Page 78 of Trailer Trash

“But it’s a fair assumption that you could be in danger. Agreed?”

I hesitated.

“Let me rephrase that,” he said in a no-nonsense tone. “I know you’re in danger. I’m making sure you’re on the same page.”

“I guess.”

“And while we both know you can handle yourself and take on any asshole who comes at you, we also both know I’ve had far more experience dealing with situations like this. Also agreed?”

“I guess,” I reluctantly conceded.

His mouth tipped into a hint of a grin, a fleeting expression that quickly faded. “Then I’m asking you to let me take the lead on this tonight. You can be in charge of talking to Carla or whoever you want, but let me be in charge of making sure you’re safe.” He squeezed my hand. “Please.”

He was right. He was more experienced with this kind of thing, but he’d proven he knew when to hang back. Before stepping in with Beasley, he’d let me question him—even though he must have been itching something fierce to take control. “Okay.”

Relief filled his eyes. “Thank you.”

I took a deep breath. “Let’s get this over with.”

We got out and walked across the parking lot, Jed’s possessive arm around my lower back. He paid the cover charge this time and headed straight toward an empty table in the back corner. Again, I caught some attention, but Jed held on tight, making sure every pair of eyes that landed on me knew they’d face his wrath if they dared to hit on me.

He held out a chair for me, and while he was being his gentlemanly self, I also knew he was placing me exactly where he wanted me—in the deepest shadows while he was more in the light.

There was a dancer on the stage and two girls working the crowd, but I didn’t recognize any of them.

Jed rested his forearm on the sticky table and turned his attention to the stage, but I knew he wasn’t watching the dancer swing around the pole. He had chosen this table purposefully—it gave him a perfect vantage point to assess the room around us. He could see a threat as soon as it walked in the door. He could see anyone who approached us. He could see who was on stage, who was behind the bar, and every hostess working the room.

I took note of this for my own future reference. My own surveillance skills needed some brushing up.

A few minutes later, one of thehostesseswalked over to our table, wearing nothing but pasties and a G-string along with four-inch stilettos. She stopped in front of our table and popped her hip out to the side. “Hi, I’m Destiny, and I’m your hostess for the evening. What can I do for you two? Drinks? A private room?” She gave Jed a sultry look. “I can do girl on girl if that’s your thing.”

My face burned, but the shadows hid my embarrassment. I couldn’t help but remember what it felt like to work here, to say tawdry things to complete strangers. Was Jed imagining me in this hostess’s place?

He slid his hand off the table and picked mine up and held it on top of the table. “I’ll take a beer. Whatever’s on special.” He turned to me. “Honey?”

I nearly startled at his term of endearment, but then I realized my name was much too uncommon to go unnoticed. “A bottle of water.”

Destiny grabbed a strand of her hair and began to play with it. “What else, sugar? You can get a beer down the street.”

“Do you know if Carla’s here?” he asked.

She frowned. “She’ll be here in another half hour. But I’ll be more than happy to take care of you.”

“That’s enough for now,” Jed said.

She walked off, looking disappointed, and I understood how she felt. I’d dealt with plenty of older, unattractive guys while working here, so I knew how much she must appreciate having a good-looking man in her section. But she must still be fairly new because the good-looking ones were often the worst.

I tried to pull my hand free, but Jed held on.

“We could leave and come back, but I think it would look suspicious. It would probably be better to sit here and wait. Are you okay with that?”

I knew he didn’t like being in this dump any more than I did. “Whatever you think is best.”

A huge grin spread across his face. “I’m goin’ to remember this moment because I have a feeling it will be one of the only times I’ll hear those words coming from your lips.”

I laughed because he was right, and we both knew it.

Destiny brought our drinks, and Jed handed her a hundred-dollar bill and told her to start a tab. When she left, he picked up my water and examined it before unscrewing the cap and handing it to me.

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