by Marci Fawn
Not that I’m at all thinking about finding out…
“Yes,” I manage to purr.
The club owner laughs loudly, which isn’t the reaction I was hoping for. Oh god, is my attempt at being sexy really that funny? That’s the last thing a girl ever wants to hear. That’s the sort of thing that can put a girl off sex for life.
“Is that right?” he drawls, drawing closer to me. “I was under the impression that you were here for something quite different.”
He breathes those last words into my ear, making my heart flutter frantically.
What the hell does he mean by that? What could he think I’m here for, if not a stripping job? Oh God, he doesn’t mean…? No, of course not…he couldn’t actually think that I’m here for sex, could he?
The look in his eyes says otherwise.
Crap. How the hell am I going to get out of this one?
I feel my body scuttle backwards in my chair, and then, the owner lets out a loud, booming laugh once more. “Bridgette always said that you were funny,” he says.
“Br…Bridgette?” Relief floods through every inch of me. He knows why I’m really here; he was just playing a twisted game with me.
“Yes. That’s why you’re here, right?” He turns back to face me directly. There’s a naughty twinkle glinting in his eye.
I nod, too stunned to speak.
“I’ve seen your picture before, so I know who you are. You do know that she’s alive, don’t you? I know there was some drama in the past with that fucking prick she was dating.”
His tone turns more than a little sour at this, and I can tell he had no time for Hunter either. I wonder if he ever told her to get the hell away from him. I know I certainly did. The only problem with Bridgette is that she’s far too stubborn to ever listen to anyone.
“Y…yeah, Karma told me. She said that she’s with a bouncer now?”
“Lucas is a good guy,” he says firmly. His expression is deadly serious.
“Okay…” I want to ask when I can see her, but something about that question feels oddly inappropriate.
The club owner sighs deeply, which suggests that he’s about to tell me something that I’m not going to like. “Look…Cherie, is it?” He doesn’t wait for my reply. “Your sister is safe, I can guarantee you that. She would be happy for me to tell you that, but she wouldn’t want me to say anymore. I know for a fact that she doesn’t want you involved in any of this. She would explicitly tell me to tell you to stay out, back off if you don’t want any trouble. This is not the sort of thing for you to be getting involved in, okay?”
My body freezes, like I’m an ice cube stuck to the seat. I’m consumed by a chill, and it takes a few moments for me to even begin to respond.
“No,”” I reply firmly, ignoring the wobble in my voice. “No.”
“No?” He smiles at me. “No isn’t an answer. I’m respecting your sister’s wishes.” He stands up and indicates towards the door. “Now, if you’d like me to see you out—”
“No!” I say, my body jolting out of my seat as I cut him off. “I did not go through all of that; I did not do all that I’ve done, just to be turned away. You need to tell me everything you know, and you need to tell me now.”
I start to slam my hands down on his desk, no longer afraid of the fact that he’s clearly a dangerous man.
“Now, ma’am…”
“Don’t you ma’am me. I want to know everything.” I start to feel hysteria rising up inside of me. I’m so close, so goddamned close, yet somehow still miles away. “If it isn’t too dangerous for Bridgette, it isn’t too dangerous for me!”
I want to sound like a badass, but I clearly sound as desperate as I feel.
Frustrated tears prick at my eyes, and I almost totally give in to the emotion. I just can’t lose. Not now. I came here with the knowledge that I wouldn’t leave without at least seeing my sister. Now I’m right in front of a man that could make it happen, and he’s being a pigheaded asshole.
“Look…”
“Okay, just tell me her address, her phone number, what night she’s working next. I can’t go with nothing. I can’t. The last time I saw her, things were so bad, I need to know. I need to be certain that she’s okay.”
“You have my word…”
“Your word isn’t enough!” I say, the tears finally rolling down my cheeks.
I slump back into the chair, not wanting to give up, but not knowing what else to do.
“Okay, I understand.” The club’s owner sighs and walks over to me. “I can give you the last address she lived at with Lucas, but it comes with a very severe warning. Do not get involved.”
My heart lifts into my throat at his words. An address! It might not be where she is now, but it’s something, and at least I’m not leaving here empty handed. At least this has all been just a little bit meaningful.
“I know you probably won’t listen, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to keep you out of it all.”
The owner shoves a small square piece of paper into my hand. He ushers me quickly out of the door, as if he can’t wait to be rid of the trouble I seem to have brought with me.
My emotions are raging all through my body. I don’t even know what to do with myself, and I’m not really sure what just happened. Honestly, it all feels a bit like a bad dream.
But…I have a connection now. It might not be everything, but at least it’s something.
It’s something…
13
Axel
What the fuck is Cherie doing in there? She’s been in the office for ages!
I’ve been pacing up and down the club, growing increasingly pissed. People are shooting me odd looks. The waitress even tried to give me another drink to calm me down, but I’m far too riled up. It’s like a red mist has descended, and I don’t think anything will be able to shake it off until I see Cherie again.
What the fuck is she doing with the sleazy owner of this place? I don’t exactly know how the girls secure their jobs in a joint like this. My imagination is inventing all sorts of horrendous possibilities.
It’s safe to say that I’m pretty fucking mad right about now.
Just as I’m about to blow my top, she glides through the doorway like an angelic vision. Her eyes suggest something more, though. They suggest that something has happened. Rather than taking a second to think of an explanation, my brain produces an image of her lips gliding up and down his cock. I can see the smug, satisfied smirk of a guy I’ve only laid my eyes on once or twice. Cherie gazes up at him with her beautiful blue eyes, trying not to gag as he forces himself further and further down her throat.
“Come on,” she says, reaching out to me with one hand.
I can barely even a grunt a reply as I allow her to guide me from the building. I expect the fresh morning air outside to cool my mood, to make me think a little clearer. It does nothing for my temper. I should have known that, though. I know enough about myself to know that once the mood is there, it won’t be stripped away that simply.
And speaking of stripped… Fuck, the image of Cherie dancing on that stage is still burned into my retinas.
“I got an address—” She starts to speak, but it’s too late. I’ve lost it.
“What the fuck was all of that?” I say much louder than I intend to.
“What?” She’s stunned, and her skin pales a little as she automatically takes a step back away from me.
“I said what the fuck was all that about? You just go in there, strip your clothes off and then fuck off with some other guy?” I’m practically spitting now; my words are coming out so venomously.
“What do you mean?” she says. “I told you the plan. I thought you understood…”
“That you’d be wrapping yourself around some seedy asshole’s dick? No, funnily enough, I missed that part.”
I’m aware that I’m being stupid and irrational, but it’s gone too far. I can’t stop myself.
“You thi
nk I fucked someone?” She begins to laugh. “I went there to find out about my sister. You know that. Why are you so jealous, Axel?”
Her words cause the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. How dare she?
“Jealous…well, what the hell do you expect?” I don’t care how loud I’m speaking now. I’m certain that I’m attracting the attention of passersby, but I can’t make myself think about that, even if I know I should. “You just…you don’t even…”
“I went there to find out where my sister is.” She speaks in a calm, controlled manner as if I’m some sort of out-of-control teenager. “I had to speak to the owner. No one else could tell me anything. The only way I could do that was to act like I wanted a job. I had to do all of that. What did you expect? Did you want to me to ask the shift manager if you could come to the meeting with me?”
I purse my lips tightly together, not wanting to answer her. Actually, yes. That’s exactly what I expected. Goddamn it, how pathetic am I?
“Nothing even happened with the owner. I can’t believe you have such a low opinion of me,” she says, making guilt rip me apart.
Fuck. She’s right. What the hell was I thinking?
Cherie screws her nose up at me as she waits for my reply. She's stirring up all the weird, burning energy that’s swirling around me even more. I don’t know what to say; don’t know how to apologize. So we remain there, locked in our bizarre standoff for what feels like an eternity. Cherie eventually caves with a deep sigh.
She opens her mouth to speak, but we hear a high-pitched voice traveling across the street. This completely sidetracks her. “Yeah, it is. It’s definitely him! That’s Axel Lake!”
I allow my eyes to follow the voice. I'm somehow suspecting that this stranger is talking about me. With all my emotions in such a fucking twisted mess, it takes me a while to remember that I’m a wanted fugitive. As soon as it hits me, a tired resignation sets in.
This is it. My life has finally caught up with me.
“Shit,” I hear Cherie mutter under her breath.
Shit is right.
I have a few seconds to mentally go over all my options. Can I deny who I am? No, my face is plastered everywhere. Everyone knows who I am. Can I convince this stranger that I didn’t kill the guy? No, I have the look of a hardened criminal. Plus, who is she likely to believe? The stiffs in suits on her TV, or the grimy guy who is going to say anything to keep himself out of trouble?
The woman reaches into her pocket, and my heart stops. Time seems to stop with it. Goddamn it, why did I have to scream at Cherie about something so stupid? Fucking jealous idiot I am. Why couldn’t I speak to her calmly, like a normal human being? Why did I have to fly off the handle? I knew that everyone was staring at us and I didn’t do anything about it, and now this woman’s noticed me.
I’m caught.
I can’t believe it. Time spent hiding, moving in the shadows, skulking around unseen…all gone to waste. All because of an idiotic moment of recklessness.
The woman pulls a black shiny object out, pressing buttons on it, all the while keeping her eyes locked on me. The object moves up to her ear, and even though I know exactly what’s happening, I can’t seem to do anything to stop it.
It’s hopeless.
Then she says the words I wanted to hear least of all in the whole world.
“Police, please.”
14
Cherie
The next thing I hear is sirens. I don’t know if this is literally a split-second later, or if I’ve zoned out for a while in a panic. All I do know for sure is that we need to get the hell out of here…right fucking now.
I turn to see Axel already pouncing on his bike—miles ahead of me, as per usual. He doesn’t indicate that I should follow him, but I’m sure as hell going to, whether I’m wanted or not. There’s no way I’ll be able to get away with racing around the city with a potential murderer. How could I act like I had no idea who he was, when apparently his face has been everywhere? They’ll haul me into the cop shop and question me for sure. I’m not quite sure if I’m mentally strong enough to withstand all of that. I wouldn’t want to crack, but I’m afraid that I would.
The bike swings around the corner at top speed, with me barely clinging on for life. We’ve moved so quickly that neither of us have had the opportunity to put on our helmets, which is a huge risk to take. What if we crash?
To be honest, that’s probably the least of our problems right now…
I never thought I’d be in a situation where potential death wasn’t the worst case scenario.
I lean into Axel’s firm back and dig my fingers into his taut torso, my heart hammering against my ribcage. This is insane. Totally and utterly insane. I knew when I started this journey it wasn’t going to be straightforward. But I sure as hell hadn’t planned for anything this extreme. But then again, I had thought I’d be spending all this time alone, so really, absolutely none of it has gone to plan.
“Where should we go?” Axel asks, showing a surprising sign of actually wanting my opinion. I don’t understand that; he seems like the type of person who is always in control. He comes across as someone with more experience escaping the authorities than I do. So why does he want me to dictate where we go?
Fortunately, despite my reservations, I actually have an answer.
“Drury Lane,” I reply.
I have the address that the strip club owner gave me fixed firmly in my mind. I mean, of course I do…it’s my one small link to Bridgette. I can’t see any point in us going anywhere else, anyway—we’ll only be running around in circles with no aim. Plus, if no one can be certain that she still lives there, time is of the essence and I can’t afford any more mistakes.
Axel doesn’t question my instructions; he just follows them to the letter. Now that he’s had a moment to cool off from his tantrum earlier, he’s finally realized what I was trying to tell him. It’s sunk in that I might actually have an answer.
What the hell was all of that, anyway? The way he just went off on me was nuts. He didn’t even try to hear my side of things. It was quite clear that he was jealous, but why? He’s already pretty much told me that he can have any girl that he wants. That he uses that fact to his advantage. So why would he give a shit about me? Why would he even care if I had slept with that guy?
Not that I would. I couldn’t have even done it for answers about my sister. Especially not after being with Axel the night before. I could never do anything that seedy.
I know that Axel is helping me, but surely that’s more of a ‘thank you’ for deciding not to turn him in than anything else. Right?
Okay, I may be worried that I’m developing strong feelings for him—however unwise that might be—but I can’t imagine him as the falling in love type. He’s too much of a lone wolf, always throwing caution to the wind and figuring his own way out of danger, whatever that ends up being.
If the feelings are only one-sided, then I’ll be able to deal with it. My heart might break, but I can recover. That much isn’t impossible. I’ll know deep down that my naivety got me into that situation. Nothing more.
If there’s even the slightest chance he has any feelings for me, too…well, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t even begin to imagine…
By the time we reach Bridgette’s last known address on Drury Lane, the sirens are way out of earshot. Meaning that by some miracle, we’ve gotten away again. I have a horrible feeling that our luck is going to run out soon.
“Which apartment is it?” Axel asks as he slows down the bike. I can tell he’s now feeling remorseful for his behavior earlier, but this isn't the right moment.
Not when I’m so close.
“237.” Adrenaline courses through me as I speak. In a few seconds, I might get to see my sister again. I might be able to find out the truth of what happened to her, and what’s still happening to her right now.
“Come on,” I mutter, mostly to myself.
I can do this. I ha
ve to do this.
We get off the bike, head up the rickety stairs of the building, and walk past the blocks of second floor apartments. We're counting out the numbers as we go. It's eerily quiet, which is sending my anxiety levels through the roof. Like I'm the silly victim in a horror movie, and this is that horrible moment with the deathly music playing. Moments before the serial killer pounces and slashes me to pieces.
I shudder. I really need to stop letting my imagination run away with me, and I need to focus. This is real life, not some stupid movie. Plus, it’s not like I’m alone. Axel is here with me, and I’m sure someone built as powerfully as him could take out any bastard that tried to kill me. I just need to stop worrying.
“Here,” Axel finally says, yanking me out of my crazy thoughts.
“Right,” I reply, just as stiffly. My blood starts to run cool throughout my body, proving that I’ve probably just gone as white as a sheet. I’ve never been very good at keeping my emotions inside. They’re always plastered all over my face.
I stand frozen for a few seconds before Axel takes the lead and knocks hard on the door. He doesn’t give me a moment to collect myself, which is actually probably a good thing. It means that I can’t talk myself out of it. Despite that, the thump sends shockwaves right through me.
Stop it, I scold myself in my mind. Now is not the time to be afraid. I need to pull myself together and just get through this. Whatever I discover in this apartment is much better than not knowing anything at all. The last four months of torture have shown me that much. I might be afraid now, but I don’t feel like I’m living on a knife’s edge so much anymore. My life has meaning again, and I need that.
When no one answers, I press my ear up against the door. “Hello?” I call out. If she’s hiding because she thinks we’re that monster, I want to put her mind at ease right away. “Bridge? It’s me, it’s Cherie.”