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“You know Maxi doesn’t really care about drinking on the job. We all do it,” Coop said.
“True, but as head of security, it’s my responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety, right?”
Coop saluted her military style, clearly brushing her off. As the bar manager, her job success relied on the bar’s profits, which meant she encouraged people to drink. Dylan wanted the working girls to be safe. She had seen her fair share of questionable activities when she worked the bar, but when she stepped into the role of security, things changed for the better.
Chapter 7
On the morning of the audition, Ari took the L-Line downtown to meet with Terry Bradwell of CityBeats at the same coffee shop where they had met when he propositioned her about the job. He had been sitting in the corner when she arrived but rose and greeted her halfway with a smile playing at the corner of his lips. There was an unmistakable tension in his handshake, not the firm clasp of confidence from before. His palm was damp, fingers slightly trembling, leaving a lingering clamminess when he welcomed her.
As they settled in their seats, a noxious scent of cigarettes reached Ari’s nostrils. His clothes reeked of it, as if he had soaked in a chamber of smoke. Without delay, he hurled a slew of questions like verbal projectiles, all carrying a gut-churning blend of black coffee and tobacco. “Are you ready? What type of questions did they ask? Did you sign any forms? Where is the interview taking place?”
The shift in Terry’s demeanor was a tad off-putting. His assertiveness was a far cry from their last meeting, in which he was very professional. This was not the same Terry Bradwell who wore an impeccable suit with debonair charm. This time, his espresso-colored blazer had seen better days and a disheveled tie hung around his neck like a forgotten accessory. “Wow. Okay. I was planning on grabbing a cup of coffee before we got down to business, but uh ... yes, I am as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just this story is too important not to uncover.” Terry picked up his mug and grimaced as he downed the dark liquid that had obviously grown cold.
“I get it. I mean, if there’s trafficking ... coercion, then it needs to be stopped. And honestly, there weren’t many questions on the application. It was like any other job offering. Let me ask something. The link to the application was on a page titled Performer, so what exactly am I auditioning for, Terry? Let’s seriously cut to the chase.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know. I mean, I have an idea which is probably the same as what you think, but—”
Ari abruptly cut him off, leaning in to ensure her words wouldn’t carry beyond their table. “You manipulated me into agreeing to this, fully aware of what I’d be required to do for this job. Talk about coercion. I’m two seconds away from telling you to go to hell.”
His hands shot up, defending his actions. “I’ve already told you, I don’t know. And I truly don’t. But if you choose not to go through with it, that’s your choice. I’ll take back the thousand bucks we gave you up front, and you can walk away.”
That was the entire reason she stayed. The grand was long gone, spent on rent, groceries, and an unexpected medical bill. When the club sent her to a private clinic for STD testing, it confirmed her suspicions about the so-called job interview, or audition.
Ari slid back into her chair, then rose to her feet, ready to leave. “If your claims are accurate, we need to expose their illegal dealings. I’m committed to doing just that.”
It was her first time stepping into the lavishly decorated lobby of The Silo, a place steeped in history as a haven for the rich and famous—or infamous, as they say. The city had a stark divide between its classes: the wealthy and the struggling. Ari fell somewhere in between, though never mingling with either extreme. As she stepped into the lobby, she completed a slow circle, her gaze lifting overhead to the opulent golden chandelier of ornate design adorned with sparkling cut crystals.
Two grand staircases circled the lobby, upward toward another foyer. Between them, a sprawling counter carved of African blackwood stretched along the wall. Elegant men and women clad in the finest textiles climbed the stairs with an air of nonchalance, while Ari grappled with an undeniable sense of feeling extremely out of place in her modest black dress. It may not have been Gucci, but the dress held a charm all its own. If appearance carried weight in the audition, this outfit presented her best self.
As Ari scanned the space, her eyes settled on the detail she had missed before; the paperwork from the club instructed her to take the third elevator to the twelfth floor and present her identification. However, from where she stood, she saw no visible elevators. The staircases appeared to be the only way up.
Just as she was about to head in that direction, a voice called out to her from the front desk. “Good afternoon, and welcome to The Silo. May I assist you with anything?”
As Ari took a step forward, a woman entered through the revolving door behind her. Decked out in leather and stilettos, the woman exuded the confidence that Ari imagined a Dominatrix would possess. The sound of her presence reverberated off the walls as her heels clacked against the marble stairs to the right. Ari felt an urge to follow, but the woman at the front desk seemed to have caught on that Ari wasn’t the typical Silo guest.
As Ari spoke, her voice cracked, prompting her to clear her throat and try again. “I have an appointment today, and they said to take the third elevator to the twelfth floor.”
The judgmental eye of the arrogant woman surveying Ari only intensified her sense of being out of place. “The staircase on the right. Elevators are around the corner and the attendant will escort you up.”
“Thank you,” Ari said with a slight insincere smile, wishing she had acted on her inclination to follow the leather-clad woman rather than subjecting herself to the condescending glare of a woman who earned more money than most working-class people.
The Silo was uncharted territory; just as she had been unsure how to navigate the rules of homelessness when she was undercover back then, she now found herself lost in the realm of the rich and shameless. At the top of the stairs, where the hotel employee had stated, stood a row of four elevators. Referring to her paperwork, Ari pressed the button to call the third car. The mid-century design of the elevator dial ticking downward on a brass bolt caught her attention as she waited for her ride to arrive.
The elevator dial reached the Roman numeral one, and right on cue, the doors opened to reveal a man inside. He was an older man with messy gray hair sticking out from under a brimless cap and a slight hunch in his posture. He might have been there as long as the building and had seen his share of oddities in this infamous hotel. “Where can I take you today, young lady?”
Ari curled a genuine smile, as he didn’t seem to hold the same arrogance as the others. “Thank you. Floor twelve, please.”
“Mighty fine afternoon,” he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he pressed the button for the twelfth floor. “Weather looks promising. No rain tonight.”
Ari nodded, her agreement unspoken, but her nerves still coiled within her. As a brass arrow ticked upward, she counted the passing floors in silence. The knot in her stomach tightened as they climbed higher. When the arrow aligned with XII, a melodic chime sounded, and the door opened to reveal another stunning foyer.
“Here you are,” the man tipped his hat while Ari stood still, frozen in the face of this new environment. Perhaps he sensed her hesitation as his tone softened, offering a piece of advice. “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.”
With a nod of encouragement, he gestured toward the open doors. She swallowed, the sound popping in her ears as she took a reluctant step forward. As soon as she stepped out, she turned toward him and mustered a small smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
When the door closed between Ari and the attendant, a burly man who seemed more like a mafia goon than a hotel employee approached. Ari’s eyes widened as he stomped his authority, causing her to reach for her paperwork as if it justified her presence there. “I have an appointment with Adytum.”
