Page 15 of Scattered Glitter

A glance at the clock tells me that If I head out now, I can grab a bottle of whiskey and some groceries, then take a couple of hours to get ready to go to Vortex.

I tell myself it’s just for fun, just another night to forget. Deep down, I know it’s more than that. I’m chasing something—validation, control, a way to feel like I matter, even if it’s only for a few hours and only to someone who doesn’t even know my name.

Annabelle would call it self-sabotage wrapped in a glittery bow, and she wouldn’t be wrong. What does she know about surviving when all you want is to disappear? She’s got her perfect boyfriend, her perfect little escape plan. Me? I’ve got whiskey and a dance floor.

Maybe one of the guys who was so eager to leave with me last night will be there again.

If not, I’ll find someone else.

I always do.

CHAPTER FIVE

Sylus

The desert sun sets behind me as I step through the back door of Vortex, the anticipation of that space of time between the day ending outside of these walls and life expanding inside them filling me.

The club is stirring but still caught in the calm before the storm. I grab a rag from behind the bar and start the ritual of washing down everything while the DJ starts up the first track. Soon, the bass thrums through the floor, the pulse quickly syncing with the beat of my heart.

It’s early in the night, but Vegas doesn’t give a fuck about the time. The club’s dim lights and swirling neon make you forget the outside world, creating a cocoon of escapism I’ve come to rely on.

“Hey, Sylus, make sure to fill up the bottles. We ran out of vodka yesterday,” Sienna calls over.

I nod, aware that I could tell her to get her own shit, but I drop the rag and head to the back. The storage room is cool and quiet as I grab a couple of bottles, mentally checking off what we need.

After only three months at this job, it’s become routine. Nothing special, nothing amazing, but what I needed when I started here—a distraction—something to keep me occupied, to keep me from sinking into the abyss.

The nights are the worst.

The money doesn’t matter, and neither do my coworkers. I’m not here to make friends. I’ve got friends, the kind who are more like brothers. But right now, we’re all mourning the same person, each of us dealing with it in our own way. And since everyone except me decided they needed space to grieve alone rather than lean on each other, I had to find my own way to cope that does not entail the shit I used to do in the past to keep me from spiraling.

Maybe that makes me as selfish as the rest of them.

Alaric hides in his room, even more of an asshole than usual. Ezra throws himself into work, always busy with one more case, one more lead. And the twins? They are lost in their plans for revenge that may get all of us killed.

Just like their Uncle Oscar.

The man who was more of a father figure to all of us. He and Ezra saved me from my reckless ego and a future behind barsor worse. They showed me I could use my talents for good. They pulled me out of the darkness, away from my abusive father and neglectful mother, giving me a chance at a life I never thought I could have.

I owe them everything. Without Oscar, I wouldn’t be living in a mansion in Vegas at fucking twenty-five, free from the worries of money and hunger that had haunted me for most of my life. He gave me a chance, a way out, a family. And now, the weight of his absence is a constant ache in my chest.

Don’t think about it, Sy.

Returning to the bar with the bottles, I set them down asI continue my prep while the club slowly comes to life around me.

“Hey, handsome, a mojito and your phone number, please,” a hot blonde purrs as she leans on the bar.

“Mojito coming right up,” I reply, tossing some mint into the glass and giving it a quick muddle.

She watches me work, a mischievous grin on her lips. “Are you working all night?”

“Yeah.” I flash her a quick, fake smile as I add the rum and ice.

She tilts her head, her hair falling over one shoulder as she leans closer. “Good to know how much time I’ve got to convince you to take me home.”

I chuckle, shaking my head along with the cocktail before pouring the contents of the shaker into a glass and sliding the drink across the bar to her. “That’ll be twenty bucks.”

“Worth every penny.” She winks, her eyes lingering on mine a moment longer than necessary.

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