Page 61 of Devoured
I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the emotional pain. “Yes. That skank.” Her jaw dropped, but then she laughed, understanding my joke. “I wanted to ask you a favor,” I said.
“What’s up?”
“Is there any chance you two would be willing to come back as club members?” She tilted her head to think. I added, “Of course, if youwantto work, you’re more than welcome. Just—” I paused, trying to figure out a nice way to say it, “Be sure to practice fire dancing. Warm up. Spin a couple of unlit rounds, before you light something on fire.”
She grinned, then said, “I’ve got another job, but thanks.” She scrunched her nose, then looked off to the side, thinking for a moment. In a quiet voice, she continued, “You know, Cormac used to go there with his late wife.”
I remembered that. “Right.”
She nodded her head, then thought in silence for a minute. “I’m sure we could do that too. It’s a fun place. I really liked watching you perform.” She shrugged. “It sucks that Teagen is gone though.”
Didn’t I know it? “Yeah,” I said, my voice sadder than I intended.
I stared out the window. Scarlett followed my gaze. A black SUV sat outside the window, the driver with sunglasses on, staring directly at me. I gave him the middle finger but he didn’t move. A statue meant for my protection. Because apparently, I was always in danger.
But after last night, I was kind of glad that they were there. They hadn’t stopped the ski mask man, but I knew they would have, eventually. Unless the ski mask man was one of their men? Wait. That was a good point. Had Roland hired them to mess with me? To catch me off guard? Was it another twisted fantasy of his?
“Who are they?” Scarlett asked.
“My shadows,” I said sarcastically. “Roland, the current owner, swore by them. It’s his thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“He wanted me to have a security detail.”
Scarlett looked around, her eyes scanning the different windows, then she leaned in closer to me. “They’re not a security detail,” she said.
“They’re not?” I asked. “Wait. How would you know?”
“Look,” she pointed towards the entrance, where another black SUV was visible through the glass door. “They’ve got one car near the entrance, another with eyes on you, and I’d put money on it that there’s another car in the back.”
“So?”
“So they’re not protecting you. They’re watching you. Making sure you’re not doing anything you’re not supposed to. Making sure you don’t escape.” She straightened, then turned to the driver outside of the window.
“I was attacked last night,” I said. I could still smell the fried food on the stranger’s clothes, his body against mine. The memory made me cringe. “Roland is looking out for me.”
“Is that it?” Scarlett tilted her head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they have orders to kill on command.”
What? That was crazy. “It’s not like that,” I said. “I’m not important enough to kill.”
“Everyone’s got enemies,” she shifted in her seat. “Trust me. I learned the hard way.” She motioned towards the window. “And like you said, you were attacked. Who’s to say it wasn’t one of them?”
My stomach turned, thinking about what she meant. I had already had a gut instinct about it, telling me to question what was going on. Was Roland my enemy? Did I have to watch my back around him?
Scarlett and I said our goodbyes, and as I drove back, I watched the cars surround me, one in front and two in the back, keeping close to me. I wanted to believe all Roland wanted was to keep me safe, but Scarlett’s words gave me concern.
Why did I need security like that?
***
The sun shined overcast behind the trees, making the clouds glow like nightlights. It was the early afternoon, but the lighting made it seem close to the evening. A few trucks were parked in the lot. It surprised me; they weren’t the typical cars for our club members.
Then I saw the entrance doors propped open. A man in a baseball cap said something to Roland, and Roland patted him on the shoulder before the man headed back to the car.
I held my lukewarm coffee in my hand. Roland had given me strange vibes for the last couple of days, but everyone had their moods. I knew that. As long as he didn’t try to fuck me while under the influence again, I didn’t care. But it unnerved me to consider what he was doing now, with my club.
But it was still technically his club, wasn’t it?
