Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
I nod. “Got it.”
“Pull that charm on and you’ll be walking out with a lot of tips tonight. I always do so well on a Saturday, I have a feeling you’ll do even better.”
I wave a hand. “I’ll do no better than you, you’re amazing.”
She gives me a proud grin, and then we both get back to work.
She’s right, within the hour the club is packed. There are people everywhere, the lines to the bar are full, the tables are jam packed with people, and the stage is in full swing. I’m so busy that I don’t notice Western come in, probably because he certainly doesn’t make it known to people when he enters. He kind of slinks in and then slinks back out again, not saying a single word to anyone.
Nobody even approaches him.
It’s as if they’re all afraid.
I work until my feet ache and I’m overflowing with tips, only then does the club quiet down enough for me to take a small break. Mostly, to get a drink of water and shove a protein bar down my throat as quickly as possible so I don’t pass out from being hungry. Noticing Western has no drink, I take the bottle of whiskey and go over, filling it up for him without asking. He doesn’t look up at me.
I have to wonder what he’s thinking about as he stares at the counter.
His mind is either completely numb, or it doesn’t stop, and this is the only way he can find solace for just a moment.
“Those girls are amazing,” I say, leaning my hip against the counter and taking a bite of my protein bar. It’s grainy and gross, but it’s food, and I’ll take whatever I can get right now. “My momma would tan my backside if I got up on a stage like that, but, man, I wish I could. I don’t have the body for it, though.”
Western doesn’t move.
“I would probably fall on my butt if I so much as attempted climbing a pole like that. Just yesterday, I tripped climbing out of my car. Literally stumbled right out the door. I’m as clumsy as they come.”
Still nothing.
I keep my sassy charm and keep going. I’m not about to give up yet.
“Luna told me your name is Western. That’s a really cool name. I always wanted to call my son Western, if I ever had one.”
He lifts his head slowly, and those eyes lock onto mine. Something I’ve said seems to trigger him, because there is a flash in his gaze that almost makes me reel backward in fear. It’s a look that tells me if I continue, he’s not going to be happy. Keeping my smile, I push past it. If I’m afraid of this man, then I’ll never get to the bottom of his story and I’m in too deep to back off now.
“I doubt anyone would marry me, though,” I huff, waving a hand and not once breaking eye contact. “I’ve heard I talk too much.”
His eyes soften, just a touch.
Even then, they’re still harder and more broken than any eyes I’ve ever seen before.
“You should go sit by the stage, the girls really are putting on a great show.”
He looks back down at his drink.
Once again, I make zero progress with him.
I’m running out of ideas to get him to talk to me.
I can hardly demand he has a conversation.
I get back to work, and by the end of the night, I’m far too tired to even think straight. I get changed, take my car keys, and groggily walk out of the club to the back parking lot where my car is waiting to take me to my bed. I’m about three feet away when a hand curls around my arm, spinning me. Shocked, I squeak as I’m faced with two men, one of which is hanging onto me.
Dazed, it takes me a moment to recognize that the situation I’m in is incredibly dangerous.
The smirk on the man’s face, the one closest to me, is that of a vile, evil monster. His eyes are the color of the black night, his hair is covered by a dark hoodie, and he has a smirk on his face that’s colder than any smirk I’ve ever witnessed in my short life.
I know, even before he opens his mouth, that I’m in trouble.
He isn’t here to talk.
That much is clear.
“Scream, I’ll gut you like a fish.”
The words send chills up my spine and my entire body goes into freeze mode. I can’t move my legs or my arms, I can’t scream, I can’t even breathe. Everything has stopped, everything except my racing heart that feels as though it’s echoing in my brain. He’s going to hurt me, and my body isn’t doing a single thing to help me out of the situation.