“Oh. Shit. Something’s really wrong. Is it about last night?”
Steph slowly nodded. A tear slid down her cheek.
“Okay. Sit down. Tell me everything that happened and who I have to kill.”
Steph swallowed hard as she pulled a chair out.
She sat, and Josie took a deep breath.
She wasn’t sure that anything could actually surprise her.
She was very wrong.
Chapter Four
Josie knewit was going to be one of those nights. First off, the beer vendor showed up late and had the wrong stuff on his truck. The guy that drove the truck - Ace - was old and grumpy. He chewed on the stump of a cigar like it was a piece of beef jerky and he slapped his hand over and over on the order form, trying to make the case that Josie had messed up and not the company he worked for. That meant Josie had to print a copy of what she ordered, give it to Ace, and then wait for him to sit in his truck and call the company. That resulted in him screaming at whoever he was on the phone with. Then he drove away with the back of the truck still open. Josie wasn’t sure when he shut the door, but he came back a couple of hours later with the missing items from the order.
Second, there was instant tension in the club too. That told Josie that Starla had probably been running her mouth. Josie kept quiet and kept working. The club opened, and traffic was really slow. A few of the regulars showed up and sat there, sipping whiskey, flirting with the girls, and then tipped them for their time and conversation. It was an interesting relationship with some of them. The way the guys would come in, settle up at the bar, and just drop money like it was free. Waiting for their favorite girl to show up and take the stage. Tipping the others, but not as much as their favorite.
After checking the second bar, the one that didn’t have a stage with beautiful woman taking their clothes off, Josie went to the main office. There she found Jefferson sitting with some woman she’d never seen before. He was dressed in a black shirt with too many buttons undone, playing with his gold rings, showing off his wealth. He was overweight and cocky, but had the money to back it up. Not the power though. That came from the MC.
“Sorry,” Josie said. “Didn’t know you were having a meeting.”
“This is Angel,” Jefferson said.
“Uh, my name is Anna,” the woman said.
“No, cutie. Your new name is Angel.” Jefferson waved his hands in the air. “You’ll be the angel that takes the stage and calms all those wicked hearts out there.”
Josie rolled her eyes. Jefferson loved to write backstories for all the dancers, even if most of the ladies ignored what Jefferson said.
“We’re hiring?” Josie asked.
“We’re hiring Angel,” Jefferson said. “She needs some work and we have the work for her to do.”
“Well, I’m Josie,” Josie said.
“Anna… er… Angel,” Anna-slash-Angel said with a smile.
“When do you start?” Josie asked.
“I… uh…”
“Wait,” Jefferson said. “Did you hear that? Is that music playing out there? And there are people out there… looking for you right now, Angel. Go to it.”
“Right now?” Anna-slash-Angel asked.
“Why not?” Jefferson asked right back.
“Okay,” she said.
“Come on,” Josie said. “I’ll give you a quick tour and you can get to work.”
Josie had planned on talking to Jefferson and getting a feel of what he knew about Starla and what was going on with everyone else, but now her sights shifted.
She introduced Anna-slash-Angel to the ladies that were there. That’s when she finally spotted Starla, who was sitting in chair, working on her makeup. Josie sent Anna-slash-Angel to the other girls and casually walked over to Starla. She quickly stood up, throwing her makeup onto the vanity, and tried to get away from Josie.
Josie touched her arm. “Hey.”