He debated whether or not he should spend the night in his car. A shady crowd had formed around her building, which only meant more drug deals going down. When a patrol car slowly drove through and scattered the street kids like mice under a kitchen light, he started his car and turned to head home. At least the police knew where this neighborhood was, unlike his first hell-hole residence after getting out of prison.
As he picked up speed when hitting the parkway, street lamps threw light into his car like a strobe light. He blinked hard to keep himself from growing hypnotized. He needed bed.
Rachel's bed would feel good right now. Their explosive sexual chemistry was alive and well. Truth was, their time may have passed despite old feelings arising like weeds. Besides, when she found out what he was going to do to her brother, she would never forgive him.
11
Rachel rapped her knuckles on the bright pink door just like she had the last two weeks. Stopping by to visit the women before going on stage had become her new nightly ritual. At first, she’d used the excuse of needing a tampon, which they obliged without question, and she somehow helped settle a debate about whether Henry Cavill was hotter than Tom Hiddleston. Henry, hands down. The next night, she'd brought them bottles of water, which turned into Rachel helping decide whether or not Phoenix looked better with the hair piece or not. Now, these quick visits were the best part of her day. God, she had missed having friends.
“Entrer.”
She cracked open the door and peeked her head inside. “Okay to come in?” Warm, humid air spiked with cinnamon, hair spray, and nail polish tickled the inside of her nose.
Cherry stood and pointed a long fingernail at her. “Oh, darn. We're dressing, and I had hoped you were Nathan. We so love to make him blush.”
Rachel stepped inside, her eyes squinting at the bright lights bouncing off the long row of mirrors over the dressing vanities.
Starr bent over her sister Luna who clutched the ends of her make-up table. “Suck it in, girl.”
“I do have to breathe a little, you know.” Luna wheezed as Starr yanked on the long silk cords of her corset. “Hey, Rachel. Who's out there?”
“Mostly couples. Dressed to the nines. No bachelor boy parties.” The dancer's faces subtly shifted whenever large crowds of men did what large crowds of men did around beautiful women: hoot and holler like a hormonal mob. The women danced a little further back, took off a little less on those nights. Standards—that's what she'd chalked their actions up to.
“Good. Hey, help me over here, will you?” Starr lifted her chin at Rachel. “Yank on the top of the laces. Yeah, there. See, Luna? Another inch.”
“My boobs are going to pop out on stage. If I don't faint first.” Luna cupped her breasts as if checking their placement. They weren't going anywhere anytime soon, not given the amount of eyelash glue Rachel now understood they used.
“Rachel, you look tired.” Cherry waved a makeup brush her way. “Come over here.”
“Not sleeping so well, I guess.” Her brain would not shut off at night as she spun conspiracy theories and questioned Trick’s guilt. “Can I borrow some concealer?”
“Sit.” Cherry yanked out her chair. “I'm doing your face. Been wanting to since you first walked in here.”
Starr threw her a friendly smile. “You just made Momma Cherry's day. I won't let her touch mine.”
Cherry tilted Rachel's face. “Lovely skin, but you need some cuh-lurr.”
Rachel darted a glance in the mirror. Wow, those lights were bright, showcasing every single pore on her face. A little makeup couldn't hurt. She used to be good at looking good. It was part of her persona, but caring about clothes, make-up, and shoes drifted away with so many things. “I don't usually wear much.”
Cherry lifted a brush the size of a cooking whisk and swept the ends across her cheekbones. “Better already. Everyone needs a little blush in their lives, especially when a certain Shakedown manager may need a nudge in your direction.”
“How is Trick?” Starr asked.
A disturbing, humiliating heat rose up her chest. “Oh, I'm not …” Words died in her throat. What could she say?
Cherry assessed her face. “Oh, we know, doll. Nothing gets by us.”
That was another thing. The women gossiped like crazy, and she'd learned a lot about Shakedown and its people—like how Declan’s mother worked the clubs years ago due to some family falling out, and how he “saved” the O'Malley sisters from a seedy strip club.
Cherry grasped her chin and held her face still as she lifted a small brush with some red goop on the ends. “Relax your lips.”
“Momma, remember, we're doing the diamonds act first.” Starr grasped a white feather boa laced with silver tinsel that hung over a chair.
“I'll be out in a sec. After I help Miss Rachel here land herself a man.”
“That's not why—”
“Lips.”
Rachel stopped talking as the brush tickled her bottom lip. Cherry leaned back and examined her work. “Yes. That will do nicely. You want your lipstick to scream take me off.”
“Or take something off.” Starr came around to stand next to Cherry. “That is a good color for you.”
Rachel's throat squeezed and she took in a stuttered breath. “Thank you.” Jeez, she was being such a teenager about this women-being-nice-to-her thing. This is what girlfriends did, right? She'd had some once. Nothing like being engaged to a convicted embezzler to cause people, supposed friends, to lose your number.
Starr winked. “Just watch the lipstick. Cherry always puts on too much.” She whispered her last few words.
“Not possible, Miss Thing.” Cherry gathered up eyeliner pencils and dropped them into a make-up holder.
Starr laughed. “I'm going to help Luna check on the rigging.”
“You mean check on Nathan.”
Starr rolled her eyes and strode out, dripping the long, white, sparkly boa behind her.
Cherry leaned down to the mirror and swiped a finger under her eyes. “That girl has got a little thing for our Nathan. He is one fine-looking man, and Starr needs someone.”
“She is really nice. They all are.” She shrugged when Cherry looked surprised. “I haven't always worked with such friendly people.”
“We watch out for each other.”
“Is that why they call you Momma Cherry?”
“They had a mother vacancy, and I, along with the universe, hate a vacuum.” She tapped powder off a brush. “Their mother died young, and someone had to watch out for those three.”
Rachel’s throat clenched. She hadn’t thought of her own mother in so long. She couldn’t even remember what it was like to have a traditional family.
Cherry swiped some face powder across her décolletage. “You can't choose your blood relatives, but you can choose a family.”
Something new tore inside her. “I had a family once.” She touched her sternum to check that mental cage. Yep, still there, though barely holding it together.
Cherry arched an eyebrow. “And now?”
“I don't know.” That was the truth. Jay had been all she had until Trick. Then Trick had been her world, hadn't he? Then neither of them were.