Page 12 of Craving You
“Good to know that threatening you with a whore is the trick to outsmarting you,” I say.I squeal and jump into my car before he can grab me, making Cam and Tris laugh as they watch.I wave and smile sweetly at Remy when he tries to open my door, but finds that it’s locked.He glares as he watches me back out and eventually throws his hand up to wave goodbye as I pull off.
I know what I need to do, but it requires me to go up to the club.I am not having this conversation over the phone, so it’s easier if I just go up there.When I pull into the lot, it’s relatively slow.When I walk inside, Dazzle, one of the dancers, smiles at me.
“Hey, girl!”she says as she hugs me.
“Hey,” I say.“Rob around?”
“Yeah.He’s on the floor somewhere.”
“Thanks,” I say before walking past her and onto the main floor.The familiar music thumps through the room and the usual stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke permeates the room.
“You better be fucking joking,” I hear Omar say.I turn around and smile at him, and he hugs me.“What the fuck are you doing here, Lorelei?”
“I need to talk to Rob.Wanna sit in?”I ask.
“Yeah.Come on,” he replies loud enough that we can hear over the music.He throws his hand up and motions to Rob, who has just stepped out of the back dressing room.
When we get into Rob’s office, the door shuts, and we can finally hear.“What are you doing here?”Rob asks me.
“Who killed them?”I ask.He just stares at me because he knows what I am talking about.
“What?”Omar asks.
“George and his two friends that raped me.Who killed them?”I ask again.
“Oh fuck.I wish it was me.How’d they die?”he asks.
“Article just said a home invasion, and they have ties to the mafia,” I say.“Rob?”
“I did not,” he says.
“But you know who did?”I ask.
“Uh…”
“Rob,” I snap.“Am I responsible for this?”
“No,” he says firmly.“This is not on you.They died because they are low-life pieces of shit, Lorelei.”
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because I will be next,” he says.“They are dead.No one is going to jail for it.End of story.”
“I quit,” I say.
“Thank God,” Omar says, hugging me tightly.When he pulls back, Rob smiles.
“I can’t keep doing this to myself.I opened up to someone today, and I’m realizing that I am doing this to myself as a result of something that happened when I was a teen.I am going to rent a space so I can still dance when I want, just alone where no one can grope me,” I explain.“I’m going to focus on my job and my family and stop torturing myself.”
“Good,” Rob smiles.
“I don’t know how I feel about you two being so happy,” I say.
“Baby, you are so much better than this place.You have a fucking master’s,” Omar says.“There is nothing wrong with what happens here, but you have bigger shit to be doing than taking your clothes off for drunk men.”
“Was I at least missed Saturday?”I ask.
“You were,” Rob says.“Another regular.I think his name was Thomas.He came in for you, but I let him know that you were no longer working here.He was sad but then went and fucked Jazzy.”
