Promise of Eternity: (Promises Book 4)

Chapter 3

Every time I shifted in my seat, I winced from the night before. Tender was an understatement. Still, I clutched my coffee as I walked into Inferno, ready to start the day. Joey sat across on a stool at the bar next to a woman with lavender hair. She seemed young, with gray eyes and a calm smile. The opposite of most of the women I employed. She laughed at something he said as she opened the wrapper of her breakfast sandwich.

I had almost forgotten that I agreed to speak to a potential employee. My brain had recently been foggy, and small details had slipped through the cracks—things like interviewing her and my date night. I stifled a yawn as I walked across the room and sat beside her. “Yo, killer. This is the girl from last night.” Her shoulders went tense, and the cheerful expression fell from her face.

I gave her a quick smile, hoping to put her at ease. “Rayne. Ignore Joey. Tell me your name.”

She swallowed her bite of food and took a quick sip of what I assumed was coffee. “Skye. It’s nice to meet you.” I patiently waited for her to keep talking, hoping that she could set the pace of the conversation. “I’m looking for a job. Any type of job. I need to get out of Strathmore, and I heard about this place. I’m a hard worker and a fast learner. All I need is a chance from someone else. I can even clean if you need that.”

My head nodded at her words to show I was listening. I’d been in her shoes once upon a time, desperate to make enough money to start over anywhere else and escape my past. I’d had a criminal fairy godfather who had pulled me out of the life I had been living inch by inch. “How old are you?”

“Nineteen.” She was too young to hire as a bartender but could still dance or work as a server.

I tapped on the side of my cup as I thought. “What are you interested in doing, Skye?”

She blew out a long breath, her body visibly relaxing. “Whatever makes the most money.”

And the answer to that was dancing. I empathized with her answer, knowing that I was the same two years ago. After all, a job for $25,000 landed me with the guys. It was the kind of money that you couldn’t turn down.

Part of me wondered if Lexi was ready to return to work full time. She owed me a favor and could take Skye under her wing. She could show her the ropes and give her tips on how to stay safe. “You’re hired. I need to make a phone call, but enjoy your breakfast. Joey, make sure she has all the information she needs.”

I walked into my office and grabbed my phone. Lexi wasn’t a morning person. Hell, I doubted any of us were, given the fact that we worked at a strip club. We’d all seen too many sunrises where we hadn’t closed our eyes yet for the evening. I scrolled my contacts until I found her name and hit dial. It rang several times before she answered, grumbling into the phone. “I swear to God, Rayne. This had better be important.”

I cleared my throat. “And I promise it is. When have I ever contacted you when it wasn’t?”

Fabric rustled in the background, and I sat in my chair, waiting for her reply. It would be catty and entirely on-brand for Lexi. “Fine. What is it?”

“As you know, we’ve needed to hire a few more dancers for the club recently. We have a new girl, and I was hoping you could help her. Think of it as a mentor position.”

I heard a lighter flick in the background and smiled, knowing what she would say. “Oh, fuck you. Absolutely not.”

I snorted to myself as I picked up a pen. “I’ll pay you extra. She’s young, Lexi, and she wants the fuck out of this city.”

“Don’t we all,” she mumbled under her breath. “Fine. I’ll do it. When does she start?”

“Tonight. See you then.”

She cursed, and the only words I could make out were a string of expletives before she hung up. The phone call had gone better than expected. Getting out of the house would be good for Lexi, too, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

A low alto voice singsonged from the hallway, pulling me from the spreadsheet I was working on. It was time to restock the bar. Victoria had handled that for Oliver and initially me, but now that she had a second child, things were more complicated. I needed to hire more people, and I just hadn’t. It was hard to trust new people, and there wasn’t enough time in the day. With my luck, I’d hire someone associated with the local MC club and unintentionally start a war.

“Let me in, Joseph,” the voice said. “I remember when you still didn’t realize you had balls.”

I knew exactly who it was and laughed as I heard her arguing with Joey. Oliver’s wife had been a staple in my life since he had taken me under his wing. “Quit pestering Marie and let her through,” I laughed.

The scent of cheese and chicken filled the air as soon as the door opened. Immediately, my stomach rolled, and I swallowed roughly, praying to keep my coffee down. “I brought some of that chicken casserole you loved. We had too much, and I knew you didn’t have lunch.”

I had half the veggie burger Hunter had purchased for me, which was still in the breakroom, but I wouldn’t tell her that. I loved her chicken casserole, but its smell overwhelmed my senses. My mouth filled with spit. There was no curbing the inevitable. I ran past her with my finger held up, desperately looking for the restroom. I rushed past Joey, whose eyebrows were furrowed in concern, and shook my head.

I made it as far as the sink inside of the restroom before spilling the contents of my stomach, tears rolling down my face. Cold sweat broke out on my brow as my fingers curled into the cool porcelain. It was something that I ate the day before. In my head, I cataloged what I had eaten while turning on the cold water. Half of a veggie burger, french fries, a salad, and eggs. Must have been the eggs.

I wiped my face as the door opened. Marie strolled in and grabbed several paper towels, wetting them beneath the water. Carefully, she wiped along my brow, her lips pressed into a thin line. “How long has this been going on?”

I sighed as I leaned against the wall. It hadn’t been going on. Sure, I hadn’t had much of an appetite, but that wasn’t the same as vomiting in the bathroom because of the smell of chicken. “Why?”

She smiled at me. “The only way that I knew I was pregnant with Trace was because someone had made something with cream of mushroom soup at Christmas. I couldn’t bear the scent of it.”

My eyes widened at her words, and my heart stopped. Trace. The mention of his name reminded me of how I had come to know Oliver and Marie. It reminded me of everything they had lost along the way. And the screams that came from a car as he burned alive after he had dared to touch me.

“I can’t be pregnant.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.

She held her hands up at me. “I’m not saying you are. I had Joey put the casserole in the fridge for you later. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”

I patted my face dry and took a deep breath. “I can’t.” There was too much to do—there was always too much to do—and I was sure it was only food poisoning. Or it could be an ulcer. Stress causes ulcers, right? What are the symptoms? I made a mental note to check the internet later, preferably when Dominic wasn’t around. If he heard I was nauseous and tired, he would make an appointment with a doctor immediately.

She wrapped me in a hug and patted my back. “Take it easy, honey. Remember that this business wasn’t built in a day, and it won’t fall apart in a day either.”

Marie’s words ran through my mind all afternoon, and I couldn’t stop thinking about them. It was food poisoning or a stomach virus, right? I was simply tired because I hadn’t slept enough and needed a few days off. Plus, I hadn’t drunk enough coffee. I’d been on birth control forever, and it was effective. I scrolled through my phone on an incognito tab, checking and double-checking my symptoms.

What if I was wrong? What if I was in denial? A baby? How would I even deal with that? Our schedules were all so busy. I was never home and ran a strip club as a front. Add in the fact that my parents were garbage. They had never taught me to love another human being.

Without another thought, I grabbed my purse from the back of my chair and slung it over my shoulder. If I didn’t at least take a test, the uncertainty would drive me insane. As soon as I saw the negative, I could buy something for my stomach and go about my business.

Joey saw me in the hallway and put his hand on my shoulder, halting me in my tracks. “Where do you think you’re going, killer?”

“Personal errand,” I muttered under my breath. “I’ll be back later.”

He tilted his head to the side while he looked at me. “I don’t think so. The guys will have my ass if I just let you walk out of here. Let me grab my coat.”

My cheeks turned red. I didn’t want Joey or anyone else to accompany me to the pharmacy. It would make everything feel too real. But arguing with him would be next to impossible. “Fine, but if you tell a single soul about any of this, I’ll murder you.”

He chuckled as he walked away, and I anxiously shoved my hands in my pockets. I would never stop hearing about this shit.