Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 142728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
A slight smirk curls the corners of her mouth, betraying her innocent excuses. “Well, she did legal work for you guys. How should I know?” she says as smoothly as a kid lying about not eating any cookies before dinner. “Are they even still together?”
As if I’d ever divulge information about my president or his wife to this little snake. Ignoring the question, I continue, “You knew damn well Glassman handled Crystal Ball’s legal matters. You had no problem sending your other lawsuit there.” I rub my fingers against my temple. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Get the fuck out of here and forget this place exists.”
“Dex, I just want to schedule a few shows.” She swipes a finger under her nose. “Please? I’m desperate here.”
No kidding. Desperation’s rolling off her in waves. “That’s not my problem.”
If she’s not on coke, it’s gotta be something else. She just doesn’t look well. A couple of years ago, I would’ve tried to figure out what was wrong and help her. Now, all I feel is icy indifference. Besides, her looks aren’t the point. She could look like the hot twenty-two-year-old who auditioned here years ago, and the answer would still be fuck no.
“Where’s your kid?” My gaze shifts to her vehicle. Probably a rental. No one else seems to be inside. “Does he even exist or did you make him up as part of your scheme to cause us trouble?”
“No, I didn’t invent a son,” she snaps. “He’s at my mother’s.”
“You hate your mother.” I can’t count how many times Inga ranted about her mother’s unwillingness to accept what she did for a living.
She rolls her eyes. “We worked out some of our issues while I was in rehab. And she’s so happy about her first grandbaby, she’s willing to overlook my…career choices.”
“You ever figure out who the father is?”
“Yes.” She glares at me. “It’s none of your business.”
“The fuck it’s not. You made it my business when you sued me and forced me to go in for a DNA test.”
“Dex,” she whines. “Come on. It’s not like you to be so petty.”
Says the empress of petty.
“Aren’t you a little old for this anyway?” I sweep my hand toward the club. “You always told me you had a plan to get out of porn and dancing.”
“Yeah, well, life wrecked all my plans,” she grumbles.
“Life or karma?” I sneer.
She steps closer and rests her hands on my shoulders, tipping her head back. “Come on. Let’s go inside and I can give you the highlights of my resume. Refresh your memory.”
I shrug her off. “Hard pass.”
Her gaze shifts to the club’s back door again.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warn. “You have no friends left in there. In fact,” I pull out my cell phone and take a quick picture of her. “I’ll text this to everyone and tack a pic of your face on the wall, so the bouncers all know to throw you out on your bony ass.”
“Dammit, Dex!” she screeches, jumping for my phone.
I’m forced into the childish position of holding it high in the air where her graspy hands can’t reach. With my free hand, I push her away. “Settle the fuck down. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
She quits her mad frog hopping and crosses her arms over her chest. “You’re really not going to let me have a shift?” she pouts.
“Nope.”
Her gaze slips to the side. “They turned me down at the Royal Dolls in Deadbranch, too. What’d you do, blackball me at every strip club the Lost Kings own?”
My lips curve into a smug smile, pleased Digger, the old president of the Deadbranch charter, had listened to my warning about Inga. “I guess word gets around.”
“Asshole,” she spits.
“You cross one brother, you cross all of us.” I nail her with a hard stare. “You know that.”
“Fine,” she huffs, and hitches her giant purse higher on her shoulder. “I always thought you were better than this, Dex.”
“Guilt ain’t gonna work, darlin’,” I sneer in my most disinterested tone. Tension knots my shoulders. This has already gone on for way too long. “You need to leave. If another brother catches you here, they’re not going to entertain your bullshit. I can’t guarantee they’ll be as nice as me.”
Fuck, Wrath might snap her in two for including him in the lawsuit when he’d never even touched her. Trinity would probably happily help her husband dispose of Inga’s body.
“What are they going to do?” She rests her hands on her hips. “Kill me?”
I glare at her, wanting her to understand the stakes. “It’s always a possibility.”
Her skin pales even further and tears glisten in her eyes. “I really thought you’d help me, Dex.”
“You thought wrong.” I jerk my chin toward her car. “You burned all your bridges here. Take your ass on back to California and stay there.”