Page 4 of Small Town Beast

Anyway, what was worse? Selling her soul for one night, or losing Amari forever?

“Let’s not fight about it,” Tanya said quickly. “Just come pick me up at midnight like we agreed.”

Bee caught her hand and squeezed it. Her large eyes shone with concern and caring. She was shaking, just like Tanya. “Be careful my sister,” she whispered.

“I will. What you scared for? You know me!” Tanya’s fake laugh didn’t fool either of them. Well, here it was. She took a deep breath and opened the car door. She stepped out in the gravel lot, slinging her little purse over her shoulder.Shouldersback. Look confident. Look like you don’t care…like it’s nothing to you. What am I doing? What am I doing? Think about the money. Think about a thousand dollars. Think about Amari, lost and cold somewhere. Crying for me. What if he’s dead? What if I’m doing this for nothing?

She faltered, but when Tanya decided on something she was not the type to quit. She walked straight into the place and asked the young white bartender for a man named Mister Eugene. As soon as she spoke those magic words and the world behind her disappeared.

After staring at her for a full ten seconds in gaping silence the boy went to get Mister Eugene. The owner of the Turnkey came out a minute later, wiping his hands on a dirty towel. Mister Eugene looked mean as a snake, and he was. Tanya knew he took a cut off any business that passed inside his walls. They had never met before, but he seemed familiar to Tanya. That type of man was always the same; skin color didn’t matter.

Mister Eugene looked Tanya up and down. His lips were fat and fishlike. “What do you want here?”

“My name is Tee,” said Tanya, her voice bending all over the place. “I’m here to work.”

“To work,” he repeated.

“J-Just until midnight,” she said, clenching her trembling hand around the strap of her bag.

“Sure,” he said. “Midnight.” Scratching his belly and still staring at her like he wanted to laser-beam her dress off with his eyes, Mister Eugene grunted, “You’re early, so you get the throne. Right here. Best spot in the house.”

“Okay.”

“Remember the house gets…forty percent.”

“Forty?”

“Remember that. Don’t think of cheatin’ me, or it’ll be your hide.” The man fished in his apron for a key, which he handed to Tanya. It was slick with something– better not imagine what.

“You get room three,” he said. “No drugs, but you can smoke.”

“Okay.”

“I didn’t hear a thank you.”

“Thank you,” Tanya forced out.

Mister Eugene finally smiled. It was the ugliest smile Tanya had ever seen in her life. “If you do well you can come back next Friday,” he said.

“Okay,” replied Tanya through a very dry throat. Tonight, money came before pride.

She tooka seat at the bar, relieved when Mister Eugene thumped back through the kitchen doors. She hated to think what they were cooking up back there. The smell of cigarettes out where she was sitting was only a little bit better.

About three dozen people were crowded into the Turnkey and more were on the way. The night was still young as the summer. On the right Friday, a body might be packed in here shoulder-to-shoulder, wall to wall.

There were men with goatees and mohawks, men with mullets and long, stringy beards. Some wore biker vests, others hunched in workman flannels, and some had on construction jeans and boots and filthy T-shirts, every one of them drinking, and drinking hard.

People shuffled in and out of the swinging lattice doors, a mix of men and women. The men were starting to take notice of her already. Tanya pretended not to notice they were taking notice. She knew she had to smile and beckon somebody over. But she didn’t want to smile. She wanted to sink through the floor. Shewas going to faint. Between her legs hurt and she hadn’t even opened them yet.

“Miss, you want a drink?”

The bartender was just a couple years younger than Tanya and he had a kind face.

She cupped her ear. “What?”

“What will you be havin?” the kid gulped. “First drink is free for workin’ girls.”

“I want a whiskey with hot water and lemon, please,” she whispered.

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