“Boss!” he says, holding his hands out in front of him. “When have I ever—”
I cut him off with a sharp look, and he laughs. “I’ve got it,” he says, but as I step out onto the club floor, pretending to look for the celebrity in question, I’m listening in to the conversation behind me.
“So,” Ethan says, his voice a low rumble, “you saw something you’re wishing you hadn’t seen, huh?”
“I guess you could say that.” Meghan has a little more life in her voice now that I’ve walked away from her, and I have to wonder if maybe I intimidate her more because I’m her boss, even though I’m not quite as burly as the bouncer I’ve left her with. I do tend to come across as menacing, even when I’m not trying to. And then there was the drink incident… and when she walked in right after I murdered someone…
I see the celeb, but I’m not in any hurry to rush off until I’m sure Ethan has this situation handled. Ordinarily, I’d just leave him to it, but Meghan isn’t like all of the other girls who work here, and I want to make sure she’s okay.
“You do remember signing an NDA, right?” I hear Ethan ask her. “A nondisclosure agreement?”
“Uh…yeah, I guess so,” Meghan says.
“Cool.” Ethan infuses his voice with fake joy. “So you understand you can’t just run off to the police or the press now, don’t you?” Before Meghan responds, he says, “And I guess you know how Mr. Stone handles traitors?”
I turn around to check her reaction when Ethan breaks out into that goofy laugh of his, and I see that Meghan is smiling slightly, despite herself. He fake punches her lightly in the arm and says, “I’m just messing with you. But seriously…we’re cool, right?”
“Cool,” she says, and I take a few more steps into the club to watch from amidst the dancers as Ethan leads Meghan away. When he gets to the bar, he turns and winks at me, and I know she’s not going to say anything.
I take a deep breath, trying to pull my eyes away from her. She’s a beauty, that’s for damn sure. But she also seems like she could easily be trouble for me, in more ways than one. Not only did she find out about something she shouldn’t have any knowledge of, way before most of the waitresses who work here are made privy to such information, but thinking about that smokin’ body is going to keep me up tonight.
And I can’t date her.
I don’t date people who work for me…no matter how fucking hot they are.
With another inhale that smells like whiskey and blood, I head across the dance floor toward the waiting celebrity, hoping that whatever the fuck their problem is, it doesn’t involve blowing anyone’s head off. It’s not that I mind killing when it’s necessary, but it gets messy, and I’ve had enough mess for one night.
As I step through the dancers, I can’t help but think about Jonathan. It wasn’t all that long ago that he would’ve been one of the guys helping me fix this problem. Now, somewhere in the night, my guys are dumping his body in the darkness, putting him someplace where he’ll never surface again.
I push the remorsefulness aside and remind myself it’s just business. It doesn’t matter that the guy used to be my best friend. He stabbed me in the back and stole from me, and now…well, in the end, we always get what we deserve.
CHAPTER6
MEGHAN
Returning to work the next day after what I witnessed in the private part of the club is more than a little intimidating. Dressed in a short red skirt and a black top tied up at the bottom to reveal most of my bra, I stand outside in the parking lot for a solid five minutes, contemplating how I even got here.
Last night was a bit of a blur. After Ethan warned me about talking and escorted me out, I went back to my shitty apartment and took some medicine to help my pounding head. It had also put me to sleep, thank God. I hadn’t even realized how much of a headache I’d developed until I got home.
But after a solid eight hours of sleep, I’d had plenty of time to think about it. Did I really want to walk back in there? Did I want to see those people, knowing what went on behind closed doors? Or would it be better to just get back in my car and keep driving?
Drive where, though?I ask myself as I hear the beat thumping through the wall. I’m standing in the back of the building, near where the employees park, and not a lot of people are around, only a few people walking along the sidewalk in the distance. No one is watching me contemplate everything I know about life. I could run away, and the people of Club Limelight would probably forget I exist in a week or two.
I have no place to go, though. I can’t go back to Ohio and fucking Mitch the perv. That’s for damn sure. And what if Hunter Stone believes that because I never showed up for work again, that I’m a narc? The last thing I need is for him to hunt me down. I picture that dead guy in my head, and a shiver goes down my spine.
If I walk in there, I’m essentially saying I am cool with all of this. I’m cool with what I saw, what Hunter explained to me, what Ethan had to say—all of it. Is that who I am?
I’m not sure, but I know I don’t have anyone else to be right now.
With a deep breath, I push through the door and take a quick glance around, expecting to see Hunter standing there, ready to interrogate me about who I may have spoken to, or Ethan preparing to remind me of what happens to traitors.
Instead, I see Carter with a big grin on his face as he’s tying an apron around his waist. “Hey, there she is! How’s it going, Meghan? Did you get some sleep? That color looks great on you.”
I glance down, having sort of forgotten what I am even wearing. “Oh, hey,” I say, still cautious. “Yeah, I got some sleep. Thanks.”
“Cool.” He takes a few steps toward the hall that leads out to the dance floor. “I hear it’s a bit wild tonight, so it’ll be steady—but better for tips.” He winks at me and spins around to walk away, leaving me contemplating everything.
“Hey, girl!” Allie seems to come out of nowhere, along with Lexi and Sadie. “How are you?” She gives me a hug like she hasn’t seen me in a while. “Are you ready to make some more money?”