Chapter 9
Ann gasped, jerking backwards as she watched Tazim stroll out of the club via the security cameras. She ignored Hendrix’s chuckle and turned away with a furious huff.
“What’s the story between you two?” Hendrix asked, clicking the keyboard so that he could pull up other images. He tapped a button that initiated the club’s communication system. “Mike, make sure that the other three men that are leaving take cabs. They’re too drunk to drive.”
Ann thought she’d received a reprieve from the question, but she should have known that Hendrix wasn’t one to leave a mystery alone. He was the head of the club’s security for a reason. He might look like a big, muscular dope, but the guy was razor sharp!
Ann slumped into a chair, smoothing a frazzled hand over her hair. “I dated him for a while five years ago.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back at Hendrix.
The man watched her for a long moment, then nodded as if he’d just figured out the bigger picture. “And he’s the father of your son.” It wasn’t a question.
Ann gasped, shocked that the man even knew about Archer. She never spoke about her private life to anyone at the club other than Emily and Maggie. But again, Hendrix wasn’t an idiot. He knew a whole lot more than he let on. It was his job to know.
With a groan, Ann closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall behind her. “I didn’t think you knew about Archer.”
Hendrix’s snort was his only response as he continued monitoring the club. Every few minutes, he called out instructions for the various staff members. Officially, Ann was off duty since the card room was empty and her tables cleaned. But she stuck around just in case Emily needed help. Emily was always the last to leave. She ensured that the rooms, bar areas, and even the kitchen were clean and prepped for the next day’s rush of members and guests.
An hour later, Ann headed out to the employee parking lot with the rest of the staff, waving to Hendrix as he stood sentry, watching to ensure that everyone got to their cars safely. With a sigh of relief, Ann pulled out of the parking lot and headed home to her son. It was two o’clock in the morning. She’d get about four hours of sleep before she’d need to get Archer ready for preschool, then she’d come back home, sleep for a few more hours, then run some errands before picking Archer up around three o’clock.
It was their daily routine and she loved her life. She had the best of both worlds. Ann was able to work at a job that paid her handsomely…which reminded her of the box of poker chips Tazim had tried to give her. The man was out of his mind, she thought as she pulled into her garage.
Walking inside, she didn’t realize that she was smiling. She pressed the button that would close the garage door, then dragged herself into her house. The babysitter was just rousing herself from the sofa, smiling in greeting.
“Thanks Maddy,” she said to her next door neighbor. Maddy was a local college student who stayed with Archer until Ann came home, ensuring that Archer was safe. It was a good arrangement. Maddy earned some cash while sleeping and Ann had someone reliable to watch her son.
Ann peeked in on Archer, saw that he was curled up with his stuffed elephant tucked against his chest, then turned and moved into her room. After getting ready for bed, Ann stared up at the ceiling, praying that her mind would settle down so that she could get some sleep. But Tazim’s final words to her were…shocking. The man had tried to give her a freaking fortune! Who does that? Yeah, she’d known that he was wealthy five years ago. But now she knew that he was a freaking sheik. The thought hurt. Five years ago, he’d walked out of her life with a brutal message. She finally understood why he thought that his written words was enough for someone like her. He was royalty. She was a waitress. Enough said. They lived in two different worlds and he’d just realized that fact sooner than she had.