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“I’m Kiki’s best friend and a few days ago, she went missing. I know I’m not supposed to be here, but I’m really scared for her. I just want to find her.”
I was telling the truth—I was scared. But more than that I was pissed at the idea that someone there might’ve hurt her. It was no small thing for me to put that anger aside in those moments.
The girls regarded each other one more time.
The blonde, seemingly the most self-possessed woman in the room, strode over to me with such intensity that, for a moment, I was worried she might punch me right in the face. Instead, she put her hand on my shoulder, gently guiding me toward the door.
“You have no idea how much trouble you’d get in if the owners knew that you were in here.” Her voice was whispered but sharp, as if someone might be listening in.
I wasn’t about to be shoved around, however. I rolled my shoulder, knocking her hand off my arm.
“I’m not going anywhere until I find out where Kiki is.”
The tension in the room ratcheted up by the second, the women regarding one another with concern and no shortage of fear.
The blonde narrowed her eyes into brilliantly blue slits. She returned her hand to my shoulder, this time squeezing with enough intensity to let me know that she wasn’t screwing around.
“Kiki doesn’t work here anymore. Now, if you know what’s good for you, turn your ass around and hurry back to the main floor before someone finds you. That’s a threatanda warning.”
She stood in front of me like a huge-boobed statue, her gaze unflinching. I’d stood toe-to-toe with murderers over the course of my professional career and wasn’t about to turn tail and run because of the hard stare of a stripper. I wanted answers, and I was going to get them.
Finally, as if sensing that I didn’t want to go anywhere, her expression softened.
“Please,” she said, her voice losing all its venom. “You’re going to get us all in trouble if you come around here asking about Kiki.”
I eased up, stepping back a bit.
“I’ll go.”
The blonde nodded, relief washing over her face.
“Good. That’s for the best.”
Her eyes still on me, she reached back and opened the door, pushing it open.
“Go down the hall and take the first right. Door at the end will take you back to the main floor.” She pursed her lips, looking away for a moment as if whatever was on her mind was something she ought not say. “You’re in danger back here. For your own good, don’t stick around.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
With that, I stepped back and through the door. The moment I was in the hallway, the blonde shut the door hard and locked it, sending a very clear signal that I wasn’t welcome back in.
I looked around, realizing that I was once more in the hall where I’d almost been spotted by the two men. I needed to get the hell out of there.
Alright, down the hall and the first right.
I moved slowly, not wanting to make any unnecessary noise that might attract the attention of anyone who would be less than thrilled with a customer poking around the back. As I moved, I noticed that most of the doors were heavily locked, some requiring keycard access. I had no idea exactly what took place in these back halls and offices, but there was not a single doubt in my mind that it was most likely not legal.
I thought about the blonde’s words, how she’d said that Kiki simply “no longer worked there.” She knew something and judging by the looks on the faces of the other women in the dressing room, Kiki’s fate seemed less than sunny.
A tinge of panic gripped me at the idea that something awful had happened to her.
No. Don’t even think about that. Just get out of here and figure out your next step in tracking her down.
Before my thoughts could go any further, an office opened at the far end of the hallway. Two hulking men with dark red hair emerged, both dressed in sharp, expensive-looking suits. They were in the middle of conversation, their eyes on one another and not on me. It was only a matter of time; however, until they turned their attention in my direction.
My heart raced as I hurried down the hall, each step a careful balance between moving as quickly as possible and making as little noise as I could. Finally, I reached the corner to the adjoining hall and turned.
Thank freaking God. That was too cl—
