Chapter 19
Charity
Milkshake - Kelis
“Ithink we need to stay another night,” Liam said as he set the navigation system on his truck. “Even if we find her today, I doubt we’ll persuade her that easily to come with us.”
I knew he was right, because I knew my sister, but the sooner we got out of Dallas the better. Give me quiet Sweet Maple Falls any day.
“Should we get a hotel before we go looking for her?” I asked, already flicking through a list on my phone.
“Might be a good idea to have a base.” He pulled into the traffic, just avoiding a kid who rode his bicycle from the sidewalk to zip in front of us. “Christ, does he want a short life?”
I didn’t answer, too busy booking us a hotel. It was one in Downtown Dallas and looked a lot comfier than the motel the night before. Without even mentioning it to Liam, I booked two rooms.
“We need to head for uptown,” I told him. “I’ve booked us a hotel.”
His gaze whipped my way. “Why?”
“Because that’s what we agreed.” I quirked a questioning brow. “Did we not?”
“Yes, but why have you booked it?” His concentration went back to the road, maneuvering through the heavy traffic with experienced ease for a man who lived in a small town. “I told you I’d take care of this trip.”
“When did you say that? She’s my sister. Why would I expect you to do that?”
“I thought I’d made it clear. I want to help.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “I take care of things, Charity. That’s what I do.”
“Yes, well so do I.” Offering him a smile with a shrug, I leaned in to change the address on the navigation system. “Let’s get checked in and then try to find my sister.”
“I’m not happy about this, Charity.”
“Well, I am, so don’t you worry about it.”
I then turned my gaze to watch the scenery speed by as we made our way to the hotel.
From my seat in the hotel lobby I watched as Liam walked toward me, running a hand through his dark hair, the motion tugging at muscles, his bicep flexing beneath the sleeve of his worn t-shirt. If things hadn’t been so awful, I might’ve let myself enjoy it longer.
It wasn’t just the way he wore his clothes, like his body had been made for denim and soft cotton. It was the flecks of amber in his green eyes, the way light caught on the auburn streaks in his dark hair, usually hidden unless you knew where to look.
His lips were the kind you thought about for too long, deep pink, full; the kind that softened everything else.
But then there was that straight, almost aristocratic nose with the tiny bump…
paired with the scar tucked beneath his square chin and the callused hands of a man who didn’t flinch at hard work.
I was starting to obsess over him. How he looked, how he moved, how he made everything feel less impossible. Especially after that kiss the night before.
As he got closer, I tore my eyes away before he caught me looking and pretended to be interested in something on my phone.
“Hey.” His deep voice made my heart jump, even though I saw his shadow on the plush carpet in front of me.
“Hi. What did they say?”
He shook his head and winced. “It’s a strip joint, as we thought.”
When he crossed his arms over his chest, I ran my tongue over my bottom lip.
I knew it was wrong to think about him kissing me, but it had been incredible for those few minutes that it lasted.
Then he’d poured a cold bucket of water over me when he’d accepted that key from Larry.
A metaphorical stab in the heart. And yes, that was me being dramatic, but that was how good a kiss it had been.
How fast it had made my heart race and my stomach tumble.
Clearing my throat, I flicked my ponytail over my shoulder. “Is it really bad?”
“It’s a strip joint frequented by low lives and men who take whatever they like.
” Dropping down onto the sofa next to me, he took my hand between both of his.
“The concierge said that if Faith is working there, they usually start new girls as a waitress, then a couple of months in they’ll persuade them to earn extra cash by helping out clients. ”
“Help them out?” I questioned, afraid that I already knew the answer.
When Liam’s eyes dropped down to the carpet, my heart sank and bile rose in my throat. Fear for my sister gripped at my throat, making me choke.
“We need to get her out of here, Liam. I don’t care what she says, there is no way she’s staying here.”
“Charity, you know we can’t force her.” His sigh was weighty and full of despondency. “We’ll make sure she’s safe and we’ll at least get her out of that club. But,” he said, exhaling slowly, “to do that we have to find her first.”
Pulling my hand from his, I stood quickly, leaning down to grab my purse. “Come on then let’s go.”
I could smell it before we even opened the door, the mix of stale beer, too-sweet perfume, and cheap disinfectant, trying to cover the truth of the seediness inside.
A neon sign flickered above us, a ginger fox wearing a top hat, buzzing faintly like it might give up entirely any second. I hated the place before I’d even stepped inside.
Liam didn’t say anything; he just pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside, his arm around me like he could shield me from what we were about to see.
Inside, the lighting was all amber and red, casting long shadows across a low, sticky floor and worn black booths.
The main stage was in the center, a circular platform with a brass rail that had lost its shine about a decade ago.
A girl danced on the stage, her eyes vacant, her heels chipped and dirty as crumpled bills were shoved into her underwear by men who needed to reconsider their life choices.
The music pulsed low and slow, a bluesy remix that throbbed in my chest like a second heartbeat. Then suddenly “Milkshake” by Kelis started blaring from the speakers, incongruously upbeat in the dingy atmosphere.
Liam leaned close to my ear, his voice barely audible over the music. “Well, yours definitely bring better quality to the yard than this place.”
Despite everything, the seediness, my worry about Faith, the tension between us, my lips twitched. “Did you just compliment my milkshake in a strip club?”
“Maybe.” The hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth. “Too inappropriate?”
“Completely.” But I was almost smiling now. “Also, probably the nicest thing anyone's said to me in the last twenty-four hours.”
Something shifted in his expression, but before he could respond, the girl on stage drew our attention.
She swirled under a spotlight, moving one beat off the music as she went through the motions.
She couldn't have been much older than Faith, her smile painted on, her eyes vacant.
There was something hollow about her movements, mechanical, like she was somewhere else entirely.
The thought hit me like a punch to the chest - this could be Faith in a few months.
This disconnected, going-through-the-motions emptiness could be my sister's future.
As we moved further into the bar, no one looked up or noticed us.
Not the men hunched over their drinks, not those transfixed with the girls in leather hot pants wiping down their tables, and not the bartender with the stooped shoulders of someone who had finally accepted their fate.
The desperation in this place seemed to seep from the walls, and I could feel it settling into my bones.
“She could be waitressing,” I muttered to Liam, eyes scanning the floor for a face I recognized, trying to push away the image of Faith moving like that hollow girl on stage. “She would need quick money.”
He didn't reply, just slid a hand gently to the small of my back, steadying, not possessive.
I stepped forward, heart pounding. If Faith was here, I had to find her before this place swallowed her whole.
“We should speak to the bartender,” Liam said close to my ear so I could hear above the pounding beat.
Nodding and not caring about the torture of rejection I’d felt the night before, I slipped my hand into his. Even if it was only for an hour, five minutes, a second, I needed his touch. I needed to remember that I wasn’t doing this all on my own.
Questioning green eyes looked down at me, the amber flecks glowing in the brightness of the neon flashing lights. “We’ve got this.”
Nodding I let him lead me to the bar, trying not to think about how my feet stuck to the floor or how the odor of sex wove its way toward us.
When we reached the bar, Liam pushed into the gap between two men who were lolling drunkenly on their stools.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked, his tone full of disappointment and remorse.
“We’re looking for someone,” Liam told him.
He looked at each of us in turn. “I just serve the drinks, man. If you need a girl for you and your lady you need to see Vanessa who runs the girls.” He pointed with a shot glass over our shoulders.
I turned to see a woman with long, cherry red hair, sitting on a chair beneath a sign that said simply, ‘Girls’. It lit up her worn features, the glow of a lit cigarette between her fingers.
“We just need to know if my friend’s sister started working here,” Liam continued. “Her name is Faith, long, dirty blonde hair about five feet six.”
“She looks a lot like me,” I added, hoping with desperation that he knew her.
When he shook his head, weariness suddenly enveloped me and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep.
I didn’t want to have to be concerned about what my sister had gotten herself into, yet I didn’t know how not to.
It had always been that way, even when she was a baby.
I’d rush home from school, desperate to see her, anxious to know what her day had been like, even when it consisted of just eating and sleeping.
The bartender shook his head. “Not that I’m aware. She’d start off waitressing, and we haven’t had a new waitress in months, not that I couldn’t do with one or two. You ever tried tending a bar with drinks backing up at the service hatch?”
“You’re sure?” Liam asked.
“Yep. Absolutely. Now if you don’t mind, we’re coming up to one of our busy periods. It’s five-thirty. We get a lot of guys in here after they’ve finished work.”
Right on cue, light shafted in as the door opened and three guys in crumpled suits wandered in.
“What about…” Liam turned to me. “What did the guy say her name was?”
“Lola?”
He turned back. “Lola. What about Lola? Does she still work here?”
The man scoffed as he reached for a bottle of bourbon.
“She’s long gone. Still owes her bar tab, too.
” He nodded at me. “You ever waitress? If you do, I can get you a job starting now. The money is okay, and you just pay for drinks at the end of the month. Good prospects for a pretty girl like you.” He let out a laugh.
“Actually, forget that. You’re a little too…
what’s the word.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “Polished.”
I felt Liam stiffen at my side as he let out a low grunt. “Thanks for your help. Appreciate it.” He turned to me. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Should we talk to the lady over there?”
“Nope. The bartender is always the one person who knows everything about the staff. If he hasn’t seen Faith then she’s not here.”
The music ramped up a notch, the beat harder, the vibrations tingling the soles of my feet.
A huge roar erupted around the room and the crowd started pushing forward.
Liam's hand tightened on my back, guiding me toward the edge of the room.
“Let's move before this gets crazy,” he said close to my ear.
As we made our way toward the exit, weaving between tables and dodging wandering hands, I kept my eyes fixed on the door.
We were almost there when someone grabbed my arm, yanking me to a stop.
A man with bloodshot eyes and alcohol on his breath blocked our path.
“Hey, blondie! I heard what Sully said.” He pointed over his shoulder toward the bar. “You should take him up on that job offer.”
Ignoring him, I tore away from him and pushed through the bar with Liam following, but as I kept walking, the voice got closer.
“Come on, sweetheart, don't ignore me. If you don’t want a job here at least let me buy you a drink.”
Liam tensed beside me, his steps slowing. When I glanced at him, his neck muscles were strained, hands clenched into fists.
“Not interested,” I called over my shoulder, urging Liam forward with a hand at his back.
“Aw, don't be like that.” He lurched in front of us. “You don’t mind if I buy your girl a drink, do you? I mean we can share if you prefer.”
As Liam moved, I stepped in front of him and put a hand on his chest, before wheeling around to face the drunk. “Not interested, so just move away.”
The man held up his hands, smirking. “Feisty. I like it.”
“And I like men who understand English the first time.” My voice was steel. “Walk away.”
Something in my tone must have finally registered because he shrugged and stumbled back toward the bar, muttering under his breath.
Liam was staring at me with an unreadable expression. “Well, you clearly didn't need me to help you handle that.”
“No,” I said simply. “I didn't. Thank you.”
He gifted me a beautiful smile. The brightest one I’d ever seen from him. “Okay then. Let’s go.” His hand gripped mine more firmly as we exited, side by side.
Outside, it was blindingly bright after the semi-darkness of the club, even though the sun had begun its descent. The shadows were longer and softer—the sky, still holding the gentleness of the day, was a comfort after the harshness of the club. Just as we got through the door, he stopped.
“Wait here a second.” He jogged back toward the club entrance.
I watched through the grimy window as he approached the bartender again, pulling out his wallet. He slid what looked like a business card across the bar along with some cash, speaking briefly before heading back outside to me.
“What was that about?” I asked as he shot me a small smile.
“Insurance,” he said simply. “If Lola shows back up, or if any of the girls mention where she’s working, he'll call me.”
“And she might know where Faith is. Do you think she will come back here?”
“Who knows, but even if she doesn’t we’ll find her and Faith,” he assured me. “Just maybe not today.”
“Can’t we keep looking?” My desperation seeped through my words.
He shook his head. “We need to eat and you need to sleep, you look wiped out. Besides,” he sighed, “daytime staff are more likely to talk. Night crowds make people nervous about answering questions.”
“Liam, I've been handling Faith's messes for years. I can handle whatever we find tonight. So? Are you coming with me or not?” Exhaling he nodded slowly.
“Okay, but let’s eat first and then think about where we look next. Deal?”
Relief flooded through me. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Then foolishly, I stood on my tiptoes and dropped a soft kiss to his lips. As I pulled away, I couldn’t help but notice the regret in his eyes.