Queen of Clubs Redone Pt. 01

"So why me?" she asks as she drapes a long, smooth, golden leg over the other.

"That's a good question. It's honestly rather simple. I like it here. I'm sure you have plenty of work for me, but I wouldn't mind having a day or two on the beach, relaxing. Even though I don't drink, I wouldn't mind being able to enjoy a little sun. And I'm good at what I do, I don't think I can do anything else. I don't want to do it for someone I don't know what they want or are after. I want to work for people who are going to be upfront with me. I already know enough about your operations to know what you're after. I know you're trying to go legit. That's why your organization is branching out to the legal marijuana business as well as resorts and the shipping industry. That's why you have this club, isn't it? Unlike the DEA, I think it'd be futile to go after you and I think there's a lot of legit money to be made working with you. Especially if you're moving into more legal territory. I can tolerate the coke business, but I believe I won't have to for long. Am I right?"

"You're quite observant. But that does make me worry what else you and the US government know about us and why are the DEA after us if they know we're moving out of the coke business? And what exactly do they have on us?"

"The DEA are after you because there is money and respect in it. You're still the top dog in the coke industry and bringing you down would give them a huge bonus and more influence and respect. I also believe you made enemies that have their hands in the DEA's pocket. I don't know who they are, but I know there's a lot of corruption in the DEA. But, I can help you with them and help you avoid their traps. I know how they think and how they operate. Besides, there's a real fucking scumbag in the DEA making all the decisions. Wouldn't mind seeing him brought down a peg or two."

"So it's personal?" she asks.

"Not exactly. I just don't like him. I have no respect for people who abuse their power for personal perversions. Clay Holden is a man who'll do anything for more power and he has a particular taste for wielding his power over helpless and defenseless women. I can't accept that. For whatever reason, the powers that be not only keep him in his position, but give him more power. That just tells you, he's not the only one who abuses power and he's probably not the worst. I'd rather work for people who I know are lions than people who hide the fact that they are snakes. At least with you I know who you are and what you stand for. With them, I'm just as likely to get bit in the back than I am to get shot in my face. For some reason, I think I can trust you more than I can trust them."

"That does make sense. Fine, I'll bite, you're hired, but only because I feel like you've been honest with me, if I find out you're lying to me about anything... I think it's safe to say I don't need to tell you what will happen," she says.

"That's understandable. Now what do you want me to do for you? I like to know what my priorities are," I say.

"I want you to be my personal security advisor. And I want to know everything I can about the DEA and your government. Look, I take care of people who are loyal to me and I'm loyal to them. But I also act without mercy to those who betray me. I don't forgive and I don't forget. I'm trusting you because I believe you've been honest with me. Don't betray the trust I've given to you. Obviously, because of your line of work, I don't trust you completely..."

"And nor should you."

She smirks. "But I think you can earn my complete trust eventually. I have a good intuition about people. I know you haven't told me everything, but I feel like you mean what you do say. You seem like a man who has your own moral and ethical code. And you're transparent about things. You say what you mean and I like that. However, in the future, don't try to manipulate me. Just be upfront."

I nod. "Understood."

"Good, you can start tomorrow. Be here at eight in the morning and not a second later," she says and I know she's dismissing me.

I get up and head to the door before I turn to her. "I look forward to working with you."

Chapter 6: Raquel Zorita

After I had a talk with James about missing work and being late, I ran a background check on this... Jonathan Hall, I found exactly what he told me which is no surprise. I have a high suspicion he's not who he says he is. Maybe that's just because of Sarah. When I found out that was her real name and she'd been lying to me about who she was and what she was doing down here, I nearly lost it. I couldn't bring myself to kill her, but it was hard to trust her after that even though I understood why she did it. Revenge makes people do anything to obtain it. If I had lost my sister like that, I would've done the same. I eventually forgave her and we moved on together. She gained my trust back. She never lost my love though.

Love is... it makes you do things you never thought you would. And in its absence leaves a pain unbearable. Ironically, the only thing holding me together is revenge. I have no doubt her disappearance is caused by the reason she was here in the first place. The drug that her sister overdosed on. If I find out who created it, I'll learn the truth of what happened to her and if she's still alive, I'll rescue her. If she isn't... It's a hard thought to consider, but if she is dead, I'll kill every one of those fucking bastards. I won't just kill them, I'll make them beg me to kill them because their lives will be so painful... So miserable, they'll prefer death.

One thing though, as handsome as this Jonathan is and charming for that matter, he complicates things. Another person I have to be wary about. But his knowledge and expertise could prove invaluable. Might finally give us an edge we need over the US government. He also has proven that Sal and Viv are right. We have moles. Which doesn't surprise me at all. I had already suspected as much. Now I feel like I can't trust anyone. Especially this Jonathan. He might be the enemy of my enemy, that I am certain of, but that doesn't mean he is my friend. For whatever reason, he has a disdain for the DEA and the US government for whatever reason. But I wouldn't put it past him to backstab me.

I just need to keep a close eye on him. As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Until I can figure out what his real motives are and whether he is a friend or enemy, I'll consider him a potential enemy and keep him as close as I can. I just hope I can get as much use out of him and whatever information he has on DEA agents before I have to cut him loose. I hope I won't have to. He is appealing to the eyes. Tall with a body chiseled from stone. I wouldn't mind getting him in bed, but that could prove disastrous.

Jon arrives right on time. Not a minute sooner or a second later. I like it when people are punctual. Of course, it doesn't surprise me with a man like him. He is carrying a briefcase. The club is empty at this time besides for maintenance and our cleaning staff. I've already had my office swept for bugs, which I do daily. I have Jon follow me up to my office and take a seat across from me at the two couches with the coffee table in between. I nod to the coffee bar. "If you want some coffee, I have a Keurig up there. I'm sure you can find a kind you like and there are all the condiments you need."

"I'm fine, thank you. I've already had my share," he says as he leans back and relaxes, drawing a leg up over his knee with his arms resting on top of the couch.

"Good. Now, I want to know everything you know about the DEA and their operations here in Mexico," I say, getting straight to the point.

"I figured you would," he says as he leans forward, sets the briefcase on the table, and opens it. He pulls out several files and hands them to me. I look at them and there are dossiers on several agents, and I'm surprised to see Jae Freeman, one of our bouncers among them. Makes me grit my teeth. "I'll kill him."

"You could. For sure. That would certainly cut one mole out. But they'll just put in another and be more dedicated to taking you down. They don't take lightly the death of their agents. Instead, I'd use him. Obviously, without him knowing. You can feed him all kinds of information. Besides, you're going to have moles in your business regardless of whether or not you kill Jai. Letting him live will give you an advantage. It's better to know who the moles are and so you can control the flow of information to your enemies than to kill them off and leave yourself in the dark," he says in such a calm manner as if he were talking about the weather, but I know he'll feel guilty if I kill him. He makes a good point. Killing him might get rid of a mole for now, but then I'm back to where I was before I knew he was a mole. Left in the dark.

"Very well, I'll play this game for now. We'll use him, but as soon as he presents a threat or is no good, I kill him." I flip through the files, finding the one man named Clay Holden who he mentioned earlier and I can see why Jonathan doesn't like him. He's truly vile if any of these complaints against him are true. Sexual harassment, sexual assault, blackmail, and many more. It's a long list and somehow he's still in power. And they say we are the criminals.

"I still don't understand why you are helping me, but I can see why you wouldn't trust your own government with people like... this... Clay Holden in power. But why a cartel? Why our cartel? Aren't you trading one criminal for another?"

He sighs. "Maybe it is personal. I know I told you otherwise, but maybe I just want to take down Clay Holden. And doing that from the inside is impossible. But I can prove he's incompetent by aiding the people he's trying to take down. I can make him waste resources and time chasing false leads. I'll lead him into traps and get more of his crooked agents killed. Make his job a living hell before I have the opportunity to end his career and, if possible, his life."

"I wish you would've told me that sooner. I can understand revenge. That's something we have in common. Revenge is something I want as well, in more ways than one. I'll help you take down this Clay Holden, not only because it benefits me, but because I've seen enough about him to be disgusted with him. I've seen many men like him who abuse power and people. He is despicable, and it would bring me some joy in bringing him down."

He smiles, but it's a sad smile. "Good. I'm glad we agree. How about we discuss this and other stuff more over dinner?"

I laugh. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're asking me out on a date."

"Maybe I am," he says with a smirk.

"It's a bad idea to date employees and even worse when they're former American military. I still don't know if I can trust you," I say as I lean back and cross my legs, mirroring his own position.

"Then what better opportunity to find out if you can trust me by getting to know me better? I'd certainly like to get to know you better. I promise, no sex on the first date," he says with such assured confidence, and yet I still can't help but laugh.

"And what makes you think there will be sex at all or even a date for that matter?" I tilt my head and take a better look at him.

"It doesn't have to be a date, but I would really like it to be. You're beautiful and cunningly smart. I have never met a woman like you before and I don't want to miss an opportunity like this to really see what's going on inside your head. You think differently than most. Not afraid to listen to advice and change your course of action when a better path presents itself. You see reason better than most. And you have lots of drive and ambition. A bit ruthless, but that only makes you even more attractive. You radiate power, but deep inside I can tell you care about the surrounding people who are loyal to you and you have a warm heart for those who you perceive are innocent."

His words hit me like a hot steam room. Making me adjust in my seat uncomfortably and bite my lip. He's good at cutting straight to the heart of things, even better at charming people. I need to be very careful around him. Very careful. And yet, he makes me lose control over my emotions. I would very much like to take his clothes off and fuck him right here and now. That would be a huge mistake. Maybe he might know about me being trans, but I don't think so. I've kept that secret hidden well. Even so, I don't want him to have any influence over me. As if he doesn't already. But what would a dinner hurt? "I'll humor you with dinner, but it's not a date."

"Fair enough," he says with that smile! That charming and very attractive smile. I need to get him away from me so I can think. "You should get to work. Maybe find any bugs the DEA has slipped. You'd certainly know where to look."

He nods. "Very well. Should I just meet you here? Or pick you up somewhere?"

"Do you even have a restaurant picked out?"

"Well, I do know a woman who owns a high-end five-star restaurant attached to a club. Maybe she can give us a private room where we can talk freely. She's a very influential and powerful woman."

He's good. Real good. Even my smile proves that. I couldn't wipe it off my face if I tried. "Are you seriously trying to take me out to my own restaurant? You're not cheap, are you?"

"Me? Cheap? No. I just heard that your restaurant is one of the best and I would love to try it. I'll even pay for it myself. Unless you have somewhere better in mind." He crooks an eyebrow.

Damn him. This boy is going to be trouble. A lot of trouble. "No. There is no place better and I'll pay for it, but that means you better make the evening worth my time."

"Don't worry about that. You'll enjoy every second of it. That's a promise," he says as he gets up and goes to walk out.

"And Jonathan," I say as he reaches the door. He stops and looks at me with that grin. I take a deep breath to allow my face to go as cold as ice. "Don't play with my heart."

Chapter 7: Raquel Zorita

I can't stop thinking about Jonathan Hall. I hardly know this man and I shouldn't trust him, but it just feels like I can trust him. He's been so open with me and that's rare in our line of work. Secrets are more numerous than books in a library, and yet he is completely honest with me. Well, as far as I can tell. He told me his intentions of wanting to take this, Clay Holden, down and his reasons for it. The man sounds absolutely awful, even by my standards.

He's also given me a very nice gift with the news of a mole, Jai Freeman, and now that I know, it seems rather obvious. He's the type for sure. I don't know how I didn't suspect him before. I like Jonathan's idea of feeding the mole false information. I could also use him to ferret out other moles, and he could lead me to his handler. There are so many options and possibilities.

I've also considered that maybe Jonathan has ulterior motives for not wanting me to kill him. Maybe he has some connection with the man, but it doesn't seem like Jai recognizes him. Well... He could be acting so I can't really go by his lack of reaction. I don't really want to kill the man. I don't enjoy killing if I can help it. It's not like I can't understand their actions. I know the world would be a better place without drugs, like cocaine in it, so I can't fault the DEA for wanting to stop us. However, when opportunities are limited, you have to take what you can get. Besides, I agree with Jonathan. I don't think anyone should have a say in what people can or cannot put inside their bodies. Cocaine may not be harmless, but it is far from the worst drug on the market. It's far better than that trash this new cartel is peddling. Meth and heroin are absolute poison. At least with coke, people are still productive members of society. Heroin turns people into zombies. And it's not like we sell to kids. And we use the money we've made to make the community a better place.

Because of us, the schools are better funded; the parks are clean, there are youth centers for kids to go to that keep them out of trouble, and so much more. We provide better futures for people who wouldn't otherwise have them because they lost the lottery of life and were born poor. I may not have been poor, but I know what it is like to live poor. After our parents were murdered and their cartel was all but destroyed, the eight of us had to fend for ourselves. Salvador, Viviana, Nina, and I were just old enough to get jobs and even then we couldn't put together enough pesos to afford to feed ourselves. We did what we had to do in order to survive.

I let out a long sigh as I go through my morning routine of going over yesterday's sales, checking our reports, looking at any incidents, and so on. And yet my mind still wanders to Jonathan. He actually asked me out on a date. I can't tell if it's genuine or just a way to get close to me. It's hard not to deny the fact that the man is attractive. He's not Sarah, though, even so, he's more than a catch. He's tall, lean, and smart. Too smart. I have to be careful around him. Just because he's told me his reasons for being here doesn't mean he doesn't have ulterior motives. He's a dangerous man. And I'm not going to deny the fact that it's hard to think around him.

I don't know what it is about him, but he makes my skin glisten with heat. That in itself should cause me to be careful around him. I'm not stupid in believing he's told me everything, or even the truth, for that matter. In fact, I have no doubt he's got an ulterior motive for being here. Until I figure out what it is, I need to be extremely careful.

Even so, that doesn't mean I can't humor him a bit. Not that I will ever allow myself to give in to his advances. I love Sarah. But she's been missing for nearly two weeks. At this point, I have to consider the probability that she is dead. However, until I find a body, I will not believe it to be true. I still have hope. That being said, we considered having a third wheel. Both of us were bisexual. She and I had this desire to have a man in our relationship. I know Sarah would like Jonathan as well.

What am I thinking? I don't even know this man, and I'm already thinking about a ménage à trois. If I don't smarten up, I'm going to have a knife in my back. I can't trust Jonathan Hall if that is his real name, any more than I can trust Jai Freeman. He's openly admitted to working for the US government! How do I know he's not still working for them?

"Raquel? You there?" I pull myself from my thoughts to see Aliya standing at the door to my office.

"Yes, come in, Aliya." The short, blonde-haired woman walks in wearing her normal pencil skirt and business blouse, which is blue today. She's an attractive woman, to say the least. A petite frame, a little on the skinny side, but she's got an adorable appeal and a nice tight ass. Her hair is done up in a bun today.

"Good morning," she says with a smile.

"Good morning to you too." She's been my secretary for some time now. She was a nervous wreck when I hired her. Still a bit of a worrier. "You have two meetings today, one with our vodka distributor and the other with a woman named Mary Souza, who is looking to see if she could host a company Christmas party here. A rather large local financial service company."

"Good, thank you. Also, add a dinner meeting here in one of the private rooms for eight o'clock," I say as I tap my nails against the desk.

"Sure thing. And who will it be with?" she asks nonchalantly as she types on her tablet.

"Jonathan Hall. The man I just hired," I say.

"Oh..." Her mouth gapes open.

"It's not like that. It's just a simple meeting over dinner about security. He's my new security advisor," I say in an irritable tone.

"Sure thing, boss," she says with a smile. She winks at me. My jaw clenches. Great, within the hour, everyone who works here will think I'm dating the new guy. Aliya might be a nervous wreck, but she's a big gossip. "Anything else?"