Toby’s shoulders shook, and the music was too loud to hear his laugh, but I knew it was a good one. “Stop! I mean, yeah, he likes sex, which there is nothing wrong with, but maybe he’s waiting for you to finally say yes?”
I rolled my eyes, about to answer that ridiculous comment, when Atlas’s voice boomed from the stage.
“Are we having a good time?” he said into a golden microphone. He wore a purple glittering suit that shone brilliantly against his dark skin. His braids were half-up, and from here I could see his bright smile.
Toby had lost all interest in me and was staring at his man on stage, who was owning the room that was cheering and loving him.
“I’m looking for some dancers to do a Disco Dance-off up here on the stage. Do we have any volunteers?”
That was my cue to slip back and wait. I’d grab a drink after the dancers were picked. While Max made the best martinis, I circled the other way to avoid him. When Atlas had his dancers, I slipped between two people and saw Shane.
“Hey, what can I get you?” he asked. I ordered another strawberry martini, sipping it the second he handed it to me. Not as good as Max’s but it would suffice. I dropped another ten on the bar and moved to where I could see the dancers compete.
I chuckled into my drink as I watched some seriously awful disco moves, but the whole place was wildly entertained. This was why I loved Joker’s Sin—there was nowhere else like it. You left your burdens at the door, becoming whatever it was you wanted to be as you crossed the threshold. In my case, it was Sparkles.
With an early class in the morning, I said good night to Toby shortly before closing, and Ciro, who was in charge of security for Joker’s Sin, saw me to my car like the perfect gentleman. I drove home knowing I would get the four hours of sleep I needed to at least be partially human when I arrived at my studio in the morning.
Ashley’s Haven was my dance studio. A dream come true that opened up two years ago. I wasn’t sure how successful it would be, but it turned out there were no other studios with such diverse classes. I taught dancing, ranging from parent-and-me classes to classes for the elderly. I found the elderly and the parents with infants and toddlers liked their classes in the morning, with afternoon and early evenings preferred by teenagers and couples.
At first it was just me running it by myself. I did registration, teaching—all of it. After about eight months, I was stressed. That was when I hired another teacher, Alexandra, and a few months after that, an assistant to help us keep things organized. Nolan was a lifesaver, and between the three of us, Ashley’s Haven was a well-oiled, fun, highly sought-after studio.
I’d just finished getting my tap shoes on when the door opened, and my first class began to stride in. This was the three- and four-year-old class, and originally Alexandra had taught it, but after one too many headaches due to nonstop tapping, I took over.
“Good morning, my little tap-dancing terrors, how are you today?” I stood with a smile, loving how the moms and dads laughed. They knew this class was more about trying to get these kids to gain some discipline while expelling energy than it was about creating future Rockettes.
The next few minutes were chaos while parents got their kids’ tap shoes on. They all stood in their spots and waited. I knew what they were waiting for, and when the parents placed their hands on their ears, I smiled.
“Okay, kiddos, you have thirty seconds to…” I held up my hand, loving how they froze, eyes wide and waiting. “Tap it out.” At that, they went crazy with their dancing. Like a bunch of rabid, slightly drunk jumping beans. It never failed to crack me up.
The rest of the class was spent trying to get them to shuffle and at the same time, work on step-heel and heel-step. It didn’t go so well, but by the time the parents were packing them up, they were exhausted. I knew I’d worn them out, and some nice naps were in their future.
Not all my classes were silly and non-serious; I had a class later in the afternoon that was classic ballet and tonight, a salsa class. Like I said, we ran a very diverse studio. If you had something you wanted to learn, we had a way of teaching it. Alexandra and I had recitals coming up in the next few months, so those classes were at times more stressful, as dancers were trying their hardest to nail routines. But I loved what I did. Lord knew I’d sacrificed everything and sold my soul to the devil to get to where I was today.
Chapter Three
Max
The storage room at Joker’s Sin was like my lair. Since I ran the bar and controlled inventory, I had to not only know how much came in but where it was all located. There was an art to what I did. Barrels, bottles, cans, and anything else related to the bar were catalogued and controlled.
I’d always wanted to be a bartender. When I was growing up, my father had advised me to have a job that would be respectable. He used to tell people I’d be a lawyer because I argued all the time. When I got a science kit for Christmas one year, I found I loved mixing liquids and seeing what they did. So he thought I’d be a chemist or something. But when Teresa got a baking kit and I had my science stuff, I found I loved making tasty drinks. I told my dad one day I wanted to be a drink-maker for a living. He laughed and rolled his eyes.
Atlas gave me the luxury of inventing my own drinks, which I loved. I was not only a good bartender; I was the best. People often said I was conceited, but I was confident. I knew how to make unique drinks and after doing it for so long now, I never even had to measure. I knew every formula in my bones.
“I love working here, but I’m glad to be off for the next two days,” Shane said as he carried in a keg and placed it on the correct bottom shelf.
“You’ve been working your ass off—you deserve it.” I patted him on the back, and he shot me a shy smile. He’d once worked at Vick’s Tricks with Toby. Vick, the owner, had been a nasty man hellbent on destroying Atlas and Joker’s Sin.
Vick used Toby as an instrument to do it and when Vick pushed too far, Atlas pushed harder. In the end, Vick’s Tricks crumbled to the ground…literally, and a pissed-off mobster made Vick disappear and the nightmares end. Shane, needing a place to work, was hired here, and he fit perfectly with us. But whenever I complimented him on a job well done, it was like he wasn’t used to it. He was a good guy, so I made sure to always make him feel appreciated.
“What’re your plans on your days off?” We stepped out and I locked up the room.
“I wish I could say I would be sleeping, but I’m actually moving.”
I turned toward him, eyes wide in surprise. “You’re moving?”
His gray eyes sparkled, and under the fluorescent lights of the hallway, his red hair appeared brighter than usual. “Not far, just a better apartment. Working here, I’m able to afford a nicer place in a safer area.”
“Nice.” We walked back onto the floor of Joker’s Sin. It wasn’t open yet, and Shane was getting ready to leave for his time off. “You need any help?”
“Toby is helping, and his sister’s boyfriend, Desi, is too. I’m always open to more help if you’re free tomorrow or the next day.”
“Yeah, I’ll call you when I’m free, and you can tell me where to go. Did you ask Ledger?”
Shane’s eyes shifted over to the vacant stage, and his cheeks pinked. “No,” he whispered.
“Oh, well, I’ll see if he and Ciro have any time, and we can all get you settled.”
Shane nodded, thanking me as he grabbed his coat and headed out. I took the moment while it was quiet to wipe the bar down and make sure I had everything I needed for the night.
It was close to midnight, and things were running as smooth as ever, when two guys I’d never seen before stepped up to the bar. Now, it wasn’t strange to see unfamiliar faces. People passed through a lot, but what was odd was that they were dressed in suits—expensive suits. Mostly people wore clubbing outfits unless it was a themed night. Part of me wanted to call Ciro, using the earpiece we all had, and ask if he had info on them, but one of the guys started talking to me.
“Hey there, can we get two Heinekens?” I nodded, keeping a close eye on them as they scanned the club. I opened the fridge, pulled out two bottles, popped them open, and handed them over. One of them gave me a hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change,” he said with a smirk.
I had no chance to remark because they walked away. I pressed the button on my earpiece to talk to Ciro. “Hey, two guys in suits, what the hell?”
“I saw them. Kenny let ’em in; I got eyes on them inside.” Kenny was a new security guy, not bad but he didn’t understand so well what “out of place” looked like.
“Well, they gave me a hundred for two beers.”
“Yeah, okay, tell me if there’s anything else out of place. I’ll let Atlas and the others know.” I had very little time to dwell on the guys right then because the bar was crowded, and I had to work.
I didn’t see them again that night, and Ciro said they left after only being there for maybe an hour. Either way, they were on Ciro’s radar. After all the shit Vick put Joker’s Sin through, we didn’t ignore anything suspicious or out of place, and those guys were out of place. I hoped they were just passing through, and we were being overly paranoid—it was always possible.
I finished off for the night, and I caught up with Ciro as I was walking to my motorcycle.
“Kenny scanned their IDs, so I have them on file. Something about them doesn’t sit right with me,” Ciro said.
I didn’t know much about Ciro’s past, but he clearly wasn’t a man to be trifled with. He knew people—had connections—and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind he knew how to kill a man with his pinky and a cotton ball.
“Hopefully we’re being paranoid,” I said as I straddled my bike and grabbed my helmet. “Hey, before I go, Shane’s moving. Any chance you can help tomorrow?”
Ciro nodded. “Yeah, I can help in the morning.”
“Great, I’ll let him know and text you the info.” I started my bike, and Ciro walked to his car. All the way home I couldn’t get those guys out of my head. Why are they giving me such a bad feeling in my gut?
“Why’d you cut your hair?” Toby asked me as we carried boxes into Shane’s new apartment.
“My nephew.” I laughed thinking about it. “While I was watching him last week, he dropped his lollipop in my hair. Not easy to get out and by the time I did, it was a mess. So, I cut it.”
“Looks good, though.” Toby smiled as he set his box down.
“Thanks.”
Toby, Ciro, Desi, Shane, and I got mostly everything over to Shane’s new place before I had to get home, shower, and head to work. Ledger said he’d help the following day with Atlas, so I knew Shane would get settled in nicely.
There was no themed night tonight, so I threw on black jeans, a white shirt, and my leather coat. Simple was my go-to style. While I loved Sparkles’s fashion, I knew that was because he wore it, and I honestly couldn’t imagine him in anything that didn’t pop. I hadn’t seen him at the club last night, so hopefully he’d be there tonight. I was nothing if not stubborn. I wanted that man more than I wanted anyone else. I just didn’t understand so much the why.
It was a busy night—lots of people, lots of money, but again no Sparkles. Moments like this I wished he’d given me his number one of the million times I’d asked, just to make sure he was okay. He was usually here every night, so this felt strange to me. I knew Toby was friends with him, and I wondered if maybe he or Atlas could contact him and make sure he was okay.
Chapter Four
Lane
“Understanding what I refer to as ballet vocabulary is important. Why do you think that is?” I asked the ten ballet dancers who sat in a circle on the floor of my Ballet for Beginners class. “Yes?” I pointed to a girl named Jane.
“It’s easier for you to call out a word and us do it than to say something like twirl, jump, squat.” She giggled and we all laughed.
“That’s hugely why. If I say to you right now words like: pirouette, tour en l’air, plié, grande jeté, some or most of you won’t know what to do. Now…” I took a few steps back, assumed the position, and did a perfect tour en l’air.
“That was just jumping in the air,” Jane said.
“It was a tour en l’air. Which is French for ‘turn in the air.’ Now, when I use terms where I want you to go from one position to another to another, knowing the words will make it a heck of a lot faster and easier for you. It’s also all part of the art of dancing.”
They all smiled, and I loved the wonder of new dancers’ faces. The door opened, and their parents entered. “Okay, that’s it for today, I’ll see you all next time. Remember to practice the list of words to understand them better.”
I spoke to some parents for a little bit, Nolan was taking payments, and Alexandra was in the back changing for the last class of the day, when our landlord entered. It was midway through the month and I knew we’d paid our rent, so it was strange. But maybe there was a repair or something that Nolan contacted him about.
After the last dancer left, I walked over to Earl and smiled. “Hey, Earl, everything okay?”
“Hey, Lane. Any chance you have a moment to talk?” He appeared nervous, which in turn made me equally as nervous.
“Yeah, I’m actually done for the day. Alexandra has one more class, but we can go to my office and talk, if that’s all right?” He nodded and followed. I passed Alexandra as she came onto the main floor, her look of confusion mirroring how I felt.
When we were in the small office, I shut the door and turned toward Earl. “So, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know how to start off, so I’ll just kinda blurt it out. I’m retiring,” Earl said.
“Okay, that’s great. You said when we rented the place you hoped to retire while you could still enjoy life. What’s so horrible about that?”
Earl sighed. “A few months ago I put out some feelers, seeing if anyone would want to buy the building, or any of my buildings. I was trying to get a timeline, you know? See how long it would all take.” I nodded as he spoke, starting to feel uneasy. “Last month I got a call, said they’d checked the places out. Lane, the guy offered to buy them all.” Earl’s eyes widened, and his smile lit up his entire face. He looked younger than his seventy years.
“Wow, Earl, that’s…well, honestly, that’s sort of weird.” I didn’t mean to burst his bubble, but that was very strange and suspicious.
“I thought so too. So did Betty when I told her.” Betty was his wife and a spitfire. “So, I talked to my lawyer, and we did some research on the fella. He’s legitimate. He buys buildings, companies, all that.”
Now I was really worried. “Are you saying I have to shut down Ashley’s Haven and move?”
“No, oh no, no, Lane. Not at all. I was very careful. And the guy was so understanding. He’s like some billionaire or something, part of a huge corporation. He promised not to evict any of you. From any of my buildings.”
I knew the lease for Ashley’s Haven was up in two months and while the guy, whoever he was, may have agreed to not evict us, nothing stopped him from not renewing.
“What about when our lease is up in two months, Earl?”
He scooted forward in the chair. “I said that too. That a lot of you had leases coming up. In the agreement, he won’t evict anyone. And he won’t be turning the buildings into other things.”
How was Earl so naïve? “In that agreement does it say anything about raising the rent? And don’t you find all of this, every part of all this, odd? It’s like a dream come to life for you, Earl.”
“I know, kid, I do, but I did my research. Any place he’s ever bought, I spoke to people. He never raised rent and if he did, it was like a hundred more a month, nothing huge. He doesn’t seem scummy.” Earl released a weary sigh. “I’m tired, Lane. I want to spend the rest of my life with Betty just relaxing.”
I knew he was right, and I could see how this amazing deal dangling in front of his face was too good not to grab
. “Okay, Earl. I trust you.” It was whoever this other guy was that I didn’t trust. “Do we get to meet our new overlord?” I chuckled.
“Yes! He’s hosting a big dinner to meet everyone. He wants to make a good impression on all of you. I really think you’ll like him, Lane. He’s charming.”
Earl was like the father I never had, and for the last two years I’d rented the studio, he was always trying to hook me up with people.
“Well, just because he’s your Prince Charming and making your dreams come true doesn’t mean he’s mine. Besides, I’ve always been more into the bad boys.”
Earl shook his head. “Maybe that’s why you haven’t found ‘the one’ yet.”
“No, Earl. See, the bad boys are more honest. They openly wear their flaws. It’s the ones that cover their scars in Armani you have to worry about.”
Earl shrugged but let the conversation go. “I’ll leave the information about the dinner with Nolan. I’m sure you’ll all like him. He’s a good guy, Lane.”
“If you say so.” I walked him out and as I watched Alexandra teaching her class, the huge knot that started to form in my stomach while Earl was here turned into lead. I had a terrible feeling about this.
Alexandra, Nolan, and I spent the next few days reading our lease, talking to lawyers, doing everything we could to make sure we were safe. Sadly, we never got the answers we wanted. There was nothing stopping the new owner from not renewing unless he signed something contractual with Earl, which I doubted he did. And there was certainly nothing stopping the owner from raising our rent.
I made a stop at the bank on my way to the studio and asked to get into my safety deposit box. As I sat in the room, box open to the money that wasn’t truly mine, I thought about what I was going to do.
To Die For (Joker's Sin Book 2) Page 2