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“Fucking bitch!”
Dahlia was unprepared to be thrown across the room, but thankfully, she landed on the couch. It probably wasn’t his intention. There were no gentlemen in this room.
Another man emerged from the back as she scrambled to get up. She never saw it coming and practically turned into him, giving him the perfect angle. Dahlia didn’t have any time to react or even shield her face. His open hand smacked her so hard across the face, she stumbled back. This time, she had the unfortunate luck of catching the corner of the end table on her fall. She screamed out and rolled on her side, gripping her hipbone. The agony of pain hitting bone on a hard surface was like no other.
“Stay the fuck down!” Dave said.
At this point, she was waving her surrender flag. The fight was pointless, knowing she wasn’t going to win, and the situation could possibly be more dangerous if she pushed it further.
Dahlia scooted herself on the floor to a seated position with her back against the couch. She eyed the other two guys who were standing near the front door, blocking any chance of an escape. She could hear Dave and Belinda’s voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
When they walked out of the hall a few minutes later, Dahlia was surprised to see them empty-handed. All this, and they took nothing?
One of the guys pushed off the wall. “You got it?”
“Yeah,” Dave said, smiling as he glanced over at Dahlia. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a large bag of a white substance.
Dahlia didn’t know if it was coke, heroin, or what, but obviously, it was drugs. And it had been in her home for the last month. Shit! Dave walked toward her, stopping in the center of the room.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I left some for you. Think of it as an insurance policy. See, you have enough drugs hidden in here to get you pretty much a ten-year sentence. If you decide to report this to the police, I’m gonna make a call of my own and report you.” Dave smirked as Belinda sidled up next to him with a smug grin. “Who do you think they’ll believe? They ain’t gonna find anything on me, but you got that shit in your house. And let’s not forget. You got a record of possession.”
Fuck!
Dahlia had no idea when she’d done a favor for a boyfriend years back that it would forever haunt her. It had been stupid, and if she could go back and change it, she would. She’d been youthful and naïve. When her boyfriend had asked her to hold a package, she hadn’t thought twice. They’d been in love, and he wouldn’t have done anything to put her in harm’s way. She’d been wrong.
Belinda laughed and attempted to kick her leg, missing by a whole foot. That’s what you get, asshole. Dahlia laughed, shaking her head. She was taunting her, and Belinda’s lips twisted. Before Dahlia knew what was happening, she had a wad of spit coming at her. She tried to move away, but it landed on her arm.
“You bitch!” Dahlia pushed up, acting on pure rage. Unfortunately, she was met with a foot to her ribs that left her gasping for breath.
The last thing she remembered was hearing muffled laughs and voices and the sound of the door closing in place.
I’m so fucked!
*
Dahlia was a walking zombie as she entered the back door of the Bowery. She’d spent half the day in bed nursing the bruises on her face and ribs, and the second half ripping apart her entire house. Everything had been tossed, every crevice had been checked, and she’d come up with nothing. They could have been bluffing, and by all accounts, that’s how it seemed. But what if she’d missed something, and the drugs were in her house? She couldn’t take that risk and report them.
Dahlia slid her tongue over the inside of her lip. Her mouth was only slightly swollen, and the lipstick would conceal it. Thankfully, with the exception of the bathrooms, the lighting was dim in most areas of the club. The bruising on her cheek was a bit trickier, but she had applied enough foundation to lighten the handprint.
She started down the hall and made a quick left into the employee break room, coming face to face with Keely.
“Whoa, what happened to you?”
Dahlia hadn’t expected anyone in there. She’d purposely left early to evade interaction with anyone. Her only saving grace was working in the balcony, where she was ignored by everyone. If luck was truly on her side, Rogue and Trey wouldn’t even show up for the night.
Dahlia instinctively brushed her hand over her face and swiped her hair over her shoulder, hoping to curtain her cheek. “Nothing. Why?”
Keely squinted as if examining her. “Your eyes are all red like you haven’t slept in a while.”
That’s because I haven’t. So much for the eye drops. Her lack of sleep, combined with a brief meltdown in the form of a crying fit, was less about the pain and more about frustration. Not only had they completely ransacked and destroyed her house, but someone had rummaged through her wallet, taking all her credit cards and cash.
“I’m fine.”
Dahlia walked around the table, heading to the closet to hang up her jacket. When she reached out to grab a hanger, Keely clasped her wrist.
“You don’t look fine.”
“I am, Keely. I promise.” Dahlia noticed her stare linger longer on her cheek, so she quickly turned and rushed out. “I’ll see you later.”
