Free Cervena by Louise Lyons Page B

always. I sifted through the junk, but the only e-mail I had that I bothered reading was from Pavel. Curious, I opened it immediately. He’d gone to the trouble of writing in English.
    Dear Joel, I am very sorry to send you this letter. I do not wish to bother you while you are spending time with your family, but I have to tell you that I am leaving Červenà for another position.
    I gaped at the screen. Pavel had been with us since the very first night the club opened. I read on.
    Please know that I have enjoyed working for you very much. But I am not liking my work now. I do not know if you will come back in the future. But Karel has made changes I do not like. I know he is your friend, but perhaps you should make sure he is doing what you want if you are still involved with the club. Please do not be angry with me for telling you.
    I wish you very well and I am very sorry about your mother.
    Sincerely, Pavel.
    “Fuck,” I muttered. “What the fuck is going on over there?”
    I searched for the club’s website, wondering how I could have spent two months in London without doing anything other than a brief check with Karel every week. What the hell could he have changed that would send my loyal bar manager to another job? Why hadn’t Pavel contacted me sooner? It sounded like he thought I might not return at all. I scowled at the computer. If he thought that, what about the others? What could Karel have done or said?
    The website came up, its home page the same as always, except for one glaring bright orange announcement at the bottom.
    The Full Monty , printed in both English and Czech. Beneath it was a picture of Tomáš on the podium, photographed from the side to show he was completely naked, and with a computer graphic over his privates. A crowd of excited men surrounded him and at least a dozen hands were on his body.
    “You bastard, Karel.” The club had always had one of the best reputations in Europe for being sexy but not seedy. Maybe I was old-fashioned and a little prudish, but naked dancers being groped by anyone who wanted a try wasn’t what I’d signed up for.
    I clicked onto an airline website and found the first available flight. Due to ice on the runway, some flights the day before had been cancelled, meaning almost everything was booked up. I managed to secure a first-class seat late in the evening, but it would have to do. With that arranged, I logged into Červenà’s bank account. I hadn’t checked it once while I’d been away. Why would I need to, when I trusted my friend and partner to take care of everything? He was less diligent than I, but he’d kept on top of it and there’d never been a problem in the past.
    I blinked when the balance came into view. The account held forty thousand korunas—only a little over a thousand pounds. Before I’d left Prague the total had been in excess of ten million korunas.
    “Fuck!” Tapping into the most recent statement, I stared in disbelief at the list of cash withdrawals—huge sums taken out in the main branch of our bank. What the hell could Karel have done with ten million in less than two months? When I searched back through the previous statement, I noted the December and January salaries had been paid, and of course I knew I’d received mine, but nothing extra had left the bank for the employees. Karel hadn’t paid their bonuses after all.
    I snatched up my cell phone and found his number in the contacts, but paused before I called him. Whatever he was up to, I’d do better to confront him face to face. He didn’t know I was going back this weekend. One of my next tasks would have been to e-mail him and let him know I’d be at the club before closing, but I’d seen Pavel’s message first. I put my phone down again. I’d be better off surprising Karel. That way I could see for myself exactly what was happening at Červenà before he had the chance to do anything about it. It stunned me that he apparently thought I wouldn’t