Page 62 of The Gentleness of Rage

“A guard will be present on each level, and no funny business is permitted. Everything is now out in the open,” Slate explained.

“It feels better in here. The ick factor is gone. This is welcoming but professional,” I commented.

“That is what I was going for. Come see my office,” Slate said and waggled his eyebrows at me.

I was laughing as we headed up the two flights of stairs. Slate stopped at a door and pointed. “That’s the panic room. It’s easily assessable to Cayla and whoever the other two managers will be. The code is the day we met.”

I smiled as I thought about it and then rattled a date off.

“Give the girl a prize,” Slate said, laughing.

As we were about to enter his office, the phone rang. “Hold on, baby. Hello?” Slate asked. Someone spoke on, and Slate’s eyes narrowed. “On it!” he snapped out.

“What’s wrong?”

Slate’s body had tensed, and I sensed he was angry.

“Someone’s lurking outside. Security is watching him. I need to go check what’s happening,” Slate replied, but he looked uncertain.

“I didn’t know you had surveillance up already,” I replied stupidly. What did that matter?

“It’s only partial at the moment. It’s still being fitted, but we’ve got someone acting suspiciously out there. Can you wait here?”

“Sure,” I agreed. This was the safest place for me.

Slate disappeared, and I began wandering around the floor. It was most definitely classier. There’d be no more fat, groping fingers for the waitresses. This would become a safe business for women to work in.

The doors opened, and then I heard them close.

“Did you find them?” I asked and turned.

Wade Winslow stood in the doorway, staring at me. “Nice to see you, Jaelynn. Damien’s been searching everywhere for you.”

I didn’t hesitate, even as fear built inside me. I took to my heels and headed for the staff stairway.

“Hey, what’s going on?” a woman demanded, coming towards me from a corridor.

“Run!” I screamed as I raced for the stairs and started running up them.

“Jaelynn!” Wade roared, and he caught hold of me. I struggled and shoved him, and he fell down a few steps. I began moving again when he reached up and grabbed my leg.

Wade yanked hard, and I hit my knees on the next step.

Half twisting, I turned and kicked him in the head.

Wade yowled, and I scrambled to my feet and headed for the panic room. I kept running the numbers through my head, and I reached the security panel and punched them in. The door opened instantly, and I yanked it open and, raced inside and started closing it. Wade shoved his hand in just as it was nearly closed, and I screamed as he began pulling it back open.

Acting on instinct, I let Wade open it a little and then pushed hard. That caught Wade off guard, and he stumbled backwards, loosening his grip. Without another thought and not caring, his hand was still there, I slammed the door shut and spun the wheel, locking the bars in place.

A primal scream erupted for a brief second. I gazed in horror at the patch of blood on the doorframe, and then I scrambled back and sat down heavily on a bed.

Slade

He rushed in as security alerted him somebody was in the building. Whoever had been outside had been a decoy, and Jaelynn was alone. Slate hurried inside and saw blood on a wall near the stairs. Screams came from the dancers’ changing room, and Slate drew his gun and barrelled down the corridor.

“Slate! Someone just took Sindy hostage and escaped out the back!” Cayla shouted as he approached. She had her own weapon drawn, shocking him, but Slate kept running past her.

“Secure the girls!” he yelled over his shoulders. He burst through the fire exit and saw a black truck skidding off. Two people fought in the backseats, and somebody was driving. The door swung open, and there was a loud bang, and someone fell out of the truck.

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