The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law #3)(41)

I closed my eyes and rested my head on the cushioned seat. “Sounds like a plan.”

Hector started the car, pulled onto the street, and we drove in silence for several minutes. I didn’t mind. I was exhausted. Knowing I had to return to Disco, explain what had happened, and go through another round of questioning didn’t help.

I was just thinking about the many things Disco might say when Hector interrupted the quiet. “I’ve made a decision about the club. I’ve already told Deena.” I peered at him from the corner of my eye and he was clenching his fists on the steering wheel, unhappy about something.

“What have you decided?”

“I’m hiring new bartenders. Keeping the dancers safe is hard enough without worrying about you and Deena. Having a couple of extra men in the club will tone things down and ramp up safety.”

“You what?” I said, faulting my ears. I had to have heard wrong. It wasn’t possible.

His curt, “You heard me,” proved me wrong. I hadn’t heard him wrong. He did just say he was hiring new bartenders.

Hell no.


“Hold up.” I squirmed in the seat and faced him. “You can’t do that. I need my job.”


“I’ll give you and Deena glowing recommendations. Neither of you will have to worry about finding work, I promise. I’ve even put in a few calls. There are several restaurants that need talented staff behind the bar uptown. You’ll make better tips, and you’ll be in a safer environment.”

“You didn’t hire me because I was safe,” I snapped, remembering how and why he’d offered me a job. After I’d shoved a drunken *’s face into a bowl of peanuts at my previous employer’s bar—something Hector had seen with his own eyes—I was as good as hired. “You hired me because I’m capable of defending myself. That’s why you gave me a job. Don’t give me that shit.”

“You’re right, I did, and it was a mistake.” He didn’t get angry or riled up. Instead he sounded like a tired, worn out owner of a strip club. “Do you know why I hired Deena?”

The question threw me for a second, and I scrambled to keep up with the redirection of the conversation. “No, I never asked.”

“She used to dance for me.”

The surprises just didn’t stop coming. Deena? A stripper? Yeah right.

“You’re joking.”

“No, it’s not a joke,” he said. “She was damned good at it and brought it a lot of money, but she hated it. I could tell by the way she mingled with the crowd. She never came out in skimpy nighties, and she was always relieved when she could go backstage. When I asked her about it, she told me that taking off her clothes humiliated her. She only did it because she needed the steady cash. So when we lost a bartender, I offered her the job. After that, she took over the schedule and other things. I thought it was a good idea, until a few years ago when I realized only four men are inside the club in a given night—including me. That’s not a good number for security reasons. Business is good, and the amount of people we have coming through our doors every night means it’s time for a change.”

“I think you’re upset over what happened tonight. Hiring a man”—I inhaled sharply, angry at how sexist this situation was—“to do my work won’t change anything. This had nothing to do with me or how I perform my job.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. It has everything to do with your job.” He flicked on the heater and warm air whispered against my face and burned my eyes. “You work in my club—an exotic club—and you’re a woman.”

“Yeah, so?”

“A man won’t have the same issues you do. He can come in, do his job, and clock out. Since you’re a bartender and not one of the girls on stage, you’re not escorted to your car or given the same courtesy of the dancers who are known to get a stalker or two.”

“Then give me an escort.”

“There it is, the reason I’ve decided it has to be this way.” He took one hand off the wheel and rubbed his neck. “We don’t have the resources. With five dancers a night, Cletus and Butch can’t be expected to do more. Their time is already tight.”

“I don’t want to lose my job, Hector.” I knew I sounded desperate, but damn it, I didn’t care. “I need it. Do you understand?”

It’s the only place I feel safe.

“I’m sorry, it’s already done. I made some calls while I waited. New bartenders will be coming this evening.” He glanced at me and produced a weak smile. “Don’t worry. I’m going to pay you for two weeks’ work. That’s more than enough cash to get you by until you find exactly what you’re looking for.” He took a deep breath and said, “You need to be in a new environment, around new people. You’re young, smart and have your entire life ahead of you. The change will do you good.”


“What did Deena say?” I sounded like a scorned child, hoping her sister would help her gang up on the unfortunate parent who wouldn’t give her what she wanted. “I’m sure she loved hearing about men who can perform her job better than she can.”


“She didn’t mention it, actually. We talked, I promised to help her find a full-time position at a restaurant during the day, and that was that. She’s not as young as she used to be, and she likes the idea of getting a job during normal hours.”