Page 43 of A Dark Duet

I meet Brie in her apartment, ready to head out.

“Jaden is pressing me about what’s wrong with me. I could finally dance, and they saw it, Brie. Nate was patient and wanted me to open up and tell him what was wrong. I can’t Brie, ever.” I sniff.

“We don’t owe them anything. He called, and I didn’t answer because I knew he felt something was wrong. You can act like nothing happened, but not after what I saw them do to you. It was worse than what that son of a bitch did to me,” she says as a tear rolls down her face.

“Today we dance together on stage instead of alone, okay? Like we practiced. I will tell Jake to play Evanescence’s “Lithium.” We will get on the pole and go down like we rehearsed. We can do it. I can handle it.”

Brie nods. I knew she would like to try the new moves I practiced with her, anything to make her forget.

When we arrive at the club, it’s more crowded than normal, but we think nothing of it. We get busy waiting tables and I’m wearing another high-necked leotard with black fishnets to hide the bruises. Since it’s dark, you really can’t see Brie’s face with the marks across her cheek and her lip is not as swollen as the day I left. We head out, passing our table section and a hand shoots out, grabbing mine and entwining their fingers with mine, and I jump, startled.

I look over and I see Nate frowning at my reaction. “It’s me. It’s okay.”

My eyes widen in shock. “How did you—?”

“We took the next commercial flight,” Jaden interjects, looking at Brie, frowning. She notices he is trying to see her face, to see if the marks are a trick of the light.

I save her from answering. “It’s great you guys are here, but we really need to get ready. It’s our turn to go up and Jake is about to call us.”

“Okay. We’ll be right here.”

I smile, but it doesn’t reach my eyes.

Nate

Ihad to come and see her. She wanted to leave and be here with Brie. Something happened to Giselle. I know deep down it’s bad.

Jaden told me she said “good luck,” to us finding out what happened. Jaden has been looking into why Brie is avoiding him. I saw the marks even if he didn’t; someone did something to them, and when I find out who or what, they will see the wrath that will be unleashed.

The DJ announces Giselle and Brie’s stage names, and I look over my shoulder to the regular tables and notice three guys from the wrong side of town. They smell of old, stale cigarettes. A smell that reminds me a lot of where I grew up.

The song plays and I see the girl that I’ll do anything for dancing in a high-neck bodysuit. Weird, she would wear the same type of clothing, except this one has sequins on it. Brie is on the other side in a similar position, and I suddenly hear the heavier-set guy in the back speak. I catch what he says about the girls and what he says has Jaden and me stiffening.

“Yeah. There they are, my two pink pussies twirling on the pole for daddy Jack. Remember, Seth, how she just went limp when I was pounding into her tight cunt over and over? She tastes even better than her friend. Her momma was so high, she didn’t know what was going on.” He laughs and I see red with rage.

Jaden and I get up from the table and I grab the fucker by the neck.

“What the fuck did you just say, motherfucker?! You did what?!” I yell through clenched teeth.

He chokes as he grabs my hand from squeezing harder, making his eyes bulge. Security is coming from the entrance, and with no choice, I have to release him. I don’t want to cause a media showdown by having this spread like wildfire through the internet. People look over and pull out their phones to record. I point my finger in his face.

“You’re dead, motherfucker.”

After his coughing fit is over, he laughs, getting up and leaving, but not without one last nasty remark that has me seething in blinding rage.

“Oh, come now. ‘The Reaper’ and his manager have a soft spot for town pussy. Hey, even Seth got a taste while her friend watched,” he bellows with laughter.

I rush him again, and Jaden holds me back. “Chill, Nate. We will get him, just not right now,” he says, breathing deeply.

“That motherfucker raped her, he fucking raped her,” I say through clenched teeth, trying to avoid anyone from hearing what I’m saying.

“Get her records from that clinic, Jaden. ASAP.”

She must have gone to the same clinic across town. I look at her while she’s dancing, and it all makes sense now. The tears, the fucking pain she must be in; that motherfucker broke her. I can’t see straight with all the rage coursing inside me. I can’t even sit still while my leg twitches, waiting until they come back. What do we even say to them?

I look over at Jaden and he’s on his phone. He looks up. “Don’t tell them we know. It won’t go well, you know they will shut us out. We’ll just take them back with us and deal with it at home,” he says.

My leg is shaking so badly with rage, I need to calm down. Jaden is right, it’s not like back in the day where I can just fuck someone up and kill them.

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