AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Striker taps me on the chest, getting my attention. I glance over at him and read the question on his face, and nod.
“Let’s talk to the owner.”
I don’t wait to watch the woman finish her dance. If I do, I might find myself not able to stand without embarrassing myself. Granted, the only reason that would be is because my brothers’ ol’ ladies are with us. Otherwise, I wouldn’t give a fuck.
An hour later, we walk out of the strip club, all of us grinning. The papers are signed and money exchanged. It didn’t take long to talk to the owner and get him to sell to the club. Once he gave us a price, we countered, and he agreed. Then Thorn called Twister and Horse, who told us to seal the deal.
Now, the deal is done and the club officially owns a strip club. The ol’ ladies even came up with the perfect name for it . . . Devil’s Nirvana.
CHAPTER2
ATHENA
It’s going to be one of those days, I can feel it. My head is pounding, and all I want is to go back home and curl up in bed with the lights off. That or curl up with my little boy, Jesse, and watch a movie. He’s not even home right now, he’s on a trip with Lucifer.
Thinking of Jesse and Lucifer, I smile. If not for Lucifer, whom some people call Lark, I don’t know where my life would have led. He saved me and, in doing so, saved Jesse. I don’t like to think about the past and what I went through, but when it comes to Jesse, I think of him as a blessing. Lucifer ended up adopting me and enjoys spending time with Jesse when he’s not working a job. I spend every available minute with Jesse myself, when I’m not working. When I’m not able to be there, I always call and talk to Jesse, read him a story, and make sure he knows I’m still here.
Sometimes I think of giving this life up, letting it go and simply being there full-time. Then again, I think about those who need someone to fight for them. To save them. Jesse has been raised to understand this and even asks when he can start training to be a part of it all. To train to be like Lucifer, Reap, and well, like Victoria, Raven, and Harlow. The kid’s too young even to think it, but it’s the way life is. At least our lives.
I try to clear my thoughts as I head into the strip club I’ve been working at the past several months. I decided when I took on this job, I’m working to ditch the disguise. I no longer have the fake blonde hair, and in its place is my natural, vibrant red corkscrew curls. I stopped wearing the color contacts, so my eyes are their usual green instead of brown.
When I applied for my position as a dancer, I knew what I was doing and the risk I was taking in using my natural looks rather than hiding being a mask. Reap tried to talk me out of it, so did Lucifer. But I made up my mind and anyone who knows me, knows I don’t change it very often. I keep my focus on what needs to be done and get it completed as fast as possible. Even when I have to do things I really don’t like to. For instance, several months back having to sleep with Trevor. I shudder at the thought.
It’s why I can’t think of my adoptive brother as anyone else except for Reap now considering they share the same name. It shouldn’t matter, but it does. The things I had to do with that insufferable man still makes my skin crawl. Nearly as much as the memories of the past.
Shaking my thoughts away before they drag me further in, I make my way through the strip club and to the dressing room. I’ve been off the past few days, and stepping into the dressing room now, feels no different. Except the girls all seemed to be excited more than usual.
“Hey, Athena,” Maribel greets, smiling brightly.
“Hey,” I return and glance at the others. Since working here, I’ve become friends with most of the girls here. Maribel, Tamia, Belen, and DeeDee, I’ve gotten to be closer too. Mainly because they refused to let me stay distant. I tried but the four of them weren’t hearing it.
“Guess what?” Belen giggles and bounces on her toes.
“What?” I ask, unable to stop from laughing at her. Belen has a bit of ADHD and can’t ever sit still. She always has to be doing something.
“We’re under new management,” she announces, and my heart flutters.
“Since when?”
“The other day,” Tamia joins in. “The boss man signed the strip club over, and they took over immediately.”
A sense of dread fills me. This isn’t good. The boss man was one of the men I was looking into. He’s not the actual one I want. He’s just a low man on the totem pole doing as he’s told, but with him not here, does that mean those I actually have targeted will move?
“So, who are the new owners?” I ask and take a seat in front of my station. We all have our own areas to store our bags and get ready. Each one has a gaudy mirror with large lights attached to it.
“Some club called the Devil’s Riot, I think,” Belen answers, and I feel my stomach plummet.
I swallow to keep my surprise from showing. “You mean the Devil’s Riot MC?”
“Yep.” Belen nods and laughs. “You should see these guys. They’re yummy, for sure. I could totally get off just looking at them.”
“Shut up, Belen.” Tamia laughs.
“What’s going on?” DeeDee asks as her, and Maribel steps into the dressing room.
The same conversation continues, with them all laughing and joking around while we get ready. I listen and chime in when I can, but it’s all I can do to keep my nerves down. We have new owners, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.
None of them know who I am. Well, one does, but that was so long ago, he wouldn’t remember me. I don’t look like the scrawny, little, fourteen-year-old girl he last saw.
