32. Tess
TESS
I’ve gotta get out of here.
I’d been thinking it for weeks, but it was different now. It wasn’t just Cyrus’ stoniness, Nash’s perversion, or Blade’s ferality driving me out. I’d taken too many days off. And if I called out for another shift, Nico was going to kill me.
She might be the only person who scares me more than these psychos.
The Freaks had offered up a pretty penny for my participation in Fright Night, but I only got paid if I won. And so far, I hadn’t had much luck in that department.
I wasn’t giving up on a future victory. But I also knew that only an idiot would give up on a steady paycheck in this economy. And frankly, I fucking missed the pole.
I was good at my job — like, really fucking good. A decent night at the club made me more than a whole week flipping burgers would have. And nothing would work up a sweat like dancing in nine-inch heels under the stage lights.
Of course, the job had its downsides — assholes who thought it was a free show, the odd creep who took things too far. But the bouncers usually stopped things from escalating too far. Fights were bad for business.
Ultimately, every job had drawbacks. And these were ones I could live with.
Plus, I’ve got about five less creeps to worry about thanks to the Freaks.
I should have been more perturbed by the idea, but honestly, the world was better off without a bunch of creepy, would-be rapists stalking around town.
More stressful was the idea of telling the Freaks where I worked. It wasn’t a topic I tended to bring up with strangers. I wasn’t ashamed of my work, but there was no predicting other people’s reactions to the news. Especially when they didn’t know me well.
But the Freaks weren’t exactly strangers at this point. It seemed like we’d be shacked up together for at least the next few weeks. And even if we weren’t, I simply couldn’t afford to call out again.
Besides, if they already knew my name, it wouldn’t be that hard for them to figure out where I worked with a bit of digging.
Still, as the hours ticked down to the start of my shift, I couldn’t get the words past my lips. The pay structure of Fright Night had been one matter, but the terms of my stay here were pretty hazy. How the fuck did my shifts fit into things?
It wasn’t like I was confined to the park — the trip to the supermarket had shown me that much — but I highly doubted that Cyrus would be game for the idea of me heading out on my own.
But there was only one way to find out. And as Cyrus excused herself to go check on something at her own shady job, I saw my opening.
Time to rip off the Band-Aid.
Once Cyrus disappeared with her own car keys, Nash called out to Blade before grabbing her own. “I’m gonna run into town and grab one last thing for Friday. You keep an eye on Tess?”
“Actually,” I stood up, taking a hesitant step toward the door. “Maybe I can catch a ride with you?”
Nash cocked her eyebrow. “A ride? Where do you need to go?”
“Pick up some clothes from a work friend.” I tried to keep my expression placid through her scrutinizing gaze.
It was only a little bit of a lie — I really had left my clothes with Lola before the Freaks found me.
And if she was at the club tonight, I’m sure she’d be more than ready to return them to me.
She’d better be. I can’t dance in sweats and a baggy tee.
“Where?” Nash leaned against the doorframe. “Where’s work?”
“It’s a weird address, I’ll just tell you where to go.” I murmured, striding past her in the doorway. “Come on. I don’t want to keep her waiting.”
“I wanna come!” Blade called out, setting the tools she was tinkering with down on the counter. “Road trip!”
“Guys, this was just supposed to be a quick errand.” Nash pinched her nose, but Blade was already bounding over to join us.
“It will be quick!” I smiled up at her, turning on the charm. “You’ll hardly notice the interruption.”
The frown tugging at her lips told me that she doubted that. But Blade and I were already rocketing for the car — there was no stopping us now.
My heart was still pounding as I settled into the front passenger seat of the Escalade. I hadn’t planned to get this far. But I would take the win where I could get it.
I’ll be there in 10. Don’t hate me :)
I shot off a text to Nico before turning my gaze back to the road ahead of us. “Make a right up at the light…”
“You know, Sweet Lamb, this would be a lot easier if you would just tell me where we’re going.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I winked, hoping for just a few more minutes where I wouldn’t have to explain myself.
But Blade was insistent on dragging out every second of the suspense. “Are we going to the vet? To the park? To the fire station.”
She rattled down a list of every profession, every business in town that she could think of. But while it seemed like Nash pieced things together a block or two away, Blade was still struck with shock as we pulled into the parking lot of Velvet Paradise.
“Trinket! You dance?”
“Yep,” I murmured, reaching for the door handle before Nash could fully stop. “See you in a few hours.”
But before I could swing open the door, Nash locked it with the press of a button. “Not so fast.”
My mouth fell open as I whipped to face Nash. “What the fuck? I’m gonna be late.”
“We can’t just leave you here, Tess.”
“Oh don’t be absurd. I’m here all the time. It’s fine.”
“And if you try to run?” She raised an eyebrow.
A genuine laugh burst from my lips. “Seriously? Listen, I make good money here, but $20k is $20k. I’m not stupid enough to blow that off. Especially now that you know where I work.”
In the backseat, Blade eyed the dudes loitering around the parking lot, her lip curling into a possessive snarl. My phone was buzzing like crazy in my pocket — no doubt Lola was anxious to offload my duffle.
I pouted, resting my hand on Nash’s forearm across the center console. “Listen, my shift starts soon. If I miss it, I’m fired. I just need you to trust me on this one. Stay in the car if you want — my shift ends at 1am. You’ll see the second I step out of the club. Please?”
Nash frowned, eyes glancing between my pleading face at the growing stream of patrons heading for the door. With a huff, she unlocked my door.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I gave her arm a squeeze, flashing a smile at Blade before hopping out of the Cadillac. “I promise it’ll be over before you know it. You guys are the best.”
But my feet had hardly hit the ground before Nash killed the engine. Their doors swung open in quick succession, and before I knew it, I had two hulking shadows following me into the club.
“What are you—?”
“Hurry up,” Nash murmured. “We don’t want you to be late.”
My steps slowed. “Just stay in the car, you don’t need to—”
“And miss out on the most exciting thing that’s happened all day?” Blade laughed, looping a sinewy arm over my shoulders. “Fat fucking chance.”
“Blade gets too restless in the car,” Nash added. “She’ll start chewing the leather seats.”
I wanted to fight back, but truthfully, there was no time. Lingering around the parking lot was a bad idea — people were already starting to look at us. And I needed to get in there yesterday if I wanted to make any tips tonight.
“...Fine,” I grumbled, speeding toward the side door. “But you’re not coming backstage. Main door’s there. Tell Marcus you’re with me. And don’t make this a thing.”
“Definitely making this a thing,” Blade grinned.
But Nash just nodded, leading Blade off by the scruff. “See you soon, Sweet Lamb.”
I could still feel their watchful eyes on me as I slipped over to the side door — they weren’t going to let me out of their sight any longer than was absolutely necessary.
A part of me was relieved to have my secret out in the open, to be able to return to this small slice of normalcy. The club was more of a steady presence in my life than any of the places I’d lived these past few years.
Usually, the familiar back halls and pulsing music made me feel at home. But tonight, my nerves were a livewire, fraught by Velvet Paradise’s two newest patrons.