Tempting Bounty (Inter-Galactic Bounty Hunter Series Book 2) (2 page)

She knew she was probably the only owner of a nightclub who had each employee invest in a 401(k). Lexi’s grandmother’s financial adviser gave her good business advice and helped her start her own 401(k) which, along with her savings, eventually helped her get a business loan to open her own business. So she wanted to make sure her employees also had a future investment to fall back on.

This business was just one of many that Lexi wanted to open. She knew this business inside and out and knew she could make fast money here. She knew the risks and the environment she would have to continue to work in for a little while longer.

She frowned as she watched the crowd. Lexi didn’t like the way those men were grabbing at her dancers while they were dancing with the other customers. They had already caused Sweetie to trip and twist her ankle. One of her security people also doubled as a paramedic and had ice on it in the dressing room so that Sweetie wouldn’t have to make a trip to the ER. No serious harm had been inflicted, and it had been an accident, which was why Lexi allowed the men to remain in the club… for now. On the other hand, with their behavior continuing to appear reckless, they could easily cause a fight to break out and more people could be injured or worse. She would not allow any of her employees to be put in physical risk.

“Tony, get the bouncers ready to take these idiots out,” she ordered the head of her security.

“You got it, boss.” The huge male with a baldhead lumbered off toward the other end of the nightclub, motioning to the team of five bouncers.

Lexi learned a long time ago that security in a place like this was crucial. She made sure to maintain a large security staff and have them train for every type of situation. She had a no-weapons policy and a scanner at the main door but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t sneak something into the club.

One of the men she had been watching grabbed one of her waitresses and pulled her onto his lap, making the drinks she was carrying crash to the floor. Lexi had had enough.

“That is it!” She stormed toward the group of men, trusting her security team would have her back.

“Let her go!” She yelled at the man who was holding her struggling waitress. The man’s eyes were glazed and unfocused. He wasn’t just drunk — he was high, too. That was a bad combination.

“Hey bitch, wait your turn. There’s enough of me to...go...round.” The drunken man made the mistake of grabbing Lexi’s arm tightly.

Tony came up behind the drunken guy, grabbed his wrist, and squeezed hard. The man squealed in pain and released his grip on Lexi’s arm.

“Ow, man! I’m going to kick your…” He stood up and immediately froze when he turned toward Tony. Tony was huge, three times the size of the drunken guy.

“Time for you and your buddies to leave.” Tony motioned for the other bouncers to get the other rowdy men. They dragged them to the entrance and threw the men, one by one, out of the door. Tony pressed a security pad on the side of the door. When one of the men tried to come back through the door, he received a shock.

“What the hell?”

Lexi moved to stand next to Tony. “You are banned from the club permanently.”

“You can’t do that, bitch! I’m a good paying customer, come here all the time. Where’s the owner? He’ll hear about this,” the man who had grabbed Lexi’s arm demanded.

“I am the owner, asshole,” she told him calmly.

“Bullshit! You’re just a woman.”

She snorted. It was a typical male response. No man really believed a woman could own a nightclub. “Wow, at least you got that last part right. To correct you on the rest — this is my club and I have banned you from ever stepping foot inside it. I also will send all the other clubs on this planet your ID and they will more than likely ban you from theirs as well.  Have a good night.” She turned and walked away without giving him a second glance.

She went to the back dressing room to check on her injured dancer and found a group of dancers standing in a circle around someone and laughing.

“Who the hell is back here?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. She froze when she heard a familiar voice.

“Ah, that sounds like my lovely wife.”

“
Ex
-wife. What do you want, Dan?” Lexi demanded. Her dancers knew the tone of her voice and they exited the changing room immediately.

Dan was sitting on a cushioned chair, looking relaxed. “I have come to visit.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What kind of trouble are you in now?”

“Can we go to your office and talk?” Dan asked.

“Fine.” Lexi turned and walked out of the dressing room and down the hallway to a set of stairs. She climbed the stairs and entered the room at the top. This was the only part of the building that had an upper level. She had a two-way mirror that allowed her to observe everything happening in her club from her office.

“Nice setup, babe.” Dan circled her office, checking everything out.

“Don’t bother looking for something to pawn. I don’t keep money or anything of value at the club.”

“Hey, I wasn’t trying to look for…” Lexi cut him off.

“Yes, you were. Never mind that. Why are you here? Where’s your current girlfriend, Bridgett? Bambi?”

“Bubbles. We had to part ways. Besides, can’t a guy come by and visit his wife?” He tried to pull her into his arms but she shoved him away.

“
Ex
-wife, Dan. We’ve been divorced almost three years now.” She moved to sit in her chair behind her desk. She frowned when Dan chose to stand and lean against her desk right next to her. He never did respect boundaries.

“I have decided to move here.”

“What?” She almost leapt up from her chair. “No way!”

“I thought you would be glad to see me. After all, we are partners.”

“We are not partners!”

“I believe the divorce went through one week after you bought this building using the money in our savings account as collateral. We never divided up property because I was out of the country at the time.”

“You were arrested and serving time for petty theft,” she reminded him.

“Doesn’t matter. I am still entitled to part of this business or at least my half of our savings account.”

“That’s over fifty thousand that my grandmother died and left to me. None of that money was intended for you,” she told him.

“Pay me my half and I’ll be out of your hair.”

She bit her bottom lip. She could fight him on it, but he would drag this out and she didn’t want him to try to claim any part of the club. She had put too much of her time, energy and money into this business to hand it over to Dan, who would more than likely gamble it away in one hand of poker. She needed to get rid of him and, unfortunately, there was only one way to do that.

“I will need a couple of days. I have to call my financial advisor and have him move around some investments and sell some of my stocks. The bank takes at least a couple of days before they will even issue a check.”

“I want it in cash.”

“Cash? That’s going to take even longer.”

“I will check with you in three days.” He moved toward the door but stopped to look back at her. “By the way, you look fucking amazing.” His eyes traveled over her tight one-piece suit.

She refused to let his compliment soften her. “Don’t bother my dancers. When you come, call me first and I will let you in through the back.” He smiled at her and then left. She sank down into her plush leather chair.
Fucking Dan! When would she finally be free of him — when he’s dead?

Chapter 3

“Do we have the right place?” Vic asked as he stood next to Blade and Isaac in the parking lot. It was around eleven in the evening right at the time most nightclubs are getting busy. He looked around and noted that there were only a few cars in the parking lot. The men walking to the club were dressed in casual wear and a few had suits that looked like they had been wearing it all day long. He stared at the sign as he read it out loud. “Night's Paradise?”

Isaac nodded his head. “This is the place.”

Blade had a happy smirk on his face. He rubbed his hands together. “Man, I love my job.”

Vic glared at Blade. “You are on the job. That means you keep your hands and your dick to yourself and when you order a drink, you order water to go with it. I don’t want you getting drunk while on the job.”

“You are no fun to work for sometimes,” Blade grumbled.

The three men walked up to the entrance. A huge bald man stood there blocking their way. He had to be a result of crossbreeding between a Palmedia and a Decaros. It was rare that Vic met anyone taller than him.

“Present your ID for scanning and face recognition,” the big guy told them.

Each one took out their wallet ID and stood in front of the face recognition scanner. Then they were allowed to enter through the doors. He looked back at Isaac.

“That’s some security setup that they have. I’ve never been to a nightclub that had that much technology,” Vic told him.

“I heard that some businesses, mostly banks, were using the ID and scanner recognition in combination to make sure that no one with a police record was allowed into the building,” Isaac looked like he wanted to go back and check out the programming.

“Isaac, are the sensors for the ex-wife’s place set up?”

Isaac nodded. “Yeah, Blade and I set them up while you were reviewing the background check in the hotel room. If Stratford or his ex-wife goes back to her place, we’ll know it.”

Vic nodded his head. “Spread out and help me find the ex-wife,” Vic ordered as he walked off to circle the perimeter.

*****

“It’s been four days. Where the hell have you been?” Lexi demanded as she let Dan in through the back door of the club.

“Did you miss me?”

She snorted. “Not hardly. I had managed to get your money two days ago. Come up to my office.” She started up the stairs but stopped to stare down at him. “What are you doing?”

Dan gazed up her long leather-clad legs leisurely. His eyes stopped when he got to the leather bustier that pushed her breasts forward. He licked his lips. “You look really good.”

She rolled her eyes. “That used to work when I was sixteen, but I know you too well now.” She turned back and finished going up the remaining stairs. She could hear Dan as he followed her up. She went over to her desk and sat down in her chair. She pulled out a key and used it to unlock the bottom drawer of her desk. She pulled out an envelope and walked over to where Dan was leaning against the one-way window.

“Twenty-five thousand, I hope you get as far from here as possible.” She handed him the envelope.

He took it and opened it. “I thought I would find a private island here, retire, enjoy the sun, and relax.”

She laughed. “You have to have a job first to be able retire. What are you hiding from Dan?” He was about to answer her but she stopped him, holding up her hand. “No, never mind. I think it’s better I don’t know. Just take the money and leave the planet. Don’t come back this way.”

Dan reached up a hand to caress her cheek. “Wouldn’t you like to go back to your place and have a last goodbye fuck?”

She jerked her head away from him. “There’s nothing good about fucking you.”

“Ow, you really know how to hurt a man’s ego,” he said it with a laugh as he turned to look out the one-way window. “
Fuck
, no!”

“What’s wrong?” Lexi watched Dan squat down. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t want to be seen. There are law enforcers, bounty hunters, or worse out there waiting on me.”

Lexi looked out over her club as she tried to spot whoever had scared Dan. “Who? Those two guys sitting at the side on the right of the stage?”

“Yes. You have to distract them so I can get out of here.” Dan began crawling toward the door but Lexi walked over and stood in front of it.

“Why should I help you? I should go fetch these guys and maybe get my money back.”

“Please, Lexi. I was arrested for aiding and abetting a drug boss. I didn’t know he had killed someone. I was acting as his driver that day. If it’s his men, I am a dead man. If it’s the law enforcers, they will take me back and the drug dealer will have me killed. If it’s the bounty hunters, the same thing will happen. No matter who is out there, I am a dead man if I am taken back.”

“You’ve done nothing but use me to make you money. Why should I care what happens to you?”

“Because you still have feelings for me.”

She laughed. “Oh, I have feelings alright. They are not the good kind.”

“If they find me here in your place of business, they will assume you are harboring a fugitive and arrest you. Also, your signature is on my bail bond application so you would be financially responsible for me jumping bail.”

“What? I didn’t sign anything. Did you have someone forge my signature? You did, didn’t you. You…you...bastard!” She leaned down and slapped him hard, leaving a handprint on his face.

“Distract them and I will disappear and take all my troubles with me.” He pleaded with her.

“No fucking way am I doing anything for you again. You used me for the last time.”

He threw the envelope with the money toward her feet. “Take the money back. I don’t care — I’ll find another way. I’m sorry for dragging you into this. Please help me this one last time. I just need to get out of here.”

She picked up the envelope and threw it in her purse. “Fine. Stay here until I have them distracted. How many are there?” She walked back over to the window.

“I saw two sitting but they were looking at someone on the other side of the room.”

“I see someone walking the perimeter of the room. That makes three. I’ll distract them, but you had better leave and never come back.”

“I need transportation.”

“There’s a boat near the marina that I own. It doesn’t have a title or anything so it can’t be traced back to me. Take it and find that island you want.” She hated the idea of never seeing that boat again, but it would be worth it to get Dan out of her hair and life for good.

As she neared the door Dan reached up and grabbed her hand. “Please be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She would have said something smart back to him but the sincerity in his eyes made her pause. “I’ll be careful. You be safe too. I may not like you very much, but I wouldn’t want you to get hurt, either.” Then she walked out of the office.

*****

Vic walked for the third time toward the back of the club. He wanted to investigate the back hallway marked for employees only, but a security team was standing there blocking him. His instincts were telling him that something was off, and his instincts had never been wrong.

He turned back and headed to the bar. He shook his head at Isaac and Blade, indicating that he hadn’t found anything yet. He ordered a beer but didn’t drink it. He asked the bartender about the owner or manager of the club but all he was told was that the owner rarely made an appearance.

Vic held his beer in his hand and turned to lean back against the bar. He watched as a waitress walked up next to him at the bar. She had short black hair and big boobs that were barely contained inside her tiny outfit. She leaned forward to give the bartender her table’s order making the neckline of her top gap open further. She turned to give Vic a once over and he could easily see the lust come over her heavily painted face.

“Is there anything that I can help you with, good-looking?”

Vic looked down at the woman. She was pretty and had all the right curves, which he liked in women. Her white shirt was tight, exhibiting her braless chest, and her short shorts showed off her legs. She was covered, but the material she was wearing was so thin it left little to the imagination.

“No, thank you.”

“I could give you a private dance if you want…”

Vic was about to refuse, but a new voice broke through. “I’ll take care of this customer, Gina.” The waitress glared at the newcomer for just a moment before pasting on a fake smile and walking off with her drinks for her table

He turned to look at the source of the new voice and immediately felt his body stiffen in reaction.
Holy shit.
The woman standing at his other side had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She was human. She had long, blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and tall — about six feet. She wore tight leather pants and a strapless leather bustier that showcased her large breasts. Just the thought of burying his face between her mounds as he moved inside her made his cock spring to life. How long had it been since he was with a woman? A month? Two, maybe? The problem was, he was on duty and she was Stratford’s wife. He recognized her immediately from the photo included in the background check that Isaac dug up for him.

She gave him a sexy smile. “I’m Lexi Tanner, the owner. I heard you were asking for me.”

Tanner? This woman was Stratford’s ex-wife, but she didn’t go by her married name anymore. He looked her up and down. What was wrong with the human to let someone so sexy go? If she were his, he wouldn’t ever let her go. He shook his head. Where were these thoughts coming from?

“I wanted to ask you a few questions about your ex-husband.”

“I can’t hear you this close to the bar. It’s too noisy. If you will follow me, I will take you somewhere a little more quiet and with fewer people.” He noticed that she motioned for him to follow her. As she passed two more waitresses, she nodded at them. Vic thought that was strange but followed her anyway. Besides, Isaac and Blade were on the watch.

He frowned as she led him away from where he assumed her office would be. They went down another hallway with multiple doorways with strange beading hanging down to give a bit of privacy. Lexi stopped at the room at the end and pulled the beading back.

“Come in.”

“Where are we?” He walked in and observed low plush couches. There was music playing at a low thumping volume different from what was playing in the nightclub.

“These are our VIP rooms,” she told him. “Please have a seat.”

He sat on the couch and watched as she sat next to him. A little too close than what he had in mind. There was nowhere for him to move. He tried to ignore the way she smelled. Her scent was so sweet and sexy, like jasmine freshly cut after the rain. So good.

“What did you want to talk about?” She turned as she leaned against the back of the couch making her breasts rise further up against the bustier.

Vic could not stop staring at her breasts. They looked ready to pop out and he didn’t want to miss it if they did. She laughed at him, which made him look up into her dazzling blue eyes.

“Males are all the same, no matter what species. Are you half Decaros or full Decaros?” Lexi reached up to lightly touch his horn that was beginning to peek out on the top side of his head.

“Full Decaros.” His voice had grown husky. With each little stroke not only did his horns grow longer but his cock hardened too. This was not why he was here. “Have you seen or heard from your husband?”

“
Ex
-husband,” Lexi emphasized. “We’ve been divorced for three years now. Best thing I ever did. What’s your name?”

“Victor but you can call me Vic. I should have introduced myself. I work for a bail bond company that went into agreement with your...
ex
-husband. He jumped bail and I am here to find him.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know where he went. Besides, this doesn’t affect me.”

“That is where you are wrong. You co-signed his application so that makes you financially responsible.” He didn’t expect the reaction he got.

She laughed. “I never signed anything. I have not left this planet in over a year. I can provide witnesses to prove that.”

“The signature…”

“Was forged. Probably by one of Dan’s recent sluts.”

Fuck
. He believed her… at least about the signature part. He knew she was lying about not having seen Stratford. “This is a serious situation. Your ex worked for a man named Marcus Roland. He’s a drug dealer and a killer. Strickland witnessed something he shouldn’t have and now Roland is hunting him down. If I tracked him and found you, Roland won’t be far behind me. Look, just tell me what you know and I will make sure to keep you out of it as much as possible.”

“Ah, the old ‘you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours’ routine.”

He frowned. “I don’t know what that means. Since you won’t cooperate I will get my men and leave for now. We’ll keep coming back, every night if we have to. I will be watching you.”

“You’ll be my shadow, huh?”