Page 61 of The Gentleness of Rage

“Mine are perfectly fine, as you told me this morning when we got dressed,” Aunt Elsie shot back.

“Welcome to my aunts,” I murmured to Slate as he sidled towards me. Roscoe let out a low growl, and he stopped as Molly shoved between us. Okay then. Roscoe had reverted to possessiveness.

“Damn,” Slate complained.

“Now. Listen here, Madam.” Dorothy spoke to me as Aunt Elsie began cooking. I grinned, for as long as I could remember, Dorothy had called me Madam. “Slate provided an update this morning on last night’s events. It’s high time we put that little ingrate in his place. I have contacts, and Damien Barclay is about to start finding life very uncomfortable.”

“How did Slate find you?”

“There aren’t many federal judges with the name Dorothy, it was pretty easy,” Slate replied.

Aunt Dorothy tapped the table for my attention. “Jaelynn. We know what that horrible little twerp did to you, and we know you tried to protect us. I’ve no doubt the insignificant idiot threatened us to force you to behave. But you’re free, and he can’t harm you anymore. You need to make a statement. Slate has explained the plan for this morning, and I quite agree.”

“Okay,” I said, feeling ashamed.

“Jaelynn!” Dorothy rapped the surface again. “No shame. Damien was very skilled and not even we saw what he was doing until you sent Roscoe and Molly to live with us. That’s when we guessed, but he’d twisted your mind so much you weren’t sure if you were coming or going. You are stronger now and can stand up to Damien’s bullying, and you’re not alone. Hear me?”

“Yes,” I replied, and Dorothy grinned. “I’m proud of you, young lady. Don’t forget that.”

Dorothy turned a beady eye on Slate.

“Uh oh,” Slate murmured as she smiled like a cat toying with prey.

“Let’s get to know you, shall we?” Dorothy said, and Aunt Elsie broke into cackles of laughter. Slate swallowed hard.

???

Dorothy and Aunt Elsie had stayed with me while I gave my statement to Ramirez, and they joined me to visit Docs Paul and Gibbons. However, I saw Janet on my own. The medical outcomes stated that I was mentally healthy, and none of what Damien was saying would stick.

I felt a literal weight lift off my shoulders. Slate had explained that he’d spoken to Ezra and Mac, and I was given leave to stay with him until I flew out. He also assured me that places were booked for Dorothy, Aunt Elsie, and the two dogs. After my last appointment, Slate took me for lunch while Dorothy and Aunt Elsie went shopping. They knew I’d been feeling raw and exposed and wanted to give me some time with Slate.

Roscoe and Molly had been left at home, and I hoped they were behaving. It had warmed my heart seeing my puppy babies again. I had missed them so much. And when Damien managed to force me to quit my job, my life had been empty.

Not anymore. Thanks to Slate, I was putting it back together. Things may be up in the air due to the Venomous Fangs, but slowly my life was becoming my own.

Slate pulled into a parking spot near the front doors, and I followed him inside and stopped dead.

“Wow!” I exclaimed, looking around. Everything was so different, and this was just the entrance. “This is much more secure.”

“Yeah, security was a joke in here. Not anymore. Come on, babe, you won’t recognise the main floor,” Slate replied, and I walked with him down the hallway.

I smiled at the frosted glass six-foot mirrors that showed black outlines of women dancing.

“They’re projected films. They run for six hours and reset. Good idea, I thought,” Slate said.

“I like it,” I agreed. You couldn’t see any skin or flesh, just a tantalising shadow figure.

“We’re making the club members-only and instigating a hands-off policy. Break the rules, we’ll break your fingers,” Slate explained, and I laughed.

As we entered, I stopped, amazed. The room had been completely opened, and a security guard could survey the entire room easily.

There were circular booths for large parties and smaller tables with comfortable chairs. The seating area seemed a whole lot bigger. The private walls, which guys could grab and fondle a waitress without being seen, were gone. There’d be no sleezy men masturbating as a waitress approached them.

The stage was larger—and new. Above the bar was a brand-new mezzanine level, and that held what looked like floor-to-ceiling glass.

“One way only,” Slate said. “I can watch the floor but remain unseen myself. Those are mine and the three manager’s offices. Over there is the new VIP area.”

I glanced across and nodded. That was a three-tier system and three pretty large areas. Each tier had its own small bar.

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