Worth Saving(78)

Inside, the place is completely empty. No one’s at the upstairs bar because Marlene hasn’t come in yet, and there’s no one on the poles. The place just opened for the day, but it’s only a little after one, so nobody’s here yet.

I make my way downstairs to find one customer sitting in a booth in the corner. He has one of the available girls sitting with him. I can tell she’s trying to make him happy, but the guy looks preoccupied with his phone. I ignore them and head to David’s office. He’s sitting in his big leather chair, his shoulders wide and his head shiny bald. When I knock on the door jamb, he spins around to look at me.

“You’re back,” he growls. He’s always been the nicer of the two brothers, but he doesn’t look happy to see me.

“I’m not back, actually,” I reply. “I just came to pick up my last check.”

“Oh yeah. I figured you’d want that.” He turns around and opens up a file cabinet. It only takes him a second to find my check and hand it to me. “You sure you want to quit? I talked to Damien about all the shit he was on before; all the violence. We’re done with that shit here. I told him if he ever put his hands on another one of our girls, I’d kick his ass and run the business by myself. So, if you stay, you won’t have to worry about any of that.”

I force myself to smile, but only because David’s a decent guy, not because I’m interested in anything he’s saying.

“I appreciate that, David, I really do,” I begin. “But, I think I’ve just outgrown this place. I started here when I was a kid—only seventeen years old. I’m twenty-two now, and I’m about to start taking college classes so I can start a career someday soon. So, I just gotta go. But, you should keep doing what you’re doing. The girls who work here deserve to work in peace. It’s hard enough doing what the job requires on a regular basis. They need your protection, and they’ll appreciate it, too.”

He nods his head and gives me a half-smile.

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind,” he says, then he extends his hand. “Good luck with whatever you do, Layla. I mean that.”

I shake his hand and smile at him. “Thank you, David.” Then, I turn on my heel and walk out.

I push through the exit doors ready to exhale that the Red Pony saga is finally over, but the second I’m outside, I see Damien’s Lexus pull into the parking lot. He parks only a few spaces from where Austin is parked, so there won’t be any avoiding him. I’m going to have to walk right past him. Shit.

Damien gets out of the car, and he doesn’t see me at first, but when he does, all the emotion melts from his face. He glares at me like he wishes I was dead and I instinctively slow my pace as my heart starts to speed up. He walks towards the entrance of the club, and I decide to try to ignore him. So, I make myself walk to Austin’s car as fast as I can, but the second we’re shoulder to shoulder, Damien turns to me.

“What the f*ck are you doing here?” he barks, making me jump.

“I just came to get my check, and now I’m leaving,” I reply, doing my best to remain defiant. I refuse to let him see me afraid.

“Your check? You don’t deserve a f*cking check. Did you know we’ve lost five girls now, since you left? Five! Your little stunt has cost me a lot of money, and now you think you’re gonna come in here and get a f*cking check? You must really be f*cking crazy.”

I walk past him, but I hear him turn around and follow me, so I snap back around. I know I can’t have my back to him.

“Give me the f*cking check,” he says, his voice low and menacing, and he has that ugly scowl on his face.

“This is my check, Damien,” I reply. “I’m not giving it to you.”

“You’re gonna give me that check because you owe me for all this shit you’ve caused. Now give it to me, or I’m gonna f*cking take it. Ain’t nobody here to protect you now, bitch. Give it to me.”

He reaches for the check in my hand, but I pull it away. He takes another step towards me, and then I hear a car door being closed behind me and Damien stops in his tracks.

“I was wondering if I’d get the chance to see you again,” I hear Austin say. His voice sounds different though. I’ve never heard it this way before. “Especially after I heard about the way you like to run your business here. It’s almost fitting that I see you today.”

Damien takes a second to gather his thoughts, then he clears his throat and straightens himself up. Damien is big, but so is Austin. I think Damien’s main concern, though, is the fact that Austin obviously isn’t afraid. Damien thrives on fear, and Austin doesn’t have any to give.

“Who the f*ck are you?” Damien starts. “Oh, wait. I remember you. You’re the idiot from Granger Park. Yeah, that’s right. You’re the guy who’s too stupid to know he’s holding hands with a whore. So, yeah, we’re here, face to face. And? You got a f*cking problem?”

“Get in the car, Layla,” Austin says as he starts to walk towards Damien and me.

“She’s not going any-f*cking-where. Not until she gives me that check she owes me.”

“She doesn’t owe you shit. But I do,” Austin says as he picks up his pace.

I go to step towards the car, but Damien grabs me by the arm.

“Hey! I said give me that f*cking check!” he bellows, but suddenly, he lets go of me. I look over at him just in time to watch him fall down. He grabs his mouth and there’s a small trickle of blood seeping through his fingers.