by Natalie Dean
Pulling up the map she had made earlier in her home, she went through his pictures and crossed out all of the places that he’d already visited, and then looked at what was left and still open and appealed to his hedonistic but bougie side.
Surprisingly, not a whole lot. There were plenty of dives, but she knew Bryant wouldn’t tolerate something like that. She could tell from his reaction to her place that he was used to the finer things in life, even if he had tried to contain it.
There was one club left, four bars, a dance hall, and two gentleman’s clubs.
Huh. That was far too much for her to investigate in one night. She needed to narrow it down. She could just wait for him to post on social media, but then he might already be moving on to a new place and she would miss him.
She needed to think. If only she had one more clue, one more iota of information that would get her there.
She puzzled it over, trying to think, before an idea came to her.
If she needed another clue, why not just ask for it?
No. That couldn’t work. Could it?
She supposed there was only one way to find out.
Exiting out of the internet on her phone, she pulled up her contacts and dialed out. It rang once. Then twice. Then right before the third ring, the call was accepted.
“Keiko?” Bryant asked, slurring the word and utterly drenching it in confusion.
She let out a long breath. “Hey, Bryant. Can we talk?”
“You don’t wanna talk ta me. I’ve been told I’m bad for you. I’m supposed to leave you alone.”
His words made her heart sink, but she pushed through it, trying to pick up noises in the background. She could hear thumping, sexy music, but that didn’t eliminate much.
“Why do you think that, Bryant?”
“Cause everybody tells me so!”
He was definitely drunk off his behind again, and he already sounded pretty upset. She felt like she didn’t have much time before he hung up.
“What about you?”
“What?”
“Do you tell yourself those things? Do you believe that you’re bad for me?”
He was quiet a moment, as if he was trying to understand. “You’re a good person, Keiko.”
Oh, she hadn’t quite been expecting that. “Thank you, Bryant.”
“But… but I’m not so sure if I am.”
A woman’s voice cut in before Keiko could answer. “Honey, who ya talking to there? Are they making you upset? Come on, let Rosie cheer you up.”
“Is… issa friend. I think. Keiko, are you my friend?”
“I think we could be, Bryant.”
A female voice spoke in the background, “Well, honey, I’m your friend right here. Why don’t you give me that phone and let me dance for you?”
The line clicked off, and Keiko was left with a mess of unsaid words in her mouth. She sat there a moment, looking at her phone.
Bryant had sounded so hurt. She hated it. Her heart squeezed painfully, but she had to tuck those emotions away. She needed to focus on finding Bryant and getting him somewhere that he could recover. She knew better than most that environment made a huge impact on mental health.
All right, he had definitely been talking to a dancer, so that meant a gentleman’s club. There were just two of them, so she had a fifty-fifty shot. However, she had a way of maybe improving her chances.
Going back to the internet on her phone, she looked up the number of the closest one and called them right up.
“Klassic Kitty Kat, what’cha need?”
Keiko forced herself to smile brightly and affect a more valley accent. “Oh, hiya! It’s my boyfriend’s birthday so I wanna take him out as a treat. He loves this dancer named Rosie. Is she on shift right now?”
Keiko wasn’t naïve enough to think that there was only one Rosie in the town, so she was hedging her bets on hoping that they wouldn’t be working at the same time.
“Rosie? Naw, sorry doll, she hurt her ankle and is out for the week. But we’ve got other girls I guarantee you’re gonna love.”
Keiko grimaced at that. “Aww, what a bummer. Well, I’m sure he’ll still have lots of fun. Toodles!”
Toodles? Geez, that was bad, even for her.
Oh well. At least now she knew. Looking up the other club, she punched the address into her GPS and peeled out of the parking lot.
She had a friend to save and not a second to waste.
It was hard not to think that God was looking out for her at least a little when not a single cop pulled her over. While she wasn’t speeding dangerously, she definitely was going above the limit.
But she couldn’t help it. She needed to get to Bryant as soon as possible. There was too much of a chance that he would move on and then who knew if she would be able to find him.
Still, as determined as she was, that didn’t mean that she didn’t waver when she pulled into the parking lot of what was most unmistakably a gentleman’s club.
Ugh.
While there was nothing inherently sinful about nudity, there was something definitely predatory about most establishments involving exotic dancing. Between customers who got away with too much, owners charging astronomical “rent” for dancers, abuse of how long workers were scheduled and other workplace protections, there was approximately zero things she appreciated about places like the one in front of her.
But still, a friend was in trouble, so she was going to do what she had to.
Striding in, she kept her eyes straight ahead. She knew that she didn’t look like she fit in at all, but she didn’t care. She was on a mission.
Unfortunately, her mission meant she needed to look around.
Keeping her eyes off the stage, she scanned the audience. It was still relatively early for a gentleman’s club, so there weren’t a ton of people there. That made it easier for her, but she wasn’t able to spot Bryant anyway.
Oh dear, had he already left?
Well, if she wanted to find out, she needed to talk to the last person who had seen him.
Heading over to the bar, she waved down the bartender. “Hey, which girl here is Rosie?”
The man regarded her, his eyes narrowed like he was sizing her up, but she didn’t relent. “Look, lady, if your husband is cheating on you, that’s your business to take care of at home.”
Keiko shook her head. “No, nothing like that. My boyfriend’s drunk off his butt and he likes to get both lost and mugged when that happens. He usually will visit Rosie if he comes here, so I’m really hoping she saw him and knows when he left.”
He was still looking at her dubiously, and she had to wonder how many broken marriages ended up in spats in this illustrious place of business.
“Come on, look at me, I’m a twig. I’m not gonna make any trouble.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned on this job, it’s never to underestimate the strength of a pissed off woman.”
“Please, man, I’m begging ya.”
Thankfully, he relented. “She just went to the bathroom. Should be out in a few minutes. Red hair, real big on top of her head, pink little dress. You can’t miss her.”
“Thank you so much!” Keiko pulled a twenty from her purse and slapped it on the counter. “Stay safe now!”
Quickly, she hurried over to the bathrooms, trying to stand casually outside of them. She didn’t have to wait long before someone who could only be Rosie came out.
“Hey, pardon me—”
“Listen, lady, if your man’s here, that’s your problem, not mine. I don’t interview everybody, bad for business.”
“No, no, nobody is cheating. I just, I think my friend was just in here with you, and I was wondering if you saw whether he left or had an idea where he went to?”
Rosie’s green eyes narrowed as she seemed to put two and two together. “Oh, it’s you. The phone lady.”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“You know, you did a real number on that guy. I’ve seen him a few
times and he didn’t seem like the crying type, but after you called, I thought he was gonna break down. Whatever you are, he doesn’t need you in his life.”
She went to walk off, but Keiko quickly darted in front of her. “Hold on, I don’t think you understand. Look, Bryant is dealing with a lot and I—”
“Yeah, yeah, you want to save him. I know your type. All buttoned up and holy, coming in here and telling everyone we’re going to hell for just trying to provide for ourselves. He doesn’t need somebody like you in his life.”
Keiko’s heart squeezed again. She could hear the hurt and anger layering Rosie’s voice and could only imagine the terrible interactions she’s had to form that opinion.
“You’re right,” she said quickly, which seemed to surprise Rosie long enough to keep her from walking away. “Bryant doesn’t need any of that. I just want to get him someplace safe and let him recover until he’s back to his normal self.”
“Yeah, and I’m Mother Theresa.”
Keiko took a deep breath, centering herself. It was clear that if she wanted to get to Bryant, she needed to make up for a whole lot of Christians who hadn’t acted in a very Christ-like way.
“Look, Rosie, I understand why you don’t trust me. I’m sure people like me have come in here and made all sorts of judgments about you. Told you things that were hateful and shaming and all sorts of bad stuff.
“But they were wrong. I apologize for every single one of them.”
Rosie actually did look completely blindsided by that, staring at her in confusion. “You’re trying to trick me.”
“No, sister, I am not. A lot of people come to the church for bad reasons. They’re looking for power, or a way to be better than everyone else. And then they come and pass judgment on people who dare to act how they don’t approve.
“It is only God’s place to judge. None of us are holy or equipped. Our only job is to present you with the tools you need to come to your own decision, and all the love you need to flourish.”
“Yeah, then why don’t I usually feel loved by your lot protesting outside my place of work?”
“Because a lot of people have lost the message. The second greatest commandment of all is to love our neighbors like ourselves. You are worthy of love and respect, and anyone treating you otherwise is doing wrong. It is not our place to tell anyone that they’re going to hell or damnation, and to put a stumbling stone in your path is literally going against the grace of God. You are beautifully and wonderfully made, Rosie. I would love to help you find other employment, but I do not pretend to understand your situation better than you.”
“But…” Rosie’s lip wobbled.
Keiko wished she could face off against all the Christians who had hurt her so before. That was the opposite of their call, spitting in the face of everything Jesus taught.
“I… I take off my clothes for a living. Aren’t you supposed to call me a whore, or a Jezebel? I’ve heard some pretty creative ones.”
“No, no insults here. Have you heard the story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair?”
“Uh, no, I’ve never been much of one for the Bible.”
“Well, the gospel of Luke never names her, but she was believed to be either an adulterer or a prostitute. You see, in their culture, the washing of someone’s feet was a very important and intimate act. One of hospitality and respect. So, when this woman came forward to wash Jesus’ feet after his long travels, several men tried to stop her. They told her she wasn’t worthy. But then Jesus told them to leave her be and let her wash his feet.
“He accepted her touch as something good. Something pure. He knew that what she did was not a reason to condemn her, but to open his arms wide and let her in. Another time, he saved a woman who was going to be stoned to death for cheating on her husband. Over and over again, he proved that hate and punishment was not the way of God and that anyone can find holiness through him.”
“How… how come I’ve never heard stories like that before?”
“Because few Christians actually read the Bible. You know, if you’d like to talk about this another time, I’d be happy to give you my number and we can chat one-on-one. I just really need to find Bryant right now.”
Keiko reached into her purse and pulled out a sticky note, scribbling down her info as fast as she could to hand it to Rosie, who still looked absolutely flabbergasted.
“Really, you’re just handing me over your number just like that? You want to hang out with me, a stripper?”
“You’re a human and a sister, Rosie. Exotic dancing is just currently your occupation. Your job doesn’t define you.”
Rosie shook her head and sniffled, breathing in sharply through her nose which Keiko knew from experience did a good job of drying out tears. “No wonder he was going on and on about you. You’re something else, phone lady.”
“You know, I’ve heard that before, but it usually isn’t a compliment.”
She let out the slightest of chuckles at that. “Come on, I put him in a side room because he really was a mess. Follow me.”
Her brain flooded with relief, and she quickly trailed after Rosie as she led her toward the back and to the side. She only briefly thought that this might be a trick before she was ushered into a small room with neon lighting and a plasticky looking couch.
“There he is. You should definitely get some water into him. I’ve never seen him like this.”
Keiko followed her pointed figure to see that Bryant was actually laying across the piece of furniture, a thin blanket over him and a trash can right beside where his head was resting.
“Can you get him out on your own?”
She thought back to the time she’d had to haul him up into her apartment. “I wouldn’t say no to a helping hand.”
Rosie nodded. “I’ll go get a bouncer. Wait here.”
Like she would go anywhere else. While she was happy she came to help her friend, and she was glad that she had been able to talk to Rosie and extend an olive branch, as it were, she still wasn’t comfortable in spots like this. There was too much lust and predatory behavior for her to ever really let her guard down.
Thankfully, Rosie returned quickly, a large man behind her. “This is my new friend. Can you help her out?”
“Yeah, no problem. Go get Jersey on the door.”
“Aye-aye, Cap’n.” Rosie looked to Keiko, her eyebrows raised. “You really okay with talking to me later?”
“Of course,” Keiko answered quickly. “I meant every word I said, Rosie.”
“…thanks. I’ll see you around.”
And with that she was gone, leaving Keiko with the bouncer.
He didn’t say much, just tipped his head to her before throwing Bryant over his shoulder. The youngest Miller let out a groan and grumbled to leave his bed alone, but otherwise didn’t try to fight his movement.
“Make sure he drinks plenty of water and lay him down on his side. I’ve never seen him like this before.”
“You recognize him too?” She had had no idea that Bryant liked to visit this particular city often enough to have even the bouncers know his habits.
“Of course. I never met a guy who could have whoever he wanted but was still so lonely. It’s real sad. I gotta say, I’m happy to see he has someone like you. Most nights he only leaves with whatever business or industry folks he brings here and no one else. He needs someone outside of that world.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to get that.”
“You be safe now, Miss. I appreciate you not making a scene.”
She nodded and slid into the driver’s seat. It was going to be a long ride home, but she was ready to do it and get him to her apartment so she could take care of him.
The drive was easy enough at first. She stopped back at the same gas station, bought herself a caffeine-heavy soda, topped off her tank and put the pedal to the metal. She turned her radio up, humming along to the tunes just to keep her mind from spinning off into a spiral. It would do he
r no good to work herself into a tizzy when she would need to conserve her energy for when she got home.
“I’m moving.”
Startled, she looked over to see that Bryant was awake and looking blearily out the window.
“How am I moving?”
“Hey, Bryant, it’s me, Keiko. I came to get you. Your brother was really worried about you.”
“No, he’s not,” he murmured with a sigh, letting his head roll back.
Keiko allowed herself a moment to drink him in with her peripheral vision. He really was a handsome man. His jaw was sharp and squared with high cheekbones that made his intense eyes stand out. His hair was thick, and slightly curly, making him look on just the right side of perfectly tousled.
But more importantly, all that pain she had only glimpsed at before was written across his features as blazing as the sun.
“He is. He’s the one who asked me to come get you. He’s your family.”
“My family doesn’t care ’bout me. I’m a bad person. A blot on their pretty little tapestry. They prolly just wish I’d disappear. Do them all a favor and just”—he made a small popping gesture with one of his hands—“poof.”
“That’s not true, you know that.”
“You dun know anything,” he answered, leaning against the door. “You weren’t there.”
“I know enough, Bryant. And I know that they’ve gone about things in a way that wasn’t always best. But I also know that you love them, and they love you. We can work this out.”
He made a sound of disagreement and sank down further into his seat.
“You must think m’pathetic.”
“No,” she answered as honestly as she could. “I just think you’re very sick and you need some help. Some support.”
He grunted and fell quiet. Risking a glance over to him, Keiko saw that he was solidly asleep.
Well, that was probably for the better. It would give her more time to think, to come up with a plan for what to do and how to get Bryant to talk to his siblings and his siblings to actually listen.