AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good girl. I taught you well.” She shoots me a quick sideways smirk.
I’d smile back, but guilt crashes into me. I slump in the passenger seat and chew on my bottom lip. “I hate getting innocent people involved. Tash, if anybody asks…you had nothing to do with it.”
“Don’t sweat it. I lie with the best of ‘em. What do you think the big shades are for?”
“At night.”
“Dusk—and somebody made a whole song about sunglasses at night in the 80s.”
Even when I don’t want to, Tasha makes me laugh. For the moment, my worries move to the back burner, and I shut my eyes, savoring the night’s wind on my skin. At least I’ve been lucky enough to escape the penthouse at the Vittoria.
If Giancarlo had his way, I’d probably be high off some drug, at his mercy.
“Never going to happen,” I whisper under my breath. I’d rather jump off the freeway overpass than go back to being Giancarlo’s captive.
Tasha lives in an apartment on the outskirts of West Vegas. She flicks on the light in the living room and announces her roommate’s out of town for the week.
“Good thing too,” she says, sliding her sunglasses into her hair like a crown. “Jordie hates getting caught up in shit—he has a warrant out for his arrest.”
“He doesn’t have to worry. I’ll be out soon. Is it okay if I shower before I change? I want to get the stench of the perfume Giancarlo made me wear off.”
“How many times have I told you? My place is always open. You can spend the night. Get some shuteye.”
“You said it yourself: it’s best I get the hell out of the city as soon as possible.”
Tasha concedes with a nod. “True…but you’ve been through it. How are you holding up losing Gio?”
The grief I’ve managed to compartmentalize fills my chest and rises up my throat. I blink back tears and turn away from Tasha. I’ve gotten better at hiding how broken I feel on the inside, but it doesn’t mean it’s been any easier.
Every breath I take is a reminder Gio isn’t alive doing the same. I miss him so much I can’t even quantify it other than to conclude it’s endless. A permanent hole in my heart.
Tasha puts an arm around my shoulder and squeezes me closer like one would a sister. “Take a hot shower. Then we can get some food in you. I can tell you need to eat something. I’ll microwave us something. Kraft Mac & Cheese or Cup O’ Noodles?”
She’s right. I haven’t eaten anything in two days. Not since Cherry gate.
My smile’s a little sad, but grateful. “Kraft.”
“Coming right up. Sorry it’s not anything gourmet like you’re used to with your mafioso sugar daddy,” she teases. She digs out two cups of microwavable mac and cheese from a kitchen cabinet. “I haven’t had time to do much shopping lately. Been picking up extra shifts at the Dollhouse.”
“How’re things there? With…with Jerry gone?”
Jerry’s our sleazy ex-manager. His death was what kicked off my relationship with Gio. I’d accidentally stumbled on his murder scene at the club office and hastily tried to escape. Though I’d always found Jerry kind of creepy, I still haven’t scrubbed the memory of him limp and dead rolled up in an area rug from my mind.
My first time seeing a dead body. But far from my last.
“The club’s a mess without Jerry,” Tasha answers, punching in numbers on the microwave. “They hired on some dick named Reuben. Talk about fucking over the girls. He doesn’t give a shit about us, Falynn. He’s keeping extra profits from the VIP rooms. Basically, our pimp.”
I almost open my mouth and promise I’ll ask Gio to look into the situation. His father owns the club, and Gio checks in every so often to make sure it runs smoothly. Then I remember I can’t possibly tell him when he’s not around anymore.
My eyes itch, and I rub them with rough hands. I just want to go to sleep. I can’t even say I care when I wake up next.
A knock sounds louder than the minutes-long hum from the microwave. Tasha presses a finger to her lips and then grabs a butcher’s knife out of one of the kitchen drawers. I follow her lead and find the first object in her apartment that can double as a weapon—Jordie has a toolbox perched in the corner on some boxes. I hold up a hammer and creep behind Tasha.
She peeks through the peephole as the fist bangs on the door again. My heart’s pounding just as hard.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I really thought we’d have at least a few hours. I didn’t count on Giancarlo and his crew tracking us down so quickly.
“Oh shit,” Tasha breathes, eye pressed against the peep hole.
My heartbeat stalls. I creep closer. “What is it? Who’s at the door?”
“That guy.” Tasha glances back at me. “The one you brought with you that one time we had lunch at Mastro’s Ocean Club.”
“Louis?!”
Tasha nods, shock on her face. “But he’s not alone.Gio’swith him.”
