Page 46 of Death Match

“What’s your story?” His question took both of us off guard.

Her brows rose. “What do you mean?” she asked, not even trying to hide the bite to her tone.

“What’s your story?” Mr. White repeated. “Any girl who works here didn’t grow up wanting to be a stripper. Something happened to bring them to this point. What’s it for you?”

Wow, he was blunt. And a bit brutal.

Living-Jade flinched at the word “stripper,” seeming to not be too happy with the label and the context he was using it in. “I-I don’t think that’s any of your business, honestly.”

Mr. White smiled his dangerous, tight-lipped smile again. “What if I said I wanted it to be?”

I rolled my eyes.

That’s when he reached into his suit jacket’s inside pocket and pulled out a palm-sized silver tin with the design of a knight’s head armor on it. In dark red.

Something floated to the surface from the back of my mind, causing my blood to run cold.

Wasn’t the name of the gang Ricky had told Jade about the Scarlet Knights?

Fear gripped me suddenly. Living-Jade had seen it and made the same connection because her face paled. She pressed her palms flat against the surface of the table and pushed herself up to stand.

Get out of there!I shouted mentally at her. I should have known. Mr. White reeked of crime boss.

Jade tried to move to leave, but Mr. White held out the open tin to offer her one of his cigarettes. Pausing, she eyed it, unsure.

Why was she hesitating?Move your feet and get the fuck out of there. You don’t have to stay there and listen to his crap.

“I just want to talk,” he assured her, nudging his attempt at an olive branch closer to her. “That’s all.”

Doubted it.

She stayed there for a long moment, saying nothing and only staring. She doubted it too.

As she stood there, debating, I wondered how this Mr. White fellow had found her at all. It was suspicious the guy from the bodega had mentioned her joining with him and here was one of the gang’s leaders seeking her out. Had Ricky told him about her and where she worked? Not sure. He had tried to push the Knights as a way to protect her and get her extra money. Maybe he had gone a step farther against her wishes.

With a trembling hand, Jade took one of the cigarettes, and just as fast, Mr. White suddenly produced a lighter and lit the end.

Holding it between her fingers, she glanced at the men, who were all staring her down, waiting.

Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.

Slowly, she brought the thing to her lips and sucked in a quick breath. A coughing fit ensued, and she threw the cigarette into the ashtray as she sputtered and gasped behind her hand.

My own lungs burned at the sight, as though they somehow remembered the feeling and hated it just as much as living-Jade’s did in that moment.

The two men chuckled, but when Mr. White threw them a hard glare, they stopped.

He waited for her to catch her breath before continuing again.

“What’s brought you to the Lion’s Den?” he asked, his head tilting in curiosity.

With uneasiness tumbling through me, I waited for Jade to respond. I wished I knew what was going through her head in that moment, but even I couldn’t guess.

I hated how little I knew about myself.

Living-Jade glanced between the three men again, uncertain if she should take the bait and tell them anything. But with all of them staring at her with heavily weighted gazes, she swallowed roughly and said in a quick whisper, “I need the money.”

That’s what I had assumed, too, but to be honest, who worked in a place like this for the health benefits? It was always for the money.

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