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Devin felt no guilt as she swiped a newspaper from the stack by the door, tucking it under her arm as she ducked out into the sweltering heat. Cars honked and spewed exhaust into the rush-hour sky, a cacophony of smells and sounds that set Devin on edge.
There would be no way to pay rent next month, let alone the full amount she owed Hart. It’d taken weeks to find the job at the diner, and she hadn’t even made it two months there. Her resume was a joke at this point, and even the most degrading positions seemed beyond her grasp.
Staggering around the bustling pedestrians who didn’t give one shit about her troubles, Devin tried to see a way out of the unholy mess she’d made of things. She could call Ashley, apologize, and throw herself at her friend’s mercy. That option cut her to the quick, but it didn’t hurt half as much as returning home would. Shoulders sagging, she realized those were the only two possibilities left. Deciding she’d call Ashley as soon as she returned home put some purpose in her short strides. Working her way through the crowded sidewalks, she managed to get back to the rundown apartment building long before the sun began to set behind the vast warehouses crowded against the water.
Sneaking up to her apartment had become something of an art form for her. While Devin heard plenty of people opting for the groaning hazard of the fire escape, she couldn’t bring herself to brave it. It meant leaving a window open, and that was stupid on the best of days in this neighborhood. Not that she had anything to steal, but one whiff of her couch and they’d know what she was.
Shaking her head at the horrific turn of her thoughts, Devin slipped up the decaying stairs to the third floor. Each flight darker than the one before it, it was something of a miracle she hadn’t been mugged, fallen to her death, or worse. Tiptoeing her way over the stairs with the loudest creaks, she made her way to the hallway where the light tread of her worn shoes made the barest scuff of sound. A stretch of about five feet just before her door was trickiest, and Devin had to put her feet in an exact spot to keep the water damaged floor from squealing like a pig. Fiddling with her multiple keys as she tried to get into her apartment was another terrifying span of moments where her heart hammered against her ribs, waiting for someone to come upon her.
She didn’t know how anyone could live with this level of anxiety. Devin always considered herself an adaptable person, willing to compromise on a great many things. A hellish landscape of fear and terror, with a heaping side of looming dread, was just too much.
Sighing with relief as she made it inside without being accosted and all the locks were engaged, Devin flung herself onto the couch. Cringing as it made a bloodcurdling screech that rattled all the way up her spine and into her teeth, she tossed the newspaper aside to dig her cellphone from her pocket. She’d traded in her fancy smartphone for a far cheaper flip phone and a credit to her account. She planned for it to see her through the next few months, but if she had to start making calls for jobs again, she’d blow right through the limited plan she’d downgraded to at the same time.
Groaning, she tried to shut her brain off as she punched in Ashley’s number and slapped the cheap plastic against her ear. Waiting for her to answer, Devin’s gaze bounced around the disgusting apartment, trying to take some pleasure in the fact that she’d be getting out of the roach infested hell hole when her eyes landed on the scattered pages of the newspaper.
Waitresses and dancers wanted. Devin curled her legs under her as she slid the paper closer to read the rest of the ad beneath the large print. Wicked, Alderbrook’s premiere nightclub, located within the bustling waterfront district, was looking for women between the ages of twenty to thirty. Previous experience not required, but a plus.
Gnawing at her lip, Devin leaned over the paper as if drawing nearer would make it even more real. With her finger tapping a frenzied rhythm against the blocky print, she read the ad again, and then again, startling out of her furious train of thought when Ashley yelled her name.
“Sorry,” Devin said, far louder than she intended. As if to make up for it, she lowered her voice to a quiet murmur as she continued, “For a lot of things…”
While Ash’s growl was loud in Devin’s ear, it seemed aimed at herself. “No, kid. This is your life. It was my fault.”
“No, no, it was my fault. I’ve never known when to back down.”
“I don’t like what happened between us, regardless.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s okay.” Devin let a smile into her voice, letting the female Alpha off easy before she went and managed some kind of mangled apology.
“Really?”
“Really, really. Hey, do you think I could come over and use your computer?”
Devin nodded and made the appropriate sounds as Ashley continued the conversation, but her thoughts were miles away. Technically speaking, she had experience as a waitress. Maybe if she doctored her resume a bit, it wouldn’t look so bad. There was the issue of headshots and body shots needing to be purchased, but if she managed to land the job, it would work out okay. Wicked catered to total sex appeal, so the tips had to be incredible. Didn’t sex always sell?
With a plan forming, Devin dared to smile as she hung up, agreeing to have Ashley come pick her up.
This could work.
It took Ashley an hour to drive from her much posher neighborhood of Midtown Park to Bayside, while Devin paced in front of the sole window in her living room. The longer she thought about it, the more determined she became to see it through. Okay, so she didn’t quite have the sex appeal thing down, and flirting had never been her strong suit, but how hard could it be to smile at a bunch of people drinking and dancing the night away? It had to be easier than pulling spare change from bleary dock workers and people stumbling in from their late-night shifts. She was also certain that whatever getup the club had its employees wear would be more than enough to cement the idea of a decent tip.
Scarce able to contain her glee as Ashley’s shiny silver SUV pulled into the parking lot, Devin threw caution to the wind and hurried from her apartment. Barreling down the rickety steps, she didn’t even pause as she soared past a man coming up. Shoving through the door, she raced towards Ashley’s car and hopped into the passenger seat, panting from her exertion.
“What the fuck’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing, just happy to be leaving the house.”
Devin cast a brilliant smile at Ashley, flapping her hands to get the Alpha to hurry. One brow rising, Ashley rolled her shoulder in a shrug and put the car in reverse.
“I, uh, ordered Chinese,” Ashley said as she pulled away from the building, not quite meeting Devin’s eyes before turning back to the busy road as they merged into traffic. “We’ll pick it up on the way.”
Devin inhaled through her nose but let it out in a controlled sigh. Nodding, she reached over and patted Ashley’s arm. Devin might be proud, but she was also starving. “Did you get steamed dumplings?”
“You think I’m some kind of amateur? Of course, I did. I also got extra egg rolls.”
“Good! Do you know anywhere that takes like, um, headshots?”
“You mean like for models?” Now Ashley did look at Devin, her pale brows drawing down to form a hard line.
