Page 93 of Devoured
EPILOGUE
one year later
Iris
In a perfect world, I would tell you that our state unanimously decided to decriminalize sex work and that the Dahlia District was thriving, doing better than ever before...
But this was not a perfect world. And some things never change.
But this world? It was pretty damn close to perfect.
As I walked through the club, I beamed up at the stage. Haley was pulling herself up onto a metal hoop, and though the audience was full, all of the club members glued to her performance, she waved to me, breaking the illusion of her seductive dance. I waved back. Haley never went to the private rooms, but she enjoyed performing on stage, like her mother had—Haley loved it, in fact. And Lucas enjoyed watching.
Scarlett eyed me from across the club, then raised her glass. Cormac was by her side. I met them at their booth in the lounge.
“So you’re off for a while then,” Scarlett said.
“I’m afraid duty calls me elsewhere,” I said. “But the club will be in good hands until I return.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I didn’t think she’d be good at managing.”
“She’s not bad at it, actually,” I said. “You’ll still come here without me? Keep an eye on the place?
“Of course,” Scarlett said. “We love the ambiance.”
Cormac nodded. “You’ve done a great job with the place.”
I gave him a real smile, feeling pride swell from within. “Thank you.”
Cormac had once again asked if I would be willing to split the business with him, but I had declined. Once he knew that all of the entertainers were independent contractors with a reasonable house fee each month, with the entertainers free to set their prices and come and go as they pleased, he trusted me to treat them fairly. And I did.
Teagen was still off with the Adler mafia, doing who knows what, but she checked in every few days. And luckily, because of Roland’s connection with the Adlers, I could contact her too whenever I wanted. Which was often. I missed that woman.
Jake had survived the bullet wound to his hand, and now that he was in jail, where he was facing two twenty-year sentences for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as well as the charge for what he had done to Kendall, he would be there a long, long time. Roland had hinted at a friend who was watching him on the inside, but for once, I didn’t ask questions. And if Jake survived his sentence, I had a feeling Melissa would be watching him too, with Rourke by her side.
I didn’t know where Melissa was, but she had reiterated her promises: she, and Rourke, the creepy man she was dating, would always have the Dahlia District on their radar, willing to keep everyone safe. I imagined the two of them in the woods, waiting for the right moment to strike. Our secret guardians, protecting us. Lucky for us, I didn’t have to contact them yet.
As for politics, it was hard to convince an entire state legislature that prostitution should be decriminalized. Nearly impossible, in fact. But because I had been introduced to Roland’s friend, we had been working together closely to get support for the bill. It could take ages—years, even, but I wasn’t going to stop. Some of the entertainers were even willing to help.
And as for me?
I was the owner of the club like I had always dreamed of. It was full of new entertainers, but I treated each of them with the respect I always had. They were my sisters, and we would all act together to make sure that we had a safe place to work, to entertain, to live. We all had a home.
And I was also a business consultant. Roland’s business consultant.
I exited the club, and Roland, sober as can be but as much of a hedonist as ever, grabbed my hand.
“I’m glad you’re coming,” he said. “You’re going to love this new club. It’s ridiculous.”
“As ridiculous as the one with mermaids in the aquarium tanks?” I asked.
He opened the car door, letting me into the back seat, then slid in after me. “Even better. This one has skeletons everywhere.”
“Really?” I asked. “How delightfully morbid.”
“I know. It’s perfect! Maybe we could set the wedding there.”
Now there was an idea I could get behind. But as I looked out the window at the club, my heart clenched tight.
