Maxwell gazed at the light. “It would be a bitch to get out of here. They could lock us in with no problem.”
“Which is another reason why this isn’t a bad place to hide.”
“How do you know they’ll be fine with us killing a patron with a knife?”
“Kazimir has done it a few times. Valentina too. As long as we don’t shoot and clean up our mess, we’re fine.”
“Basically, don’t let the other customers know what’s going on.”
The red wall slipped open. Stairs went down into darkness.
My men began to step forward.
I raised my hand to stop them.
Then, the stairs glowed white.
“Go ahead.”
They marched in front of me.
I followed.
Still twirling the duct tape, Maxwell remained on my side. “I prefer a knife anyway.”
“Me too. It’s more intimate.”
“And manlier.”
“Did you bring one?”
He opened one side of his jacket. “Misha, I never leave home without one.”
“This is another reason why we’re homeys.” I stayed on his side. Intrigued by my new friend, I asked, “What is your preferred method when killing with a knife?”
“Sever the spinal cord where it exits the skull.”
“You like immediate loss of body functions. Stop the breathing and heartbeat fast.”
“The brain quits after that.”
“You are a nice man at heart.”
Maxwell gave me an odd look. “That’s nice to you?”
“It’s a perfect technique, but painless for the victim. The brain won't get any sensory input from below the neck.”
Maxwell shrugged. “I don’t like to torture a motherfucker unless he’s personally done shit to Em or me.”
“And now me?”
He smirked. “And now you.”
At the bottom of the stairs, we continued down the hall.
Maxwell twisted that duct tape at his side. “I can’t wait to see what Club Pleasure has for us.”
“You’ll definitely appreciate it.”
A small group of musicians played on the side—violins, bass, and flute. A black and white kung fu movie was projected on the wall next to them. The opening displayed the glowing pink pool. This time there were no couples. Tons of naked men swam in the pool after hordes of nude women. I noted the X’d out stars on the men’s collarbones.
“Yo.” Maxwell hissed. “Those men are from the S group.”
I signaled to the people behind me.
Fast, around twenty of my men dived in the pool and began carving Solntsevskaya Bratva. Pink water darkened to red and splashed everywhere. Women screamed. Many racing away. Blood sprinkled their bouncing bare breasts. The musicians ended their song and ran off.
Two of Club Pleasure’s men in black walked toward us. Gloves covered their hands. Grim expressions decorated their faces. It was clear they didn’t like what my people were doing, but did not want to talk to me about it.
My people stepped aside to let me meet them.
A red tint covered his face as one of the men spoke. “Mr. Stronz, management would like clarification for your guests’ actions.”
“I have no problem with Club Pleasure, the management, and staff. This deals with Mr. Turgenev and his associates.”
The other man touched the bud in his right ear. When he put his hand down, he said, “It is our policy to remain out of any disputes as long as our rules are followed.”
“Upon the hour, I will clean up my mess and compensate all damages. Please send the bill to the usual place.”
The men bowed and moved out of my way. My people continued to jump in the pool and stab the Solntsevskaya.
Maxwell shook his head. “Yo, Russia is a different place.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed Circuit.
Circuit sounded like he was munching on something. “When will you be back? We’re almost ready to pull the plug on the Japanese power plants.”
“I may need you to hack into Club Pleasure’s system too.”
“I would rather not. I thoroughly enjoy my membership. And please don’t ruin the place.”
“It’s just the doors. I want you to unlock them. Management is standing to the side.”
“Hack into Club Pleasure? Security is important to them, Misha.”
“And your livelihood is important to you, not to mention your life.”
“Really? You’re threatening me?”
“I’m reminding you of loyalty and friendship.”
“Where are you?”
“Down in the underground suites. I want the room that Leonid rented and the door to open for my handprint.”
“Damn it. They’ll know it’s me.”
“Or they won’t. Get it done and I’ll find you another Club Pleasure.”
He whined. “There isn’t another.”
“One day there will be. I have a friend who’s interested in starting one.” I hung up, put my phone away, and glanced at the pool behind me. Several bodies floated on the surface. A few women continued to rush away. My men walked through the pool with their knives above water, searching out any survivors.
The two men that had approached us earlier now stood in front of the long hallway of suites.
I headed over to them.
One of the men sat at the high desk. “Mr. Stronz, can we still help you with anything after you’re done?”