks on how to properly dice onion. The kitchen is a chaotic business as Juan's cooks and assistants scramble to prepare for the dinner rush.

It's hard to act as if it's business as usual when the love of my life has been missing for the past two and a half weeks. I have men scouring the city for her, trying to find any trace of her disappearance. Even though I must act as if nothing has happened, inside I am crumbling with grief and pain. I want to tear this god forsaken city to pieces to find her. I know what she was after and even though she initially lied to me about who she was and what she was here for, I can understand why she did it. The need for revenge is something we had in common. For her, she sought to take down the organization who created this... despicable drug that her sister overdosed on and for me... Revenge is impossible. The people who murdered my famliy and my partner's families are long dead. I watched them die by some hitman in a mask, his motives unknown. I should be grateful. He saved our lives and killed the serpents responsible for our parents death. A rival cartel who rose to steal our parents' business. Kidnapped us to lure our parents out and murdered them in cold blood. I watched them as they were lined up and gunned down. They were going to sell us into slavery before the assassin arrived and slaughtered them. I should be grateful. I should want to thank him for saving our lives. For killing the men responsible for our parents death, but all I feel is cheated out of my revenge.

"Oh we looking real good, boss. Tonight is going to be spectacular. I'll show these people what true Mexican food tastes like. Their little minds will be blown once their tongues get a load of my secret blend of herbs and spices. Just make sure you have enough booze to cool their taste buds because they're about to get set on fire."

I force out a laugh that would've been genuine if I didn't feel so hollow inside. "Just don't overdo it. I don't want any customers to get sick because the dishes were too hot."

"Can food ever be too spicy? This is Mexico! Not some shabby, second-rate American knock off! If you can't handle the heat, don't order authentic Mexican food!" I shouldn't have let Sarah out of my sight. I knew what she was after. I knew she wouldn't stop until she got her own revenge. I wouldn't have either. If only she had let me help. We could've taken them down together. Now, I have no idea if she's even alive. But one thing is certain, I will either rescue her or get revenge on the people who killed her. I shake off the burning thoughts in my mind.

I look up at Juan, a long time friend. I love this man, but not all of these tourists have tongues that can handle molten lava. "Besides, spicy food equals more alcohol sales, that's what you want, right?"

"You're right about that. I trust you. You're the best chef I know," I say with a smile. Besides, booze is far more profitable than food.

"And don't you forget it," he says

"Good, and how is the family doing?" I ask.

"Oh as good as it gets. Macos has joined the football team and surprisingly, he's quite good at it. Not that I doubted, but the boy never showed any interest before. Now he loves it. Now Hector wants to play. I just wish I could get Julian off his ass. All that boy does is play video games. Thankfully Elsa is more active. But I swear, these activities are expensive. I never would've guessed dance lessons would cost me so much. But it's better that she's out and active than sitting around playing video games. I swear, I'm going to make that boy get a job. You're never too young to work."

"Kids these days. I swear these younger generations don't know how good they have it," I say with a laugh.

"That is absolutely true!"

"And how is your wife's daycare going?"

"Ehh. it's going, but not going very well. Even with all of the clients, she's barely able to break even in. Something always comes up that costs money! Those snot-nosed kids keep breaking things," he says, raising a fist in the air.

"Well, if you need any assistance with expenses, let me know." But I definitely need to make sure that daycare stays in business. A lot of the employees use it.

"Thank you boss, I'll do just that," Juan says as he eyes go wide when he sees one of his cooks fiddling with the stove a sauce pan sits on. "Felipe! What are you doing? Don't touch the heat! You have to keep it simmering. The spices need to melt into it."

"Sorry, Juan. I just thought it'd go faster if I turned the heat up."

"You thought? Don't do that. Leave the thinking to me. You just do as I tell you to!" I feel like all head chef's are this temperamental. I walk out of the kitchen sniggering. Some things never change.

"Raquel! There you are," a slightly taller black woman named Erica Cox says as she walks up to me. Her hair's cut short like always, but a little longer to one side. "I swear I will kill James. He called in sick again! If I find out that he ditched to go to another one of those concerts, I'll strangle him. Thankfully, Edmundo picked up the shift. That boy needs a raise. He's a good worker."

"Duly noted. His review is coming up, I'll make sure he hears what you think of him. And I'll talk to James about this as well. How are we looking at stock for tonight? Did the shipment of tequila get here yet? And how do our reservations look? Is the DJ all set up for the club?"

"Yes. Yes, it just arrived. We're fully booked and the DJ is setting up now," she says.

"Good. How is your daughter liking her new school? Is she making friends?" I ask.

"Ehhh. It'll take some time to adjust, but she'll get along just fine. She's a fighter," Erika says.

"That's good to hear. If you need anything and I mean anything, let me know," I say with a smile as I put my hand on her shoulder.

Her own smile is sincere. "Thank you, I appreciate that. And it looks like Alex has finished checking in the Tequila."

I nod and she takes off to the backroom.

"Why can't we just see your parents next week? Why do we have to see them now? Can't we just have one week to ourselves?" I overhear Lola say. The raven haired woman has her shoulders slumped as she pleads with her girlfriend Ana. Looking at them brings the pain of Sarah's disappearance back in full force. Their bickering mirrors the fight Sarah and I had before she disappeared. I tried to stop her from doing this alone, but she didn't want me to get involved for whatever reason. She thought she was saving me as if I couldn't defend myself even though she knew a lot of the things I've done. My hands are far from clean. The woman was too stubborn. That's something we also have in common. I swear, when I find her, I'll lock her in my room if I have to in order to keep her safe. She always enjoyed being tied up. My little submissive pet. God, my heart hurts with the memories of our nights together.

"You're the one who said we should take things to the next level." the dark bronzed skin with equally black hair Ana says.

"Yeah, but I didn't mean to come out to your parents. I meant we should just move in together. That's all," Lola says with an exasperated sigh. "Besides, your parents already don't like me."

"Is everything okay?: I ask as I step in.

Ana glares at Lola. "Yes, everything is just fine."

Then she marches off. I look at Lola who rolls her eyes. She looks at me with exhaustion. "All I did was suggest it would be nice to move in together and all of a sudden she wants me to announce to the world we're dating. I'm not even out to my own parents and she wants me to come out to hers. I don't know what to do."

"I know it's none of my business, but don't you think she deserves someone who's going to love her out in the open and not try to hide in discretion? Look at it from her perspective. How would you feel if your significant other doesn't want to let anyone know about the person she's dating. Would that make you feel a little self-conscious?"

"I know you're right. I just... I'm afraid of losing my parents. She doesn't understand. Her parents already know and accept her. My family is old fashioned. They don't share the same views as her family. But you're right. I need to tell them at some point. Might as well come out with the person I love."

She walks off with her shoulders still slumped. I hope that doesn't backfire in my face. But still, I can't have those two going at each other's throats. It's bad enough with all the drama we already have. But still, I can understand both Ana and Lola's dilemma all too well. Sarah also had a hard time with her sexuality. I never met her family, but I guess they were all very... Old fashion and she believed it would be hard for them to accept her sexuality. My parents accepted who I was, but that didn't mean it was easy to talk to them about it. To come out to them about who I was. Sure it helped that Nina and Kamilla were both out and open about being trans and Rosa was questioning her own gender at the time. If it weren't for them, I'd never have the courage to embrace who I am.

I walk over to the waiting staff and make sure all is well for tonight as Edmundo walks in and punches in. Sofia, Nicole, Alicia, and the rest are ready for the rush. I walk up to Edmundo as he puts on his vest. "Edmundo, thank you so much for taking the shift at the last minute."

"Of course. I'll be honest, I desperately need the money."

"Well, if you need any help, let me know. I know the economy is tough right now," I say.

He nods. "Thanks, boss. Well I should get to work."

"Raquel, Lola and Ana are back at it again," Aliya, my secretary says. She's a short, blonde haired girl. A total gossip.

"I heard. How does my schedule look?"

"Besides your meeting with your partners in a few minutes, it's clear," she says as she double checks her phone.

"Good, don't let me forget to give Edmundo a raise. His review is coming up."

"Will do," she says.

"I better get going. I don't want to be late. It shouldn't take long. I'll be back before the rush," I say. She only nods as she furiously taps away on her phone. I head out with my bodyguards as Vicente holds the door open for me.

Chapter 4: Raquel Zorita

Walking into the Warehouse, Salvador Casaus and his little brother Gustavo are already there along with my adopted sister Nina and our friend Viviana de la Cruz. To no one's surprise, the only one missing is our adopted sister Kamilla. Of course, our other adopted sister, Rosa, is never included for she is far too young and innocent for such business, same with Sal and Tavo's younger sister, Vanessa..

When Kamilla finally shows up, we get the meeting started.