Page 4 of Last One Standing
I faced him and took his hands in mine. “We will get away from here, I promise. Brick and the other guys wouldn’t dare lay a finger on you.”
Pika scoffed, his expression bordering on anger. “You think I’m worried about myself?”
“Lower your voice.”
Pika got up and shut the dressing room door. “Brick is going to kill you one day, Kona.”
“He’s obsessed with me, Pika. He uses you to keep me in line because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. But I’m really close to having saved enough to get us across the country and away from him and his crew.”
“He’ll hunt us down, Kona.”
I stood and went over to him, immediately wrapping him in my arms. “You listen to me. You know where the money is. If something happens to me, you take it and go.” I pushed back and stared into his brown eyes. “He won’t hunt you down.”
“I’ll never leave you, Kona.”
“You will if you have to.”
Pika opened his mouth, likely to argue, but I stopped him. “Now, go see if the others need help. I have to get my face on.”
His shoulders sagged, and he turned away and left. I shut the door behind him and took a deep breath.
I wished I’d never taken the help Brick had offered me five years ago, but at the same time if I hadn’t, who knew where Pika would be? I didn’t much give a shit about myself; I lived for my brother and would climb a ladder on fire if it meant keeping him safe.
It took longer than usual to get ready, and I was sweating a bit. I popped some painkillers one of the other queens had given me.
Stilettos and Sangria wasn’t your typical drag queen club, no. Brick wanted it to be special, different. We had a host, Ima Cummings, who’d been in this business for a while and was one of the best drag queens I’d ever seen. Every show started with a glorious number in which Ima would emerge and get things going.
Brick felt I was a shining star. Even once I’d explained that I wanted to be part of the numbers, he’d refused to listen. I was a headliner. I came out after the opening, after a few queens did their thing.
I didn’t think Brick had expected the love I got, because he often liked to tell me that if I took the makeup off for all my adoring fans, they might not be so impressed with what they saw. But as soon as he wanted his dick wet, he would tell me howbeautiful I was, and everything you’d think someone would want to hear.
At first, I’d eaten up the praise; now it made me want to vomit.
I’d just zipped up my dress when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and in walked Brick. He wasn’t at every show—usually he had one of his guys or a prospect in attendance. I swallowed, the weight of his stare making me queasy.
“Brick. I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”
His brown hair was in a ponytail, he wore faded jeans, a black T-shirt, and of course his cut. As president of the Dead Kings, he wore his power like a piece of clothing. His beard was trimmed, sort of like a goatee, but he changed it up sometimes. And he had a smug smile as though he knew how walking into my dressing room affected me.
“Surprise, little flower.” He inched closer and I wanted to step back, but if I did I’d pay a painful price.
“Now, don’t go smudging me, Brick. I gotta be on soon.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “I wouldn’t dare.”
In this moment, with my hair, makeup, tucked and sucked in, a glittering dress sliding over my skin, I wasn’t Kona Miller. I was Anita Pounding and like I’d have to do in front of an audience soon, I let her take control and gave Kona a break.
“I am loving this surprise, sugar, but if you distract me now, I’ll need to retuck.” I winked.
He chuckled darkly. “Don’t tempt me. I’m here because I heard Leo talking to Tank about a special party in the VIP section.” He stepped a little closer. “Cindy does the reservations, and it turns out you asked her to make it happen…makes me wonder.”
“Wonder what, darlin’?” Inside I was shaking, but Anita was fearless—she’d think of something.
“Who these guys are. A group of good-looking guys, here, in the VIP section…for you.”
