Chapter 19 #2
There was a whole different side to Honey, and the crazy thing was that he probably hadn’t even scratched the surface of who she truly was, and he never would.
It was disappointing, like missing out on something that you didn’t know you had.
Exploring Honey to unravel who she really was sounded like a challenge under different circumstances that he would want to take.
But then he remembered his uncle’s words, and he thought about how much Honey didn’t want him, and then he thought about the fact that even if Honey did want him, it would only change their relationship in a way that he didn’t want.
He liked the fact that he could casually talk to her like this and receive her help on this matter.
He couldn’t really have this kind of relationship with the rest of the girls at the club because either he had fucked them already, or they didn’t necessarily mesh.
He wouldn’t say Honey was his friend, but he did feel at ease in her presence, whether she was Honey or Hope, and he didn’t feel that way with any of the other girls here.
“It sounds like we need to set some boundaries, so you don’t get too used to Hope,” Honey said, shooting him a pinched glare that amused him. Yep. He was certain now that he would never have a chance with her.
For the next hour, Honey helped him with the girls’ schedule, showing him how it was usually done while helping him organize the mess on his desk.
Tomorrow, he would give the girls the new schedule while being firm and handing out punishments when necessary.
He wanted to be nothing like Georgios, but Nikos also understood now that being too chill and nice had led him to be taken advantage of, and that didn’t only apply to this club.
It applied to his new role in his uncle’s place.
“Candy and Autumn are supposed to go on last. Don’t listen to Candy about her grandmother because she’s dead. She’s just playing on your sympathy because she wants to go clubbing,” Honey told him as she shuffled papers together.
“You don’t mind snitching on people?” Nikos asked.
“Not when it’s messing up my bag,” Honey said nonchalantly. “Besides, I don’t like Candy.”
“Okay,” Nikos said as he sighed deeply. He couldn’t blame Candy or any of the girls. He probably would have done the same if it could get him out of doing his own duty, but all eyes were on him, and there was no turning back.
“You know, I didn’t even want to do this. If it weren’t for my father…” Nikos wiped his face, frustrated by the entire situation before he started again. “If it weren’t for my father, I wouldn’t even be here right now.”
There was a pregnant pause in the room, and Nikos was going to apologize for piling onto Honey. She was only here for work, and she had made that clear, but then she spoke.
“I know I can’t necessarily relate to the weight on your shoulders, but I get it,” Honey said, and Nikos was surprised.
He had expected her to ignore him or to tell him to stop complaining.
That was what most people did because they couldn’t understand why he had an empire at his feet and wanted nothing to do with it.
“When I had Kai, all I wanted to do was run. I had been so young then, and I wasn’t ready for the responsibility of raising another human being, and no one besides my sister would help me, not even my parents.
Exotic dancing was the last thing I would have ever imagined myself doing, but when I thought about Kai, putting food in his belly, clothes on his back, a roof over his head, and making him happy by giving him everything he could ever want, I threw all of my morals away for him.
Because nothing matters to me more than my son. I could do anything for him.”
Nikos stared into Honey’s eyes, feeling a sense of deja vu as he thought about the similar words he had heard before until he thought of her.
And now, he could finally understand what Raelyn had meant back then and also why Aris did the things he did.
Unlike Pierce, Aris never took glee in his work.
He didn’t seem to abhor it in the way he did, but Aris also didn’t like it either, and Nikos realized his brother did what he did, carrying such heavy demons on his back, for their family.
They mattered to him so much that he was willing to do anything, just like Kai mattered enough to Honey that she was willing to dance for men for him, and Nikos felt like shit to have ever passed judgment on Honey or any of the girls, for that matter.
“Anything for your family,” Nikos murmured to himself.
“No. Anything for your loved ones,” Honey corrected. “Some family members don’t deserve such sacrifices, but my son does.”
Honey stood up after placing her work down. “It’s my time to leave. I’ll see you tomorrow along with my extra pay.”
Nikos chuckled, keeping that in mind. “I definitely will pay you, and tell Kai I said hi.”
Honey looked like she didn’t want to do that, but she nodded anyway before leaving. Nikos was left by himself to soak in Honey’s words, realizing what he had to do. He grabbed his phone and called Christos.
***
It was just before close when Christos made it to his office.
He stopped in front of his desk, waiting for his order in the way he used to do with Antonis.
Usually, Nikos would tell him to relax to lighten the mood so Christos wouldn’t be so serious with him, and it could be like it had been before.
But now Nikos realized how disrespectful that had been.
Christos had placed his faith in him to carry on this new role while Antonis was out of commission, and Nikos hadn’t been doing a good job of it.
It was time for him to be responsible for the role he had accepted.
“Give me an update,” Nikos said, getting to the point. If Christos was surprised by his serious demeanor, he didn’t say anything.
“Ricardo has taken control of two areas now because we’ve been short on people, and some people haven’t come through with their payments.”
Nikos stood from his uncle’s desk and looked through the ceiling-to-floor windows down at the club as he thought about what he would have to do to fix the chaos that had been happening ever since the news spread that his uncle was out of commission and his nephew was in charge.
People had been testing him, and it was time to show how things would run in his uncle’s stead while he was in charge.
He wouldn’t do it for himself but for his family.
They deserved that much of him as he thought about the demons his father and brothers shouldered to protect him and give him the life of ease he had so far.
“Send flowers and rewards to those who still paid on time in my uncle’s absence.
For those who haven’t, add interest on their late payments.
At least a thirty percent hike and tell them that it will only grow higher with each missed payment.
On top of that, hand out firm threats on what they are most afraid of,” Nikos said as he turned back to Christos.
“Make an example of Diamond first. You said he’s the most respected in the area, so if people see something happen to him first, they’ll all fall in line. ”
“His family,” Christos offered, and Nikos shook his head, thinking back on the last time they had raided Diamond’s club. He hadn’t even cared about the threats to his own woman, so Nikos doubted that he would care about his family members. That didn’t bother him, but something else did.
“Take all of his money from the safes at his club. That’s what he’s most afraid of losing, but he still has to pay what he owes. That’s just punishment and payment for his disrespect to me and my uncle.”
“What about Ricardo?”
“For now, let him take those two territories. There’s no need to lose any more people.
I want to fix the problems we have within our group first and bring back order, so we’ll stop looking weak.
People have to realize we’re still strong even without my uncle here.
Once we get everything in order, then we’ll focus on Ricardo. ”
“Okay,” Christos accepted before he went to leave, but when he made it to the door, he paused. He gave him a nod of respect, and Nikos nodded back as he watched him go. Nikos glanced at his watch, wishing he could leave too, but he had one more thing to do before he went to sleep tonight.
***
At the late hour of the night, the club was closed, and only two people were left in the building. Nikos knocked on the ajar basement door where Georgios’s office was. Georgios jumped in his seat until he realized it was him. The slick-haired man sighed with relief.
“Looks like you’ve seen a ghost,” Nikos joked casually, noticing the lines of coke on Georgios’s desk.
“No shit, sherlock,” Georgios spat, annoyed. “What are you still doing here?”
Over the past few weeks, Georgios had made it abundantly clear that he was dissatisfied with the choice of leadership, and he had refused to help him, claiming that he would only help his uncle.
Up until now, Nikos had let him get away with it.
But disrespect couldn’t be tolerated any more if he were to save his uncle’s empire.
“I’m here to tell you that tomorrow you’ll work your shift properly in the way you had done when Antonis was here,” Nikos said, and Georgios snorted as if his words were bullshit.
“I told you I wouldn’t work for you, and I’m only working for—”
Georgios’s words came to halt when he felt the pressure of the cool steel behind his head.
“I don’t care who you are to Antonis. If you don’t get in line, I’ll take you out myself,” Nikos said as he pressed the barrel of the gun into Georgios’s head until his face was smashed against the desk, the lines of cocaine smeared against his cheek.
“But— But if—”
“Do you think it will be that hard getting rid of you without Antonis ever finding out, and even if he did find out, how do you think he would feel if he found out that his cousin has been taking an extra percentage off the girls’ cut for himself, especially his favorite girl?”
Georgios clenched his teeth.
“Okay, okay.”
Nikos pulled his gun back, and Georgios lifted his head up and looked back at him in shock.
“No more games with you,” Nikos warned before he left.
Power thrummed beneath his veins, and for the briefest second, Nikos relished in it before he shook it off, reminding himself of the most important thing— he was doing this for his family.