Valentin made a face. “That’s a last resort for me.” He’d never gone into the specifics of what happened in Warburton, but Xan knew he’d been to prison and didn’t question his stance on police.
“What do you want to do, then?”
“It’s a suspicious package hidden in my bar. I sincerely doubt this is anything good.”
“We’re on the same page, I assume?”
“Bergam.”
“Yep.”
Xan reached for the shelf. “I don’t think he’d obliterate his father’s old place. I’m taking my chances.”
“Wait.”
Valentin stood and called out, “Hey everyone, can you please go outside for a few minutes. I thought I smelled gas earlier, so Xan and I are going to check it out.”
“Good call,” Xan said under his breath.
“I don’t know what’s going on. But it’s better if no one sees whatever this is. There’s always the chance one of the staff is on Bergam’s payroll.”
Xan narrowed his eyes. “I ran everyone’s background checks myself.”
“Still.”
“You and your fucking trust issues.”
Once they were alone in the large space, Xan pulled the package off the shelf while Valentin re-situated the liquor.
“It’s squishy,” Xan said, tossing it to Valentin. “My guess is drugs.”
“Same.” Valentin pressed his thumbs into it.
“He’s trying to set you up.”
“Looks like.”
Valentin placed it on the bar and unwrapped a brick of what he assumed to be cocaine. He gave the ice machine a pat. “Flush it,” he said to Xan. “I’ll tell everyone it’s okay to come back in.”
Xan walked the package to the stairwell. “I’ll use your private bathroom.”
“Bleach it afterwards.”
“On it. And I’ll go through the camera footage when I’m done.”
“There were a lot of deliveries today. I bet that’s how someone got in.”
Valentin’s hunch was correct. Within ten minutes of checking the footage, Xan found the two minutes from the nine o’clock hour where a delivery person distracted the bartender while another man got out of an unmarked vehicle in the alleyway, snuck in, and planted the package. Since Valentin refused to involve the police, they’d likely never figure out the culprit’sidentity. But it didn’t matter. The real problem was Bergam. Not his goons.
Xan told his team what had happened, and they searched the building for more packages, finding none. He and Valentin decided not to alert the non-security staff until they’d confirmed that no one had conspired with Bergam. The club opened on time, and other than the discreet hypervigilance of the security guards—who expected a raid—the evening progressed as usual.
Valentin scanned the dance floor from his office, since it would be suspicious for him to go downstairs on Beta Night. But while his full attention should have been on Bergam’s threats, his thoughts kept returning to the conversation he’d had earlier with Xan. Despite his assertion that he couldn’t manage a romantic life, he still found his eyes drifting toward the entrance. Wishing to see Wes and Assa come in.
Just after midnight, with the crowd emptying, two police officers showed up and asked to speak to the owner, forcing Valentin to come downstairs. They told him that there had been multiple reports of cocaine being sold on the premises.
“Cocaine?” Valentin questioned. “Sold by who? The clubgoers? My staff? What’s being alleged exactly?”
The taller officer shuffled his feet. “I’m not telling you anything.” He handed over a warrant. “Except that we have good reason to believe there’s cocaine here.”