Mariah waited until the older woman disappeared inside the house. She pulled out a picture and handed it to Debra. “Hi. Do you remember her?”
“Yeah. What happened to her?”
“She died a few weeks ago.”
Debra eyebrows jerked up in surprise and sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
Mariah nodded. “Thank you.”
“I guess he got her. She was so pretty. Made me wonder why somebody who looked like her would rent a place like that.”
Mariah surveyed the younger woman. “What?”
“She said she was running from her crazy ex.” Debra frowned. “That’s why she paid the full lease in cash, upfront. Ma usually checks out the tenants in person, but she had just got out of the hospital. We needed the money for her medication, since her insurance wouldn’t cover it. Sinclair was the only person interested at the time, so we rented to her, or else I’d have done a credit and background check.”
“May I see the place? She might’ve left some things there.”
“Sure. Let me grab the keys. You can follow me.”
#
Debra unlocked the door, pushing it open. She stepped back, handing Mariah the key.
“Thanks.”
“Sure. Just bring back the key.” Debra got in the Dodge and drove off.
Mariah entered the house, closing the door behind her. Her eyes darted around the room in frustration. “Why this, Allegra?” she asked aloud, not really expecting an answer in return.
The whole place was dreary beige and the dull carpet was ragged in most spots. Closed, dusty blinds shrouded the place. The living room was furnished. A couch of unspecified color and a small table were the only items in it. Mariah looked down at her feet and when she saw a fat, black water bug sauntering toward her, a scream welled up in her throat, but she caught herself in time and danced out of its path.
As soon as she returned to Allegra’s, Mariah told Solé about Allegra’s secret hideaway. Solé nearly dropped the phone.
“First, this engraved bracelet from a secret lover, then the probability that she was seeing a married man, now this. The stuff I found in her room…this would break Mom and Gran D’s hearts.” Mariah sat back on Allegra’s couch, catching her pinky nail between her teeth. She shook her head in dismay and curled her legs underneath. “She had a great job, a huge bank account, great credit and lived in one of the best neighborhoods in Raleigh, but she stripped on the side. Her need for attention was worse than I thought.”
#
Meanwhile, Anthony was chomping at the bit because he hadn’t heard from Mariah. But then, he hadn’t called her, either. He wanted to give her space and time before he just showed up at her door. But it was hard.
And getting harder.
#
You’re the questioner, the investigator.
Allegra’s words kept hammering at Mariah, until an idea took root and she turned on Allegra’s laptop, only to discover that it had password protection. “Of course,” she muttered, slamming a hand down on the desk. After a few moments, Mariah settled back in the chair, her pinky nail between her teeth, her eyes narrow as she tried to think. She typed in two things that might be relevant to Allegra, but was unsuccessful.
Mariah closed her eyes in prayer and typed in “Chocolate Princes” because the computer wouldn’t let her type the last “S.” The password screen disappeared and she breathed a sigh of thanks.
Mariah performed an Internet search of gentlemen’s clubs within several miles of Allegra’s secret hideout, and found two. When she was finished, she called Kevin.
“Hey. Gran D told me you were back. I meant to call but–”
“Don’t worry about it. Listen, I need a favor. Can I have access to your garage tomorrow night? I need to use my father’s car.”
#
The blue sky of the day had slipped and entwined with the red, pink and indigo of night, triggering the parking lot lamps into automatic illumination. Mariah parked a dark green Ford Taurus in a spot that wasn’t too far from a parking lot lamp or too close to the building. She needed some form of anonymity.
When she’d asked Kevin for access to his garage so she could use her father’s car, he didn’t ask for a reason and she didn’t offer one. Mariah remembered Kevin telling her that Allegra had asked him to keep their father’s car after her birthday. Then, like now, he didn’t ask any questions. Mariah found that strange, but she couldn’t focus on that right now.
Anxiety churned through her as she watched two men enter the place. Sometimes, shady or downright dangerous characters frequented this type of establishment, and Mariah would’ve been a fool not to be a little nervous. That’s why she borrowed her father’s car. She didn’t want anyone to see her license plate.
The brick building was one level with two columns, giving it the impression of class. Large, bright gold letters outlined in black hung across the upper portion of the club. At least the owners had the foresight to avoid blinking letters.
She stopped at The Hot Spot first and encountered a burly man with a bald head and razor-sharp eyes at the front door. He wasn’t friendly or hostile, but when she showed him Allegra’s picture, he told her Allegra wasn’t one of his girls.
That left Golden fingers.
Mariah shut off the ignition, looking around. Customers weren’t lined up around the corner, but given a little time, they would be. She had to do this fast. When Mariah stepped out of the car and locked it, the night air was so thick it felt like she was breathing in soup. She arrived early enough so that the place wouldn’t be packed and the women might have time to talk. Her feet ate up the distance between her car and the front door. Head up, shoulders back.
The two men outside were the valet, dressed in black pants and gold shirts, and a security guard, another brawny man, dressed in all black. This one had a buzz cut, probably ex-military.
“Yeah?” His eyes roamed over her figure. “Lookin’ for work?”
There are looks and then there are looks. Mariah girded herself with resolve even as she fought a wave of irritation. “No. I don’t have the body for it. I’m looking for a woman.”
One corner of his mouth twisted upward. “Oh, it’s like that.”
Mariah stifled a nervous laugh.
The man jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Only women allowed in here are employees…and cops.”
Mariah took a deep breath and fought down a gush of disappointment. Of course. The club couldn’t risk angry wives or girlfriends tearing down the place. “Do you know her?” She pulled out a picture of Allegra.
“No. Ask one of them.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of three women coming toward them.
“Excuse me, do you know her?” She held up Allegra’s picture as she advanced, but two of the women shook their heads without stopping. Mariah approached the third person, a woman with long legs, short black hair and the breasts the size of melons. “Excuse me, do you know her?”
The woman stopped and looked at the picture. Light eyes narrowed. “What’s it worth to you?”
Mariah almost gave in to the urge to sigh. She dug in her purse for a twenty-dollar bill and handed it over. The woman took it, folding the money twice and placing it between her remarkable cleavage. “Looks like Divine. Haven’t seen her around in a while. It’s like she dropped off the planet, ya know what I mean?”
“When did you last see her?”
“What? She’s missing or something?”
“Let’s just say she’s gone underground,” Mariah hedged, flinching at her choice of words.
The woman shrugged. “She only worked every other Friday and Saturday night. I always fixed her a Bacardi and ginger ale in her downtime,” she said, revealing that she was the bartender. “She was one of the bigger attractions. I know she had a few regulars. Wouldn’t be surprised if she had a few stalkers, too.”
“What about her ‘regulars’?”
The bartender was about to answer when a lean man of average height ex
ited the club. They watched him light a cigarette and then walk to his car. Mariah saw him watching them as he rested against the hood. He stared at them, and she figured the bartender’s gigantic breasts held his attention, not her.
The woman paused, looked around. “Only two,” she replied. “Diablo and Milburn Jennings. Milburn made her laugh.”
“Why?”
“Because he looks like his name, boring, skinny with a big, brown patch on his cheek, like a birthmark. He’s a nerd with glasses and shy, not the type of guy that women want to sleep with or pay attention to, ya know what I mean? He’s probably never gotten laid, and if he has, I bet he’s paid for it. Divine called Milburn pathetic.”
#
Milburn Jennings strove for that out-of-reach climax, visions of her behind his eyelids, burning images in his brain. He shivered, hungry from the image of her mouth on his, her body surrounding him.
He growled before he convulsed and collapsed on top of his companion. Sweat poured down his temples and thin chest, which heaved with exertion. When he caught his breath, he rolled onto his back.
“That was great, baby,” his companion whispered between breaths, checking the crown of her head for knots, wincing when she found a tender spot. She should’ve brought a helmet. “You were a beast.” He called her by a different name, not the fake one she used to identify herself. Her shoulders lifted in a dismissive shrug. Whatever. He could call her One-Eyed Sally as long as he paid well for the privilege. The woman got up and got dressed. Her silicon-implanted breasts were shiny with perspiration.
The man’s gaze traveled down, then up the call girl’s body. He scratched his chest. “Will I see you again?”
“You know who to call.” Since he’d already paid her a grand, there was nothing to wait for. She nodded and walked out.
#
Divine called Milburn pathetic.
Mariah let the bartender’s words about Allegra’s attitude toward Milburn sink in. Allegra didn’t have much sympathy for people who weren’t like her. “What about Diablo?”
“Divine acted like it was nothing, but Diablo…that’s one dude I wouldn’t mess with.”
Mariah’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“He’s good-looking in a scary kind of way, ya know what I mean? He’s a big dude with a droopy eyelid, looks like he’s a Spanish mix. He’s been locked up. He caused some trouble one night over Divine.”
“How do you know Diablo was in prison? What happened with Divine?”
“I think Diablo got obsessed with Divine –” she started, but her face clouded with uneasiness and she stopped speaking. Just as the bartender mentioned Diablo and Divine in the same sentence, the man who stared at them while he smoked his cigarette passed by them. Strangely enough, he didn’t spare the women a glance. When he entered the club, the bartender leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Lots of guys I grew up with went to the slammer. They come out with a different walk, a different look in their eyes. Anyway, Diablo got too possessive of Divine one night and couldn’t come back for a few weeks.” The woman’s eyes darted around the parking lot again. Then she looked down at her watch. “Gotta go. My shift starts in a half.”
#
“Yo.”
Diablo, his elbows resting on the table, looked over his shoulder at the man lowering himself into the chair next to him. “Yo,” he answered with a nod.
The man held up a ten-dollar bill and gestured for a beer. The closest female, short redhead with medium-sized boobs, took his money and sashayed away. When she was out of his line of sight, the man said, “When I stepped outside for a smoke, I heard these two chicks talking about you.”
The air around Diablo crackled, even though he didn’t move. “For real?”
“Yeah.” Diablo’s cousin studied him. He knew not to tap Diablo on the shoulder when he was behind him, even in a public place like this, because Diablo had been locked up. Before prison, Diablo had never been the type to want affection, even when they were kids. He considered himself Diablo’s closest and only long-term relationship. Diablo did, too, because he’d always been a bit of a loner, thanks to his aunt, Diablo’s mother. She always had to have a man, and some of them treated Diablo worse than an animal.
No wonder he hated women.
#
As far as Diablo was concerned, females were only good for sex, money and violence. So when his cousin told him that some chicks were talking about him, rage burned a hole in his chest. His mother talked bad about him a lot, too. “What do they look like?”
“It’s the bartender – the one with black hair and a big rack – and some other female with short hair and a big butt. I heard your name and Divine’s, too. I think you’d better watch your back.” The redhead woman brought his beer and he thanked her with a wink and an irresistibly devastating grin.
She smiled back and turned away.
His smile faded a little when he looked at Diablo. He knew his cousin had a thing for Divine. He was here when Diablo got thrown out of the club. “Haven’t seen Divine in a while. I wonder what’s up with that?”
Diablo shrugged and took a swig of the beer that was on the table, but his eyes blazed hazel fire. He rose to his feet, an impressive height of six-three, two-hundred twenty pounds.
As his cousin watched Diablo walk away, an ominous feeling settled in his gut. He downed half his beer in three gulps and slammed the bottle on the table. He wasn’t staying here long. Whatever Diablo had planned; he didn’t want to know.
#
With a tremor in her gut, Mariah watched the bartender disappear inside. She turned to go back to her car, only to collide with a hard, male chest. An apology brushed her lips when her eyes climbed to the man’s face.
Kevin’s face.
Chapter 10
Mariah’s mouth dropped open, as did Kevin’s.
His right eye twitched. “So this is why you wanted to borrow the car. What are you doing here, Mariah?”
“Well, I don’t need to ask why you’re here,” she deflected, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
He put his hand on her elbow in a protective gesture, pulling her further to the side, out of the way of incoming patrons. “You didn’t answer my question,” he insisted with impatience.
Mariah would have barked back at Kevin if she didn’t know that his frustration stemmed from concern for her. When they reached her father’s car, she turned to face her cousin. “I showed the bartender Allegra’s picture. She said her stage name was Divine. Did you ever see her?”
Kevin’s eye twitched again, and sick realization slammed into Mariah.
#
Diablo walked across the parking lot until he reached his late model car, the one his cousin helped him buy. He got in, sat down and lit a cigarette. Taking a big pull, he rolled down the driver’s side window and slowly exhaled.
Smoke wafted sideways and upwards into the air. He squinted as he looked through the windshield, zeroing in on the woman in a blue T-shirt and denim shorts. She was talking to a brawny, light-skinned dude. From what he could see, she had a nice butt and hips, but she wasn’t a hottie like Divine.
As he watched the duo, Diablo’s memory of Divine was pure and clear, how she teased the men and popped her butt whenever she performed. She worked on weekends, but not every weekend. He knew this because he asked around the first time he saw her. He was banned from the club for three weeks after she gave him a dance and he tried to touch her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t pass the time at the motel next door.
He pulled his car into a parking spot, one that had a good view of Golden Fingers’ front door. Diablo bought some snacks from the vending machine so that he wouldn’t arouse suspicion, got back in his car and waited for Divine to come out.
Divine didn’t leave the club until nearly an hour after he got thrown out. The slut probably had kids and a husband at home.
Whoever her husband was, he was an idiot. If Divine belonged to him, she’d know better than to let another dude see
her topless. His eyes sharpened and he sat up straight in the front seat when he saw Divine exit the club. She’d changed her clothes, but he knew her anywhere.
When she got in her car, he started his ignition…
#
Across the parking lot, Mariah was trying to pull answers out of Kevin, but he was giving her a hard time. “Kevin, when did you see Allegra here?” When he didn’t answer right away, Mariah snapped. “Kevin.”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “A few days after her birthday, before she asked me to keep the car. This is my first time back since that night. I was sitting at one of the tables and she was giving a show. I didn’t recognize her at first because of the makeup and the wig, but then she gave a guy at the next table a lap dance. He was light-skinned, and I think he was Latino. He was big and he looked like he’d been in prison. While she danced for him, he got rowdy and tried to touch her. Security tossed him out. When I saw her up close, I knew it was her and when I approached her, she almost stopped smiling. But you know Allegra. She could adapt to any situation. She pretended not to know me, asked if I wanted a dance. I said no, like she knew I would, and left.”
Mariah halted for a moment. “Allegra rented a secret house.”
Kevin’s eyebrows rose in amazement. “What? Where?”
“Some hovel near Wake Med.”
Kevin squinted. “Do you plan on talking to Anthony any time soon?”
Mariah stiffened at the abrupt shift in topic. “No. Why?”
“He’d hit the roof if he knew what you were doing.”
“What I do isn’t his concern, and his feelings aren’t my problem.”
#
Diablo shook off the recollection of Divine and refocused his attention.
After a few minutes, the light-skinned man went inside the club and the woman got in a car. He blinked.
Divine’s car.
Diablo’s eyes became menacing slits as he tossed his cigarette out the window and turned on his ignition.
If the nosy chick wanted to know about him, then he’d give her some answers, whether she wanted them or not.
#
As Mariah drove down the middle lane of I-440, a cloud of unrest engulfed her. That strip club atmosphere is playing with my head.
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