Page 143 of Dust to Dust

An oath that I would continue to uphold despite the agony it caused.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Isla

One Month Later

As I stared up at the sign for Club Marquis, I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat. If Alainn had been a Five Star club, this one would have hit somewhere between three and a half stars. It was certainly a last resort.

It had been a hellish month. What energy I had, I’d thrown into my studies. As for my job, I’d never gone back to Alainn after the night I was kidnapped. Caterina had been kind to bring me my things. It had been agony seeing her. She promised to stay in touch as a friend, but I knew I couldn’t and not just because of the pain her presence caused.

I knew Mikita wouldn’t take kindly to us remaining friends. I remained in a state of paranoia that he had the house and my phone bugged. Probably even my car. If I made one misstep, I imagined he would swoop in to retaliate against me.

With the money I’d stashed away dwindling, I’d spent the day driving around to clubs looking for a job. None of them moved me past filling out an application. It was like the universe was trying to tell me to get the hell away from stripping, but my stubborn self wasn’t taking the message.

“You’ve got to be joking,” Brooke sniped from the passenger seat.

“I wish I was.”

She shook her head vehemently back and forth. “You’re not dancing in this dump, Isla.”

“Trust me. I don’t want to.”

“Then don’t. Let’s get the hell out of here, and you can use my inheritance.”

“No,” I gritted out.

“Would you stop being so damn stubborn? I told you you could pay me back. Hell, if you’re going to be such a stupid Girl Scout about it, you can sell me your half of the house. I sure as hell don’t want you to do that, but if it would mean getting it through your thick skull you don’t have to strip, then I would do it.”

I reached over to squeeze her hand. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

“So we can get the hell out of here?”

“I need to see this through, Brooke.”

She snatched her hand from mine. “Unfuckingbelievable.”

“On that note, I’ll be right back.”

Turning her head from me, Brooke stared out the window. With a resigned sigh, I grabbed my purse and hopped out of the SUV. Deep down, I knew I should take her up on her offer. But I felt like I had to exhaust all options before I did that. Even if it meant dancing in a skeezy club.

When I entered the door, it was a lot smokier and darker than Alainn. Peering through the haze, I searched for someone in charge. A hulking bouncer approached me. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I was wanting to inquire about a position.”

“Follow me.”

“Um, okay, thanks.”

As I fell in step behind him, I tried keeping my eyes down. I figured it was better to see less of what was in store for me. Yes, I was that deluded about my current situation.

When we got to a door labeled “Employees Only”, the bouncer rapped his knuckles against the wood. “Yeah?” came a voice within.

“Got a girl for you.”

“Bring her in.”

After the bouncer opened the door, my feet seemed rooted to the spot. For the life of me I couldn’t seem to make my feet get with the program. Finally, I pitched forward and walked through the doorway.

The stereotypical sleazy looking strip club owner sat behind an enormous black desk. If he’d only been puffing on a cigar, I would’ve felt like I’d stumbled into a bad Lifetime movie. “So you’re interested in a position here?”

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