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18
MADDIE
I drummy fingers against the lacquered tabletop and face the dancers. People-watching is an underrated skill. Seeing men and women lose themselves in the music—and in each other—is entertaining as hell. I keep the slit and the tent walls in my peripheral vision, on pins and needles pricking my nerves.
I would’ve thought Aries would be done by now, but maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe he found something. It's been minutes but it might as well have been hours for how long it feels. I resist the urge to shift from foot to foot, or worse, go over there and peel back the flap and look for myself.
I trust him, and I trust that he's working as quickly as possible. I close my eyes for a moment and call on those meditative practices I learned in class a couple years ago.
I exhale a breath and open my eyes slowly. No Aries yet but that's fine. I take this as an opportunity to scan Carnival. It's filled up considerably since we've been here. Men and women congregate in small groups around the space laughing, drinking, dancing, and I'm pretty sure a handful of them are actually fucking.
As someone who's recently dabbled in the rush of voyeurism, I'm not going to judge anyone for what they like. But that doesn’t mean that I want to see it.
There’s a flurry of movement headed my way in the form of a group of gorgeous girls, all dressed in black short dresses similar to mine. They're animated with their hand gestures, talking and laughing amongst each other. All except for the woman in front.
She looks like she doesn’t take shit from anyone, one of those no-nonsense types. Long black hair pulled tight into a high ponytail, a curve-hugging black dress that sparkles under the right light. She sets her sights on me and switches direction in an instant.
“There you are, Jessica. Where the hell have you been? We were waiting for you.”
I look behind me reflexively. A few tables down, a couple of guys are talking to one another over beers but definitely no woman.
“Oh, I think you have the wrong girl.”
Now she’s within earshot, they stop at my table but only the woman leading the charge actually looks at me. Everyone else is too busy fluffing their hair or chatting. None of them have any purses or bags. Maybe they’re on a girls’ weekend or bachelorette party. I rake my teeth across my bottom lip, debating on if I should tell them that this isn’t your average Las Vegas attraction.
Before I say anything the woman with the high ponytail latches onto my forearm, determination etched into her narrowed brows and pursed lips. “Come on, they're expecting us. You don't make these guys wait, trust me.” She yanks me, pulling me a half a step toward her.
“Hey, I'm not who you think I am. I'm not Jessica.” My eyebrows slam over my eyes as I look up at her. She's a few inches taller than me, but her no nonsense expression makes her seem older and somehow, taller. She's probably only a few years older than me.
She rolls her eyes and huffs. “Of course you're not, none of us are who we say we are, honey. That's why we use stage names. Do you really think that my name is Juliet, because it's not. It's Kristi.”
I glance toward the tent and then back at Kristi who doesn’t look like a Juliet or a Kristi. I have a decision to make, one that I know won’t sit well with my men, but it feels like the right move to me.
“Oh, okay. Well Kristi, I'm not Jessica. I don't know who you think I am. But—”
“Listen, honey,” she interrupts me. “If you got cold feet, that's fine. But then you have to leave. You don't want to stay in Carnival after nine o’clock, all right? But once I head in there, the deal's off.”
I curse my curiosity as the words spill from my mouth before I even think about it. “The deal?”
Kristi cocks her head and stares at me through narrowed eyes. “Yeah, you know, the deal that you accepted where we work the Diamond Room tonight. Five plus tips.”
One of the girls behind her flicks her hair over shoulder in the perfect hair flip. “Last month I took home twenty-k, mostly from tips.”
My mouth drops in disbelief. The brunette blows a bubble and pops it “Yep.” She pops the p sound. “It's good money, and it’s safe. Nico has guys all around. They don't make you do anything you don't want to. Course, the big money's there if you want it.”
“You in or out, honey? Because I’m heading in now.” She points toward the red wall and the sign that reads Diamond Room.
I’m at a crossroads here. I could stay here, and I had planned on it. But Aries isn't back yet, and isn't the goal to search every part of Carnival? Maybe just a quick peek inside the Diamond Room wouldn't be such a bad thing. One less thing to search, right?
If this Nico person would recognize Matteo and Dante, then they couldn't go in there, so I'd have to go inside anyway.
My reasoning is thin and weak. And I know they'll poke a thousand holes in it a second they get the chance, but maybe I can be in and out quick enough where no one really notices.
Kristi’s grip on my arm tugs, and so I take that one step and then another and then another until I’m following her, letting her lead toward the Diamond Room.
And I can only hope to God I’m not going to end up like a lamb to the slaughter.
“Hey, Trent,” Kristi says with a smile. “Got a couple new girls tonight.”
