Chapter 15
Hendrix watched the BMW bounce along the grassy pasture towards the street. Whoever it was, they had to drive along the tree line, then onto the club’s long driveway. From his vantage point on the third floor, he saw the exact moment that his security cameras flashed, catching the front, then the back of the sedan. “Bingo!” he muttered. Now he had an image of the driver and the back license plate.
Turning, he headed down to the basement floor where two of his team members were already pulling up the security footage. Hendrix wasn’t sure who had broken in, but he had his suspicions. These entitled assholes thought they could get away with anything. But Hendrix never let them. As soon as they broke the rules, Levi…now Emily…kicked them out of the club. It was an absolute policy. These members broke federal, state, and local laws on a nearly daily basis. They convinced the public that they were the good guys, that they were providing a product or service at a “great” price.
In reality, they were all scammers. That sort of mentality, the perception that they could get away with anything, continued here with their membership dues.
Hendrix always enjoyed the conversations with members who would be kicked out. Yeah, it was a power trip, but he didn’t care.
Walking into the security office, he nodded a greeting to his team members who were already clicking away at the computer.
“Who was it?”
“Gerald Albright the Third,” Tony replied, clicking again and the member’s image popped up on the screen.
Hendrix couldn’t hide his surprise. “Albright?” he repeated, looping his thumb through his belt as he stared at the image on the screen. “Really?”
“Yes, sir,” Tony replied, then clicked again. They all watched as Gerald Albright climbed through the window, going headfirst on to the floor before he hauled his legs through. They chuckled as they watched the comical video. Each of the cameras on the third floor showed him nearly dancing down the hallway, then he was caught on the second floor.
Hendrix’s amusement vanished when the ass ignored every door on the administrative floor until he came to Emily’s office. With one touch, he jerked his hand back. Then he must have heard Tony and Dan arriving. The silent alarms had sounded as soon as Albright had passed by the alarms on the drive coming up to the house.
This was no longer funny. The idiot had gone directly to Emily’s office for a reason. What the hell did Albright want in his woman’s office?
Running a frustrated hand over his face, Hendrix tried to make sense of the situation. “Has Albright bothered Emily during the evenings when he was here?”
“Not that we are aware of,” Tony replied. Both Tony and Dan swiveled around so that they were facing Hendrix. “Should I start the process to have his membership voided?”
Hendrix nodded. “Yeah, but hold off on telling him for now,” he replied. “I think there’s something more going on with this guy.”
“Sure, boss,” Tony said.
“Let me know what you find out.” Then he turned and left the security office. Back in his car, he considered his options. He could go back to Emily’s house. He could be back in her bed within ten minutes. Maybe she was still asleep and he could warm her up.
No, he needed to find out what Albright was up to. So instead of heading back to pull Emily into his arms, he started his engine and sped down the driveway. At this hour of the morning, it was fairly simple to catch up with Albright’s car. It was the only one on these old roads. The idiot had no idea that he was being followed as he drove back to his house in the city.
Parked outside of the old, art-deco building that had been converted to luxury condos twenty years before, Hendrix tapped his thumb against the steering wheel of his nineteen sixty-seven Ford Bronco. The truck looked rough from the outside, but Hendrix had restored the engine of the old beauty, adding a few perks and hidden surprises.
Pulling out his phone, he sent a text message to Tony, then tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket. “Emily,” he groaned, noticing the time.
Immediately, he turned around and headed back to her house. It was a twenty minute drive and his gut was telling him that she was already awake. The woman worked late into the evening most nights when the club was open. So in theory, she should have adjusted her sleep cycles so that she slept in most mornings.
But this was Emily. The grass didn’t grow under her feet. Also, she’d given several of the staff members the day off today so that they could recuperate from the holiday. He knew that she would be working today, most likely finalizing the details for the New Year’s Eve party that the club was hosting for members and guests.
Still, he headed towards her house. Should he warn her about the break in?
Yeah. Not only was she involved, since Albright was trying to get into her office, but she was the club manager. She needed to know what was going on. Plus, since he’d started the process to kick him off of the member’s list, she had every right to know why.