Page 6 of Dancing & Drama


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“Flat.” I glared at my car. “I don’t have a spare, and it’s too late to get it taken somewhere.” I knew River lived on the opposite side of town, or I’d ask them for a ride, but I didn’t want to cause a hassle. I didn’t know them well enough to feel comfortable being an inconvenience.

Pulling out my cell, I found Bane’s name in my contacts and sent him a short message. Bane was part of the Reapers MC, and he helped run Neon Nights where my bestie Eliza worked. He would be a safe ride back to the apartment, and I knew, if I asked, he would keep quiet about my job until I finally broke down and told my besties about my career change.

When we first arrived in Alexandria, I had gotten a job at a fancy casino in town as a waitress, but the customers were awful, and the pay was somehow even worse. A few weeks into the job, a friend of mine quit, said she got a job stripping at Prestige, and got me an interview. The next day, I quit as well and started dancing, making three times what I did at the casino.

“Do you need a ride?” River asked.

I shook my head just as my phone buzzed with a reply from Bane, asking for the address. I punched it in and added a quick thanks. “No. One of my brothers is coming to get me.”

After he had helped me at the bar when my drink was spiked, I started calling him brother as a joke, and it stuck. Bane didn’t mind, and he even got territorial if someone else tried to claim the status—except Loki. Both the beta and alpha were so wrapped up in Eliza that I knew nothing more would ever be felt between us, so the title was nice, safe even. My twin sister would never be the kind who took care of me, but these two men, my brothers by choice, would give me that protection and care that I wouldn’t get elsewhere.

“I’ll wait inside with you until he shows up,” River insisted, snagging my arm and gently leading me back to the side door. Three sharp knocks, then Nash was standing there with a frown. “Sienna has a flat, so I’m waiting with her until her ride gets here.”

“Do you need help putting on the spare?” Nash offered as he moved aside to let us back into the building.

“No spare,” I told him, happy to snag one of the back tables and sit down. “But I’ll get the car tomorrow and figure it out.”

“You said your brother is coming to get you,” River said, their eyes curious. They sat down on my left as Nash snagged the chair on the right. The club was closing down, with everyone else gone but us, and probably Yuri in the back. “I didn’t know you had a brother! Look at you with all of your secrets. Naughty!”

I burst out laughing until tears ran down my face, imagining River and Bane meeting each other. Nash looked between the two of us, his brow furrowed.

“Let’s just say my brother is a bit rougher around the edges than you are, River,” I teased. “He fits Nash more.”

“Wait,” River scoffed. “Are you saying I’m not rugged?” Their gasp and the way they dramatically clutched at their chest was answer enough.

“Just wait,” I hummed. I heard the rev of a motorcycle and knew it had to be him. “He’s here.”

Both alphas followed me outside, and River’s laughter had me grinning back at him.

“You’re telling me that your brother is a biker? Youdohave secrets,” they teased.

Bane drove up and stopped directly in front of us. When he pulled off his helmet, Nash shocked me by stepping up and holding out his hand.

“Bane, what are you doing here, brother?” the bouncer asked, clapping Bane on the shoulder before stepping back. Nash wasn’t exactly forthcoming with smiles or greetings to anyone, but he was greeting Bane like an old friend.

Bane chuckled and pointed at me. “When my sister needs me, I show up.” He gave a noncommittal shrug like it was no big deal, and River burst into laughter.

“Oh my god, this is the best entertainment I’ve had in years, and I work at a fucking strip club! You’re related?” Their cackle had Bane’s eyebrows rising, but I was too stunned to speak.Nash and Bane are brothers?! Likeliteralbrothers? I thought they were just using dude-speak.

“Wait… Is there something I should know?” Nash looked so horrified that I couldn’t guess what the hell was running through his head. Bane leaned in and whispered something to Nash that had him glaring back, muttering under his breath, before the biker started laughing at his brother’s expense.

River leaned in. “I think you traumatized Nash,” they teased in a low whisper.

“He’s not myactualbrother,” I said loudly enough for Nash to hear. His face went through a whole array of emotions including relief.Interesting.“Meaning we aren’t related by blood or anything,” I tacked on after Bane shot me an affronted look.

But the fact that Bane was here, at my job, was enough to keep me from having any real reactions. If he told my best friends and that’s how they found out I’d switched jobs… let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. We promised no more secrets and I felt terrible that I was breaking their trust like this.

I just couldn’t bring myself to tell them yet, but I would. It was nice to have something that was just mine. I shared money with my family and every other aspect of my life with besties. This was the one thing I had for myself.

Eventually.

Bane gave me a mischievous grin as he held out his hand to help me climb on. Silently, I put his helmet on me, and with just a wave to his brother and River, we were gone. I wrapped my arms around him, cursing him for not giving me a warning. Even over the roar of the engine, I could hear his bark of laughter. He knew damn well he’d just caused chaos.

When we pulled up in front of my apartment, he was the first to break the silence as I climbed off and handed over his helmet.

“Hey, you know you don’t have to be embarrassed about what you do, right?” he asked quietly. There was a glint in his eye that told me he was ready to fight me on the matter, and I appreciated him even more for that.

“I’m not,” I promised. He raised an eyebrow and waited for me to sort out my words. “I know they won’t care, but it will lead to a lot of questions I’m not really ready to answer. Please don’t tell the others. I’ll tell them when I’m ready.” The last thing I needed was for them to question why I pinched pennies even though I made great money. They knew I sent money home, but if they knew just how much? Yeah, they’d flip at that information.

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