Page 45 of Fratelli: Eternal Bloodlines

“Come on in. Let’s see what you’ve got. I watched your YouTube videos. They were four years old. In this business, aging doesn’t fare well for my dancers,” Sophie said and gestured toward the stage. There was a challenge in her eyes, as if she dared Sonya to prove her wrong.

Sonya dropped her satchel. She lowered her harem pants jumper to reveal she only wore a half top and leotard beneath. She removed the band from her wrist and put her curls long and lovely to the top of her head. An expert in the business, she, of course, came prepared.

Never taking her eyes off the stage, Sonya slipped on her platform eight-inch heels. She tried to think of the best routine opening, and her mind kept coming up blank. Maybe theguardian in her had some ideas. She walked up the steps to the mirrored stage. Her heels clicked over the polished floor.

A DJ appeared at the booth.Was he there before?She could have sworn he wasn’t.

The music “Sex and Candy” played.

Sonya immediately felt the familiar rush of adrenaline flood through her veins. Still, she was nervous. Sophie was correct. She hadn’t been on stage in over four years. The viral video Sophie referenced was her last show. A huge success, but she spent the next day in a tub of Epson salt and ice to make up for the bruises between her thighs and all over her arms from the acrobatic dance performance.

Sonya said a silent prayer that reminded her stripping was like riding a bike. Her life and the lives of her friends depended on her performance. She just knew it. The stage was once again her domain, where she felt most alive. She took a deep breath, wrapped her hand around the cool metal of the pole, and began to move.

Her performance was a blend of strength that came from nowhere and grace, her body twisting and turning with effortless precision. She scaled the pole, before hanging upside down and twirling around, her movements fluid.

The lyrics said: ‘I smell sex and candy here, yah mama, this surely is a dream.’

She could feel Sophie’s eyes on her, and the scrutiny. Though the DJ's face remained hidden, she felt the vampiric probe of his interest as they watched her every move, but she pushed the thought aside and focused on her routine.

Sonya slid down the pole, landing softly on the stage in a split. She was up on her feet again. Sophie grabbled the pole climbed up her thighs locked in so she could spin out like a windmill with her arms wide stretched and her head low. She came out of the spin and went up, grabbed the pole for a fasttwirl, and then did a drop. She landed on the glass floor in a graceful pose.

An inner force took hold of Sonya. Was it her or Kaida now? Her body felt ten years younger. The ways she could handstand on the pole with her legs scissored straight up, then wide apart, while she clapped her thighs together to make her buttocks jiggle as she went down in a circle was a talent she’d never achieved before. The maneuvers that had her only using one hand to keep herself up or slinging around the pole while she did a seductive glide downward were unique and original. Soon she was smiling at her control and endurance. So much so that when the song stopped, she kept dancing.

Sonya heard a slow clap. She came down to her feet. She looked up to see a shadow of a man who stood at the back of the room. He was tall, with golden brown hair and a commanding presence. There was something about him that made her pulse quicken.

“Impressive,” he said, his voice deep and resonant, was heard in every corner of the empty club although he never raised it. “Welcome. We love new pussy here.”

The compliment sent an icy sliver of dread down her spine. Panting, Sonya squinted against the glare in her eyes to see the man beyond the pink studio lights. She couldn’t. Before she could respond, Shakespeare turned and strode towards the exit.

Sophie’s eyes widened. She hurried after him, calling back to Sonya as she ran: “You’re hired! Look for Joyce so you can sign the contracts and get set up with music and everything. Meet the girls in the back. They will explain,” said Sophie, who zipped at an almost superhuman speed after the mystery man.

You did great, Sonya. I am Kaida. Nice to meet you, said the guardian.

Sonya exhaled and smiled.

“Hi Kaida, nice to meet you, too.”

“Shakespeare, wait!”Sophie called after him. She caught up to him near the exit and grabbed his arm. He stopped. Sophie stopped. Shakespeare had a tender side. She’d seen it before. Many times, he’d been vulnerable in private. But he was also vicious, more vicious than even Domencio when betrayed. So, she had to be careful.

He cast a look back at her from over his shoulder and Sophie shuddered inside. Not from fear, but from relief. Shakespeare had returned to her, which meant there had to be hope.

“You want to talk?” he asked coolly, his eyes hard as granite.

“I need to talk,” she pleaded. Her voice was on the edge of a tremor. “Please babe, just hear me out.”

Shakespeare's eyes narrowed, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Hear you? Sure,mon chéri. Let’s talk and hear you out.” He threw open the door nearest to him. Three girls were inside, going through the inventory that Sophie wanted checked in for the big show in the evening. They hurried out at the sight of Shakespeare. Sophie went inside and closed the door. Shakespeare paced like a panther, back and forth, eyes glued to her.

“Talk!”

“I did it for you,” she began, her voice broke as blood tears welled up in her eyes. “No one has seen you since the meeting with the wolves. Domencio has been looking for you.”

Shakespeare kept pacing. He looked as if he’d pounce at any moment.

“I do everything for you. Even cover for you with Master. I do it because of my love for you. This war can’t live inside of the consiglieri. It goes against the order of the Fratelli. These are therules. It could end you. Lucio and Domencio are brothers. They can fight, but you and Tristan can be replaced. You threw him in the fire, you tried to kill him. He tried to kill you. What’s next? We’re all part of the same coven. We shouldn’t be enemies. I tried to stop the war,” Sophie pleaded.

“I did not throw him into the fire, Phoenix did. Once again, you make up the facts to suit you,” said Shakespeare.

“What? I thought?—”

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