Chapter 16 #2
“Niko.” His deep brown eyes find mine and my chest goes tight over the sadness I see staring back at me. Which is why I push up on my toes and cup his cheek then give him a small kiss. “I love you. I’m sorry I’ve been—“
He shakes his head as he takes my face in his hands and presses his forehead to mine.
“I just don’t want to lose you. This is a lot, it’s big, and there are a ton of feelings involved.
I get all of that. As long as I know the feelings between us won’t change, I can handle distance and anything else you do put between us. ”
“They won’t.” Which is true. I’m in love with this man and I know in my bones I always will be regardless of how hard I am currently and will continue to push. “I love you.”
“Then that’s all I need.” Niko presses a kiss to my lips then straightens up and gives me a more genuine smile. “I love you and as long as I know we’re going to come out of this together because of that, I can handle anything else that’s going to happen.”
I do not deserve him.
Him or Rune, who is patiently waiting outside the door of the camper as we walk out.
The enormous alpha whistles, the sound loud and clipped, and just as Niko and I clear the doorway, Cy, Bee and Rus come running through the woods toward the camper.
I watch Rune whisper to them before he locks them inside, and I can’t help but feel a little worried about them riding back there.
“Will they be okay like that?”
Rune pauses as he secures the door then nods. “They’ll probably nap.”
For some reason, that makes me smile.
Those three pooches have stolen my heart the same way their owner has and the idea of the three of them letting their guard down long enough to snooze is kind of cute.
They’re off duty for a little while, and I really hope they enjoy it.
But I also find it oddly adorable to hear Rune say the word nap.
It doesn’t sound right coming from him, not with his gigantic stature and gruff voice. It feels as out of place as it would if I heard him start baby talking to the three fur covered lethal weapons.
Making my way to the truck, I pull on my flannel and take a cleansing breath, my anxiety starting to rise with each step I take.
Big picture, this is scary. There are so many unknowns, so many facts I’m missing, but what actually has me so nervous I might throw up is what we’re doing right now.
The three of us are interviewing for jobs.
It’s stupid when I think about it, something as minor as that making me sick to my stomach, and while it’s not like I’ve ever had a real job before and my feelings are warranted because of that, it’s the why behind it that’s messing with me.
My research into the seedy dealings on the other side of Minneapolis led me to a place called Knotted Obsessions.
An all omega strip club that apparently has one hell of a red room attached.
There weren't any neon signs flashing murderers hang out here or anything, but it kept coming up once I hit the watered down version of Minnesota’s dark web, and that’s why it became my starting point.
At the very least, working there might help continue pointing me in the right direction and maybe I can make a few connections with people who might know about the mysterious house fire two years ago.
That’s how it was described in the news.
A huge abandoned house fire in Thief River Falls caused by a mysterious arsonist, and the rumors around it ranged from a pimp killing his sex workers to the Italian mafia covering up a hit that went wrong, and everything imaginable in between.
There wasn't anything about the bullet casings left in the rubble or the clearly fresh graves dug way out behind it.
No mention of my pack and the life that was lived in that abandoned house before it went up in flames.
According to the articles, no one of value would have been living in a house like that but I know differently.
I know what happened, and in the right context, I could try to find out why.
It’s a long shot, thinking anyone would remember something so minor or have any information about it, but I’m trying to be optimistic.
That hinges on getting hired at Knotted Obsessions as something other than a dancer so I can talk to people, though.
Not to mention, I spent years taking off my clothes for alphas I didn’t care about. I'd rather not do it again if I can help it.
I was also very quick to tell Niko he isn’t allowed to do that, either. Not that he wanted to, but he was the one who pointed out that they’re looking for new talent and that pulled a big fat hell no out of me.
Pushing him away or not, Niko is mine, and no one gets to see how beautiful he is when he’s naked but me.
And probably Rune because I’m almost positive they matched, too.
Not that I can say that for sure since I’m actively avoiding too many conversations with both of them.
Well, with Niko, anyway. Rune barely talks as it is so something like that is definitely off the table for now.
But we did see that they’re looking for bartenders and a few bouncers once we glanced over the ad for dancers, and that’s what we’re going for.
One of the things I had to do before Hyak had me on the roster full time was mix drinks for the alphas while they waited.
I was super young but I did it, and it’s a skill I didn’t care to have until now.
I could pull off being a bartender and that’s a great way to chat with people without any real awkwardness.
Niko said he’s pretty solid when it comes to mixing drinks as well so I figure if the two of us interview for the bar tender positions and Rune goes in looking to be security, at least one of us is bound to get hired.
My money is on the big guy but we’ll see.
I emailed the contact two days ago and got an immediate response to set up the interviews, and now we’re pulling up our post in the woods to finally get the ball rolling.
Holding my breath as Niko closes my door and slides into the back of the truck, I start fidgeting with the frayed edges of my shorts.
I’m seconds from a full blown meltdown over this but I keep telling myself it’s important. I can get a job and keep a normal cover while I work my plan. It’s how I can get my foot in the door. This is the first step in my long overdue revenge plot so backing out and throwing up are not options.
They made me go first.
Well, Niko did. Rune just sat there not looking at either one of us while I flipped my shit and that’s basically the equivalent of siding with my omega in my eyes.
So, now I’m sitting at the main bar in Knotted Obsessions, destroying cocktail napkins and bouncing my knee while I wait for whoever it is that’s going to interview me.
I’m relieved this was scheduled well before they opened.
The lighting is bright when I’m sure it’s usually lit to set a mood, and I’m able to see everything clearly because of it.
I like that I can get a feel for my surroundings before it’s all dim lights, loud music, and naked bodies.
It’s actually a really classy place.
Not that I expected to walk into some dungeon full of strung out omegas and cartoon villain alphas. I didn’t know what to expect, actually, but this gothic, almost Victorian steam punk thing really works, and I can see that it’s laid out in a way that caters more toward the staff than the patrons.
The stage and catwalk as well as all four cages on the floor have barricades, there are tons of what I’m guessing are some sort of discrete security checkpoints, and despite being set up for a huge crowd, it’s extremely open with clear views of cameras.
It actually feels safe.
Again, not that I thought I was going to walk into something horrible, but my experience with all omega entertainment wasn’t exactly great so I’m a little jaded. This place? It feels completely different and I can tell the owners must genuinely give a shit to go to such lengths to make it that way.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
I look up at the bar as a man walks in through the door behind it, an extremely good looking redhead with a pretty smile and dangerous gray eyes.
“It’s no problem.” I shift on the stool and watch him round the end of the counter, a clipboard in his hand as he holds the other out toward me.
“Styx Adder.”
“Sparrow Manning.”
He arches a brow as he sits two stools away, his body language open and relaxed as he faces me. “Sparrow?”
I nod. “You can call me Row.”
“Mhm.” Styx scribbles that down on the paper attached to the board, his tone laced with a touch of skepticism. Which is really fucking weird. “You can call me Styx. Or Red. Or whatever the hell you want as long as it’s not hey, asshole. That doesn’t typically go very well for anyone.”
A small smile touches my lips as I nod. “Got it. Don’t call you an asshole.”
He chuckles and I can’t help the way my stomach flutters.
Styx smells really fucking good, like sage and mint, and he is very easy on the eyes.
Messy rust colored hair that falls to his shoulders, half of his head shaved and showing off the many piercings in his ear including a large gauge in the lobe.
He has a septum ring and a few leather strap bracelets on his left wrist. His cheeks and jaw are sharp, and dusted with a dark red scruff.
Styx is built kind of like a swimmer or something, lean muscle but very strong and defined, and his entire right arm is covered in bright, colorful tattoos all the way to his fingers while his left is black and white.
He’s dressed very casually in his black t-shirt and dark jeans, but the shitkickers he’s wearing are definitely more than just a fashion statement.
I can see little flecks of what has to be blood on the toes, and I’m not entirely sure how to feel about that.
Then again, despite being open and friendly, those gun metal gray eyes of his really do hold something dark within them.
“Now then, Row, are you a dancer or a drinker?”
“Neither,” I blurt, probably too quick for his liking. “I mean, I’m not applying to dance for you.”