The Russian's Assertive Lover (The Tonov Triplets Series Book 2) by Ivy Iverson Page B

in place, put the money in her pocket, and walked out, locking the front door behind her.
     

Chapter Twenty-One
     
    Nikolay got a called from Scarlett early the next morning. “What is it?” he asked, rubbing his head. “I was sleeping.”
    “I think there's something you want to see,” she said quietly. “Nik, you need to get to the club right now.”
    “What are you talking about?” he asked.
    “Just get here.”
    He sighed and hung up before putting on a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt. It was seven in the morning. Scarlett had better have a damn good reason for getting him out of bed this early.
    He found Scarlett in his office when he arrived. She was on his laptop and she had security footage pulled up. “When I got here, I noticed some money was missing from the register,” she said. “So I went through the security footage.” She turned the laptop around to face him and pressed play. “Take a look.”
    Nikolay's heart sank when he saw Courtney enter the screen. She walked over to the bar, paused, and then took some money before leaving. Knowing he couldn't even trust her to be a good employee-- and having concrete proof of it-- hit him in the gut as hard as it did when they had their fight. “Unbelievable,” he said.
    “I know it looks bad, but it’s only thirty-five bucks,” said Scarlett. “Please don't take any rash actions. We don't know why she did this. Maybe she was going to bring it back. Maybe she's in some kind of trouble.”
    “She stole the money to get her damn tattoo removed,” he said. “That's it. To fix some stupid teenage mistake. That's not even close to being a good reason to steal.”
    “She's our best employee--”
    “No,” he said, cutting her off. “A good employee doesn't steal from the company. I'm sorry, Scarlett. I know you like her, but I'm firing her as soon as she comes in today.”
    “You used to like her too, you know,” Scarlett said quietly. Even though she tried to hide it, he still caught the caution in her tone. It was his fault he and Courtney didn't work out. Not Courtney's.
    He slammed the laptop shut and glared at the floor. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” he said. “That will be all.”
    Scarlett left him and closed the door quietly behind her jumping as she heard a loud crash coming from his office. Turning, she walked back out into the club deciding to give him his space. She’d help clean up the mess later.
     
    *****
     
    Courtney and Janet sat nervously outside Suds, the car engine idling. 
    “He's going to fire me, Jan,” Courtney said for the tenth time in as many minutes. “I know he is.”
    “It's going to be okay.” Janet said, reaching across the car to rub Courtney’s shoulder. “You told me that he cares about his employees. If you tell him what happened, then he might forgive you and let you work it off.”
    Courtney shook her head, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. “Like he would even believe a word I say,” she said. “He thinks I'm a lying, manipulative bitch.”
    “Then I'll tell him and he'll have to believe me. It's that simple.” She reached out and squeezed Courtney's hand. “If he doesn't believe either of us about the tattoo, then he wasn't worth it to begin with.”
    “Maybe not, but it's not like I can get a job anywhere else,” Courtney said. “And Nik's hardly going to give me a reference.”
    “That's not going to matter soon,” Janet said. “Soon you'll be in medical school and then you can start working at your dream job. If push comes to shove, you can move in with me. You'll get through it.”
    Courtney smiled. “Thanks, Jan,” she said.
    “Now go in there, and make sure the bastard knows what he would be giving up if he fired you,” she said.
    “If I don't come out in twenty minutes, you can leave,” Courtney said. “But there's a good chance I'll be coming out with all my things.”
    Janet nodded. “Good luck,” she called as Courtney got out of