Married a Stripper

by M. S. Parker

  He turned and met my eyes, staring at me solemnly. “I don’t know how this will go, Piety. My work visa is only for a few more months and once that time comes, then what?”

  Yeah. I’d worried about that myself.

  Maybe Camry wasn’t worried about immigration and violating a bunch of laws – considering her student visa had been revoked when she'd dropped out of school and she hadn't done anything about it – but I knew her brother was a different creature altogether.

  “Fuck,” he muttered, tipping his head back and staring at the ceiling. “If it expires, and I have to go back while she’s still tangled up with Stefano, then what do I do?”

  I wanted to tell him about the deal with the DA but without Camry to testify against Stefano, they couldn’t do shit. But hopefully we’d figure it out. We had to. Right?

  But I had other, selfish reasons for wanting to tell him we'd be in this together. Reasons that had to do with needing him here with me. I had an important purchase to make soon. But I bit my lip, holding everything I was thinking back. This was about him and his sister right now. Everything else could wait a little while longer.

  Getting up from the couch, I went over and hugged him. “We’ll work it out.”

  Leaning against him, I focused on the sound of his heart beating and closed my eyes.

  He loosely looped his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head. “I’m glad you’re here, Piety.”

  “Right back at you.”

  I just wished I knew how long I'd have him.

  The sound of his phone ringing was like a death knell.

  It was almost noon, and all the things I thought we needed to get done had just never quite come together.

  Camry hadn’t called him.

  The calls I’d put in to Astra's cousin, Samuel, had yet to be returned.

  But now, as Kaleb's phone rang, the two of us stared at it, and I knew we both felt a strange kind of dread.

  He finally answered it right before it would have kicked over to voice mail.

  I knew from the expression on his face that the call was going to be…problematic.

  I listened to his side of the conversation, mostly monosyllabic, and his voice never changed inflection even once.

  When he finally disconnected, he moved over to the window and stared outside. “That was Camry,” he said tightly.

  “You don’t sound overly happy.”

  He laughed, but it was bitter and…broken. “It was just typical Camry. I’m meeting her in a little while.”

  I wanted to tell him it wasn’t a good idea, but I didn’t think there was any point in arguing with him. He had to do what he had to do. We’d come out here for this anyway. And with so much undecided between us, it wasn't my place.

  “Any chance she’s decided to leave Stefano and come back with you?”

  “Fat fucking chance.” Kaleb gave me a grim look, then went back to staring outside. “I…ah…she asked me to come alone. I should probably get going. It’s on the other side of town, and I’ll have to take a cab.”

  “I…” My throat was dry. I didn’t like the sound of this. Not at all.

  Panic began to chatter and screech inside me.

  I didn’t want him to see his sister alone. I didn’t want him leaving me period.

  What if…?

  My mouth went dry.

  I needed tell him.

  It was possible – not necessarily probable – but possible that I was pregnant. He wouldn’t take off alone to deal with his sister when we had something going on here. What if something happened? He wouldn't take that chance...would he?

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea to go alone?” I asked, uneasy at the idea.

  “Yeah.” Kaleb looked away. “It'll be fine.”

  I really didn’t like this. Heart hammering against my ribs, I turned away and shoved my hands through my hair.

  “Okay.” I nodded and made myself say it again. “Okay.”

  If I said it enough times, everything would be okay.

  That was how it worked, right?

  “Are you all right?” Kaleb sounded closer, and I spun to meet his gaze.

  “I’m fine. Just…on edge. I need to um…I want to meet with a lawyer that Astra's cousin, Samuel, suggested anyway. Samuel? You remember talking to him back in Philly?”

  “Of course.” His eyes studied my face.

  Searching for the lie. For the fear.

  But I hid it, locked down deep. If he could do this, so could I.

  “What’s this about the lawyer?” he asked. His eyes continued to study mine, probing, and I knew he’d seen my uneasiness.

  Okay, so what? He knew I didn’t like the idea of him meeting up with Camry again – and the fact that she’d told him to come alone? Yeah, that was even more worrisome.

  “Piety?”

  “Oh. Yeah. Well, Samuel knows somebody here in Vegas who specializes in immigration, and I want to see if she can help you and Camry out.” I did need to talk to the lawyer. Samuel had recommended we all speak with Liushi Testudo while we were here, and I did plan on doing that. I just needed to make sure he got me in to see her.

  I offered Kaleb a smile and reached out, tugging him closer to kiss him. His mouth was warm, and I wanted to stay there forever.

  Really…forever.

  I couldn’t imagine not being with him, not having him in my life.

  And what if I was pregnant? He couldn’t possibly leave the US now.

  Eleven

  Kaleb

  The house was empty.

  I’d been waiting there for too long already, and Camry was either ignoring me on purpose, or she was so strung out she didn’t know I’d been texting her.

  Of course, it was possible she was passed out.

  Drunk.

  Or maybe she’d overdosed…

  “Stupid bastard, just stop it already.” I groaned and rubbed my hands up and down my face, as if it would scrub the images from my brain. I couldn’t do that though.

  I’d been dealing with these nightmarish thoughts ever since I realized just how bad Camry’s drug problem was. Sooner or later, she would either be forced to get clean, or she would end up dead. These things never ended well, a fact I’d been adjusting to for longer than I liked to admit.

  Shit, what if she was inside there and she was strung out…or worse?

  “Camry!” I practically threw myself at the door, banging on it so hard, it was a wonder it didn’t rattle on its hinges.

  There was no answer though.

  Spinning away, I paced down to the window and stared inside, hands cupped around my face to block out the light. It didn’t do any good. I couldn’t see a damn thing thanks to the layer of dirt coating the window.

  I slammed a fist into the wall. A faint pain shot through my hand, but I ignored it as I turned around and braced my back against the building.

  A car came rolling by, thick black smoke blowing out the back, and I could feel the eyes of the occupants roaming over me, sizing me up. Like any big city, Las Vegas had its fair share of bad neighborhoods. This was definitely one of them.

  I stared back, waiting until the driver took a right and disappeared. Then I shoved away from the house and jumped over the mostly broken porch, walking around the house, looking for some sign that Camry was here, or recently had been. The house was a boarded-up wreck, and if anybody had lived here in recent memory, they probably needed to be tested for shit like tetanus and anthrax…and who knew what. There was no way anybody could live in a dump like this and not get sick.

  Of course, Camry hadn’t told me she lived here.

  She’d said to meet her here.

  And that had been – I checked the time – over an hour ago.

  What the hell was I doing still waiting around here?

  “I’m fucking done.”

  I’d had it.

  I gave another look around the house. I’d give her one more call and maybe another to that ass Stefano, then I was
going back to the hotel.

  “Where are you?” I demanded when her voicemail came on. It wasn’t her, of course, and that just made me even angrier. “I’m done with your bullshit and tricks. This is enough, Camry. I’m done.”

  Then I tried calling Stefano. I gave him a similar version of the message I left Camry, although I was a lot less polite.

  Then, without bothering to give the hellhole behind me another look, I headed for the sidewalk. I was going to find a bus stop and get back to the hotel.

  By the time I reached my destination, I was hotter than hell, frustrated and tired.

  But I was ready to see Piety. I needed to see her. Hold her. Touch her.

  Except…when I let myself into the room, she was gone.

  The room was quiet, and judging from the looks of things, housekeeping had come and gone. I moved through the suite in silence, hoping she was resting or something. She'd seemed tired the past few days, but no. I was alone.

  Pulling out my phone, I sent her a text, then flung myself down on the couch and threw my arm over my eyes. I was trying to work up the energy to take a shower, then maybe scrounge and see what sort of food was here. There had to be something, although I doubted the cheese, fruit, and crackers would fill the hole in my gut.

  I could order room service, but I never felt right doing that without Piety being here.

  Just as I went to sit up and drag my tired ass off to the shower, the phone rang.

  I grabbed it, thinking it was Piety. Or maybe Camry. A few hours too late. But Samuel Westmore’s name flashed across the screen. I blew out a breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to talk to Astra’s cousin, but I’d have to get over that.

  There was a second ring, then a third.

  “Hello.”

  “Kaleb, Samuel Westmore here. How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing alright,” I said, lying through my teeth.

  And he heard it. “You sure about that?”

  “Well, if you want the truth…” I paused, then decided against it. “I could tell you how I really am, but you don’t have all night, and I was just starting to mellow out. What can I do for you, Mr. Westmore?”

  But he wasn’t ready to let it drop. “You sure you don’t want to talk about it? Might help. Not to mention, it’s all confidential.”

  “Shit. What the hell.” I sighed and gave him a quick rundown of what happened with my sister, leaving out the more personal details between Piety and me.

  “You know she’s sick.” Samuel’s voice was gentle and understanding.

  I didn’t want any of it.

  “Yeah, I got that memo. She’s sick. And I know she did this to herself. I know she’s an addict, but she chose this life, and I’m tired of being understanding. Tired of trying to help her turn her life around when all she wants to do is fuck over me and anybody else who cares about her.” The anger in my voice caught me off-guard but I couldn’t undo it, couldn’t stop it. Didn’t want to. “I’m just tired of it.”

  “I bet you are. I can’t imagine how hard this is.” He was quiet a moment, then added softly, “Maybe you need to talk to somebody about it.”

  I scoffed, but he cut me off.

  “I’m serious. The families of addicts have a harder time than a lot of people realize. You had an even harder time because you’ve been trying to be a parent to her as well as dealing with your own shit. You never had a chance to finish growing up yourself, Kaleb.”

  The words made me uncomfortable, and I chose to focus on something else. “Tell me something, Mr. Westmore. Is it typical for an attorney to tell his clients to get counseling?”

  “More common than you know,” he said easily. “Sometimes I feel like a teacher, a bouncer, and a playground monitor all rolled into one – and a counselor.” He laughed. “We do what we have to, Kaleb. But listen, none of this is why I called. I assume you know about the annulment papers.”

  Those few simple words soured my mood even further.

  Samuel didn't wait for my response.

  “Piety signed them also. At the time, I believe she thought it was what you wanted. The annulment was finalized today.”

  “I understand.” She was under the impression I’d gone and blackmailed her parents, so of course, she'd thought it was what I wanted. But it wasn’t. I was tempted to shout that into the receiver, to yell at him, convince him, somebody, anybody…Piety…that I didn’t want the fucking annulment.

  I wanted her.

  But, how could I?

  It was too late anyway now.

  Besides, the whole thing had been a joke, a jab at her parents and a job for me. There was no way anybody, especially us, could take it seriously.

  So what if it felt serious?

  So what if it felt more real than anything I’ve ever felt?

  It didn’t matter…did it?

  Yes…

  A small, sly voice in the back of my mind whispered to me.

  It felt very real, and it mattered very much.

  But I kept all of that trapped inside me, locked away.

  Samuel must have picked up on some of my tension, and an awkward silence stretched out over the next few seconds.

  He cleared his throat. “I do have other news. I think we might have a solution for the situation with your sister and her abuse problem. It would entail you both moving to Philadelphia so we can do what we need to in order to help her. Would that present much of a problem for you?”

  “Move to Philadelphia,” I murmured. Walking to the window, I looked out at the city. Even now, with evening approaching, the unrelenting heat was pounding down, and I could see little heat mirages off in the distance. Beyond the buildings, the earth was scorched, dried and brown. Leave Vegas?

  No problem.

  Be closer to Piety?

  Hell. Yes.

  “No. No, sir. Nothing here would present a problem.”

  Then I thought about my sister.

  She might present one, but if I had to, I’d just knock her out and drag her ass back east with me, whether she wanted to go or not.

  Twelve

  Piety

  “Well, here’s an interesting fact…”

  Liushi Testado leaned forward, her long hair pulled into a knot that left her elegant face unframed. She had high cheekbones and dark eyes, and she was, in a word, beautiful. She smiled at me, clearly enjoying something about whatever interesting fact she was holding back.

  “This Stefano character has been under investigation for a while.”

  It was a sign of how tired I was that my brain took a few seconds to remember just who Stefano was, but once I had, I leaned back in my chair. “I know. I talked to Samuel about it. The DA want some help.”

  “Yes. They’ve tried to bring him in more than once, but nothing ever sticks.” She shrugged. “Now, this isn’t my area of law, but I know people. I could make some calls. If your friend Camry was willing to testify against Stefano, if would make it an easy case to get her approved for a green card.”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “First, she’s not my friend. Second…right now, I think Kaleb is having a hard time even getting his sister away from Stefano.”

  “But that’s the plan, right? Get her away from him?” Liushi cocked her head. “If not…well, maybe it would be best for her if she were deported back to Australia. It would take having somebody tip off Immigration. It’s not like she’s abiding by the agreement set forth when she came here to study. If she was removed from this man’s influence…”

  My stomach knotted at the very thought of it. If Camry left, then so would Kaleb. He'd never let her go back to Australia alone. Maybe not even if he knew...

  “There are other ways to get her away from his influence. Once we do that, maybe she’ll straighten up and see how damaging all of this is.”

  “True.” Liushi lifted a shoulder, the elegant cut of her red suit highlighting her every subtle curve. “Of course, you have to get her away from
him, convince her how damaging all of this is, and then we’ll still try to find the right way to keep her in the country. Like I said, testifying against him would be an almost sure win.”

  I made a face, because while it made sense to me in theory, I knew too much about how girls like Camry behaved. Stefano was probably as much a drug to her as the chemicals he was feeding her. He gave her something. Made her feel something. Wanted, maybe? I couldn’t know.

  I checked my phone, wondering if Kaleb had texted. If he’d gotten through to her, that would at least be something.

  But there was no message from him, and I was left with nothing to do but nod at Liushi and thank her.

  She gave me a card and told me to stay in touch.

  Once the card was tucked away, I left her office and headed back out in the late afternoon sun.

  My stomach was upset, so I found a place that served mostly soup. Over a bowl of chicken noodle, I tried to tell myself that it could be any number of things making me feel sick.

  I didn't know why I was so determined to convince myself that it was anything other than what I suspected it was.

  Part of me was even excited. Almost giddy about it.

  But everything in my life was in complete upheaval.

  Did I really need a change like…this?

  And what about Kaleb?

  I’d signed the annulment papers. It would be finalized any day now.

  This wasn’t the time for any of this.

  When is it ever the time? a small voice in the back of my head spoke up. You act like life is supposed to be something you’ve figured out, and nobody ever has it all figured out. Not even your parents. Not even you.

  Slowing to a halt on the sidewalk, I let that roll through my head as I considered it.

  Because it was true.

  When did anybody ever have it all figured out?

  I needed to talk to him.

  About everything.

  Changing directions, I headed back to the hotel. Another quick look at my watch had me thinking he might already be there. The meeting had been over an hour ago. He could be done. He could already be back, waiting for me.