I bought my ticket as soon as I hung up the phone. It didn’t take long to pack. I had few clothes that would be appropriate for the Texas heat. I removed my contact lenses given that it wasn’t as if Winslow and Hollis couldn’t find me. It wasn’t until I was on my way leaving that I realized the bracelet that I always wore that belonged to my mother was missing.

I knew I’d had it on before I left the bar the other night. I figured I lost it at Honey’s. I shook my head, feeling like an idiot. I prayed to God it hadn’t been stolen as I dialed the club’s number. No one answered so I left a message. I had at least six hours to waste until my flight and I figured I might as well tell my boss in person that I wasn’t planning on coming back. But as soon as I stepped foot out of my door, I felt something wasn’t right.

I didn’t know exactly what was wrong, but something just felt...off. I tried not to think about it as I made my way down the street with my backpack on my shoulders. But it felt as if someone was watching me. I told myself that it was probably just whomever Winslow and Hollis had hired. But that didn’t stop me from walking quickly, covering the few blocks to the bar within record time.

I opened the door to the bar and called out to my boss. I knew he lived just upstairs and spent most of the time in his office watching questionable movies on his computer. I knocked on his office door and he gruffly yelled out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Nia,” I said catching myself before I said Ivy. It’s funny just a few minutes with Winslow and Harry had made me start thinking of myself as Ivy again.

I heard him get up and he made his way to the door, pulling it open just a tiny bit so that I could only see his face. “Nia? What are you doing here? Your shift doesn’t start until tonight. You left something?”

I shook my head, “No. I just---Listen, I can’t come in any more. One of the regulars is starting to give me the creeps so I think I have to find a new gig---”

He cut me off. “Goddamit! First Tori gets pregnant and leaves me to be a mom,” he said this bitterly as if mom was a bad word before continuing, “And now you’re quitting on me.” He shook his head.

I stood there not saying a word. The old me would have blustered and made some excuse and probably relented and would have kept on working. But the new me waited him out, knowing the person who broke the silence first was the person with the least power.

I stood there unrelenting, until he sighed and said, “Fine. Let me pay you what I owe ya. Jesus, good help is hard to come by.”

I had a bounce in my step as I left the bar. I found myself excited about going home to Texas. I wasn’t just going home out of misplaced guilt. I missed my grandmother. I missed being boring and normal. Life had been easier, not to mention, safer that way. I was deep in thought when my cellphone rang, startling me in the process. I reached for it and automatically answered, not bothering to check to see who was calling.

“Hey girl!” said a familiar voice that I immediately recognized.

“Hi Nico,” I said warmly.

“I---well, we got your message. I checked the bathroom and found your bracelet behind the toilet. You owe me big, little lady. I haven’t been that close to the back of a toilet since I was a janitor at a high school to pay my way through law school.”

“You’re a lawyer?” I said with surprise.

“One of the best divorce attorneys in the state, my dear. You wouldn’t believe how many cheating husbands I’ve run into at the club. It’s exhausting. They always start blubbering and trying to explain themselves. So pitiful. Anyway, I have your little bracelet, well Honey has it. She’s working---”

“Is Honey a lawyer too?”

Nico began to laugh really hard as if I told the funniest joke, “Honey hates lawyers. She only tolerates me because I’m so cute.”

My smile widened.

“She’s a retired police officer.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Nope. She found her true calling. Anyway, so Honey is expecting you sometime tonight. Whenever you get a chance to pop in. She’s not performing tonight, so she’ll be around circulating.”

“Tonight? I was hoping sometime sooner. I gotta head out of town.”

“Hmmm...Where are you now? I can call her up to see if she can meet up with you.”

“I’m right down the street from the club.”

“Okay, why don’t you head that way and I’ll give her a heads up. She won’t appreciate you cutting into her precious yoga time, but considering the circumstances, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”

“Thanks, Nico. I owe you one. Again.”

“Anytime, girlfriend,” And then he clicked off.

I began to walk in the direction of the bar, glancing behind me again. I was still a little spooked after last night’s encounter. The area where the bar and club were located was an industrial area being re-gentrified. The old warehouses were being turned into condos and lofts. They were being purchased surprisingly quickly by the young upwardly mobile who couldn’t afford to live in New York, but held jobs in the city. There wasn’t a lot of daytime activity so I was alone yet again as I walked down the street.

I was only a few doors down from the entrance to the club. I finally noticed there was a mural on the wall leading to the club’s entrance. It was a funky little mural with a life-sized painting of Honey looking very sexy surrounded by adoring men. I giggled and stopped to appreciate it.

The next few moments will always haunt me, mostly because I never saw it coming. A car came roaring to a stop next to me and before I could even turn around, arms like steel grabbed me from behind. I screamed and kicked, trying to break free from whomever had me. It was no use as he tossed me into the backseat of his car.

As I struggled to sit up, I caught a glimpse of Honey through the back window. She was running behind the car as fast as she could on bare feet. I screamed for her to help me and then my entire world went black.