Page 20 of Fighting a Riot

Thursday afternoon, Yak sat at his desk and tore his fingers through his hair, then he gathered it into a man-bun. All Sunday night, he’d tossed and turned. Restless sleep used to not be a problem for him, but ever since taking the late shifts at Platinum’s, he couldn’t afford to lose any sleep during the day. Losing sleep because he was worried about Nora left him feeling drained all around.

He just met the woman. There was no reason to worry. She had a place to stay. The asshole scumbag let her get her shit, and Yak should let it go at that.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about her, and that made no sense to him.

“Got bad news, Yak,” Punc said, settling into the chair across the desk.

“What? Bella turn you down again? You know you’re not supposed to hit on the dancers.”

“No. You, Turk, and Blood made that shit clear months ago.”

“Then what’s the bad news?”

Punc took a deep breath. “Lucy insisted on going to her car alone last night. Some asshole snatched her purse from her and all her tips.”

Lucy was better known to the clientele as Amethyst. Even before the Riot took over Platinum’s, she’d been the headliner. She had athletic moves and a body that kept men drooling. Her work ethic couldn’t be beat, and Yak often wondered why she hadn’t tried moving to a larger market because no doubt she’d make a killing.

As Punc’s words replayed in his mind, Yak closed his eyes and turned his head, struggling to keep his temper in check. After a beat, he aimed hard eyes at Punc. “Is Lucy okay?”

Punc nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Hell, if she weren’t someone would’ve called you.”

He clenched his jaw. “Get this through your fuckin’ head, Punc. This shit isn’t Lucy’s fault.”

Punc held his hands up in front of his belly. “Whoa, man. Calm down. I didn’t say it was.”

Yak leaned forward. “Your first words were about Lucy insisting on going to her car alone. That makes it sound like her fault, when it fucking is not.”

Punc exhaled hard and stood. He ran his hands through his blond hair while he paced. “That isn’t what I meant, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Wasn’t Evict on security?” Yak asked.

Punc paused, shaking his head. “No. It was Prime. His first time being security for the girls. The rest of us don’t care if Lucy takes jujitsu or whatever, we always walk her out. Martial arts don’t matter if some asshole’s holding a gun on you.”

“She said that? The bastard had a gun? What about the fuckin’ security footage?”

“Turk and Volt reviewed that. She’d parked in that far-off corner because some asshole parked in the last spot for the girls. By the time we got the vehicle moved, Jewel came in for her shift.”

That almost sounded suspect to Yak, but he’d seen that shit happen before. The dancers and the waitresses all had reserved parking in the back, and at least once a week they had to get some jackass to move his vehicle. Hell, it had happened the night of Nora’s bachelorette party - that was how Yak knew Destin had been in the parking lot. He’d told the bastard to move his car when it became clear he wasn’t dropping off or picking up one of the dancers.

Yak sighed. “She’s not comin’ in tonight.”

Lucy spoke from the doorway. “If you’re talking about me, too late. You aren’t keeping me off stage, Yak. I got bills to pay—”

“And we’ll pay your lost tips from last night,” Yak interrupted.

She arched a heavily lined brow at him. “I’m on the schedule. Was on the schedule before that shit happened. I’m not letting the asshole win twice.”

She had a point.

“Fine.” He narrowed his eyes. “But you’re gettin’ walked out to your car tonight, dammit.”

Her spine straightened. “Believe me, I got that loud and clear from three brothers already.”

With a low grunt, he said, “No more lip, Luce.”

She smirked. “Yeah, yeah. You gonna walk me to my car?”

He rolled his eyes. “No.”

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