“Do me a favor and keep an eye on my girl.”
My insides melt a little when he calls me that.
She glances to me and winks. “Sure thing, hon.”
Saint points at me. “I’ll be right back. Stay put.”
Then he disappears down a long hall toward the back.
“Can I get you anything, doll?” The woman behind the bar comes and leans toward me.
I shake my head. “No thanks. I’m fine.”
“So, you’re with Saint, huh?”
I nod, my fingers fidgeting, and damned if I forgot about the ring on my finger. She spots it right off and a finely sculpted brow arcs up.
“I see.”
“Are you a stripper?” I blurt out, nervous as hell.
“Used to be. Now I just pour drinks. Why? You interested in a job?”
My eyes must get huge, because she chuckles. “Um, no.”
She cocks her head. “You sure? Pays damn good money, and with a body like yours, you’d do well.” She points to a beautiful redhead at the other end of the bar counting out a stack of ones. “Ruby makes a killing, don’t you Ruby?”
The woman looks over and smiles.
“What’d you rake in tonight, hon?”
Ruby finishes counting. “Twelve”
“Hundred?” I squeak out, and she nods.
“I had a good night. I have several regulars and they knew it was my birthday today.”
“Really? Mine was this week, too.”
She smiles, and sweeps me with her gaze. “And how old did you turn, sweetie?”
“Eighteen.”
She chuckles and looks to the bartender. “God, to be eighteen again, huh?”
Saint returns and grabs my hand. “Come on.”
I slip off the barstool, and he chin lifts to the woman. “Thanks, babe.”
“You better keep her clear of here, Saint. Aspen might try to recruit her, she’s always lookin’ for fresh talent.”
“Well, she ain’t getting this one.”
I fast walk to keep up with him as we head out and back to the truck. He loads me in, and goes around to the driver’s side, lays the deposit bag on the floor by my feet and starts the engine.
“Fuck.”
I look over at him curiously.
“Hang tight here a minute, Kami. I’ve forgot something.”
I nod and he hops back out, slamming the door. It’s hot in the truck and I can’t figure out how to work the fancy dash, so I give up and roll the window down. It’s a nice night out, and I lay my head back on the headrest, and yawn.
A moment later I sense movement out my window, and open my eyes to see a gun pointed at me. The man is masked, and I see movement behind him and know he’s not alone; there are at least two more in a car.
“Give me the fucking money.”
I freeze, like in a scary nightmare when you can’t move. I can’t even find my voice. I stare at the gun. It’s less than two feet from my face. I start shaking.
He yanks the door open, and punches my face. “Where is it?”
I point at my feet, shaking, and he reaches in and grabs it. I think he’s about to take off running, but he looks at me and grabs toward my throat. I think he’s about to strangle me, but he goes for my mother’s diamond necklace, yanking it right off my neck.
He runs to the car, jumps into the backseat and the car peels out. I lean forward and look, trying to remember everything about it.
A dark green four door that said Ford LTD on the back with a WDXX La Diablo bumper sticker.
I’m pissed I didn’t think to pull my phone out and take a picture.
I put a hand to my cheekbone, the pain of his punch radiating out, and I rock. I need to find Saint, but I’m terrified to leave the truck. Suddenly, the driver’s door opens, and I scream.
“What the fuck, babe?”
“Oh my God. You scared the crap out of me. They just stole the money and my necklace.”
“What?” He must think I’m joking.
“There were three of them. They took off in a Ford LTD. It was green, there was something covering the license plate, but it had a radio station bumper sticker that read WDXX.”
He stares at me a moment like he’s trying to decide if I’m playing a practical joke. Then his eyes drop to where I’m holding my face, and he dives for the floorboard, frantically searching for the deposit bag. “Where’s the fucking money?”
“I just told you. This guy with a ski mask on stuck a gun in my face. He knew, Saint. He knew there was a bag of money in the truck. How would he know?”
“I don’t know. Fuck!” He slams a fist on the steering wheel, and I jump and start crying. He pulls me in his arms. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?” He pushes me back to look at my face. “Let me see. What happened? Did he hit you?”
I nod, tears spilling down my cheeks.
He holds me tight, stroking my hair. “I should never have left you out here alone. Christ, you could have been killed.”
“I’m okay.”
“This is fucking bad, Kami. So fucking bad. If I don’t get that money back, I’m dead.”
I pull back and stare at him, not comprehending what he’s saying. “What?”
He shakes his head. “Which way did they head?”
“Back toward the interstate I think. I don’t know.”
“I need to go back inside and check the security footage. Come on.”
He comes around and pulls me from the truck and we run inside the building.
An hour later, we’re back at the cottage. Saint’s sitting on the couch with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.
“I’m so fucked.”
“How much do you need?”
“The money from Centerfolds, together with the other amounts I’d already picked up that night totaled almost thirty grand. Another week from now this wouldn’t have been a problem. I could have covered it. I’ve got some money coming into my account soon, but it hasn’t cleared the bank yet. Fuck!”
“I have jewelry I could sell. My mother said Teller & Sons in Atlanta would give me a fair price and—”
“Babe. That cash deposit has got to be in the bank first thing Monday. That jewelry store probably won’t be open on Sunday, and even if you had pieces worth that amount, they’d need management approval, then they’d give you a big check and I’d never get it converted back to cash in time, least not in any way were it wouldn’t get back to the club. I appreciate the offer though.” He goes back to staring at the floor.
“That radio station—WDXX? I searched it on my phone. It’s a station out of Birmingham, Alabama. You should call Aspen.”
He looks up at me. “What?”
“She’s the manager of the strip club, right?”
“Yeah. I already went over the security footage.”
“Did you tell her what happened?”
“Fuck no. She’s North’s ol’ lady. You think I want this shit getting back to him and the club? No way. I’ve just got to get that fucking money back.”
“Think, Saint. They knew that money was in the truck. They didn’t just happen to be there. It was planned. Who in the club would give information like that? The girl at the bar said Aspen was always looking for fresh talent. Maybe she has some new dancers and maybe one of them has a connection to Birmingham.”