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Sheila’s fists clenched, her pretty face distorted by anger.
“I may be ditzy and trashy, but I’m honest. Anton knows that everything he gets from me is genuine. I truly like him.”
Sheila huffed in disbelief.
“What you saw between him and me on that dance floor was real. That’s why he still wants me. You can’t fool your audience, Sheila,” I said, spitting her name with contempt. “He knows you only want his money and status. Pleasure barges crawl with girls like you. But hey, it’s a free world. Keep peddling your wares. With luck, he might toss a few pity credits your way. Just spare me your fucking ‘friendly’ warnings.”
I stormed past her, feeling her incredulous stare burning a hole in my back. In spite of my many flaws, bitch bullying was one thing I no longer tolerated. The music industry was riddled with them. Before, I would shrink into myself and take it. Not anymore. While I still avoided confrontations, when someone brought it to me, I fought back. For the time being, Anton was my man, and I was his woman. If Sheila thought I was going to roll over and let her snag him, she had another thing coming.
Closing the door behind me, I flattened the nonexistent wrinkles of my dress. I lifted my chin and strutted back into the dining room. Crossing the dance floor amidst the dancing couples was the shortest route back to Anton’s booth. From where I stood, he seemed to be having an intense discussion with Caleb. As I weaved my way through the dancers, a hand grabbed my wrist.
“Marcus…” I whispered in shock.
“Hey, Gracie,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
On instinct, my hand slid to his shoulder, and I followed his lead while we began dancing. What was he doing here? When did he get here? Did he know what trouble I inherited from his debt and disappearance?
“How..? What..?”
“I’m so sorry, Gracie,” Marcus said, his face filled with remorse. “I never imagined they would come after you. They’d never done that before. You know I would never leave you in harm’s way, right?”
“You abandoned me.” My initial shock waning, my eyes prickled.
“I didn’t abandon you. The deal went to shit, and I had to sort things out before it got out of hand. I thought you’d be safe here. Your hotel was paid for the month, including meals, and Peter was supposed to let you perform for some credits. Honestly, I thought you’d be fine.”
“They broke into the hotel.”
Marcus’ face twisted in anger. “Yeah… those fucking bastards. As soon as I heard, I came back here but it was a long flight. By then, you had already signed with Anton.” His eyes searched mine. “Are you alright, Gracie? Is he good to you?”
I sniffled but nodded. “Yeah, he’s alright.”
“Grace…” Marcus said with that stern tone he took when he thought I was lying.
“Well, he mostly is,” I said, shrugging. “I mean, it’s only been a month. The first week and the last two weeks were nice.”
“And the second week?”
I scrunched my face. “Why didn’t you tell me back on Jeruna? I thought you were only punishing me.”
“Iwaspunishing you, Grace. That shit was stupid,” Marcus said, his voice taking an angry edge. “But I was also protecting you. That’s my job.”
“You should have told me how serious this was, Mar. I didn’t understand back then. I’m sure even the girls didn’t realize the repercussions for Anton and his clan.”
“What would that have accomplished?” Marcus asked. “The damage was done.”
“Thatdamage was done, but it would have made me think twice about all the other stupid shit I did afterwards. And I wouldn’t have been blindsided getting into this deal with Anton.”
“You’re right. I should have.”
“What happened to the girls?”
The look on his face told me I wouldn’t like it one bit.
“You don’t need to hear that, Gracie.”
“I need to know. Tell me.” I nudged his shoulder, urging him to answer.
He heaved a deep sigh. “They mixed some kind of acid in Darla’s drink. It destroyed her vocal cords and half of her digestive system. She can barely speak anymore, let alone sing. Her stomach can no longer handle solid food. She’s been on suicide watch ever since.”
