I rushed toward the men, watching as Ka-Bar reached for his hip, then relaxed.
“Short Fuse?” he asked.
“Suzie?” Jack and Ford said in tandem.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked Ford ignoring the commotion my sudden appearance caused.
A moment later Gretchen was at my back.
“What are you doing here? You need to leave—it isn’t safe for you,” Ford’s forehead crinkled and I had to make myself not smooth it back down.
“For me? Ford, you need to leave.” I grabbed his arm to tug him away.
Ka-Bar held up a hand. “Short Fuse, where you been? We were worried.”
He scooped me into a hug that cracked my back before I could answer.
After I was set back on the floor, I focused on Ford. “I don’t want you talking to Occum.”
He re-crossed his arms and looked to Ka-Bar. “I’m here to buy your freedom.”
I looked around in disbelief. Gretchen frowned but looked intimidating. Jack did a good impression of an imposing figure.
He went on, holding my gaze like he’d been preparing to say this. “You can dance if you want. You can strip. You can do whatever you want. But I want it to be your choice. I don’t want you doing anything you don’t want to do anymore. I don’t want you indebted to anybody else.”
I shook my head slowly. I had been about to speak when Ka-Bar spoke up. “What are you talking about? Debt? You said that the other day too. Short Fuse, we don’t got beef with you.”
My brain throbbed trying to process all this information.
Belatedly, I responded, “Not with the Black Demons. The Iron Wraiths. I was paying off the debt. Giving my tips to Occum and he paid Razor.” As I spoke, different pieces were sliding around in my head. The comments about Razor but never seeing him. The hauntings from Rooster and Cueball. The fact that I worked for years and my debt was never paid.
I clutched my stomach.
“Short Fuse, you don’t owe the Wraiths shit. Your money is your own. Your tips, they’re yours,” said Ka-Bar.
I shook my head. They didn’t understand. That wasn’t right. For years… “But Occum—”
“Occum’s missing,” Ka-Bar said. “And with a shit ton of Razor’s money. Why I’m here.
Haven’t seen him in at least a week. There’s blood and broken glass upstairs in some area I didn’t know existed. We thought maybe… We found out he was skimming money. God, you’re a sight for sore eyes, Short Fuse. We thought the worst.”
“He was working with Razor. For Razor,” I said. My lips were numb. The world spun. The rest of the pieces fell in place. “He was never a Black Demon. He never protected me. I was played.”
Distantly, I was aware of Gretchen and Ford on either side of me. “Sit down.”
A chair appeared behind me and I was lowered into it.
“But I’ve been dancing here for almost ten years.” I swallowed down the sour liquid filling my mouth. “He’s been taking my money.”
“Razor had Occum come here to take over this place. Keep an eye on things. Then he got greedy. Started taking for himself,” Ka-Bar said.
My hand covered my mouth. “All for nothing. Nothing.”
I checked out of the conversation all around me. I couldn’t process anything else. I couldn’t think anymore. The things Occum had said to me. The way he made me feel. Like I was worthless without him. All these years… I’d been an idiot.
Rage like I’d never felt boiled my blood.
“Gretchen,” I said. She was crouched in front of me in an instant. I lifted my gaze to hers. “Where’s that bat?”
