Chapter Three
Rai felt so much better after she sat on the bed for a few moments that she contemplated leaving. She could drive now, as well as find her own food. But that would be rude after everything Tannin had done. Not to mention, it wouldn’t solve the immediate problem. Vito’s men were still out there, looking for her.
She moved around the room, turning on lamps. She was surprised to find it decorated in soft pastels considering how dark the hallways were. Two large windows covered one wall. A subtle combination of lavender and vanilla hung in the air, and everything looked crisp and clean.
Nothing about this place, or Tannin, was as she’d imagined. Not that she’d had much occasion to picture hiding out in a strip club. Nothing about the last three weeks felt real, so why should this? After she used the bathroom, which was also very clean, and well-stocked with personal items, she sat on the bed again to wait. He must have left her food in the car because she didn’t see the bag from Sheetz.
Surely potato chips couldn’t hurt her. Now that the egg salad was gone, she was hungry once more. A knock on the door sent a jolt of fear racing through her, until a timid voice called her name. “Rai? May I come in?”
Rai opened the door to find a sweet young thing standing there, holding a tray. If she was a day over eighteen, Rai would be surprised. “Yes, of course.” Rai stepped out of the way, inhaling the smell of chicken noodle soup as the girl passed.
“I made this a few hours ago, so it’s fresh.”
“I figured he’d send up burgers and fries.”
The girl laughed. “No way. He said to give you food you’d eat if you were sick with the ‘flu.”
“You serve chicken noodle soup at a strip club?”
“No. This is for the meals we make for the Brothers.”
Rai tasted the soup. “Wow. This is great. Aren’t you eating?”
“I already did. Tannin said to stay with you and make sure you’re all right.”
“That was sweet of him.”
The girl laughed. “He’s not sweet. And I won’t tell him you said he is.”
Whatever. After Rai had eaten a few spoonfuls, she felt even better. “Why do you call them Brothers? He used that term as well.”
“They’re a motorcycle club. Each of them refer to themselves that way because they’re more than simply members. They’re family.”
Like the Mob. They call themselves a family, too. And she’d told Tannin that’s who she was running from. What if this club had connections to Vito’s organization?
“Are you okay? You just went really pale.”
Rai pushed the bowl away. “Yes.” No.
“Don’t mean to be rude, but you don’t look okay.”
“How old are you?”
“What?”
“I’m not trying to be rude either, but how old are you?”
“I’m twenty-four. How old are you?”
“You’re twenty-four?”
The girl smiled. “Yeah. I get that a lot. This face brings in a shitload of tips, let me tell you. The customers think I’m barely legal, if even that.”
“I can understand why.” Long legs, blonde curls, and baby blue eyes. She must make a fortune. “I’m twenty-eight, since you asked. So, are you a waitress here?”
“I’m a dancer. I started a doing it a few months ago.”
Rai pulled the bowl over and began to eat again. “What did you do before that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, did you have a job between graduating from high school, and starting here?”
The girl shrugged. “No, not really. I was with my boyfriend, but that didn’t work out.”
Something in her tone and the sudden pain on her face told Rai not to pry further. “And now you’re a cook as well?”
“We all share those duties.”
“We?” What did they have going on here? A harem?
“The other women who work and live here.”
How big was this place? “Why?”
“Why what?” Her expression and voice portrayed genuine confusion.
“Why do you cook for them, in addition to dancing here?”
She shrugged. “Who else is gonna do it?”
“Men can cook, you know.”
Her laughter was spontaneous. “Not these guys. They grill steaks sometimes on the weekends, but they don’t cook for themselves. That’s our job.”
“I hope they pay you well.”
“I’ve only been dancing three months, and I’ve made over thirty thousand dollars, between my salary and tips.”
Rai nearly choked on the spoonful of soup she’d just placed in her mouth. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Damn.” Maybe she should consider a career change? Her company was likely gone anyway. “Why aren’t you dancing tonight?”
“I’m on later. I’m one of the featured acts. What do you do?”
Funny you should ask. “Up until recently, I ran my own marketing company.”
“Wow.” The girl was impressed, which was ironic considering the circumstances. “What do you mean until recently? Did you sell it?”
“Not exactly.”
“I’m sorry. Tannin said not to pry.”
Once Rai finished her soup, she was still hungry. “That was very good. Thank you.”
“Do you need anything else? He said to give you whatever you wanted, as long as you felt you could eat it.”
“I’d love a sandwich, if it’s no trouble. I could come with you and make it myself.”
“No.” She shook her head. “He wants you to stay here until…”
“Until what?” A nasty shiver ran down her spine.
“I mean he doesn’t want you getting dizzy again.”
This girl had lied to her. Rai was certain of it. She rose from the bed and paced the room. “What’s your name?” Her keys were right there, on top of one of the bags. She could leave now. Crash the gate if need be.
“I’m Chloe, but they call me Legs.”
“I can see why.”
“Tannin said ‘Rai’ is short for something.”
“Raiyana.”
“That’s really pretty.”
“Thanks.”
Chloe’s expression softened. “Hey, it’s all right. No one here will hurt you.”
That baby face, coupled with the sweet voice, must drive the men insane. No wonder she made so much money. And obviously she read people well, too, but that didn’t mean Rai had to trust her. She didn’t have to trust Tannin, either, despite the fact he’d taken her in and fed her.
“Tannin said you were in some trouble, but I’m not supposed to ask a bunch of questions. He wants you to feel safe here.”
“May I ask you a couple of questions?”
“Sure.”
Chloe tucked those long legs underneath her body and settled in as if they were best friends about to have a long chat. How nice it would be to have a good friend like that. But she’d left all that behind years ago.
So why are you still here?
To ask the pointed questions meant she’d be obligated to do something with the answers, even if they were answers she didn’t want to hear. But she’d never know unless she asked.
“Is this place run by the Mob?”
“What?” Chloe laughed again. “Um, no. This place is run by the Brothers, and the only people they kick back money to are the local cops so they leave us the hell alone.”
That was nothing new, and it didn’t surprise her. But it was also possible Chloe didn’t know the inner workings of the place. She said she’d only been here a short time. She’s only been dancing a short time. You don’t know how long she’s lived here.
“How long have you lived here? I mean, did you come here and start dancing?”
“No. I’ve been here about a year now.”
“Have you ever heard of a man named Vito Cinquepalmi?”
“Sure.”
Rai wanted to speak again, but she was frozen to the bed and her mouth wouldn’t move.
“We all have. He’s in deep with another MC club called Outlaw Dogs. They’re bad news. You don’t want to know anything about them.”
Okay… “So, Vito is not associated with this place?”
“No. Definitely not.” She wasn’t lying about that. Rai would have been able to tell.
The relief flooding through her did nothing to stop her heart from pounding. What the hell had she stumbled into here?
Chloe stood. “I’ll bring you that sandwich. Is turkey okay?”
“Turkey sounds great.”
“Mayo and tomato?”
“Plus lettuce, please.”
She smiled, and the gesture lit up her entire face. “That’s the way I eat them, too. Be back in a few minutes.”
It was cruel to trick her this way, but Rai’s life was on the line. Literally. She didn’t have time for the intricacies of being a proper houseguest. As soon as Chloe left the room, Rai gathered up her bags. There were so damn many of them. How the hell had Tannin carried them all so effortlessly? Those muscles, perhaps?
Yeah. Those. The man was covered in them, along with some seriously amazing ink. But she couldn’t let her mind go there right now.
What if she wasn’t able to get past the goons guarding the gate? Fuck. Rai dropped the bags back onto the sofa and crossed the room to glance out the window. This room faced the back, although all she spotted were big motorcycles parked in a row, alongside a few cars and trucks. Her SUV was at the end, next to Tannin’s truck. He must have moved it after bringing her up here. But she had no view of the gate or the men.
Well, tough shit. She’d take her chances. She wasn’t a prisoner here, after all. Grabbing the bags again, she placed her keys in the pocket of her shorts where she could quickly retrieve them, and headed for the door. It was time to make a run for it before she inadvertently entangled these people in her mess, or discovered it was actually Vito who ran this place, no matter what Chloe had told her.