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I wave him off. “We already sorted that out. He’s apologetic and reimbursing me.” I lean back in my chair looking up at the white ceiling. “I’m just not sure I’ve processed all of this. I’ve been chasing him for so long, and now what? What if he doesn’t want Ryder?” I say the last part in a panic.

“Let’s not go startin’ fires before we need to, okay?” he says. “I know a few guys who are good at finding people and we can figure out what’s going on with him and go from there. No sense in worrying over things until we know more.”

I nod, knowing he’s right.

“You gonna be okay to work tonight?” he asks. “We can leave if you need to. Go grab Ry and catch a movie or something.”

“Aren’t your brothers here?” I question and he nods. “I’ll be fine. Just needed to unload for a second.”

“You can always talk to me, babe,” he says.

“Thanks, Cole.” I look right into his dark eyes. “For everything you’ve done for me and Ryder.” I shake my head thinking about the incident in Butte when he saved me from a bad situation.

“Always, Darlin’.”

He looks like he wants to say more but I’m raw right now and full of emotions. I don’t want to cross any lines that I may regret later on.

“Let me finish up getting ready. I’ve got to impress your brothers after all.”

“The only one you need to worry about impressing is me, babe.” He wiggles his eyebrow then stands. “I’ve got to do a few things in my office that came up last night really quick, but come get me right before you go on.”

“You got it.” I salute then turn back to my mirror and take a deep breath. “You can do this, Remi.”

Twenty minutes later I tell Titus to let Cole know that I’m about to go on. The last thing I want to do is interrupt him if he’s taking a call or is with someone. Daisy is just coming off the stage as I give my body a little shake down like I used to do back in high school before each performance. I love dancing, it doesn’t matter what style. It has always been an escape and something that would let me feel like I was free and didn’t have to think so much. It always seemed to come easy and I’d pick up on the dances right away. This kind of dancing gives me the same feeling. Sure, I have to block out the hoots and hollers, but I still get the same rush.

Hearing the DJ announce my stage name, I blow out a steady breath.

“Showtime,” I murmur like I do before every dance.

The lights go dark on stage and I tap my fedora to make sure it’s in place and not going anywhere. Tonight, I’m wearing an oversized blazer and the mood is sultry. As I get into place, I let my mind check out, waiting for the beat to start and focus only on it. The first few times I did this it was nerve-wracking. Am I good at dancing? Yes. Am I good at undressing in front of a bunch of strange men who try to reach out and touch me? Hell no.

I remember my very first-time stripping; it was when I’d learned that Rhett had been moved to a Wyoming prison. I’d used all the money I had to get us there, to the town of Rawlins. It reminded me a lot of Victor, Idaho but there weren’t a lot of job opportunities for a young girl with a small baby. Everywhere I tried to get a job I was turned away. We were both starving when a woman overheard me getting rejected at the local grocery market and suggested Tails, located on the outskirts of town. I’ll never forget how nice she was. She’d even given me some money.

That first dance at Tails was a disaster. I couldn’t find my rhythm in the beat and I was so nervous about leaving Ryder in a room with a bunch of female strangers. It was the longest five minutes of my life but thankfully the manager, Ken, took pity on my situation and let me stay on. The women there were amazing and I was so thankful that DeDe let us stay with her. Over time it got easier and easier. With the help of the other girls, I was able to start providing better for Ryder.

The beat starts and I shake off the past. Time to focus and make money.

The remix to Crazy In Love starts and I close my eyes and let my body flow with music and drown out all the other noise in the room. My mind has me in an empty dance studio room and a wall full of mirrors. My body pulses with the vibrations of the beat as I move down the stage. The bright lights make it impossible to see the crowd but I know the place is full and every chair is taken. I can vaguely hear the cheers and shouts from men in the distance. All of a sudden, my body starts to tingle. I almost miss a step as I approach the center of the stage next to the pole. The closer I get the flusher my skin feels. Something isn’t right and I’m not sure what it is. Should I have skipped dancing tonight after the news I just received?

I’m coming off my pole routine, about to unclip the snap to my jeweled bra when a commotion rings out over the music. The sound of something crashing has my eyes trying to focus but before I can get the bra off, my body is sent backwards and I feel my head slam against the stage floor. A heavy weight is on top of me and all the breath in my lungs is released. There’s a growling in my ear and I start to panic, realizing a customer just rushed the stage and tackled me.

“OHMYGOD!” I yell, hoping Titus or Cole or one of the other bouncers get here fast.

The back of my head starts to throb from the impact and my eyes blur slightly. I get a whiff of leather and beer through my nose as the music stops. My hearing comes back to sounds around the room. There are shouts and the crash of tables and chairs scraping against the floor. All I can focus on is the black ceiling above me and the dark shaved hair of the man who has me pinned to the floor.

“Keep that fucking bra on,” I hear snarled in my ear as I realize that the man has both of my hands above my head, secured in his.

Yelling and screaming continue throughout the room but out of the corner of my eye I see a figure come rushing over. A black metal object pushes against the side of the guy’s head and I hear Cole’s deep voice as a click pings out close to me.

“Let her go now and get the fuck off her before I blow your motherfucking brains out,” Cole tells the man.

My head turns slightly and I look up and see Cole holding a gun in his hand, pointed at the guy on top of me.

“Easy, Bulldog,” I hear a man say.

“Call him off, Stone,” Cole shouts, never taking his eyes off the man who hasn’t budged from on top of me. “Or we’re gonna have a problem real quick.”

“Reaper,” I hear being called out as I stare up at Cole. “Let the woman breathe, brother.”