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Eternity was a haven for the rich freaks and getting good intel on it had been nearly impossible. I managed to get the blueprints easily enough from city hall, but from the outside casing I had been doing, I didn’t think they were one hundred percent accurate.
In my past life, getting into high end places was a regular occurrence. Now, my contacts from my old life wouldn’t know my name or face.
Jericho Adams was no more. I’ve been on my own since I was sixteen and there was no one to miss the old me. After that fateful night so many years ago, I changed a lot about myself. Echo Shaw emerged from the wreckage that Neil and his boys left behind, but it was a long road. I think back to the past years, how far I’ve come.
For the first two years, I healed. Surgery after surgery, some life-saving and some cosmetic. I spent eighteen months in the hospital and basically hid from the world and cried. Self-pity and loathing were what pushed me forward.
I had decent savings even after all the medical bills from all the cons and shit, so I moved to southern California. I began to go back out into the world with my new face, even starting to exercise again on the recommendation of my therapist.
One day while I was at the gym finishing my yoga class, I walked past a karate class. It was the advanced students working on their black belt something or other, and I was entranced. There was one woman there, she had really long dark hair and brown eyes. Stunning. But she was fierce.
I watched her spar with three different guys and each time, she kicked their asses. The way her body moved looked effortless, though I knew it was years and years of work to get to where she was. She was fast and brutal, and I was addicted. In her, I saw the power that I craved, the power that had been taken from me.
Something ignited in me that day that I thought I’d lost. When I got home, I started researching different types of martial arts training. For the next five years, I dove in headfirst. I learned not only how to defend myself and strengthen my body but also my mind. I exercised, learned to meditate, and got into shape, took care of myself. Self-discipline was something I lacked before, strength of mind.
Now? I’m a 5’6” ball of badass sexy who can take down a man twice my size.
It wasn’t until six months ago when my funds began to run out that I realized I’d need to earn some money. Since there was only one thing I was good at, and even at thirty I had the body of a twenty-year-old. I began to apply to local burlesque shows.
I’d never had a real job before, so looking for a nine-to-five was out of the question. I had heard of Eternity, but since it was outside of the city I never thought to apply. That is until a newspaper article landed in my lap showing a picture of the owners.
I’ll never forget that morning and the instant rage I felt at seeing the five of them smiling for the camera. Those fuckers who ruined my life and broke me, living their lives like nothing happened.
Revenge had never really been on my radar. I mostly wanted to move on, feel like the strong and confident woman I once was. Seeing them once was all it took.
I began to slowly formulate a plan. I learned about my attackers and who they really were. I studied them, where and how they lived. Once I began, I realized that if I wanted my revenge, it would be harder than I thought. These guys weren’t just a bunch of rich college kids, they were connected to something bigger. Something darker and underground.
I hesitated in my plan then, wondering how one woman could possibly take this on. Their members were described as elite. The termIron Elitefluttered around, but I couldn’t uncover anything concrete. They were everywhere, and they were well connected. I almost gave up. Until I found out what one of the membership requirements was. An initiation in which I was an unwilling participant.
“I don’t know much, but I did hear one thing.”
“Tell me,” I say without hesitation.
“The initiation… something about it involving the, ummm, blood of a whore.”
The fire in my belly was reignited.
All I needed was to get close to them.
My eyes glance at the clock again. Almost two hours have passed. Thinking of the past is quite the rabbit hole for me. I decide to check my makeup one more time and go a bit early. I carefully take off the bracelet, not wanting to risk Neil recognizing it, and put it safely in its box. Satisfied I look amazing, I grab my bag and head for my car.
This starts tonight.
My stomach is a bundle of excitement as I make the drive over. It isn’t nervousness I feel, more just a restlessness to get it started. I wish I could lower the top of my car, but my perfectly straightened hair would be ruined. Settling for the air conditioner on full blast, I take the freeway out of LA toward Venice Beach, and Eternity.
When I arrive, I’m almost half an hour early and the parking lot is still quite empty. I wonder what all the buzz is about and if this place will be as busy and wild as advertised. My lips purse as I walk toward the heavy doors. There aren’t any bouncers outside yet. Why the hell did he tell me to come so early? Most clubs don’t get busy until late, anyway.
Unless he wants me on the early shift, and all I can say to that is hell to the no. Even though I’m not here to make money, I know enough about the hierarchy in a place like this to know that it’s not a time-slot any stripper wants.
When I get to the front door, it’s unlocked, and I let myself in. There are people moving around and working, apparently setting up for the evening. I don’t see Neil or his boys anywhere, but there is a familiar face by the bar, so I make my way over.
“You came back,” Killian comments as I step up. He once again has black-rimmed eyes, though today the vest is replaced by a t-shirt, black and tight. I wonder if his look is purely for working here.
“You kidding? I can’t wait to get started.” I reply with a wink and no sarcasm.
He gives me a strange look, and that’s when I remember he probably saw me and Neil last night. I wonder if most of the girls go through the same ‘hiring process’? When he doesn’t say anything further, I point toward the back of the stage.
“Change rooms?”
